“Once and Future”
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artist: Butch Guice, Dan Brown (colors)
Publisher: DC Comics
One Year Later….
And so it begins, yet another new chapter for Aquaman. The question is: Who is this particular Aquaman? Unfortunately, no answers are forthcoming in this “first issue” of the newly re-titled Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis. At least, not yet. Kurt Busiek & Jackson “Butch” Guice have an uphill battle ahead of them. Aquaman has never sold well enough to have a solo title last for more than 75 issues. Having these two gentlemen on the title will hopefully turn the tide, and this book and character will benefit with higher sales.
Busiek has always been a writer I will follow from title to title, with rare exception, regardless of the characters. He rarely fails to create an intriguing story filled with action, character development and subplots. This is something that is a bit of a lost art for a good portion of writers today. Most writers seem to do one and maybe two of the three, but it's the atypical writer who can continuously do all three all the time. With this issue of Aquaman, Busiek tries his level best to hit it all once again. He came close… Very close. But not quite.
I cannot say if I yet like this new version of Arthur Curry. I like the tweaks to the traditional Aquaman costume. The “new” origin feels a little too pat though, but I strongly suspect it's supposed to feel that way. How he handles being AQUAMAN and not plain Arthur Curry has the promise of being interesting, but the story has a slight “been there, done that” feel to it in that respect. He's yet another character learning what it's like to be a hero, thrown into the deep end of the pool and being forced to sink or swim. I trust in Busiek to pull it off, but so far I'm questioning this particular direction a little.
I like the addition of King Shark to this title. This is a character that's going to garner a lot of positive fan interest. Most anti-heroes tend to do that. He's going to be a fun character to watch grow in this book. Also the Dweller in the Depths character is obviously a character wrapped in mystery, though a little is possibly revealed in the final panel of this issue, but he's a character I feel is a misdirection and has me very unsure yet as to whether I should like him or not. So far, not.
I'm more than willing to give Busiek a chance to allow this story to go at its own pace. He opted to introduce the key characters of this new beginning, tossing out a little nugget of information here and there. As a reader, that frustrates the hell out of me. Yes, it's done to hook the reader and to reel them in, having them wanting to come back for more. And in that, Busiek has done his job. But, so far, the story just feels a bit light in substance.
There is, however, nothing light in substance when it comes to Butch Guice's artwork. There is not one page in this book that is not a feast for the eyes. If you're not aware of Guice's artwork, then you need to buy this book and find out what I mean; if you're already aware of his work, you know exactly what I mean. As I mentioned above, I like the tweaks made to the costume that Guice has done. Also, the oceanscapes he's drawing are gorgeous. You feel as if you're truly underwater. The drawing has “weight” to it. Guice is also joined by Dan Brown on colors. Brown truly adds even more to the drawing by giving it depth. This book is in very good artistic hands.
Finally, while I was personally a little disappointed in the story itself, the art is worth the price. I do trust in Kurt Busiek, and I know he'll have it all pay off eventually. This is also a damn good jumping on point for any reader. Not only because of DC's “one year jump,” but because this is essentially a brand new book. So if you're looking for something new and different that has high quality creators attached, then take a look at this book.
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