Black Manta is back for the first time in the new 52! What could be up to this time? And who are the Others?

The Good

Black Manta is back! The redesigns are subtle but great. I love how the scar on his face is incorporated into the mild designs on his costume. Manta, all around, is much cooler in the redesign. He keeps his cool and he's stoic. He doesn't spend the whole battle talking. He only speaks to convey his message and nothing more. He's brutal and has a cause behind his actions. I love everything they've done, so far, with this classic Aquaman villain.

The Others? Aquaman on a team? I love it. We don't get too much information about this team, and it seems like we'll have to wait until next issue, but I love the idea of Aquaman on a non-JL team, and especially the idea of him leading a team, which is where this seems like it's going. I'm very excited to be introduced to all the characters on this team, especially some new characters that have a secret history tied to Aquaman.

Month-by-month, we're getting more and more information about the history of Atlantis and what really happened to it. I love the pacing of this story. It is also slowly connecting back to The Trench which Arthur thinks he killed back in issue 4. I can't wait to see them again, and maybe how they tie into the sinking of Atlantis, if at all.

The Bad

I have to wait a month for the next issue.

The Verdict

Once again, Aquaman delivers! This is such a great book, and if you're not reading it then shame on you because you're missing out on a great character with a great story featuring the writing of Geoff Johns and the pencils of Ivan Reis. It's a book the lives up to the hype.

I loved Black Manta's redesign, and he's the perfect addition to this on-going storyline. I loved the idea of the Others and Aquaman on a non-JL team, even though we don't know much about the team yet. The pacing of the over-arcing "Sinking of Atlantis" is done perfectly and it really keeps the reader interested month-to-month by giving just enough information away.

I love this book and you will too.

Can't wait to read it. Johns is doing for Aquaman what he did for Green Lantern. Making the character , mythology, and universe awesome.

So can't wait to read this when it comes out in trade. Love Aquaman. Good stuff hearing Black Manta is back.

Read it today and have to agree with the review. Its's another cracking read.

If I am not reading it means:

I dont care about Aquaman and that I try to avoid Geoff Johns when possible. :)

@Outside_85 said:

If I am not reading it means:

I dont care about Aquaman and that I try to avoid Geoff Johns when possible. :)

lol.... Regardless of what you think of Johns, he's really turned this character around for the better. You have to at least give him some props for that.

I dont care for Johns all that much and this is cutrently one of my favorite books

Maybe I'll pick this up and start the series from here.

@inferiorego: Well, Johns really does baffle me sometimes, his Aquaman and GL is getting praised to the skies (warranted probably, but I hope Arthur wont get forced down everyone's throats the way Jordan was) ...but JL seems to have been written by someone else. But I am happy that some have gotten what they wanted, a good Aquaman book :)

I've really been enjoying aquaman, but sometimes the writing is a bit too silly for me. I think it's just Geoff Johns, and it's nowhere near as goofy in Aquaman is at is in Super Friends (otherwise known as JLA), but it still gets to me a little. Still, it's nice to hear that this series is staying good into the new storyiline.

@Outside_85: I hear you... JL feels like it's written by someone else. It's sad when the backups are a million times better than the main story.

@Gordo789 said:

I've really been enjoying aquaman, but sometimes the writing is a bit too silly for me. I think it's just Geoff Johns, and it's nowhere near as goofy in Aquaman is at is in Super Friends (otherwise known as JLA), but it still gets to me a little. Still, it's nice to hear that this series is staying good into the new storyiline.

Yes! Let's all start calling JL Super-Friends from now on!

this book was a godo read. felt like it was over before i knew it. i was expecting them to do a flashback where theyd jum into the other characters but its going to slowly build up with parts..its geoff johns afterall. he likes to prolong things then rush the good parts..so idk what to say from here. but isnt bad so far :)

Jumping on point?

Aquaman is easily my favorite title in the new 52! This title keeps getting better! I have to agree on the negative that we having to wait a month for the next issue and so fourth!

For once in a long time, John's writing is actually good.

@BlackArmor said:

Jumping on point?

yes

This is the best book that Johns is writing currently; especially considering how much Justice League sucks and how boring Green Lantern is nowadays, imo. Although I'm not particularly keen on these "Others", I'm especially glad that Black Manta is back! Such an underrated villain with SO much potential.

GAAAAAH! AN ENTIRE MONTH OF WAITING?! I loved that last panel. I love Aquaman, this book is great and man Black Manta looks awesome, it's weird that this book is so cool but I just cannot get into Justice League...it's boring me.

@Outside_85 I agree with you that Justice League hasn't been what it could be. Although, I did really, really enjoy this last issue and issues 1-4, for me at least, were pretty good. However, I have to say that Aquaman and Green Lantern are really Geoff Johns at his best!!! I really think that he just concentrates more on these titles than on Justice League, which is both a shame and not a shame. Because Justice League could be better, but I would rather have these great Aquaman and Green Lantern titles. I really just think that Johns might be spread a little too thin. However, I still think he's a great writer when he actually tries to be. I mean, every writer has their hits and their misses, but Johns is more consistently hit than miss.

I think the reason Aquaman and GL are better is because Johns does his best work with a smaller cast. In Aquaman, the two main characters are Aquaman and Mera, with a crazy supportive cast. In JL, you have 7 main characters, that's a lot of characterization to nail down.

I was reading this last night and it was like I clicked my fingers and it was over... sign of a good comic book if you ask me

Great issue, but again for any real Aquaman fans, this is no re-design for Black Manta... he had gotten those scars before in "Swords of Atlantis" due to King Shark. Johns might be paying homage to that story, but I wouldn't call it a re-design.

The wait begins, again...

Disappointing issue, why introduce the characters at all when they last three scans in? 

Did anyone else notice how Black Manta's scars weren't there when he first took off his helmet?