Aquaman battles against the Chimera once again to protect both his home on the land and below the sea. He wants nothing more than to save the places he loves and to put a stop to the sea monsters terrorizing assault who wants to see nothing more than Arthur destroyed.
The fighting burst out of the pages as the story is still mid battle with the Chimera. The scripting was a little rushed with the issue as Aquaman swiftly subdues his foe with great ease. Another 52 story line quickly played out in anticipation of FUTURES END, it felt like Jeff Parker couldn’t do much with the fight. Arthur had little to say during the issue while the Chimeras attempt to lull him into a false sense of security with mind control was not executed well. The bizarre speech almost felt like reading broken English, as the monsters identity shifted from creature to creature only making his message even less fluid.
The artwork though stunning in the past, seemed to lack its usual luster. Though the artist Rain Beredo had not changed something felt like it was missing. Usually a smooth operator, Aquaman didn’t seem to ooze his usual royal self in the issue and it was only under the water that he appeared to return to normal. The Chimera’s shape shifting form really shone through the issue. With heavy detailing and precision to the sea creature’s shapes, Rain Beredo went into great research with each form of the animals and did a wonderful job at fusing them into the Chimeras body.
Positives
Once again I cannot fault the base artwork. Each panel is carefully executed and balanced to fit both the action and suspense in the issue. It also highlights the dramatic sea creature forms of the Chimera and how well they are drawn. The main story line still packed the punch that comes with true AQUAMAN brawls and sums up the saga well now coming into the infamous FUTURES END volumes.
Negatives
This issue was undoubtedly rushed. The weakness of the villain was very apparent in the issue as the characters went head to head, it only took one explosion to get the Chimera out of the picture. I know most stories are being wrapped up quickly for the new event but it feels like that’s destroying what could have been much more of a powerful issue then what was offered. Also the issue seemed to have a rougher feel, the artwork switched between smooth and sketchy with some panels having the traditional AQUAMAN vibe and others just thrown together. The sepia mind controlling panels were also muddled in both text and imagery. I felt like too much was cramped into the 1 page panel and without the colors to separate the image, it blurred into one big orange page.
Verdict
Wrapping up the story line, this week’s AQUAMAN was a little bit of hit and miss. Though I enjoyed the story it was missing something I had loved from the start of the 52. So as we see one sea monster depart we wait for what is next to come after King Arthur and his throne of Atlantis.
Rating
