The foundation of the war surfaces here as we see things from the Emperor of Atlantis’ point of view.
What They Say:
FLASH FACT! He will drown the world – then rule it!
The Review:
With the Flashpoint series, I have to admit that I loved the central concept of a war between the Amazons and Atlantis. That they took the war to a big level with the sinking of Western Europe and having the Amazons claiming England as New Themyscira made it all the more fun because we get a truly radical change beyond personalities and politics. And considering the nature of both of these groups, that they should come to war isn’t a surprise as they likely just needed the right reason to do so. With this series, the focus on Aquaman allows us to see more of what’s motivating him and the somber side that isn’t showing through when he’s out there killing people that wander into his claimed territory.
But even with that somber side, small things can set him off, such as when he travels through the sunken ruins of Rome and comes across an image that reminds of him Diana. The hatred just pours out there and it’s a strong moment that helps to define this incarnation of him well. With this story taking place eight months prior to the Flashpoint series, getting some of the back story definitely helps a we see how he’s using that anger to get what he wants, which is revenge. The lengths he’ll go to and the people he’ll use, which puts them more in the position of being tools rather than people, is made quite clear. Going even further back, we see how he made an alliance with Brian of Markovia, who was serving as President, in order to lay the foundation more for what it is he has to do. It’s an interesting pairing since he was known as Geo-Force before and manipulates the land while Aquaman manipulates the sea.
While the book spends a lot of time going back and forth, it does provide a good narrative overall that shows how Aquaman has come to this point, and you can feel for him well enough because of it. While we don’t get the space to really let the impact of his loss hit us, to show how it evolved in a smoother way, we get the clarity of it by the mean he’s using in the present to strike back. And it’s definitely a well done idea as he’s using everything he can get his hands on for his revenge. The only downside here is that we don’t get time within the few pages here to really explore his pain as well as those that he’s got helping him in Atlantis. There’s a good sized cast that can be drawn in and we do get some interesting ones here such as Ocean Master, but it has only so much space to really work with how their relationships operate at this point.
Digital Notes:
This digital edition of the series from Comixology contains no extras as there is only the one cover included and nothing else outside of the pages themselves.
In Summary:
Emperor Aquaman was one of those books I was really looking forward to because of how it can focus on one side of the story going on and let it shine without much interference from Barry. That it goes and deals with the lead up to the present day while showing just how far he’s willing to go is spot on. Tony Bedard tells a good tale here, though it leaps about a bit too much for my tastes, and he makes Aquaman both sympathetic and scary at the same time. His reasons for revenge are sound and it’s natural in his heightened rage to go to the lengths that he is. An issue like this left me wanting the next one right away, but still aware of its weaknesses in how it has only so much space to really tell the tale that it has to tell.
Grade: B
