DCU Comic Book Reviews

AQUAMAN:  SWORD OF ATLANTIS #51

The Once And Future Sea King

June 2007

Written by Tad Williams

Layouts by Shawn McManus

Finishes by Walden Wong

Cover by Michael Wm. Kaluta

Synopsis

After Aquaman and friends bury the Dweller In The Depths, they decide the best course of action would be to return to Sub Diego.  Thanks to Topo, they decide to use a hatch to get to the Pacific Ocean.  Before it opens, however, they are attacked by members of the deep church, the ones who built the hatch.  With a little help from King Shark, they defeat the monsters and zoom through the hatch to the Pacific Ocean.  Elsewhere, scientists are investigating a cavern underneath Antarctica when they are suddenly approached by monsters from the deep.  Elsewhere, Aquaman and the others reach Sub Diego, only to learn that Black Manta has taken control. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I don’t know.  I didn’t like this.  The plot and the story was all over the place, as if Williams were taking the opportunity to put all of the pieces he needs for the next set of issues.  The fight scene at the hatch was not only random and extraneous, as if Williams decided he needed a fight scene, but McManus’ art was not very clear to what wash happening.  Then King Shark’s entrance and exit was so sudden I actually read it again just to make I saw what I saw.  Finally, it would be nice if Williams address the entire Sub Diego situation since it certainly seemed like the entire city was raised in the World War III specials, who chronologically takes place before this issue.  It is disconcerting to have Aquaman going to an underwater city that has been raised. 

Beyond that, however, what fails to be clicking with me is the large cast of characters.  I am not sure of it is Williams’ writing or his approach, but the large cast is not clicking with me.  Perhaps it is Topo, who comes across as a funny sidekick in one instance and a mean-spirited angry kid in the next.  I know these two can exist within one character, but it doesn’t flow all that well for me.  Or Tempest whose lack of powers make him useless and his character just too damn cranky and mean.  You bring back a character missing for nearly a year and this is how he is portrayed? 

Why is the Flash at the memorial for the Dweller, or the original Aquaman?  First of all, the current Flash, Bart Allen, was never a friend of Aquaman’s nor is part of the Justice League of America.  A better person for that spot would have either been Green Arrow as a friend or Black Lightning or Red Arrow if it was supposed to be the Justice League.  And why is Hal Jordan wearing an air mask when his ring could supply it for him?

A month to swim to the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic Ocean?  Even if you assume they would go through the Panama Canal that is awfully fast.  Has it ever been mentioned how fast Atlanteans can swim?

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