Why isn’t this a series?
Creative Staff:
Story: Michael Grey
Art: Aaron Lopresti, Matt Ryan
Colors: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
Aquaman and the Sea Devils team up to stop a group of polluters – and a radioactive creature from the deep!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The fun of standalone tales is still the driving force for me enjoying the pulled apart stories from the DC Giants. With the second Aquaman: Deep Dives installment, we get Michae Grey stepping in to write the tale that has me wondering why Aquaman and the Sea Devils isn’t an ongoing series all of its own right now. Grey’s done a few of the stories in the Giants and they’ve been a lot of fun and this one is no exception. It’s also a great book as Aaron Lopresti is handling the art duties with Matt Ryan inking. They, combined with Hi-Fi on the color work, brings to life the tale above and below the ocean in a great way as the action is dynamic, the creatures are intriguing, and I love the costuming choices for the Sea Devils themselves. It’s left me craving more.
The premise has Aquaman heading to the Black Sea, a place he’s avoided for some time because of just how problematic it’s been. And his neglect has certainly been taken advantage of with a lot of dumping of toxic waste there, resulting in a lot of deformed fish and simply toxic waters themselves. There’s dismay to what he sees here but frustration sets in when he can’t nudge the creatures along as they don’t respond to his communications with them. Luckily for him, before he has to really settle in and figure it out (and figure out what that ominous feeling he has from deeper below) he discovers that some dumping is going on directly over him. It’s not anything significant in a way, just a bunch if hired Russian sailors tossing the goods over the side, but what surprises Aquaman is that the Sea Devils are there.
And upgraded from when last he saw as they’ve go ta sub, some new uniforms, and weapons. They’re not designed to kill but rather to stun as they want to bring the criminals dumping to justice but it’s something where what they’re doing has them labeled as eco-terrorists as the companies behind the dumping also control the media to some degree as well. So we end up with a decent fight on the ship but also bigger action when the toxic pile below explodes and the giant hungry fish comes to the surface looking for a snack. It’s a lot of fun with Aquaman trying to figure out how to deal with it – even wondering if he needs a Superman or Wonder Woman here – but things turn out pretty well with the Sea Devils helping, launching him to proposing working as liaisons for Atlantis to deal with patrolling the seas. That’s the story I want. This is a good opening salvo for it, however.
In Summary:
I’m definitely enjoying getting these standalone Aquaman stories and Grey nails this one just right. The Sea Devils are the kind of old property that can be adapted well to modern times in creative ways but, because they’re not top-tier characters, will never really be able to justify anything being done of note with them because of modern market realities. It’s unfortunate but that’s just how it is. There’s a lot to like here in getting a taste of what could be, especially with great artwork from Lopresti and Ryan. It’s got a great look and has all the right pieces that could be built into something even more and grander.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology and Kindle
Release Date: April 30th, 2020
MSRP: $0.99
