Aquaman #8 – Jeremy Adams, Writer; John Timms, Artist; Rex Lokus, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Last issue was the biggest wham issue of the series, as the dark secret of Dagon’s realm was revealed. As Aquaman descended to the depths, it became clear that time had dilated in this area, causing much longer to take place in Atlantis than on the surface during Aquaman’s journey. In this time, Andy had grown to a teenager. Garth and Jackson were now fully grown men, maybe close to Arthur’s age. And Mera, whose power had been leached by Dagon, had aged into an old woman and died of old age not long after being reunited with Arthur. It was a shocking gut punch, one that completely upended the status quo of Aquaman – and now Arthur is out for revenge. With Dagon on a rampage and determined to not let them leave alive, he rallies his troops for one final stand against the dark God – and as soon as he strikes him down, Dagon’s true nature is revealed.
Given the character’s name, it’s not a huge surprise that Dagon isn’t just a mad king, he’s an actual eldritch God. The return of John Timms as artist after a few issues off is well-timed, as he’s able to create a truly terrifying beast out of this – one who quickly strikes down many of Aquaman’s allies. As Aquaman pleads with Lori Lemaris to switch sides, he makes one last desperate gambit – and it fails, seemingly killing him. And that’s where this series takes a big turn, potentially finally putting to rest the jokes about Aquaman being the weakest member of the Justice League. I’m wondering if some of this ties into the larger mythology of the Green, the Red, etc – could there be a “Blue” out there? But one way or another, this issue leaves us with a new status quo, a new supporting cast, and a whole lot of unanswered questions as we head into a bold new arc next issue.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
