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tigercrossin's review against another edition
4.0
Ok wow they stepped it up again for this one! I was really disappointed in volume 2 because I felt the story was a bit too all over the place, but this arc really brought back my love for the character. Some parts of the story don’t make a ton of sense, but honestly I’m totally ok with it. I just loved seeing an angry and brutal aquaman, as he was definitely written better in this than the previous volume.
coolnameguy's review against another edition
5.0
This was an excellent and tense story throughout. I haven't gotten around to the New 52 JLA but I can still tell what kind of relationships the members have with each other just in this condensed story. You can definitely jump into it without reading previous Aquaman of JLA, but context helps a tad. My only issue was that it seemed to be resolved too easily.
tmwebb3's review against another edition
4.0
This was the best of the three volumes of Aquaman in the New 52. Enjoyed the journey of Orm and Aquaman and their relationship, and how this story connects to the overall Justice League, which everything about Atlantis should. The final villas was weak.
jasmiinaf's review against another edition
5.0
I was kind of worried after the second volume, because it wasn't very good. But this was pure gold. I just wish Mera would get more pages or maybe her own series. That would be cool.
caitcoy's review against another edition
5.0
Geoff Johns is making me into an Aquaman fan, and that is a statement I can safely say I never expected to write.
In volume three, Johns brings in a number of different threads that have been building in the previous volumes and sets in motion a war between Atlantis and the “surface dwellers.” The Dead King’s scepter, capable of sinking entire islands into the ocean, has fallen into the hands of some mysterious Atlantean benefactor and when missiles are suddenly retargeted to fall on Atlantis, it becomes clear that this person has war in mind. Arthur, along with the rest of the Justice League, must somehow get the Atlanteans not to destroy entire cities in their quest for vengeance and find out who is behind it all.
One of the greatest strengths of this volume is the focus it puts on relationships between Arthur and the other characters. I was particularly impressed by the ties built between him and his brother Orm, the current king of Atlantis. The idea that Orm would have been raised, in common with the other Atlanteans, to both hate and fear the surface dwellers who have repeatedly murdered them and poisoned their home makes perfect sense. It made it easy to understand why Orm would turn to war when the missiles fell on Atlantis. The dichotomy between Orm, the full Atlantean, and Arthur, who has a foot in both worlds, was really well done. And I loved the relationship between Aquaman and Batman. Batman is one of the few who trusts Aquaman and understands that he has to deal with his brother without outside interference. Throughout, the relationships between characters were very well written and compelling. It made the volume an extremely fast read for me.
What makes it a bit of a tough read is the end.
This Aquaman series is doing exactly what the Wonder Woman one never did for me. It’s epic, compelling and really making me love a superhero I never gave a shit about before. Definitely one of the must-read New 52 series!
In volume three, Johns brings in a number of different threads that have been building in the previous volumes and sets in motion a war between Atlantis and the “surface dwellers.” The Dead King’s scepter, capable of sinking entire islands into the ocean, has fallen into the hands of some mysterious Atlantean benefactor and when missiles are suddenly retargeted to fall on Atlantis, it becomes clear that this person has war in mind. Arthur, along with the rest of the Justice League, must somehow get the Atlanteans not to destroy entire cities in their quest for vengeance and find out who is behind it all.
One of the greatest strengths of this volume is the focus it puts on relationships between Arthur and the other characters. I was particularly impressed by the ties built between him and his brother Orm, the current king of Atlantis. The idea that Orm would have been raised, in common with the other Atlanteans, to both hate and fear the surface dwellers who have repeatedly murdered them and poisoned their home makes perfect sense. It made it easy to understand why Orm would turn to war when the missiles fell on Atlantis. The dichotomy between Orm, the full Atlantean, and Arthur, who has a foot in both worlds, was really well done. And I loved the relationship between Aquaman and Batman. Batman is one of the few who trusts Aquaman and understands that he has to deal with his brother without outside interference. Throughout, the relationships between characters were very well written and compelling. It made the volume an extremely fast read for me.
What makes it a bit of a tough read is the end.
Spoiler
Orm is consistently shown to be a good king who takes care of his people and is only trying to protect them from what he sees as further proof of the betrayal of the surface dwellers. To have things end up with him trapped on the surface which disturbs and is painful to him, just for protecting his people, feels wrong. I hope it's something that gets dealt with later on in the story because I'd like to think that someone cares about all the Atlanteans who got murdered but the book ends with things exactly the way Vulko wanted them. I guess time will tell if that gets rectified. Either way, it makes for a powerful end to the volume.This Aquaman series is doing exactly what the Wonder Woman one never did for me. It’s epic, compelling and really making me love a superhero I never gave a shit about before. Definitely one of the must-read New 52 series!
dolcezzina21's review against another edition
4.0
This set a good foundation for the movie for me. But come on, who really needs any foundation to enjoy Jason Momoa. Ha. Great story overall. They combined the issues and chapters most relevant to understanding Aquaman's story. But because of that, sometimes the storyline was choppy or confusing at times.
nolo42's review
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
amouria's review against another edition
4.0
Really loved getting Arthur’s backstory and PoV, though it was whack that he was confiding in Bruce about not fitting in either worlds with Clark being right there. Then I remembered Clark is ooc since he’s dating Diana in this run, so that was never going to help anyway.
caterpie_reading's review against another edition
5.0
Actual Rating: 4.5/5 stars
This was – just like the other two – an excellent volume. What gripped me the most in this Aquaman volume was the story. I really enjoyed Orm as a character and the Ocean Master as a new villain. I think Orm is a character with his heart in the right place. He was just acting out of concern for his own people and I am so intrigued as to what they are going to do with him in the next volumes, given that he is so unique and complex. Personally, I did not think he deserved his punishment in the end. It might just be me, but I thought that Aquaman was a little bit too harsh with his brother, especially since he only defended Atlantis – his home. But moving on.
I also highly enjoyed that the complexity of Arthurs character was a little bit more explored this time. His inner conflict – his Atlantean heritage and his sympathies for the surface world – felt absolutely real to me. And so of course, I was quite engaged in the story. Mera was so badass, I just love her. She is definitely one of my favorite DC female superheroes. I enjoy that she has, in fact, a character of her own, unlike a lot of other female “sidekicks”. And I am dying to learn more about her back story.
The short appearance of Black Manta was also a great addition to the story – he was scarier that I remembered him. The issues that were in tied in with the Justice League I thought were just great and perfect for the over all story – I am a fan of the Justice League either way, but especially here I liked the dynamics between the members.
The art in this volume was absolutely stunning, it was so pleasant to look at and was perfectly in tune with the story.
Over all, I have nothing bad to say about this book. It was such an enjoyable read and I absolutely loved every second of it.
This was – just like the other two – an excellent volume. What gripped me the most in this Aquaman volume was the story. I really enjoyed Orm as a character and the Ocean Master as a new villain. I think Orm is a character with his heart in the right place. He was just acting out of concern for his own people and I am so intrigued as to what they are going to do with him in the next volumes, given that he is so unique and complex. Personally, I did not think he deserved his punishment in the end. It might just be me, but I thought that Aquaman was a little bit too harsh with his brother, especially since he only defended Atlantis – his home. But moving on.
I also highly enjoyed that the complexity of Arthurs character was a little bit more explored this time. His inner conflict – his Atlantean heritage and his sympathies for the surface world – felt absolutely real to me. And so of course, I was quite engaged in the story. Mera was so badass, I just love her. She is definitely one of my favorite DC female superheroes. I enjoy that she has, in fact, a character of her own, unlike a lot of other female “sidekicks”. And I am dying to learn more about her back story.
The short appearance of Black Manta was also a great addition to the story – he was scarier that I remembered him. The issues that were in tied in with the Justice League I thought were just great and perfect for the over all story – I am a fan of the Justice League either way, but especially here I liked the dynamics between the members.
The art in this volume was absolutely stunning, it was so pleasant to look at and was perfectly in tune with the story.
Over all, I have nothing bad to say about this book. It was such an enjoyable read and I absolutely loved every second of it.