DC Comics reviews 1/8/25 – Absolute Batman #4, Aquaman #1

Aquaman #1

Like he did with The Flash and like he’s doing with Green Lantern, writer Jeremy Adams does once again with Aquaman #1. There’s no magic formula or special sauce with Adams’ take on these enduring, classic characters. It’s simply treating them respectfully and coming up with creative scenarios to place them. It’s not Adams’ fault that he makes it look so easy.

For starters, Adams restores all the elements that make Aquaman special — he’s king of Atlantis, has a loving marriage with Mera as they raise their daughter, Andrina, and has two staunch allies in Aqualad and Jackson Hyde along with his teammates in the Justice League. It’s a welcome baseline to start off the All-In era of Aquaman.

Adams plays around slightly with the time frame kicking the arc off with Aquaman battling a monster five years in the future. Then he shifts to a year ago before this new nightmare began.

In addition to his restored status quo life, Aquaman developed the ability to control water from Mera. This is an intriguing new ability and one that lets him fight from a greater distance.

John Timms is a very capable artist and seemingly a great fit for Aquaman already. Timms excels at those broad, larger than life heroes in even greater stakes.

Rex Lokus brings a bold, colorful take that’s welcome for Aquaman as well. Letterer Dave Sharpe works in crisp dialogue exchanges and creatively mixing up the fonts and sizes for emphasis.

Aquaman is in excellent hands with this creative team. If it’s like his previous titles, Adams’ fans definitely need to avoid the lines and immediately add this to their monthly pull list.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10