Aquaman Vol 1 is a very straightforward interpretation of the titular hero, but it's one that does a familiar concept with such gusto that it's hard not to love it. The plot centers around Arthur Curry attempting to create new ties between his undersea nation of Atlantis, and the rest of the world. However a familiar face emerges to hinder the king's goals and... of course it's Black Manta. Again, despite this book falling short on surprises, it handles its characters and themes in a refreshing light. All the characters, despite not being very witty and some being straight-up boring, are pretty well written. Dan Abnett, while his plot may suffer from tiredness, is great at writing dialogue.

The imagery, which bounces between a few different artists, is appealing by all of them. The pages are extremely colorful, and the images just pop right off the page. This book is a wonder to look at. The action is fantastic too, much higher above the line than would be expected. Any scene with Black Manta in it is a gleefully good time. Dan Abnett just knows how to write villains in such a great and convincing way. While it may not be on the same line as Geoff Johns' acclaimed run, The Drowning is still a fun read and I would recommend to any aquafans.

i love how they continuously bring up how everyone thinks he just talks to fish

Aquaman is a midly interesting character and that's for me the biggest problem on his comics. While some authors, like Geoff Johns, managed skillfully to make him bad-ass and complex, other authors, like Dan Abnett, can't write extraordinary stories. The problem here isn't the author, it's the restricted capacity of the protagonist.

The idea of Aquaman as "an enemy of the state" is interesting but too déjà-vu. Another thing that bothers me is the return of Black Manta because, with Ocean Master, they're the only villains of the protagonist and I feel like the modern authors don't create new villains. Also, Black Manta's characterization is too close to the Joker (he says that he has a unique relationship with Aquaman but they'll never kill each other because they live for revenge). However, the subplot of N.E.M.O. (the organization is really called like this) is getting intriguing and I'm curious to know what part they'll occupy in the story. The last issue of the volume is better than the others. It proposes a great confrontation between the king of Atlantis and Superman and it shows the many differences between them.

For me, this is one of the series that suffered most from the bi-mensual publication. They promised Brad Walker as the artist of the series but he only draws two issues over 6. His art is great and fits very-well with the character and I'd like that he draws more issues. Scot Eaton, who draws the Rebirth one-shot, is correct without being exceptional but Phillipe Briones' art is really ugly. It isn't bad but the faces are hideous and the bodies are incorrect.