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Btp: Aquaman #1 Review

This article was submitted by Ryan Green. If you would like to submit an article, please e-mail to myself at jadams@nerdiest-kids.com or contact@nerdiest-kids.com

From animated portrayals in the âSuper Friendsâ, to short skits in âRobot Chickenâ; Aquaman is often the most ridiculed super-hero out there. Not just in popular media, but in comic books as well. Due to rapid creative team switch ups, Aquaman has been everything from a teenage pretty boy, to king, to eco-terrorist, all the way to a zombie, and has had almost as many continuity problems as Hawkman!

However, there may be some light at the end of the tunnel with this weekâs release of Aquaman #1, which is part of the âNew 52â relaunch by publisher DC Comics to bring more readers into comics and the DC Universe. Spearheaded by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, and Joe Prado; this creative team seems passionate about bringing Aquaman to the forefront and in the same league (figuratively and literally) as Batman, Superman, Green Lantern and The Flash. Such passion and love for a character is always a good sign when dealing with a new creative team, and now with Aquaman #1, out in stores, we can see firsthand just how this new take on the character works.

The beginning of Aquaman #1 is all about introducing Aquaman as a major power house and player in the DC Universe. As you can see in the images and preview below, Aquaman shows feats of invulnerability, great strength and, (not shown in the preview) the ability to super-leap. The great thing about these pages is that not only are they awesome Aquaman moments, they are also logical Aquaman moments for a character built to survive in the harsh environment of Earthâs oceans. This is great to witness as it shows that we finally have a writer taking Aquaman seriously, and showing he is a serious âheavy weightâ in the DC Universe. Johns seems so confident in this characters ability to hold his own title that, rather than use an established Aquaman villain, he has elected to introduce us to a new foe in the form of carnivorous, horror movie-looking creatures of the deep (hence why the first Aquaman storyline of this series is called âThe Trenchâ).

Thatâs not to say that this first issue is solely action. Like the master storyteller he is, Johns also manages to add a key ingredient in the recipe to make this story all the more enjoyable: Humor! Johns is acutely aware that the underwater hero has an unfavorable reputation, and is often seen as a joke despite the fabulous feats of power he shows throughout the issue. The highlight of this being a scene with a âbloggerâ in a restaurant, who constantly ridicules everything that fans have said about Aquaman for years (such as his ability to talk to fish, even though he claims he merely cajoles them to his whim) and flat out calls him a laughing stock. The reaction Aquaman has is logical, and creates a great sympathy for the character.

Blended in with plenty of action and humor, Aquaman #1 also has a great many heart-filled and compassionate moments. In the restaurant scene described above, Aquaman has a moment of reflection about his late father; later taking a moment to reflect on a lecture his father once gave him on responsibility as a child. Along with the empathy point of an adult figure from his past, we also see a great moment where he helps the citizenry in less action-star ways. It gives us two great things about Aquaman: it entrenches him in the superhero genre with a patriarch origin, and makes him unique with the lack of a secret identity and the reasoning for it. Finally, a unique part of this opening issue is the fact that the series has dual protagonists. Along with Aquaman, there is his wife Mera (refreshing to see in the land of comics: a happily married couple).

When it comes to art, it is hard to top the linework of Ivan Reis. Here, Reisâ talents are fully utilized , showing incredibly realistic facial expressions from Aquaman and all the other characters to convey personality and emotion. From the anger of the bank robbery, to the love from Mera, Reis captures the full spectrum of human emotion with his pencil. If he can and Johns can keep this momentum up, this will be a truly classic series.

No expense is spared for the details of this issue, as along with great pencils, the colors and imagery from inker Joe Prado on this entire issue stand out and hold your attention. The rendering of Aquamanâs costume, opting instead to do away with the garish orange color of Aquamanâs shirt for more of a shiny and metallic golden look instead, befits a former king! Pradoâs mastery of color isnât just for the Sea Kings wardrobe; he effectively bridges the look of a sun filled day, with the horror of the main adversaries. A fantastic and difficult feat to pull off!

After 70 years of being the butt of many jokes, and ridiculed in every manner possible, itâs good to see someone finally giving Aquaman the long overdue respect he deserves. Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, and Joe Pradoâs Aquaman #1 is a fantastic and entertaining tale, and is set not only to be another success in DCâs âNew 52â initiative but will not disappoint new & old Aquaman fans alike. Honestly, I felt more like this was the first act of a movie rather than just the first issue of a comic book storyline, and I already canât wait for issue #2!

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder

2 October

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5 Comics That Should Be Diversified!

Diversification in comics is a huge topic right now. DC’s relaunches is claiming diversity while some vocal fans outright claim there is none. On the Marvel side the new Ultimate Spider-Man was announced to be a half-black/half-hispanic ethnically which brings up the question: what other comic characters should be diversified? Diversity for the sake of diversity isn’t the point of this article but more so what characters or concepts should be re-looked at and show a broader representation of people.
Over on our facebook I asked what characters should be changed ethnically, gender wise or in regards to their sexual orientation. As the focus of the changes in comics have been on ethnicity many of your responses were heavily influenced based on ethnic background! Here are 5 comic characters that you and I think should be diversified!
Hawkman - Longtime NK Community member TechieMike suggested that a character in much need of change is a character that has had a long standing bout with staying relevant. I 100% agree that Hawkman should be given a change up but diversification should have been part of this character from the get go. Reincarnated Egyptian Pharaoh eventually becomes a white Archaeologist? This barbaric warrior with alien technology should most definitely be Arabic, Egyptian or of Middle Eastern decent and the best part is it won’t change a damn thing about the character. He can still be a reincarnated Pharaoh that is a modern day Archaeologist.
Dr. Doom - Damon Scott of Nfamous Gamers suggested that Dr. Doom should become African American as there is little to no mainstream black supervillains. Ethnically I am torn on this because Dr. Doom is the ruler of a Slavic-based country and I would hope that he would look similar to other Slavic-people in the region but instead he is a character that looks white but since Ultimate Dr. Doom is dead there is more than enough room for a new non-white Dr. Doom to take up the mantle. Black, Hispanic, or European this bad ass definitely could use a make over.
Wonder Woman - NK Senior Editor Jeff Adams suggest that DC Comics’ high profile character Wonder Woman should be be given the diversification treatment as well. A woman on a secluded island made up of various women from different ethnic backgrounds? Wonder Woman should be ethnically ambiguous but just like the other members of the DC Trinity she is white and blue-eyed. Making her look Hispanic or African American skin tone wise would probably piss of a whole lot of people but also being that she is from a different make believe country all together and is a symbol of truth for all mankind her ethnic background should be a mix to represent that.
Robin - A character that has almost always been a young white male is Batman’s sidekick Robin. At times the character has been female but never for too long. This sidekick being different either by its gender or ethnicity will alone set the character to be worlds apart from their predecessors. Grant Morrison has proven in the pages of Batman Inc. that different Batmen can exist so why not a different Robin?
Ultimate Fantastic Four - There isn’t much that could be done about the 616 first family but with the Ultimate Fantastic Four no longer in existence it makes a whole lot of sense of a new first family to be diverse as they come. The F4 is the perfect stage for diversification to take flight. Powers, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation could all be elements that are played with as the team has always been focused on more than just superheroics.
What other characters do you think should be changed up? Do you love or hate the list above? Leave your comments below!

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder

2 August

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Comics Movies Film Video Games tumblrize Batman DC Comics DCNu Diversity Dr. Doom F4 Fantastic Four Hawkman Marvel Comics Miles Morales robin Spider-Man Ultimate Universe Wonder Woman

DCnU’s 5 Year Continuity Doesn’t Work!

The biggest thing to happen to comics in a very long time may be standing on some shaky ground. Many writers and fans find that DC Comic’s continuity is what prevents many of the characters from moving forward or their books harder to jump into. Writers on the other hand have proven otherwise that the rich history can be utilized to not hinder the characters but propel them forward or even reintroduce them to a new audience.
So why is DC Comics attempting to reboot their entire line? I believe it’s for the two following reasons: money and creativity. The money aspect does sound like they are being a greedy typical money grubbing corporation but the facts are facts. DC Comics is a business and in order to continue to operate they must worry about their bottom line. Being second to Marvel in overall sales since the late 60’s is something DC will probably want to turn around. Creating a new line that will cater to not only superhero genre fans but also fans of horror, westerns, and war comics seems like a smart way to go. The new line may work in terms of purpose and may very well work for their goal to create a stronger brand that flows across various media forms. So why am I saying DCnU’s reboot might not work?The reboot works from every other point except the one aspect they are trying to clean up: story continuity. Yes, they are removing decades worth of cluttering history that will piss off fanboys to no end but I’m not talking about that story continuity. I am referring to the new continuity that already has 5 years of pre-set stories told with various popular tales from the old continuity still being upheld. Blackest Night, Identity Crisis, and Brightest Day will all be considered canon. Not only that but Batman and Green Lantern’s sometimes convoluted continuity will remain untouched due to their high profile success.

Apparently in a five year span of operation Batman is on his fourth Robin, the Justice League got tired of villains targeting loved ones and lobotomized them, many of the dead friends that may not have died in the new continuity returned to kill them as ring bearing cosmic zombies, Hal Jordan died and came back to life with Earth earning 3 other Green Lanterns within the 5-year time span, the JSA never existed, while the Teen Titans never met until the books release, Superman has just appeared 5-years ago, is not married to Lois Lane, and possibly never was Superboy. That still does not address any of the Crisis events that may or may not have happened. At least the heroes aren’t wearing shorts on the outside right?
Understandably, DC Comics can do whatever the hell they want in order to drive sales and open their universe to new audiences but they need to make sure that their new initiative has a cohesive story continuity to stand on. In a 5-year time span, many of the fan favorite stories logically cannot take place as they are set up by various events or plots that are being wiped out of continuity. DCnU is both exciting and scary for fans and the comic industry as decades worth of art and writing are being re-interpreted to capture a new audience in an age where print is struggling.