Review - Aquaman Volume 3: Crown of Atlantis

With the war between Atlantis and the United States over, Aquaman finds new and old threats on the horizon. First, he must contend with the cyborg Warhead. Then, he forms an unlikely alliance with the Aquamarines in order to investigate the re-appearance of the lethal Dead Water.

Aquaman Volume 3: Crown of Atlantis collects Aquaman #16-24, written by Dan Abnett and illustrated by Scot Eaton, Philippe Briones, and Brad Walker.

In comparison to the two trades that preceded it, Crown of Atlantis is a dull collection of stories that ultimately fail to meet the excitement and action of its predecessors. Where The Drowning and Black Manta Rising focused on the saga of the shadowy organization N.E.M.O. orchestrating a war between Atlantis and the United States, this trade reads as a disappointing denouement that treads water in an attempt to tie up loose ends. It opens with a three-part arc where Aquaman faces off against Warhead, a cyborg with telepathic abilities who is leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. It’s a forgettable storyline with an incredibly unremarkable villain. It’s followed up by another three-parter, this time featuring Aquaman and Mera joining forces with the Aquamarines to stop the monstrous Dead Water. It’s a marked improvement over the first arc and gives us some really great moments between Atlantis’ iconic power couple. For instance, we see Aquaman and Mera at odds over the correct course of action to dealing with the threat. Interestingly, there’s a role reversal in that Mera seeks a diplomatic solution while Aquaman reaches for the aggressive one. Nevertheless, the arc fails to impress. Though Abnett was likely aiming for something along the lines of Alien or The Thing, the narrative isn’t given enough room to breathe. This results in haphazard action sequences and an abrupt ending that doesn’t effectively interrogate the very real tension that should have been between Aquaman and Mera due to their conflicting attitudes.

Where Crown of Atlantis shines is in the arc that this collection was named after. It’s a paltry two issues, but in this storyline a coup is led by Atlantean rebels and Aquaman is swiftly deposed from the throne. He, Mera, and Tula must escape before they can be imprisoned (or worse). In these issues, Abnett returns to writing stories that have some political intrigue to them and tangible themes that are likely to feel relevant to today’s climate of isolationism amongst many of the world’s nations. The juxtaposition of Aquaman’s liberal views contrasted with Atlantis’ traditional ones feels topical, as does the antagonism towards our titular hero for being an outsider. Still, these two issues feel more like a prelude than a fully formed arc. They even end on a cliffhanger. As such, they feel tacked on to an otherwise mediocre collection.

Art-wise, the trinity of artists working with Abnett remain fairly consistent. Eaton, Briones, and Walker are true assets as their work elevates the otherwise unremarkable stories being churned out with this trade. Disappointingly, Walker does take a step back and only provides interiors for one issue (along with the covers). Briones remains a favourite for me. I really enjoy his aesthetic. It’s also worth mentioning that Eaton’s work improved with this issues and adds some consistency overall. With that said, there’s a rather surprising (and glaring) error in issue 24. Towards the end, Aquaman is meeting with the Atlantean rebels and both Mera and Tula are drawn with him. The problem is that both characters aren’t actually in Atlantis at the time, so the colourist (bless Gabe Eltaeb) had to get creative by re-colouring both to try to make them look like different characters. For example, the Mera character is given a pink outfit, silver crown, and blonde hair.

I was surprised by how disappointed I was by Aquaman Volume 3: Crown of Atlantis. After enjoying the previous trades due to their complexity and creative action sequences, this one felt like a major step down. With a lack of memorable villains, precious little done with the women, and an overall lack of direction during the first two arcs, Crown of Atlantis is a bit of a mess and certainly makes me question the direction the creative team is going in.

RATING: C+