Aquaman #3

Written by: Dan Abnett

Art by: Philippe Briones

Coloured by: Gabe Eltaeb

Lettered by: Pat Brosseau

In the previous issue of Aquaman, Black Manta attacked the Atlantean embassy, killing several people in an attempt to discredit Aquaman, tell the world about his role in the death of his father, and take away everything he had ever cared about. They proceeded to fight and Manta was defeated, Aquaman showing him how much he regretted the death of Manta's father, and Manta was taken into custody before being rescued. This issue picks up directly after this with the Atlanteans attempting to return to their embassy and Manta in the hands of N.E.M.O.

We begin with the Atlanteans attempting to return to their embassy but being stopped by the military. The government had apparently revoked the Atlantean embassy status, essentially ending this attempt at peace between the two peoples. As tempers begin to flare, Aquaman shows up and decides to head to Washington to sort this out. Back with Black Manta, we are introduced to N.E.M.O., a mysterious organization with mysterious goals. After breaking out of his handcuffs and taking down several of the goons surrounding him, Manta is stopped by the leader of this particular squad named Black Jack, who offers him a job with their organization. Not a lot happens in this issue, however a lot is set up for future issues to play with, which could be fairly interesting.

As I said with the previous issue, the art has taken an upswing in quality, despite the lack of a consistent artist. While not quite as intricate as Eaton, Briones does a good job of creating a detailed world. My only real criticism of the art is the faces. Almost no emotion is conveyed on any face in the entire issue with the exception of Black Manta. Aquaman in particular always looks extremely bored, even in scenes where he clearly should be having strong feelings. Its not a massive issue, but it is noticeable and something that I feel detracts from the feel of the book.

Ultimately this issue was fairly underwhelming. Several things are set up for future issues, but on its own, this issue does very little to prove itself as more than a stop gap between plot points. The bit of story that we get is good, and the art is serviceable, but it's hard to really recommend this issue other than to people who would have bought it for the ongoing story anyway. While not a bad issue, it certainly does not set itself out as anything other than moving some plot points along, and definitely won't win over any new readers. I had previously thought that the plot may have been moving slowly because of the focus on set up and fight scenes in the first two issues, but it seems like this may be an ongoing issue with the series.