1729 ( )

I am loving Aquaman but I kinda wish there was more Mera in this story arc.

Read the individual issues. ( )

http://www.nerdophiles.com/2015/01/28/aquaman-vol-2-a-look-at-the-others/

Oh, Arthur Curry, what are we going to do with you?

Apparently give you a kick-ass new back story that shows just how far you have come in the last several years. In The Others we get glimpses of who Aquaman used to be, which is apparently a total jerk. But he wasn’t a jerk who was alone, he worked with a team that called themselves The Others. After a six year separation from the group, Aquaman is forced to look his past in the face, reconcile with who he is, and pull it together long enough to defeat the Black Mantra.

While this is a great premise, there were times I found myself yawning at the whole flash back trope. It’s been used a lot, and just doesn’t feel new anymore. It does give us a lot of information in a short time, which is always a nice thing when trying to understand the “new” Aquaman. In volume two, we find out that six years ago, Arthur’s dad was killed by Black Mantra, and he was out for revenge. While teamed up with The Others, he goes about hunting down Black Mantra. Let me pause and explain who these others are. The team consisted of Aquaman, The Prisoner, The Seer, Ya’Wara, Vostok, and The Operative. While on a mission together they found Black Mantra and, in a fit of revenge, Aquaman kills Black Mantra’s father. Since then, Black Mantra has been building up to seek revenge, and he intends to get his revenge with some Atlantian artifacts. More specifically a second trident that is much more powerful than Aquaman’s.

It was an interesting story line, and the artwork was beautiful as always. Johns is giving us a new version of what we already have, which is always a nice thing. The story moves along at a good pace, and picks up right where volume one left off. I’m hoping for a bit more discoveries of the artifacts and what they mean in volume three.

Final Thoughts:
Overall, it was a decent second volume in the new Aquaman series. I suppose the only thing I felt that was really missing was more of current Aquaman. Flashbacks are great and all, and they do serve a purpose, but it just seems a bit overused these days. I am looking forward to the third installment and what it may hold!

Another fun romp with an underrated hero. This Aquaman adventure centers around a classic villain - the Black Manta. While Aquaman and Mera are meeting with Dr. Shin to learn about an Atlantean relic, a mysterious woman clad in primitive (and almost nonexistent) clothing crashes in on them. She wants to kill Shin, but Aquaman stops her, and it becomes apparent that they have history together. She tells him that someone is killing members of his old team, and he agrees to leave with her, ignoring Mera's demands for explanations.

Shin knows the answers, though, and he quickly fills in the gaps, for Mera and the reader. Long ago, Shin hired the Black Manta to acquire some of Arthur's (Aquaman's) blood. At the time, Mantis wasn't a villain, just a diver willing to do rough work for money. Shin wanted proof of his theories, to regain his academic standing, and knew that Arthur's blood would reveal his special background. Arthur's father defended his son, though, thinking that the man was after more than just a sample, and the fight brought on a heart attack, which killed him. Arthur wanted revenge. He went after the Black Manta and killed him - only to learn that he had actually killed the Manta's father. The men found themselves locked in a relationship of hate and revenge. Aquaman joined a team of other superheroes, working together to stop Manta.

Now, years after Arthur had shed his bitter past and also left his team, Manta is back, killing off his teammates and stealing the Atlantean relic each one wielded. Aquaman tries to find his surviving teammates, reconcile with them, and finish the Manta off completely. Will he be able to overcome his deeply rooted hatred of Manta and help the people he loves?

I admit, I always thought of Manta as a silly foe, but this volume turned my opinion around full circle. Manta's character was vicious and scary. Also, he had a complicated back story that made some of his choices understandable, if still completely indefensible. The story was entertaining, sometimes intense, and introduced me to one of the odder team of superheroes I have read. The story balanced the serious and the funny, which is becoming a trademark of this series. The characters are interesting, and the relationship between Mera and Aquaman is romantic but still holds a lot of mystery. I liked learning the back story of this new version of Aquaman, and though I enjoyed the first volume more, this was a nice follow up. ( )