Aquaman: Rebirth (2016) #1

DC Universe: Rebirth

by Dan Abnett (Writer), Scot Eaton (Illustrator), Oscar Jiménez (Illustrator)

Born to both the surface and the sea, Arthur Curry walks in two worlds but can find a home in neither. The King of Atlantis looks to reconcile his split heritage as he embarks on a new mission that may finally make him choose between his two paths.

POLITICAL PLAYER: "As the leader of a world power," writer Dan Abnett says, "Arthur believes it's time Atlantis became part of the global community. Atlantis has been on the outside for too long: feared, mysterious and misunderstood. But that means getting the world used to Atlantis...and vice versa.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comics Manga

29 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 8, 2016

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 80% | Very Good
Notes: A reputation exploration and persona distillation, it dips its toes with terrorist woes, current waves and implications.

*Progress update

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um.
Ok, I'm a huge fan of Aquaman, but this didn't really excite me.



I mean, it wasn't horrible, but it was just so damn boring. There was literally nothing in this issue that would make me want to read more about this character.



And I'm confused as to what the hell this had to do with the whole Rebirth stuff? This was just a (shockingly) bland story about Aquaman.
Wah, wah, wah...



Oh, and the art looked like it was drawn with soulless pencils, then colored with anemic ink.

I was expecting this:



And got this:

[Alex ☣ Deranged KittyCat ☣ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why, oh, why does Mera's hair length change from one panel to the next? There's a long-haired Mera at the beginning, and a medium-haired one at the end.



I guess she must have stopped by the Atlantean hair stylist.



Then again she's not Aquaman, so I guess she's less important.

Also, I don't care much about the story, so I'm unsure if I'll continue with this series or not.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. Really - WOW. Dan Abnett couldn’t have produced a less energised, less inspired, more generic or pure work-for-hire piece of hackery than he did with Aquaman Rebirth #1. It’s not even so-bad-it’s-good, it’s just bad - I put this comic down twice before forcing myself to power through to the end and it’s just one regular-length issue!

Granted, Aquaman didn’t appear much in DC Universe Rebirth #1 and what we did see wasn’t very interesting: Arthur proposing to Mera (again? Is their marriage being rebooted too?) and Aqualad appearing. Well, guess what - neither of those story possibilites appear in this issue!

Instead we’ve got some disposable Aqua-terrorists trying to blow up some seaside town… zzz… yeah, they’re just there for Aquaman to punch (we’re meant to be excited by that) while Abnett drones on, giving the reader tedious pieces of info about Aquaman. Mayhap that’s useful to new readers who don’t know the character but honestly it still feels like you’re being lectured by a bored substitute teacher reading from a textbook!

Geoff Johns’ New 52 Aquaman was one of the success stories of that reboot and it’s almost like DC handed Abnett the first issue from that run and told him to replicate it, perhaps in a delusion that readers will be just as impressed. That means once more we’re told that some people think Aquaman’s a joke, we’re shown him being a badass , and he even winds up in the same fish restaurant from that issue! Abnett’s not nearly as talented as Johns though so the issue reads like a plodding ordeal instead of a slick and bombastic intro.

The comic ends in the blandest possible way with Aquaman’s nemesis Black Manta explaining to the reader his motivations and plans for revenge against Aquaman. How by-the-fucking-numbers can you get?

I didn’t have high hopes for Aquaman given his awful last few books with different creative teams, all floundering for purchase on the character somewhere, but this was far worse than I expected. DC/Dan Abnett took no chances with this one and in doing so gave us an atrocious comic no-one could possibly be interested in or a series anyone could be excited about reading - it’s not so much a Rebirth as it is a Retread! This issue stank like rotten fish - the freefall Aquaman’s been in since Johns stopped writing him unfortunately continues.

[Siona Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I read this as a physical single issue, but I'm not able to find that edition on GR, so I'm just going to use this one. I also was late getting to the comic shop, so I had to buy the variant cover for this.)

This was good, but kinda boring. I like that they sorta poked fun an Aquaman talking to fish, and the idea of the Deluge is really interesting too. I wonder who exactly this Black Manta is... Young Justice rings a bell, if you catch my drift.

I don't really have much else to say on this one. This may be one of the titles I drop, but I'm going to give the mainline title (aka the non-oneshot run) six issues before I make my decision.

[Kaleb Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 too much water

[Joe Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will miss Geoff Johns writing for Aquaman, his stories brought out the finer aspects of the characters but the current writer, Dan Abnett is off to a quality start. Though he takes the safe route in the start and introduction of Aquaman, which feels exactly like his from the New 52, he does set up his universe quite well with the swelling tensions between the land and the ocean.

My favorite quote that describes Aquaman accurately; "Like his late father's lighthouse, he watches the shoreline. Protecting dry land from wrath of the ocean, and the ocean from the greed of the land."

P.S. I don't trust Mera.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm torn with this one, this is why goodreads needs a half scoring system, this book isn't a 3 and it's not a 4. The story is slow and for a rebirth really drags its feet. I'm really confused why DC didn't attempt to fire on all cylinders. Why have they done a rebirth with mild stories with bigger stories to follow. I've heard good things about the new 52 aquaman so I thought I'd check this out. The ending was good and I hope all the lags might result in a better addition.

[Ahmed Gamal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm new in the Aquaman world, and this was an okay start.

[Jahni · Rating 2 out of 5]

sorry aquaman.. this could’ve been better :/

[Eugene Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this, it set off to clear out misconceptions that people have against Aquaman. And it's true, I've seen a lot of people hate on Aquaman because they think he 'talks to sea creatures' and is 'only ever useful in the water'. But truth is, he's actually a pretty cool superhero.

I've never read anything about Aquaman before, all I know is his origin and things from the Justice League and The CW's Smallville. It's amusing to read more about DC's Atlantis and to read about Arthur Curry's struggle with protecting the people of the dry land and of the seas as none really like or trust him. His fellow Atlanteans are skeptical of his rule while humans, as I've said, ridicule his abilities while others fear Atlantis and blame its king - Aquaman himself for misfortunes.

Really looking forward to reading more of this and to see where this Black Manta arc will be heading. Besides, Aquaman is cool!

[Naima · Rating 2 out of 5]

* So, basically, Mera is completely mischaracterized as the Perfect Wife that'll follow her husband's ideology without question. Definitely Not.
* Aquaman, as per usual in recent Everything, has to further assert that he Doesn't Just Talk To Fish. That gag is getting old, guys. It's time for something new. Maybe show not tell.
* I feel bad for saying this but the art quality is just. So dated. Like, early 2000s. I can't even tell if it's the actual style or the coloring, but something is Off.
* Opening your comic with facts about the Ocean for a whole page is one way to deter those readers you wanted to get with your 'He doesn't just speak to fish!'.
* They're really trying to get him to fit the immigrant/outsider narrative that Superman previously occupied but it really doesn't work because it's all narration and fact-dumping being crammed down my throat.
* The comic ends on a threat of fridging Mera. Fuck off.

[Arturo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I kept trying to find something good about this as I was reading it, but it was failing in every level, I tried to find the problem so I can ignore it, like the colors made it look too cartoony, not to mention our villain laughing maniacally in the air. After ignoring the art, would the writing hold up? Just as I found something good in the writing describing Aquaman's pride and selflessness, he persuades a sea creature to shrug off its rider, '0h Aquaman has made a new friend', which is then followed by Aquaman literally punching said sea creature's teeth out.
What the hell..

[Ram RS · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars because the book hits the ground running.

Aquaman storylines need to get more diverse. Throne of Atlantis was a great storyline. Black Manta wanting revenge on Arthur because his dad was killed, BM planning a drawn out revenge is just plain mundane. Come on DC, surprise us!

[Sahej · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just, what the hell was that?

[Primo S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, definitely my least favorite of all the Rebirth titles that I've read

[Kenning JP Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great issue even if it does feel a little too familiar to older Aquaman fans.

[Arsnoctis]

Good artwork, but this is just an introduction to Aquaman's character, nothing more.

[Tomáš Drako · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arthur s Merou sa snažia o spolunažívanie medzi jeho národom a ,,suchozemským,, národom.
K tomu má pomôcť Atlanské veľvyslanectvo, ktoré spája obe kultúry. No ale Arhurov dávny nepriateľ má iný názor. A tak rozpúta kolobeh udalostí, ktoré dajú našim snúbencom pekelne zabrať.
Dana Abnetta poznám z Warhamerovských knižiek. Je písanie sa mi páčilo...páči. Preto som bol zvedavý, ako si poradí s komiksom. No až pri tejto knihe som zistil, že on už má nejaký ten komiks za sebou. No a z jeho podaním Aquamana som spokojný. Ako nieje to nič prevratné, neposadil som sa z toho na zadok, ale príbeh, akcia boli výborné. Do druhého dielu isto pôjdem.

[Mizuki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork is pretty good, and there is nothing wrong about the plot, but I'm still somewhat skeptical about the plot and where it is taking us. 3.5 stars.

*jumps to read the rest of the story*

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This will hopefully pick up in future issues. As an Aquaman fan you can only read his backstory soooo many times. It's the same way that no one needs to hear about how Batman became Batman - we get it.

I do however understand that there are potential new readers and Aquaman converts. So please, get the generic storyline over in the first issue and let's move on!

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, I'm not a huge Aquaman fan, so that could've been it. I guess that this is a decent introduction to the basic information about Aquaman to a new reader, but it read pretty cheesy to me. It's all about how Aquaman is admirably toiling to make the world a better place despite the fact that most people on land and sea ridicule or dislike him.

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay!

[LQ 🖖 🇨🇦 (to the max!) · Rating 3 out of 5]

He CAN'T talk to fish? 'Cause I thought he could talk to fish...

[Luiz Santiago · Rating 3 out of 5]

3

[Matt Bromagin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a little underwhelmed. Nowhere near as cool as Geoff Johns run.

[Jerry Jose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Atleast now we know which #Rebirth title to skip
Did they release the issue before touching up raw artwork or what.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dun dun dun entre the villian

Aquaman, I will stand by you.

And see what this comes to.

[Lynda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where was the rebirth.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of Atlantean terrorists called the Deluge are planning an assault on Boston. Aquaman rushes out to sea to confront them, but there may be more to their attacks then you can see on the surface.

This is really just a level-setting issue for new readers coming into the book. It establishes the status quo with Arthur, sort of recapping his origins, his supporting cast, and the issues and enemies that oppose him. Most notably it’s narrated by Black Manta as a sort of log he’s keeping as he plans his next attack on Aquaman. But what’s really interesting is his disdain for Aquaman. At an initial reading, it seems to be pretty explanatory, but when you look into the words a bit, you see some choices that are a bit sarcastic or biting. Sure, this is all a vehicle to get a lot of exposition out of the way, but the manner in which Abnett writes it, you can see Black Manta no longer underestimates Aquaman, but holds some animosity towards him. There are several derisive mentions of Arthur’s ability to “talk” with fish, and while there’s a note of humor and reality, you can understand that the narrator is belittling him. It really is an interesting tone that becomes more obvious as the issue move along.

The art is generally serviceable with a few stand-out panels along the way. The team does a nice job throughout, but rarely does it rise above standard comic book fare. The figures are nicely drawn and each has an individual look and feel, which provides many visual hooks for both Arthur and Mera.

Overall, this is a nice introduction to the character, but didn’t make me immediately want to pick up the next issue.