The Good

Orm has escaped from Belle Reve and is on his way to where he belongs, the ocean because the true leader of Atlantis has no need for the Crime Syndicate.

A few of the Villains Month books have gone the route of "what was this villain doing during the Crime Syndicate invasion," and it's been a bit of a mixed bag. Out of most of the books that used this tactic, this and The Rouges were the best. This issue was not really about Orm's reaction to the Crime Syndicate, but more about his journey home and defining what type of "person" (Atlantian) he is.

Writer Tony Bedard takes the reader on Orm's journey back to the ocean, and we all get to see that Orm isn't a monstrous villain. He's protective of himself, his ocean, and his people. This is Geoff Johns explored a bit in the main AQUAMAN series, but this whole issue is dedicated to that. While it's true that Orm does a few things that many would consider dastardly, he justifies it in a way that makes sense and makes the reader think "oh, he's not all that bad." Bedard does a fine job with the dialogue in these scene to convey that message to the reader.

The art team of Geraldo Borges (pencils), Ruy Jose (inks), and Rod Reis (colors) does a fantastic job here not only with the art itself but by making this feel like it fits in directly with the main AQUAMAN series. Most of the "props" for making this book feel like that need to go to Rod Reis, who is the colorist on the main series. Borges has a similar style to Paul Pelletier's, which helps the transition out as well. That's a place where many of these books dropped the ball a bit. It doesn't feel like part of the main series.

Orm's Atlantian outfit is amazing. He looks incredibly stoic and so cool. Hopefully, he keeps the helmet off because it's a tad silly. Overall, he's one of the best designed characters because the outfit he's wearing matches the world that he comes from and it says so much about his personality.

The Bad

There were a lot of high expectations for this particular issue because Orm AKA Ocean Master has been the stand-out villain in the new AQUAMAN series. The book delivers pretty well, but it just wasn't as awesome as I hoped for.

The Verdict

AQUAMAN #23.2 OCEAN MASTER is an incredibly fun issue that takes a look at who Orm is and what makes him tick. While some of this stuff may be repetitive to long-time AQUAMAN readers, it is a great read for fans and newbies alike, which is a breath of fresh air, especially to people chomping at the bit to jump onto this series. The best part of the issue is that is really feels like a part of the main series, as far as the art and writing go, even though it had a new creative team, minus Rod Reis, on the issue. Overall, this was a great read, and it gets a high recommendation.

Is this as good as Black Manta? I was iffy about which one to get but if this is as good/better I will pick it up over First Born.

I thought Black Manta was a bit down the middle. I liked this issue a lot better.

orm helmet silly? BLASPHEMY lol

Skipped this one after reading the Black Manta issue. That issue was just a recap of the previous weeks Forever Evil #1 with a few new pages at the end. Since it was the same writing team, I didn't want to risk it with this issue.

Alrighty then Im gonna pick it up thanks.

I liked it even more than the Black Manta issue. Orm is seriously badass. Also his disdain for walking was hilarious.

This was one of my favourite issues and I may be in the minority but I like the manta issue too

Wasn't a fan of the Black Manta issue. But I liked this one.

I loved it! OM is a conflicted villain. His view on 'kindness' is warped. But there is a noble being somewhere in him. So far I would say the Black Manta, Ocean Master, Darkseid, and Riddler issues were the best.

@tikhunt: Good issue but I had a problem. Weren't Tula & co on their way to break out Orm? What happened to them?

@jake_fury: Not to mention, how does this fit into the ongoing story in Aquaman itself?

Nice.

I'm still confused about the ending, but my tablet won't let me use spoiler blocks...

Did he really go back and then do what I think he did? o.O

I was somewhat confused by the ending too. Also, this issue had an excellent cover to display the 3D effects, specifically the water. Best 3D cover I saw up all month.

Such an AWESOME issue! The New 52 has done wonders for Ocean Master. Let me just say I had completely forgotten how silly his old costume was until I re read the Emperor Aquaman Flashpoint tie in last week. What were they thinking keeping that costume around so long! Orms new costume is immeasurably better.

Orm came across real well in this. He was cold and ruthless enough to justify him being classifed a villain but you can really see where hes coming from. Plus the ending was just plain awesome! I cant wait to see more!

This issue was great, but I still liked the Black Manta issue a little bit better (I was so confused when I saw that one get come mediocre reviews but anyway).

It perfectly continues exploring Orm's character, way of thinking and motivations.

It also does something that is so fundamental but amazingly enough many writers fail to do: establishes the villain as threat and defines his scope (exactly what the Joker's Daughter waste of paper fails to do). It shows why humans (even the metas in this issue) should not f@ck with superpowered underwater kings.

All in all a great read. Give Beddard an Aquaman spinoff DC.

Call me crazy but I love Orm's helmet lol. I wish Aquaman wore something as cool as Orm...

But nonetheless, I enjoyed this issue a lot. I just wish it had more. It feels like it was missing something.

This is my favorite book in the villains month sersies, and one of my favorites in recent memory. I dont think you can call Orm a villian, i kinda hope they make him into an anti-hero and contiue his story