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Aquaman (2011) #2
Aquaman, Volume 2: The Others
Fine Arts Publishing Pub 2020-04-01 160 Sichuan Fine Arts Publishing House they call themselves the five unusual brave. they are equipped with a powerful holy Atlantis. Many years ago - Arthur Qureia has yet to become a hero. ...
160 pages, Paperback
Published November 19, 2013
59 people are currently reading
1245 people want to read
About the author
Geoff Johns
2,718 books2,410 followersGeoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 338 reviews
August 21, 2022
(A-) 80% | Very Good
Notes: Art takes the storytelling wheel, while speech punctuates pathos in its infrequency: by sharpness and negative space.
Notes: Art takes the storytelling wheel, while speech punctuates pathos in its infrequency: by sharpness and negative space.
April 1, 2016
Re-read 2016
Eh.
Ok, this is my least favorite volume of Johns' Aquaman. And the reason for that is my extreme dislike of The Others. I just...no.
I don't care for them.
This was still a pretty good story, though.
Manta and his backstory with Arthur was much better than I remembered it being. He's not just some dork in a weird helmet, he's a dangerous man on a mission for revenge.
So, yeah...very cool.
This one might have been kind of a low(er) point for me in this title, but it's still a great book.
Original review 2013
A good follow-up to Aquaman, Vol. 1: The Trench.
The Others are an interesting group of heroes. I've never read about any of them before, so I have no idea if they were created for this story, or older characters that have been revived.
Anybody? Anybody?
I thought they were a cool addition to Aquaman's backstory, though.
At any rate, Arthur's past catches up to him, and he's forced to reveal some things about himself to Mera that he was hoping to keep to himself. Turns out Arthur might not have always been such a goody-goody.
Yes!
Black Manta shows up, does evil stuff, and proves to be a worthy nemesis for Arthur. I'm happy with that entire storyline, including the reason they hate each other.
Mera is still the bad-ass Little Mermaid. Love her! Is it possible for her to get her own title? Just an idea...
Anyway, if you hated volume one...don't bother. But if you enjoyed Johns version of this New Aquaman, don't miss out on this one!
Eh.
Ok, this is my least favorite volume of Johns' Aquaman. And the reason for that is my extreme dislike of The Others. I just...no.
I don't care for them.
This was still a pretty good story, though.
Manta and his backstory with Arthur was much better than I remembered it being. He's not just some dork in a weird helmet, he's a dangerous man on a mission for revenge.
So, yeah...very cool.
This one might have been kind of a low(er) point for me in this title, but it's still a great book.
Original review 2013
A good follow-up to Aquaman, Vol. 1: The Trench.
The Others are an interesting group of heroes. I've never read about any of them before, so I have no idea if they were created for this story, or older characters that have been revived.
Anybody? Anybody?
I thought they were a cool addition to Aquaman's backstory, though.
At any rate, Arthur's past catches up to him, and he's forced to reveal some things about himself to Mera that he was hoping to keep to himself. Turns out Arthur might not have always been such a goody-goody.
Yes!
Black Manta shows up, does evil stuff, and proves to be a worthy nemesis for Arthur. I'm happy with that entire storyline, including the reason they hate each other.
Mera is still the bad-ass Little Mermaid. Love her! Is it possible for her to get her own title? Just an idea...
Anyway, if you hated volume one...don't bother. But if you enjoyed Johns version of this New Aquaman, don't miss out on this one!
August 25, 2016
Wha'ppen? Where did all the fun go? Looks like Johns put Aquaman on autopilot as soon as the very enjoyable first arc was done, as Vol. 2: The Others does not have much to offer beyond by-the-numbers superhero action, a bunch of one-dimensional characters I've never seen before, and an extra helping of T&A shots.
March 4, 2015
It's been awhile since volume one, even though I liked it. Volume two is every bit as good. I was never really into Aquaman, but Johns made him interesting to me. Granted, more than half of that is because of Mera. And she remains every bit as cool and kickass in this volume. I'd read just about anything with her in it, as long as she remains like this.
There are several other new characters, and a few that are, I think, new to New 52. There's The Others, Aquaman's previous (almost, not quite) team. Some good ideas here, as far as the characters go, and even though most of them don't show up on the page for terribly long, I still got a good look at their personalities. I think this was also Black Manta's first real go since Flashpoint, and I liked where Johns was going with this. The hatred between him and Aquaman was very real, and the reasons behind the feud made sense and were dramatic without being over the top.
Who knew that I would end up liking Aquaman this much? It helps that the art is really, really good, and that Aquaman is pretty easy on the eyes.
There are several other new characters, and a few that are, I think, new to New 52. There's The Others, Aquaman's previous (almost, not quite) team. Some good ideas here, as far as the characters go, and even though most of them don't show up on the page for terribly long, I still got a good look at their personalities. I think this was also Black Manta's first real go since Flashpoint, and I liked where Johns was going with this. The hatred between him and Aquaman was very real, and the reasons behind the feud made sense and were dramatic without being over the top.
Who knew that I would end up liking Aquaman this much? It helps that the art is really, really good, and that Aquaman is pretty easy on the eyes.
March 12, 2025
Knew nothing about the Others. Really good story.
November 9, 2014
Chugs along at a good clip, with less time spent on exposition and more on fast action.
Black Manta has usually been a decent arch-villain for the various incarnations of Aquaman (at least, I'm going by the Saturday morning cartoons where he always sat with the League of Injustice or whatever the supervillains team was called) , and he's pretty crafty and driven here. Giving him a good reason to hate Aquaman is a massive improvement here over Johns' usual M.O. where even the *heroes* just arbitrarily fight each other for no good reason.
Here, it turns out that Aquaman has as much reason to be considered the bad guy, and if not for the fact that Johns is writing *everyone* as a dick in the New 52, this would be a really nice twist on the usual dynamics.
I *am* getting pretty tired of the "six years ago" motif though. Are we telling the stories of a universe that started a year ago, or are we trying to eat our cake and have it too? Just tell a straight ahead story for once. These incessant flashbacks are getting in the way of pacing, and there's a certain minimum level of talent the storyteller should have before he's allowed to fuck around like this. Tarantino, maybe. Johns, not so much.
The other thing that's irritating because it's distracting from the momentum is anytime Johns reveals a _momentous moment_ - "there's another MacGuffin, Aquaman?" or "Here's the reappearance of a character we barely know, has had three lines so far, and is someone to whom we readers have absolutely no connection". While the art and writing make it clear I'm supposed to care about these revelations, all they do is remind me what a fanboi Johns is and how much he enjoys playing with these things that probably mean something to a reader who's followed thirty years of this character. Which I haven't.
In this regard, I'm completely with Sims & Wilson and fellow GR reviewer Sam Quixote - isn't this New 52 supposed to be a reboot, free of the decades of history since the last DC-wide reboot? And if so, why are we expected to notice or care about these details that haven't been sold on-camera?
Lordy, and here we go with another version of the "I gotta do this alone" man-with-testosterone-poisoning-of-the-brain stupidity. Green Arrow does this in Lemire's rendition, and probably Johns does it elsewhere too - in a solo book, for a 'hero' who's a member of not one but two teams, he's being a blockhead tool to not accept help from anyone else.
I'm with Anne though, that at least Mera is a kick-ass character. Take charge, no fear, and no whining. Does what she likes, has a modicum of agency, and has a power set that's not a weakened version of Aquaman's.
However, the climactic is just as impotent a tease of melodrama as it always is in these books. Yawn. At least Johns gives us a hint that there's a bigger villain out there who will come back to haunt Aquaman. I'd like to see Johns keep it in his pants enough that Aquaman doesn't just soundly defeat them in the next trade, but that's asking a helluva lot from "Premature EJ" Johns.
Not terrible for a library read. Thank jumpin jehovah I didn't pay for this tho.
Black Manta has usually been a decent arch-villain for the various incarnations of Aquaman (at least, I'm going by the Saturday morning cartoons where he always sat with the League of Injustice or whatever the supervillains team was called) , and he's pretty crafty and driven here. Giving him a good reason to hate Aquaman is a massive improvement here over Johns' usual M.O. where even the *heroes* just arbitrarily fight each other for no good reason.
Here, it turns out that Aquaman has as much reason to be considered the bad guy, and if not for the fact that Johns is writing *everyone* as a dick in the New 52, this would be a really nice twist on the usual dynamics.
I *am* getting pretty tired of the "six years ago" motif though. Are we telling the stories of a universe that started a year ago, or are we trying to eat our cake and have it too? Just tell a straight ahead story for once. These incessant flashbacks are getting in the way of pacing, and there's a certain minimum level of talent the storyteller should have before he's allowed to fuck around like this. Tarantino, maybe. Johns, not so much.
The other thing that's irritating because it's distracting from the momentum is anytime Johns reveals a _momentous moment_ - "there's another MacGuffin, Aquaman?" or "Here's the reappearance of a character we barely know, has had three lines so far, and is someone to whom we readers have absolutely no connection". While the art and writing make it clear I'm supposed to care about these revelations, all they do is remind me what a fanboi Johns is and how much he enjoys playing with these things that probably mean something to a reader who's followed thirty years of this character. Which I haven't.
In this regard, I'm completely with Sims & Wilson and fellow GR reviewer Sam Quixote - isn't this New 52 supposed to be a reboot, free of the decades of history since the last DC-wide reboot? And if so, why are we expected to notice or care about these details that haven't been sold on-camera?
Lordy, and here we go with another version of the "I gotta do this alone" man-with-testosterone-poisoning-of-the-brain stupidity. Green Arrow does this in Lemire's rendition, and probably Johns does it elsewhere too - in a solo book, for a 'hero' who's a member of not one but two teams, he's being a blockhead tool to not accept help from anyone else.
I'm with Anne though, that at least Mera is a kick-ass character. Take charge, no fear, and no whining. Does what she likes, has a modicum of agency, and has a power set that's not a weakened version of Aquaman's.
However, the climactic is just as impotent a tease of melodrama as it always is in these books. Yawn. At least Johns gives us a hint that there's a bigger villain out there who will come back to haunt Aquaman. I'd like to see Johns keep it in his pants enough that Aquaman doesn't just soundly defeat them in the next trade, but that's asking a helluva lot from "Premature EJ" Johns.
Not terrible for a library read. Thank jumpin jehovah I didn't pay for this tho.
November 4, 2017
Wow, from a strong opening volume to a very poor follow-up, the curse of the Volume 2 New 52s continues with Aquaman as its latest victim. Full review here!
January 8, 2019
Another more than good volume of Geoff John's New 52 run who revitalized Aquaman from lamest superhero ever to a cool one.
Loved the storyline, Black Manta is just the perfect nemesis to Arthur Curry, the Others are a cool team and I could stare to Ivan Reis' awesome artworks for hours, but sometimes John's cinematic script seems going on autopilot and some of the supporting characters' fleshing is close to zero.
Again, this was a surprising good reading for me... never thought I was going to read and appreciate an Aquaman comic-book in my life (more funny details about that in my previous review of Aquaman, Volume 1: The Trench).
January 14, 2015
3.5/5
Volume two of this new Aquaman reboot is better than the first one. In this one we meet The Others, a group of super-heroes from Aquaman's past who resurface after one of them is killed by the bag guy of the volume, Black Manta. I found this story worked really well because I got to know more about the past Aquaman and the Aquaman he is today because of that. In the first volume we barely got to know much about him and is difficult to get invested in someone you don't know. We finally know how Arthur's father died and why he is so angry with Shin and this add a few layers to the characters. Now they are not just randos (I'm gonna start using this word a lot, ya os aviso) whose's motivations who don't know because the writer hasn't told you. Like I said, difficult to get invested.
I didn't know anything about The Others but it wasn't difficult to get their dynamics and sort or who they are. Black Manta and Aquaman were placed in similar situation, each seeking revenge for something the other did (this is who wars get started, morons!) but in the end, Arthur leaves the better man. Duh. The flashbacks did show me a different Arthur and now I feel like he is a person (or a fish?, a fishon?, you know what I mean) instead of just a random hero which it what he look in the first volume.
So, let's consider this a succeed and move on.
P.S.: Me da que me ido bastante por los cerros del Úbeda pero son las dos y media de la mañana, mi cerebro está atontado.
Volume two of this new Aquaman reboot is better than the first one. In this one we meet The Others, a group of super-heroes from Aquaman's past who resurface after one of them is killed by the bag guy of the volume, Black Manta. I found this story worked really well because I got to know more about the past Aquaman and the Aquaman he is today because of that. In the first volume we barely got to know much about him and is difficult to get invested in someone you don't know. We finally know how Arthur's father died and why he is so angry with Shin and this add a few layers to the characters. Now they are not just randos (I'm gonna start using this word a lot, ya os aviso) whose's motivations who don't know because the writer hasn't told you. Like I said, difficult to get invested.
I didn't know anything about The Others but it wasn't difficult to get their dynamics and sort or who they are. Black Manta and Aquaman were placed in similar situation, each seeking revenge for something the other did (this is who wars get started, morons!) but in the end, Arthur leaves the better man. Duh. The flashbacks did show me a different Arthur and now I feel like he is a person (or a fish?, a fishon?, you know what I mean) instead of just a random hero which it what he look in the first volume.
So, let's consider this a succeed and move on.
P.S.: Me da que me ido bastante por los cerros del Úbeda pero son las dos y media de la mañana, mi cerebro está atontado.
June 2, 2015
So last year I read volume 1 of New 52 Aquaman. And I thought it was pretty good. I also said I'd read volume 2 if Comixology ever had it on sale.
Well, guess what? Comixology have it on sale! And like volume 1, volume 2 was also pretty good!
I liked volume 2 a bit more than volume 1, which is why it gets 4 stars instead of 3. It's a very visual book and Geoff Johns lets Ivan Reis's art do a lot of the work. Which is cool because Reis's art looks good.
There's also some mythology building here with The Others, who are a superhero team Aquaman used to hang out with before he made better friends and started hanging with The Justice League.
At it's heart though, this is a revenge story. Black Mantra wants revenge of Aquaman for killing his Father, while Aquaman also blames Black Mantra for his fathers death. So classic superheroes with dead parents issues.
I'm also going to probably check out the rest of Geoff Johns Aquaman. Because I quite like it.
Well, guess what? Comixology have it on sale! And like volume 1, volume 2 was also pretty good!
I liked volume 2 a bit more than volume 1, which is why it gets 4 stars instead of 3. It's a very visual book and Geoff Johns lets Ivan Reis's art do a lot of the work. Which is cool because Reis's art looks good.
There's also some mythology building here with The Others, who are a superhero team Aquaman used to hang out with before he made better friends and started hanging with The Justice League.
At it's heart though, this is a revenge story. Black Mantra wants revenge of Aquaman for killing his Father, while Aquaman also blames Black Mantra for his fathers death. So classic superheroes with dead parents issues.
I'm also going to probably check out the rest of Geoff Johns Aquaman. Because I quite like it.
December 14, 2018
2018 reread review: So I am reading again Geoff Johns' New 52 Aquaman run, right after watching the movie.
All I can say now is that Volume 2 is a huge potential to become the main plot for an Aquaman sequel. The story focuses on Manta amd The Others, a band of heroes who worked together before with Arthur Curry to protect the sacred artifacts of Atlantis from those who wanted to use them for evil things.
Volume 2 is effective in further expanding the Aquaman lore in a way that it can be appreciated by both new and old readers. Johns' writing is made in such a way that the narrative itself is not convoluted.
Previous review:
Less ambitious than The Trench, the second volume of new 52 Aquaman manages to deliver high-quality action with less amount of seawater than the first. The introduction of this Others group is a bit of a letdown. Black Manta though is a huge redeeming factor. Manta is the right villain to explore not just Aquaman's powers but his morality as well. Artwork is superb as usual. Black Manta's helmet is sick!
All I can say now is that Volume 2 is a huge potential to become the main plot for an Aquaman sequel. The story focuses on Manta amd The Others, a band of heroes who worked together before with Arthur Curry to protect the sacred artifacts of Atlantis from those who wanted to use them for evil things.
Volume 2 is effective in further expanding the Aquaman lore in a way that it can be appreciated by both new and old readers. Johns' writing is made in such a way that the narrative itself is not convoluted.
Previous review:
Less ambitious than The Trench, the second volume of new 52 Aquaman manages to deliver high-quality action with less amount of seawater than the first. The introduction of this Others group is a bit of a letdown. Black Manta though is a huge redeeming factor. Manta is the right villain to explore not just Aquaman's powers but his morality as well. Artwork is superb as usual. Black Manta's helmet is sick!
August 10, 2016
3.5 stars
This was still good but not great like the first one. In this, Johns delves into Aquaman's backstory. He introduces the Others (who seem really cool), Aquaman's family history, his big revenge-seeking thing, and one of his biggest enemies (Black Manta).
As a new Aquafan, I liked this because it introduced me more to who Aquaman really is. The first volume was great and drew me in, but this volume explored more of the complexities and motivations of his character.
Of course, Geoff Johns's storytelling and Ivan Reis's artwork definitely made it worth reading too.
This was still good but not great like the first one. In this, Johns delves into Aquaman's backstory. He introduces the Others (who seem really cool), Aquaman's family history, his big revenge-seeking thing, and one of his biggest enemies (Black Manta).
As a new Aquafan, I liked this because it introduced me more to who Aquaman really is. The first volume was great and drew me in, but this volume explored more of the complexities and motivations of his character.
Of course, Geoff Johns's storytelling and Ivan Reis's artwork definitely made it worth reading too.
September 16, 2015
The second volume is a little bit worst than the first one, but its still enjoyable. I liked "the others" and the bad guy.
August 30, 2025
Without being breathtaking, this volume is an easy read, but is based on a somewhat faulty premise: six years ago, Aquaman was part of a team of obscure third-rate characters—whose generic name, "The Others," says it all—who pop up out of nowhere to help him in his search for Black Manta, which is apparently linked to that of Atlantis.
This team appears out of nowhere, I don’t care about them and it feels like an unfortunate plot device that weighs down a well-crafted but overly predictable storyline that fails to be truly exciting.
Fortunately, Ivan Reis' superb illustrations breathe new life into the story.
This team appears out of nowhere, I don’t care about them and it feels like an unfortunate plot device that weighs down a well-crafted but overly predictable storyline that fails to be truly exciting.
Fortunately, Ivan Reis' superb illustrations breathe new life into the story.
June 25, 2017
This was a pretty exciting sequel to the great first volume. Others are a group Aquaman used to work with. I think of them as the throwaway Justice League. The start up gang. The dudes you hang out with as teenagers and then you all grow to be different people. This could be bad. This could be boring. But you got my boy Black Mantis who is just murdering them one by one to draw out Aquaman. AND BAM! The chase is on.
What I liked: Giving just enough background to understand why Mantis and Author hate each other. The killing in this is horrifying and scary. Mantis is a villain for sure, and still one of my favorites. I also enjoyed the pacing. Mix the present with the past but it never really has a dull moment.
What I didn't like: Still don't care about the others. They just seem like as rag tag group of throwaway characters. I never even heard of them before this. Also the art seemed a little unbalanced unlike volume 1. Sometimes things looked a little sloppy.
Overall this was a fun and exciting volume but I don't think it was super memorable. If anything we can take away from this is Mantis is a badass. He's scary as fuck, and that makes it worth it. Also how badass is Aquaman when he's pissed? I'd say pretty badass!
What I liked: Giving just enough background to understand why Mantis and Author hate each other. The killing in this is horrifying and scary. Mantis is a villain for sure, and still one of my favorites. I also enjoyed the pacing. Mix the present with the past but it never really has a dull moment.
What I didn't like: Still don't care about the others. They just seem like as rag tag group of throwaway characters. I never even heard of them before this. Also the art seemed a little unbalanced unlike volume 1. Sometimes things looked a little sloppy.
Overall this was a fun and exciting volume but I don't think it was super memorable. If anything we can take away from this is Mantis is a badass. He's scary as fuck, and that makes it worth it. Also how badass is Aquaman when he's pissed? I'd say pretty badass!
August 30, 2016
Victory! So we lost the comedy but gained a shit ton of berserker violence and Atlantean mythology and the super villain Manta and SUPER FRIENDS!!! Is that a diving helmet or...
February 28, 2019
Score: 3.57 out of 5
Grade: 71% (B-) | Decent
This volume takes a step in the wrong direction from its predecessor. There’s some great elements that I hope they continue to expand on, but then there’s other elements I hope they just leave alone. Manta was an awesome villain, Mera is badass as ever, and we find out more about Aquaman’s past including just who are the Others. Here is my review of Aquaman Volume 2: The Others:
The Good:
The dynamic between Black Manta and Aquaman is awesome! We begin to understand why each of them are so pissed off at each other which makes for some great moments. Black Manta is an awesome villain who is both smart and menacing. I wanted to see some more Manta on Aquaman action, but what we got was solid. We also got some more Mera stuff which was great. I was hoping to see more of her because she really plays off of Aquaman quite well. She totally holds her own and I just love seeing her do her thing (maybe I have a slight crush on Mera…)
Something that was also done well was the whole Aquaman before Aquaman arc. We see what Arthur was like as a member of the Others where he was both stubborn and inconsiderate of doing the greater good. He was dead-set on capturing Manta and was willing to do it by any means necessary. It was interesting to see how he evolved from a little sh** to what we know him now as Aquaman. This volume also does a great job establishing some more Atlantean lore with the relics and what sank Atlantis. The only thing missing from this new 52 run so far is some actual Atlantis-ing which I hope to see some time soon.
The Bad:
First of all, the “Others” is a terrible name for a super-group. I know it’s hard trying to think of a name as iconic as ‘Justice League’ or ‘Avengers’, but I think someone could have thought of something better than the Others. Another thing that bothered me was the fact that I only cared about maybe half of the Others. We get some good character development for Ya’wara and Prisoner-of-War, and Vostok wasn’t bad either. But I didn’t have a care in the world for the Operative or Kahina the Seer. Ultimately, as a whole, I just found myself not really invested in what happened to the Others.
As well, the final battle in this volume is quite cliché and underwhelming. We see some “you arrived just in time to save my life” clichés, some “watch out…oh no, I died from saving you” clichés and, worst of all, “I’m going to turn the other cheek and not kill you” clichés. At this point in the volume, the climax just felt like a huge let down. The fighting was alright, but it just wrapped up too quickly and wasn’t executed as well as it should have.
SPOILER:
Conclusion:
Overall, this volume was enjoyable. It wasn’t nearly as great as the first volume, but there’s still some memorable sequences. There’s some great story arcs involving Manta, Aquaman and Mera that I hope they continue to develop in the following volumes. However, there’s some less than stellar aspects, mostly involving the Others, that I just hope they leave behind.
Grade: 71% (B-) | Decent
This volume takes a step in the wrong direction from its predecessor. There’s some great elements that I hope they continue to expand on, but then there’s other elements I hope they just leave alone. Manta was an awesome villain, Mera is badass as ever, and we find out more about Aquaman’s past including just who are the Others. Here is my review of Aquaman Volume 2: The Others:
The Good:
The dynamic between Black Manta and Aquaman is awesome! We begin to understand why each of them are so pissed off at each other which makes for some great moments. Black Manta is an awesome villain who is both smart and menacing. I wanted to see some more Manta on Aquaman action, but what we got was solid. We also got some more Mera stuff which was great. I was hoping to see more of her because she really plays off of Aquaman quite well. She totally holds her own and I just love seeing her do her thing (maybe I have a slight crush on Mera…)
Something that was also done well was the whole Aquaman before Aquaman arc. We see what Arthur was like as a member of the Others where he was both stubborn and inconsiderate of doing the greater good. He was dead-set on capturing Manta and was willing to do it by any means necessary. It was interesting to see how he evolved from a little sh** to what we know him now as Aquaman. This volume also does a great job establishing some more Atlantean lore with the relics and what sank Atlantis. The only thing missing from this new 52 run so far is some actual Atlantis-ing which I hope to see some time soon.
The Bad:
First of all, the “Others” is a terrible name for a super-group. I know it’s hard trying to think of a name as iconic as ‘Justice League’ or ‘Avengers’, but I think someone could have thought of something better than the Others. Another thing that bothered me was the fact that I only cared about maybe half of the Others. We get some good character development for Ya’wara and Prisoner-of-War, and Vostok wasn’t bad either. But I didn’t have a care in the world for the Operative or Kahina the Seer. Ultimately, as a whole, I just found myself not really invested in what happened to the Others.
As well, the final battle in this volume is quite cliché and underwhelming. We see some “you arrived just in time to save my life” clichés, some “watch out…oh no, I died from saving you” clichés and, worst of all, “I’m going to turn the other cheek and not kill you” clichés. At this point in the volume, the climax just felt like a huge let down. The fighting was alright, but it just wrapped up too quickly and wasn’t executed as well as it should have.
SPOILER:
Conclusion:
Overall, this volume was enjoyable. It wasn’t nearly as great as the first volume, but there’s still some memorable sequences. There’s some great story arcs involving Manta, Aquaman and Mera that I hope they continue to develop in the following volumes. However, there’s some less than stellar aspects, mostly involving the Others, that I just hope they leave behind.
February 16, 2014
It’s no secret I loved Volume One of Aquaman in the New 52 relaunch. The second volume of Aquaman covers a lot of attention-grabbing territory and is probably one of the most substantial of the New 52 titles to date; yes, I loved this second volume too.
The main story starts straight from where volume 1 left off with Aquaman investigating the lost artifact of Atlantis. On top of that we get to see a substantial amount of back story that covers what Aquaman has been up to for the last six years. We also get a fairly epic battle with Black Manta. All well plotted and thoroughly enjoyable. To top it off the artwork is beautiful. After years of being neglected and relegated to an almost ran, Aquaman has regained his crown and is majestically drawn and colored.
The Others is the kind of story Geoff Johns tells so well. Aquaman's long-time foe Black Manta hunts Aquaman's former teammates, the Others, and Aquaman searches for both the Others and Manta over the course of the story. Johns succeeds here in teasing out little details about the characters over the course of the story, rewarding attention and keeping the audience reading (how Vostok got his helmet, for one; the nature of the Prisoner's powers as another; but did anyone catch what happened to Shin's neck?). The end, in trademark Johns’ fashion, is both action-packed and resonates with the character of Aquaman himself.
Johns has made Black Manta fearsome. Johns offers a simple, potent origin for Manta here that I like a lot. We see thru Johns’ writing that both Aquaman and Black Manta are flawed, tragic characters in the Aristotelian tradition. Also in Johnsian fashion, Black Manta's origin ties him irrevocably to Aquaman, with varying degrees of moral ambiguity and guilt. Aquaman believed Manta killed his father, and in taking revenge Aquaman accidentally killed Manta's father. It is Greek tragedy in the highest -- Aquaman was in the wrong, and though he's hardly responsible for all the destruction Manta has wrought since then, he'll never convince himself of that. This, in the style of Johns's Green Lantern and his friend-turned-enemy Sinestro, Superman versus his father's most trusted ally Zod, Flash Wally West battling one-time ally Hunter "Zoom" Zolomon, and so on. All of this is a great contribution to the Aquaman mythos, as well as the Black Manta mythos; it makes me all the more eager to see Aquaman's brother Orm, the Ocean Master, introduced later in this series.
The flashback aspects in this story to Aquaman's original partnership with the Others is useful because it helps bridge the gap between today's Aquaman and the one we see in Justice League: Origins. Inasmuch as this story explains about Aquaman's origins -- how he grew up human, when he left the surface after the death of his father -- there remains various gaps as to when Aquaman first ventured to Atlantis, why he returned to the surface, and so on. I'd eagerly read an Aquaman: Secret Origin story if Johns wrote it, or maybe he'll address these aspects in the "Throne of Atlantis" storyline coming up next.
Aquaman Volume 2: The Others, creates captivating case for continuing to read the Aquaman. Johns' conceit that Aquaman is the "least liked" hero both outside comics and within is cute. With The Others, Johns shows Aquaman to be complicated and nuanced, and I continue to be enthusiastic about Aquaman and the journey Johns is taking us on.
August 12, 2015
In this volume, we get to see a bit of Aquaman's history with a group of superheroes known as the Others. An old familiar Aquaman villain, Black Manta, is hunting down each member of the team in order to kill them and steal the Atlantean relics they are protecting. It's up to Aquaman to find the other members of the team and stop Black Manta before he kills everyone Arthur cares about.
It was interesting to see this side of Aquaman. The first volume focuses a lot on him trying to help humanity in spite of its disrespect towards him so I wasn't expecting Arthur to be quite so dark and brooding...but I like it! I mean, I'm a huge fan of Batman so I'm obviously drawn to the brooding types. After Wonder Woman/Diana's constant faith and goodness though it was refreshing to see that Aquaman isn't perfect. In fact, he kind of comes across like an asshole sometimes. Both in the past and in his present day search for Black Manta, he's relentless and determined to lone wolf it. He doesn't care a whole lot about collateral damage at certain points and ends up having to rely on his friends and Mera more than he'd like.
Overall, I liked getting to see this new side of Aquaman and I'm curious to see where Black Manta's actions are going to put Arthur in the next volume!
It was interesting to see this side of Aquaman. The first volume focuses a lot on him trying to help humanity in spite of its disrespect towards him so I wasn't expecting Arthur to be quite so dark and brooding...but I like it! I mean, I'm a huge fan of Batman so I'm obviously drawn to the brooding types. After Wonder Woman/Diana's constant faith and goodness though it was refreshing to see that Aquaman isn't perfect. In fact, he kind of comes across like an asshole sometimes. Both in the past and in his present day search for Black Manta, he's relentless and determined to lone wolf it. He doesn't care a whole lot about collateral damage at certain points and ends up having to rely on his friends and Mera more than he'd like.
Overall, I liked getting to see this new side of Aquaman and I'm curious to see where Black Manta's actions are going to put Arthur in the next volume!
September 27, 2016
Good! This was a pretty intense volume; as this volume has Black Manta as the villain; and that's just like having Joker in a batman story, or Reverse Flash in a Flash Story; its going to a be ruff one! So the story has Black Manta as he is trying to track down an Ancient Atlantean weapon to cause Havoc! Aquaman is investigating Manta's activity when he runs into The Others, a team of super humans; and they have to stop Black Manta! The Others I see are not very popular, in the comic reading community; me I like them; their interesting; my favourites being The Operative and Ya'wara(Basically DC's female Black Panther)! The Best part though is Black Manta's history with Aquaman; Johns does it in such a way that your kinda routing for both sides; because they have good reasons for hating each other! And when Aquaman and Manta fight...its intense! But overall a good volume, I can't wait to read the next volume, as I see Johns likes to do setup for the next story at the end of each of these volumes!
January 30, 2015
I was left kind of wanting more...aqua-ish-ness.
I don't know. I guess this second trade was fun, it didn't go the direction I thought it was going to...I thought (From the last trade) that there was going to be a big hunt for Atlantis and there was going to be sweet, secret reveals and coolness and watery goodness.
Instead I got the back story of a super hero team I don't really know or care about. Still, there was a lot of action - some pretty cool fight scenes...it just all felt kinda tired and done before. The whole 'I need to do this alone' routine is definitely a plot line I don't need to see ever again. I still think this series has potential and could be something really awesome, this arc just didn't live up to what I had hoped it was going to be.
Maybe the next trade?
The thing is...now I'm not all stoked and in a rush to get to it after the disappointment of this one.
March 21, 2016
I never actually thought I'd say I liked ... Aquaman.
Really, this is one of the better New 52 titles, in terms of both art AND story.
Don't you judge me.
Really, this is one of the better New 52 titles, in terms of both art AND story.
Don't you judge me.
September 10, 2025
Um arco bem mediano do Aquaman dentro dos Novos 52.
June 19, 2014
While I found The Others, as individual characters, to be quite interesting, I found that there was not enough detail to their backstory as a team to make this completely satisfying. It left me with a lot of unanswered questions... which is fine. Geoff Johns is the king of ret-con, so he will keep coming back to this hidden-past of Arthur, I am sure.
Loved Manta though. A nice, clean, simple visual upgrade for the New 52 continuity. I think he is a villain that will be used well in this series.
Full disclosure: I read this twice... Well, I read it once and then flipped through it again just to look at Aquaman. One of the best drawn characters in the New 52. And I love the swing they have given his character, having to move back and forth between the tough, alpha King of Atlantis, and the softer, emotional land dweller. It's kinda sexy.
The second volume was a real step down from the first volume though. The dialogue was sparse, the story was not overly interesting, somewhat predictable, there was a complete lack in humour whereas the first volume was like a laugh per panel. If it wasn't for the incredible art, especially the action scenes, this volume could have been a total failure.
3.5/5
Loved Manta though. A nice, clean, simple visual upgrade for the New 52 continuity. I think he is a villain that will be used well in this series.
Full disclosure: I read this twice... Well, I read it once and then flipped through it again just to look at Aquaman. One of the best drawn characters in the New 52. And I love the swing they have given his character, having to move back and forth between the tough, alpha King of Atlantis, and the softer, emotional land dweller. It's kinda sexy.
The second volume was a real step down from the first volume though. The dialogue was sparse, the story was not overly interesting, somewhat predictable, there was a complete lack in humour whereas the first volume was like a laugh per panel. If it wasn't for the incredible art, especially the action scenes, this volume could have been a total failure.
3.5/5
March 5, 2025
With Geoff Johns on the helm, he continues to steer the series towards a positive direction. He has succeeded in making Aquaman an intriguing and cool character, without making it feel forced.
Ivan Reis also continues to deliver; there are some jaw-dropping panels that truly make the characters shine.
Ivan Reis also continues to deliver; there are some jaw-dropping panels that truly make the characters shine.
December 30, 2023
This second volume tries to give more of Arthur’s backstory, and we find out that before Mera met him, he was part of a motley group of second-tier heroes called The Others that discovered, and subsequently protected Atlantean weapons. Black Manta, Arthur’s arch-enemy, tracks down some of these members to steal these artifacts to use against Aquaman. We also get to know marine biologist Dr. Stephen Shin, who helped Arthur develop his powers as a child but betrayed him and his father, hoping for recognition for his work.
This story was more convoluted, and I had to refer to the website Comic Vine to keep track of The Others and their powers. Plus, there was one member, Ya’Wara, a sexualized hottie who wore a string bikini in Siberia. Come on now. It made me yearn for Arthur to become involved in the Justice League and for him to become a member of that team. Still loving on Mera and Arthur in this volume!
I like how DC is developing both versions of Aquaman in books and on screen parallel to one another. Although Aquaman is now often portrayed with a beard, illustrators aren’t trying to make him look like Jason Momoa. Fans are intelligent enough to accept this, and one version doesn’t have to subvert the other. And while I truly am a fan of Momoa, I’m glad the comics are keeping Arthur as the blonde version that has been around for decades. I hope between this new adaptation of Aquaman’s story, along with any stories found in the Justice League comics, he gets the recognition and respect he deserves.
This review (plus V1) can be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2019/02/0...
This story was more convoluted, and I had to refer to the website Comic Vine to keep track of The Others and their powers. Plus, there was one member, Ya’Wara, a sexualized hottie who wore a string bikini in Siberia. Come on now. It made me yearn for Arthur to become involved in the Justice League and for him to become a member of that team. Still loving on Mera and Arthur in this volume!
I like how DC is developing both versions of Aquaman in books and on screen parallel to one another. Although Aquaman is now often portrayed with a beard, illustrators aren’t trying to make him look like Jason Momoa. Fans are intelligent enough to accept this, and one version doesn’t have to subvert the other. And while I truly am a fan of Momoa, I’m glad the comics are keeping Arthur as the blonde version that has been around for decades. I hope between this new adaptation of Aquaman’s story, along with any stories found in the Justice League comics, he gets the recognition and respect he deserves.
This review (plus V1) can be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2019/02/0...
March 27, 2016
This was a good sequel to Volume One's THE TRENCH. I didn't like the character of Black Manta that much but that's probably because the villain(s) in The Trench were much more interesting to me. I am so glad I started reading Aquaman recently. He is a fucking badass and one of my new favorite characters.
February 13, 2017
Aquaman's past catching up to him... That about sums up this episode...
But it's good: it's filled with lots of interesting information and we get a lot of angry action from all the parties involved..
And the ending sure makes you want to grab to the next issue immediately.. And that's what we'll do, right? ;)
Onwards!
But it's good: it's filled with lots of interesting information and we get a lot of angry action from all the parties involved..
And the ending sure makes you want to grab to the next issue immediately.. And that's what we'll do, right? ;)
Onwards!
November 16, 2017
The revelation that Aquaman used to be part of a superpowered team of...treasure hunters? kind of felt forced, but as in the previous volume the art by Ivan Reis was extraordinary, and the clashes with Black Manta were satisfyingly visceral. As long as Johns and Reis are the creative team on this title I'll keep reading for sure!
May 29, 2013
Love this series. I'm a big Aquaman fan and a big fan of Geoff Johns. This strip is honestly better than the Superman books and most of the Batman books (I adore Batman Inc. & Batman and Robin). I hope Johns has a long run on this book.
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