Broken Frontier

A new Aquaman debuts in a savage undersea kingdom. But what has become of his predecessor?

A storm at sea casts a young man into the churning waters. Surprisingly, he immediately adapts to his environment, breathing easily in the ocean depths. As he explores the undersea world, he encounters warlike fish-men, a demi-god shark, and a mysterious (and seemingly confused) soothsayer called the Dweller in the Depths. The Dweller has foreseen the coming of a hero and has been plagued by visions of the future and the past…or perhaps some combination of the two. Is young Arthur Joseph Curry the one he seeks?

This is a strong though perplexing first issue from the new Aquaman creative team. I expect this will be par for the course as DC’s "One Year Later" event creates a new status quo for old favorites. It’s a good starting point for both new and old readers, as all will be intrigued and perhaps slightly confused by this new direction.

Fresh off of Conan, Kurt Busiek brings an entertaining high fantasy vibe to the Sea-King’s world, as well as the new Sword of Atlantis sub-title. He gives each character and creature a dramatic grandiosity, portraying snippets of ancient languages, cultures, and prophecies. This is humorously contrasted with Arthur’s very salt-of-the-earth (er, sea bed?) personality. Busiek also seems to have fun toying with various elements of the Aquaman mythos to create an interesting mystery. Who is this other Arthur Curry and why is his history similar to the original Aquaman origin? Is the Dweller seeing young Arthur’s future or our Aquaman’s past? Or could they perhaps be one and the same, a mythic cycle destined to repeat itself? These questions (and an intriguing last page) are more than enough to entice me back next issue.

As for Busiek’s collaborator, it is always a pleasure to see the work of Butch Guice. His dynamic realism lends impressive depth and texture to his figures and makes the fantasy very convincing. I enjoyed his utterly alien design for the Aurati fish-men and the shadowy black iris technique on Arthur’s eyes. Colorist Dan Brown captures the cool and deep shades of the ocean floor in his work, perfectly setting the mood.

Though it is too early to tell where this is going, the unfolding mystery and sword-and-sorcery influence of this series should give both superhero and fantasy fans much to enjoy.