Emperor Aquaman #18 – Jeremy Adams, Writer; Paolo Villanelli, Artist; Rex Lokus, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Aquaman has been traveling around the universe, connecting the oceans of Earth with other water-based civilizations, leading to some very unique new characters in the DCU. But just because his portals open doesn’t mean they stay open – and he finds that out the hard way when one of his newest recruits sends out a message just before shutting the portal. They’ve contracted with a private cosmic security firm instead, and the executive there wastes no time sending some serious threats. Aquaman takes that as a challenge, of course. The identity of the bad guys is a fun surprise – it’s the EEOC, the shady cosmic corporation that forced Lobo out of a job in his solo title. There, they’re portrayed mostly as a nuisance that causes the Main Man some trouble. Here, they’re actually a legitimate threat that essentially runs a cartel and controls entire worlds through brute force.
As soon as Aquaman confronts the evil forces, who are styling themselves after the Green Lantern Corps through a clever little game of corporate trickery, he’s captured. Fortunately, he’s not the only hero trapped on this world. Hal Jordan has been nabbed, stripped of his ring, and given the hard sell to join up or be treated as an impostor. It’s pretty impressive how Adams has taken these comic villains and given them a real sense of menace simply by using the exact same tactics that unethical companies use in real life to strike at people with fewer resources. As soon as the two heroes find each other, the issue turns into a tense chase and escape comic, as they go up against the full forces of the EEOC and discover just how powerful Aquaman’s new abilities are – something even he doesn’t completely understand. Hal has had his own experiences with ultimate power, of course, which makes this an especially compelling team-up.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
