DCU Comic Book Reviews

AQUAMAN:  SWORD OF ATLANTIS #44

Masters

September 2006

Written by Kurt Busiek

Pencils by Butch Guice

Inks by Butch Guice

Cover by Butch Guice

Synopsis

After the fall of Atlantis, the citizen traveled to the Sheltered Canyons, only to be enslaved by the Aurati.  Watching over them is the Dweller In The Depths, who calls out to Arthur Curry and the Sea Devils for help to rescue the Atlanteans.  They are able to capture and Aurati salver, who tells them are slaves as well to humans who are forcing them to mine some kind of dust.  Arthur is at first against helping the criminal Aurati, but Dane Dorrance of the Sea devils convinces them that the Aurati are victims just as the Atlanteans.  The captured Aurati leads them to Queen Mera and the rest of the Atlanteans.  When they reach her, the Dweller senses something familiar about Mera, though he never met her before.  Mera also seems to recognize her, but they don’t have time to discuss it since they need to escape.  However, on the way out, they encounter the Orem Marius (aka the Ocean Master)!  Arthur attacks, but he is easily defeated as the Ocean Master cuts Arthur deep into the stomach, intent on killing him!   

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This book continues to interest me and I am curious to see how everything ties in together and how the mystery of the Dweller will be explained.  The good news is that the book seems to delight in providing in each issue hints and clues to the mystery; each issue deepens the mystery and adds new context to stuff and people we have encountered previously.  What I like about the mystery is that it does not seem like we are getting linear clues, that is clues that will allow us to go from Point A to Point B to Point C.  Rather, it seems like we are getting clues A and then E and then C and then G and then B in which, eventually, we will get the entire picture.  Of course this is just speculation and we won’t know for certain until the mystery is solved, but (as I said) this is just my impression. 

The bad news is that I think we are losing some characterization of the people and as a result they seem more like chess pieces to move around than actual living people.  Arthur started off as an angry, sullen young man who was reluctant to do anything but find his parents or relatives.  Now, he is taking charge of the situation and running headlong into the battle with the Ocean Master.  There is a disconnect there; I don’t recall when it was when he started to change, let alone make such a big change. 

The cover page aside (which reveals the Ocean Master but could have changed), I was a little surprised that the first scene with the Ocean Master was not the final page of the issue.  It seemed like a natural cliff hanger.  Of course, the better ending was only a few pages away.  Thinking about it now, I think the decision to include the Ocean Master (and provide exposition describing who he is) is that there may be new readers (I hope) who are unfamiliar with him since I don’t think he has appeared in Aquaman for some time.

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