Mera: Tidebreaker (Family Comic Friday)

Borrowing pretty heavily from the 2018 Aquaman movie starring Jason Momoa, Mera: Tidebreaker is a young adult graphic novel from DC's woefully short- lived DC Ink imprint. If you're expecting the traditional princess Mera from a water filled extra-dimensional world, you better stick to Silver Age floppies. Here, Mera is still royalty. Only now her kingdom of Xebel is subject to the rule of Atlantis. Betrothed to a prince she does not love, Mera seeks her own path, which she hopes is like that of her dearly departed mother: as a fierce warrior and benevolent ruler of her people.

In order to win her father's favor, Mera heads to the surface world in order to locate and kill the fabled exiled prince of Atlantis. Mera immediately finds him. Only Arthur Curry is nothing like she expected. He's kind, generous and just so gosh darn handsome. As Mera waits for the perfect time to commit regicide, she finds herself falling for the Atlantean as Arthur has no idea about his underwater heritage. Now with agents of her father coming to the surface in search of Mera, the princess of Xebel must decide to follow her destiny or her heart.

Tidebreaker was a good story that could have been great. Writer Danielle Paige, crafts a classic love story between the children of two rival kingdoms and she executed it with a totally modern interpretation of the Aquaman mythos. I didn't feel like Paige didn't do her homework in writing this teen graphic novel. She deftly digs into the rich history of these DC icons. It's only that the formula seemed off-kilter. 

There's very little humor. Okay, don't think there was any humor. Lots of melodrama. A fair smattering of drama. Lots of romance. Some action and adventure. Yet, any character that you'd feel might be a potential source of comic relief just isn't funny. Plus, things are pretty tame in a book recommended on Amazon for readers in grades 7-9. Yet then 3/4th of the way through this book, Paige throws in a fairly big swear. Not an F-bomb. But also kinda unnecessary based on how smoothly things had been since that and thus after. It's those little quirks that throw a perfectly good read off balance. 

At least I cannot complain about the art. In fact, Stephen Byrne actually manages to fix a pet peeve I have about photo-shopped artwork. In a few scenes, instead of drawing different characters that look uniform, the artist copies and pastes the same image to make it look like a swarming army of underwater warriors. But instead of leaving them to all look the same like some artists have done to an annoying degree, Byrne actually tweaks each character to be just a tiny bit different from the rest. I appreciate such touches in modern day comics that tend to see artists taking sloppy shortcuts.

I also loved the minimal palette of colorist David Calderon. The fiery orange hair of Mera stands out in a book full of muted grays and an assortment of hues based on sea foam green. For someone like myself who has partial color blindness, the look works to great effect and was greatly appreciated.

This book debuted way back in 2019 when DC execs thought that Mera was going to become a film franchise darling. And she almost did for a while. That's until Amber Heard was essentially cancelled due to her explosive history with then husband Johnny Depp came to light in a scandalous defamation trial. Once Heard was all but removed from the 2023 Aquaman sequel, plans for Mera to lead the DC Universe as the next Harley Quinn went up in a poof of smoke. That's probably why this book ends with the promise of a sequel and yet 5 years later, we've got bupkis. It's almost indicative of the DC Ink and DC Zoom imprints. Both had such promise and then DC turned their back on it. Thankfully, their line-up of planned stories that seemed so amazing, still saw the light of day. Even if it has taken half a decade to see all those dreams become realities. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents: Aquaman, Vol. 3

The later half of the mid-1960s adventures of Aquaman are covered in this massive collection. We visit Atlantis just after the birth of the Aquababy. But things are far from idyllic. That's because the First Family of the Seven Seas are about to enter the era of the aqua enemies!

The shrimp-costume clad Fisherman was the only recurring villain introduced from the last volume. While he does return in this book, the Fisherman is far from the most dastardly criminal to put up his dukes against Aquaman. That distinction is a toss up between the Ocean Master, who happens to be Aquaman's murderous amnesiac half-brother or the mysterious Black Manta, a maniac who has little qualms with using Aquaman's infant son as murderous bait!

On the personal side of things, cracks in the foundation of the royal family are starting to form. Aqualad is beginning to experience the growing pains of puberty as Aquaman's kid sidekick as well as a third wheel compared to Mera and Aquababy. The insecurities of Queen Mera are also coming to the forefront whether it be in jealousy of another female who catches the King's eye or from conducting a series of childish pranks that result in severe chidings from her husband.

It's not all serious stuff in this volume. That's because right around the time these comics were being published new, Aquaman and Aqualad were the stars of a 30 minute animated segment of The Superman/Aquaman Hour. As the new stars of Saturday morning TV, every other issue of Aquaman was more geared towards younger readers. A blurb advertising the series adorns those covers and characters from the show pop up; like Aqualad's walrus pet, Tusky. But when it comes to the artwork of Nick Cardy, things feel a little bi-polar.

Instead of using his more matured look of art, in the kids-geared issues, Cardy reverts back to the more cartoony style he copied of Ramona Fradon (Metamorpho). One thing that remains constant are the dynamic paneling of the stories. The use of triangular panels and out of order sequencing are highly reminiscent of Jack Kirby! Add to it a lot of erratic lines and scribbled chapter titles, Cardy is able to invoke an underwater setting perfectly!

A team-up with Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen is where the volume ends. Volume 3 also marks the end of Showcase Presents' run of Aquaman stories. But it doesn't have to be the end for me. 

Pardon the pun, but I really got hooked on the adventures of Aquaman and I really want to read the rest of the pre-CRISIS story of the King of Atlantis. While there remains about 3 dozen issues of Aquaman and Adventure Comics, I don't have to resort to collecting the floppies. There are 3 color volumes of Aquaman stories. If I can get them for a good deal, I should have some great, but powerful, reads awaiting me one day soon.

If you are a fan of Jason Mamoa's Aquaman, this is the volume to read. A bunch of the characters that appear in that movie either make their debut in this era of Aquaman comics- or they are finally mentioned despite Aquaman having made his first appearance nearly 3 decades earlier.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents: Aquaman Vol. 2

The recent controversy behind the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard defamation case and the actresses' diminished role in the Aquaman sequel is not why I decided to read this collection of Aquaman reprints. Instead, I was inspired to have a topical (or maybe it's tropical) read on my recent beach vacation. While I didn't finish this book before I left Carolina Beach, I did keep smelling salt air and daily fresh catch as I read this collection of mid-1960s Aquaman comics. 

Nick Cardy tackles the artwork of the regular Aquaman series stories. Ramona Fradon (Metamorpho) illustrated the smaller stories that occupied the fill-in status in the pages of World's Finest Comics. Fradon's artwork was so fluid. I've been a fan of her's since I was a little kid from the stories I'd read in my dad's comic collection. Cardy's artwork is another story.

Somewhere around 1966 or '67, Nick Cardy's work shifted dramatically on this series. I think it's because for a while, Cardy was trying to (or being made to) copy Fradon's style. Before the 'shift', Cardy's Aquaman stories have heavy inks, rounder edges and look a bit like what you'd see from the Bob Kane camp (around this time.) I think once Fradon finally moved on from doing Aquaman stories, Cardy was free to start putting his deft touch on the comic. 

If you look at Cardy's other work, particularly Teen Titans, you'll notice that the paneling of the stories gets much bigger. The inks are thinner and the angling of the scenes are more dynamic. But above all, you see the artist's love of anatomy. I'm not saying Cardy was a freak or anything like that. Cardy does a lot of panels where he'll show Aquaman or another character in action in some sort of act of progression- kinda like how Carmine Infantino would show the Flash being super fast by drawing him like in one of those flip book poses. Sorry- I just don't know how to better explain it.

Aquaman gets a bad rap as being a weak member of the Justice League because all he can do is speak to fish. But really, that's not the case. Sure, as a part of a team, he's severely limited. He can't be out of water for longer than 60 minutes. (For some reason, I thought ther limit was 24-hours.) So, a lengthy trip to the Sahara is out of the question. But when you keep Aquaman in his element, he's a mighty warrior. He's strong. Can swim extremely fast. And yes, he can talk to fish.

While Aquaman's rogue's gallery is still a tad away from being firmly established at this moment, he's assortment of allies are formed in the volume. Future wife, Mera, the inter-dimensional aquatic princess, the Aquababy, and several denizens of Atlantis are introduced here. If you need a fix on the villains, it's mostly two-bit crooks and the odd extraterrestrial baddie who troubles the King of the Seven Seas. Only the angling Fisherman is a recurring villain I recall from later comic stories.

A very good collection of stories. They may not be the best DC had to offer. But they were nostalgic and nautical. And once Nick Cardy found his footing, the artwork began to look a lot like my 60s DC guilty pleasure, Sea Devils. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Aquaman (2018)

I closed out 2018 going to see the latest superhero flick, Aquaman. Starring Jason Momoa, it really felt like DC now has a working man's hero to look up to. Momoa's Arthur Curry is rude, crude, brash but he also possesses a deep sense of justice and honor.

Aquaman is the story of the bastard son of Atlantis. The spawn of a human male and Atlantean princess, Arthur Curry learns at a young age that he can communicate with fish. Early in Arthur's life, his family home is threatened by members of the royal guard. To save her half-breed child from execution, Arthur's mother Atlanna, played by Nicole Kidman, returns to Atlantis to submit to her forced role as wife and Queen in an arranged marriage.

Thanks to secret training sessions by a loyal member of Atlanna's, as Arthur matures, he learns to fight and defend himself. But the young man has no desire of becoming king. Instead, Arthur drinks, fights, and saves submarines from underwater pirates. 

Of course, you know that Arthur is going to become motivated to accept his destiny and become the true king of Atlantis. The job currently is held by Aquaman's half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson). As ruthless as his father, Orm seeks to become the undisputed ruler of the Seven Seas, known as the Ocean Master. Should he obtain the backing of the other realms of the deep, Orm can mount his long-desired war on the surface dwellers. 

To challenge Orm's claim on the throne, Arthur must go on a global quest for a missing trident. Aiding him in this quest is Orm's betrothed Mera (Amber Heard). Along the way, the pair will run afoul of villains, monsters and ancient wonders. There might even be a little romance on tap...

There's basically two movies in this 2 hour and 20 minute picture. The first half of the film, as Arthur learns more of his Atlantean heritage, is a visually stunning masterpiece. The special effects kick the butt of both 2017's Justice League and anything Marvel put out this year. The costumes, which utilize sea life to the literal gills, were also quite stunning. 

Aquaman should receive some Oscar nods for both FX and costume design. It had such a classic and yet futuristic at the same time. That first half set primarily in Atlantis, reminded me of an underwater Blade Runner. If the movie had stopped at the middle mark, I would have no qualms with the overall quality of the film. While the second half was good, it wasn't as great as the beginning. 

The main issue with Aquaman's second half is that what Arthur must do to defeat his brother seems like a deep-sea Indiana Jones movie. Unfortunately, that entire mission is laid out in a speech by one of the characters within the opening half hour of the movie. So much of the last hour or so of film was quite predictable. And with about 30 minutes left in the movie, I actually found myself getting disgusted with the predictable nature of superhero films. I'm also getting tired of the slow-mo action scenes, which DC films can't seem to break away from.

This doesn't mean that Warner Bros. doesn't have a winner in Aquaman. This film surpasses Justice League and one main reason is Jason Momoa. He was the most interesting character in Justice League and he doesn't disappoint in the least. In fact, the character of Arthur is a lot like Mike Myers' ogre, Shrek. You think he's going to be this redneck kind of character. Yet by movie's end, he becomes an onion. His character has layers!!!

Aquaman overthrows Justice League as well in that this movie has much better villains. Along with Orm, fans are also treated to Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Black Manta. There's an interesting Dread Pirate Robert's spin to Manta, who in my opinion has always been Aquaman's arch-enemy; not Orm! 

Here's my pros and cons with Aquaman. While a large chunk of the film is predictable and set out in front of the audience, it was an enjoyable watch. The acting was great and the villains were tons better than the overly CGI'd Steppenwolf of Justice League. The movie is total eye candy, but if you have vertigo, you'll need to bring a barf bucket with you. Between complete 360 degree chase scenes to the slower than snail pace martial arts, it will make you woozy.

Above all, Aquaman did something that I don't think very many comic book films have ever done: been extremely faithful to the comic books. True, Jason Momoa doesn't look like Mort Wessinger's blonde torpedo. But the costumes look perfect. The storyline is near flawless to the many Aquaman tales I've read. Plus, if you loved Aquaman's sonar ripples when he talked to fish on Super Friends, you will cheer by movie's end! 

Making me hopeful for what Warner Bros. has in store next year with Shazam and Wonder Woman 1984, Aquaman is proof there can still be great films about DC Comics characters getting made in today's Hollywood.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.