Aquamen #2 – Brandon Thomas/Chuck Brown, Writers; Sami Basri/Vicente Cifuentes, Artists; Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: Last issue’s first issue ended with a big reveal—Aquaman and Black Manta were now working together to investigate an elaborate conspiracy involving Atlantean sleeper cells blowing up as part of some long-simmering plot against the surface world. Needless to say, Jackson doesn’t react all that well to being reunited with his criminal father—but it’s clear much of that is due to Jackson’s recent trauma of being hunted as a traitor and nearly seeing his mother killed in front of him. But even by that standard, his sharp turn against Arthur as he goes rogue and seeks help from other allies is surprising—and it’s clear that this rift between Arthur and Jackson is likely to get worse before it gets better. But while the two lead characters are split now, that actually gives us a unique opportunity to let some of the other characters in the Aquaman family shine and play off the two main characters.
Those major players involve Mera, Garth, and Tula—all of whom are brought in as Jackson seeks out an emergency meeting in Atlantis to discuss Arthur’s mental health. Honestly, reasonable—but Jackson’s isn’t looking so great himself. As Arthur and Manta continue to investigate the mystery, they bring in some iconic Aquaman bad guys and discover a link to a tragedy that indicates that whoever is behind this, they may just have a reasonable justification for hating the surface. Jackson’s story takes a shockingly dark turn towards the end that took me by surprise, but it’s fascinating watching him go down this tragic path. I overall found the Arthur/Manta segments the most compelling this issue, because I’m a sucker for teeth-clenched teamwork between former enemies. Overall, this series isn’t giving away its secrets too easily but I’m very intrigued by where it’s taking this plot.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
