There are elements of this new title that I really enjoy. The notions that the King of the Seas is stuck on land and that he's decided he might as well get into touch with his "surface-dweller" roots are interesting twists on a hero many just think of as "the fish guy." I'm also pleased that Veitch has maintained the title character's angry and impolite disposition. But those strengths aren't enough to overcome the elements that stretch the reader's suspension of disbelief to the breaking point.
After begrudgingly getting some help from a friend in the Justice League, Aquaman finds himself in Ireland, unable to dip a single toe in the ocean for fear that the vengeful Rodunn and other Atlantean soldiers will track him down and give his execution a second shot. The exiled Sea King happens upon an old, out-of-service lighthouse and its equally old, out-of-service keeper, just as a storm hits the rocky coastal area. The lighthouse keeper heads out into the surf, but his small ship and an oil tanker find themselves tossed around like ragdolls in the turbulent tide. Only Aquaman can help, but his assistance is bound to attract the wrong kind of attention from his Atlantean brethren.
Guichet's angular style works quite well to convey the twisted, angry nature of the Atlantean antagonists, and he captures the darkly organic look of the demonic sea creatures they're summoning. But when it comes to the non-underwater scenes, he loses me. The characters still look twisted, exaggerated. The humans look like caricatures, not characters. Eyring, though, does a fantastic job with the colors. He really brings out the dark, sorcerous tone of the book nicely.
Though I don't care for the plot device that makes it happen, the premise of Aquaman being stranded on land is an interesting one. I also enjoy the notion that this cantankerous individual is going to have to rely on the kindness of strangers to get by for a while.
The most frustrating aspect of this script is that Veitch has set it up so no threat is so big that Aquaman can't overcome it now. First, he's got this magical hand that's powerful enough to destroy a monstrous sea creature that blocks satellite signals, and when his water hand fails to resurrect the old lighthouse keeper, he uses it to call on someone else to save the day. No feat seems beyond the sorcerors of Atlantis either, as they've set it up that they detect Aquaman's presence, turn the ocean's creatures against AND apparently make it so the Atlantean army can appear just about anywhere on the globe when needed. Combined with the coincidences of the plot -- the storm just happens arise the day Aquaman arrives at the lighthouse, for example -- it all adds up to make a pretty big, bitter pill that's impossible to swallow.
