DCU Comic Book Reviews

AQUAMAN #6

Many Rivers To Cross

July 2003

Written by Rick Veitch

Pencils by Sal Vellutto

Inks by Bob Almond

Cover by Yvel Guichet & Mark Propst

Synopsis

While their bodies are within McCaffrey’s lighthouse, Aquaman and Tempest visit the Lady Of The Lake in the secret sea.  She tells them that they must stop the thirst before he hunts and kills her sisters.  They are shown the heavenspan, a bridge they must cross to find the Thirst.  On the bridge they find a Guardian Troll who tells them they can only pass if they tell a past misgiving.  Tempest confesses he is still trying to live down the spell that sent Atlantis to the Obsidian Age.  Aquaman confesses that during the Obsidian Age he rose up like a vengeful, angry water God over the citizens of Atlantis and he tasted their helpless terror…and like it.  The troll allows them to pass, but not before telling that they will fail in their quest.  Meanwhile, back at the lighthouse, Superman has come to visit, but the bodies of Aquaman and Tempest have disappeared.  Their bodies have reached a polluted river, but Aquaman is still able to use his hand to follow it to the Lady Of The Lake’s sister.  Unfortunately they are too late, the Thirst already has her and he takes the pinky from Aquaman before moving on.  Superman arrives to offer help, but Aquaman realizes he must do it on his own.

Review

I realize that this is going to sound weird, but if I look at this issue overall, I would say that I did not enjoy it and so far I do not like the direction the story is going, BUT I liked a lot of the little things that are going on within the issue.  So, really, it was a mixed bag.  Some of the parts I liked were McCaffrey’s observation that Sweeney was attracted to Aquaman, the revelation by Aquaman to the Troll, and Superman, whose appearance at both points in the issue was handled very nice.  The stammering and star struck attitude by McCaffrey and Sweeny is pretty much how I would picture most people to be when they would first meet the big blue.  The ending was good.  There was no argument, just good conversation and respect on both sides.  Yet, I am not liking this Thirst and am actually finding this whole part a little tedious.  I had though the Thirst would be defeated by now, but it looks like it will stick for some time.  This whole idea of drinking people to death and the secret sea is paradoxically supposed to be an important event that could spell doom over the Earth, but at the same time seems to be small in stature that only Aquaman is affected by it.  And I think this paradox is what bothers me.  I would prefer something smaller in scale, something more intimate for Aquaman to handle, not a villain that could take over the earth.  That should be saved for the JLA.

One last thing, I have finally had enough of the way the Thirst talks.  It is distracting and takes me out of the moment of reading.  Enough, already!-- MRB

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