It's the reunion everyone will be talking about as Aquaman and Mera finally come face to face! Meanwhile, Aqualad and the Old Gods put the murder charges to rest when the true culprit is revealed... and Black Manta makes his move on Aquaman!
Aquaman #53 is better than the previous issues in the arc, carried by Tristam Maurer's life-story. While bringing the plotlines together benefits the issue overall, not addressing Mera and Arthur's conflict keeps a hopeful feeling at bay and casts a long shadow over one of the classic love relationships in comics. Read Full Review
Aquaman continues to surprise us with new additions that expand the character in new ways, and we can't get enough of it. Read Full Review
Robson Rocha and Eduardo Pansica deliver some dramatic and beautifully detailed art throughout this issue. Everything from the action to the character expressions are done with care and purpose. Read Full Review
Kelly Sue DeConnick and Robson Rocha's superb, mature take on Aquaman and his world powers along, bringing the thunder - and the sea monsters, and the Mecha Manta - with skill and aplomb that would make most other creators blush. Don't miss this book just because it's not your standard-issue Arthur Curry! Read Full Review
Like the earlier half of this run, DeConnick is balancing a lot of elements and mostly hitting on all cylinders. Hopefully the tie-ins will resolve themselves quickly and she can continue building her master story uninterrupted. Read Full Review
Overall this was a really fun and exciting issue. If you have been following the series you won’t want to miss this explosive chapter, and if you haven’t I recommend picking up the previous three issues so you can get caught up. It looks like things are only going to get more volatile going forward. Read Full Review
AQUAMAN #53 hits home with relevant themes of regret and loss. It also sets up a number of threats that will put our heroes to the test. We can't wait for the next issue! Read Full Review
Aquaman delivers another strong installment that dives into the fundamental themes of its narrative, while packing in fun history of Amnesty Bay. Read Full Review
If you're new to Aquaman, this is a good issue tojump on…and so are the most recent five issues, because they've all been recap.There's less forward progression in this story than the Mary Worth comic strip. Read Full Review
Ton of subplots and characters packed into this issue. Pacing is great. My only gripe is the slow roll out of the Year of the Villain which I think for most of the books out has seem to be the case. That part feels like it's purposely being stretched out. That said, it looks like next issue is going to be a doozy.
Wish DC would make this book bi-weekly again.
Wasn't that into the subplots before, but really enjoyed seeing them connect to the main story. Looking forward to the next issue.
Prelude:
Amnesty has been great so far with DeConnick at the helm. Let's hope that this issue keeps above water.
The Good:
Maurer's backstory is quite interesting and I like the direction it's heading in.
Mera and Arthur have reunited! Both were written immensely well here.
Rocha's art has been great recently and this issue is no exception.
Black Manta is here and he feels threatening. Now that I know he's going to appear now rather than later makes me much happier with his involvement so far.
The Bad:
Murer's characterisation doesn't sit right with me right now but I'm sure that can change overtime.
Continuity with Justice League is a bit confusing since Mera more
This one was action packed and pretty cool.
DeConnick's heartfelt character work remains strong enough to be worth the price of admission in itself: Mera's question to Vulko is vulnerable in sweet in just the right way and Black Manta's tension with his father-bot is fascinating and engaging. But it's all dragged down slightly by pacing that doesn't agree with a monthly schedule (though I'm sure it'll be fine in the trade) and the burden of being tied to a mega-crossover that seems designed to be inscrutable to people just trying to read the books they like: I only know the symbol in the sky is anything to do with Year of the Villain because the same non-sequitur showed up in another comic this week.
Still, imperfect pacing and the usual crossover nonsense isn't worth skip more
“Good men can do bad things.”
This is fine. I wonder if anyone's actually upset about the whole murder thing.
A lot of people running with their hair going wild and them yelling. Read like a soap opera, but ended on a fun note.
She killed him.