I think this is part of the reason Aquaman has had trouble maintaining a fan base in the past few years. It's very hard to keep people interested in a title when things keep changing every few issues.

That brings me to the dreaded Erik Larsen years. I do have to give it to Larsen though, he had the stones to write a certain way for 12 issues and stick with it. It had consistency. It was surprisingly crappy, but surprisingly crappy for a long time. It made for some of the worst comics I've ever read but he laid his writing and his head on the chopping block and stuck to his guns. For better or worse. That is to be commended, to some degree. The only other writer I can think of that had a long consistent run on Aquaman was Peter David. No, I don't hail PAD's run as a divinely inspired work, handed down form on high like many fans do. However, it was pretty good and held up relatively well for a long time.

Aquaman 40 wasn't great, wasn't bad. The humanoid characters look fantastic in the book. They have a very classic comic book Joe Kubert sketchbook feel to them. There are exquisite, detailed movements and expressive bodily articulations. My main problem with the art is that their faces lack any emotion or interest. Everyone seems to be staring glassy eyed into the abyss. Maybe it is Aquaman's black soulless eyes that give this book such a dark and hopeless feel. It reminds me of the "The Tales of the Black Freighter" sequences in Watchmen.

I'm not certain but is the artist's name Butch Guice pronounced "juice"? Butch Juice would be the coolest name ever. Unfortunately Butch Guice cannot draw a shark-man. In most the panels it looks like nothing more than an indiscernible grayish man blob. It is pretty sad. Don't let that turn you off the art though.

The dialogue is sad and really cheesy.  I don't know why, but for some reason Aquaman talks like an "aww shucks" teenager.  I found it to be way too juvenile. Look around my site, I'm way too sophisticated to dumb down to that level. The Karate Kid now that's high art.

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Aquaman 34:

The cover is awesome. Pat Gleason is by far my favorite comic artist right now. I read 34 and hung the comic on the wall above my computer. That says something. I have never hung up a comic like this. I just can't stop looking at that damn cover. It shows an amazing amount of dramatic movement. The swirls and swells of the water make Aquaman's punch look like the harbinger of the apocalypse. It is a huge destructive force to be reconned with. I love the way the entire shoreline: creature and water alike rage with his punch. Look at the strain in Aquaman's neck. Every square inch of this picture is an expression of this soon to be catastrophic collision between Garth and Arthur. Nice stuff. This picture was crafted not drawn.

I also like the elemental dichotomy of the cover. There is something very primal going on here. The conflict lies at a diagnal across the picture giving it a tumultuous, offsetting feeling. It's blue vs. red. It doesn't get more basic than blue against red. All of the first two-player competitive color video games were always red vs. blue. It's hot vs. cold, fire vs. water, land vs. sea. It is the clash of the titans.

I think the exploding volcano is a great way to show how massive the forces are that Garth draws his strength from. It is amazing to me how much motion is conveyed in a two dimensional static piece of art.

The picture holds your attention for a while as well. It leads your eye around the entire picture. No matter where you look your eye always gets led around to the "A" in "Aquaman".

Well what about the art on the inside you ask? Not amazing, but not bad. I like the dark, contrasty look they have maintained. All and all a pretty good issue. It's no issue 32 but still good.

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Aquaman 33:

Sing to Last Kiss by Pearl Jam or whoever did it first:

Oh where oh where can Pat Gleason be? Green Lantern took him away from me. The stories good so I am not pissed, or I would drop it from my pull list.

Just when I thought no more Andy Clarke, stinkin up the pages, there's his art. Black Manta is back, Aquaman then attacked, Sub Diego has confused the facts. Esther is hot Mera's starting to rot, I wish Geist would just get shot.

Oh where oh where can Pat Gleason be? Green Lantern took him away from me. The stories good so I am not pissed, or I would drop it from my pull list.

When Esther showed up she saw jack, Aquaman was under attack. Garth said fire and the sentries did, I remember when he was a kid, Koryak semms glad Aquaman is his Dad, Clarkes art is a steaming pile. I hope Gleason returns and Alamy too. I think Garth will get run through.

Well that is it, not gonna write any more, Even with Clarke I'll read 34.

Oh where oh where can Pat Gleason be? Green Lantern took him away from me. The stories good so I am not pissed, or I would drop it from my pull list.

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Aquaman 32:

Thank god Patrick Gleason and Christian Alamy are back doing art. That Andy Clarke really stunk up the book. His lack of expression in the character's face made the story very hard to read. Clarke's inability to use interesting angles and his flat, non contrasty look almost made me drop the book from my pull list.

Today I was delighted to open up Aquaman and see that heavy inked, expressive art I've grown to love by Gleason and Alamy. In all honesty I think they have done some of the best Aquaman art I've ever seen, and I have read most post 80's Aquaman.

A few specifics: I was impressed by the artist's latest interpretation of Lorena (Aquagirl). They gave her a more childlike essence than we have seen before. Her expressions around Koryak showed a very energetic, wide-eyed girl enthralled by him. Very believable.

I like to see more curvy women in this issue as well. Granted, I don't think this book needs to be Fathom, but in an underwater world it makes sense that people are showing some skin.

Page 10. Best page I've seen in a comic in a long time. I could go on for paragraphs just ranting about it. The lower left panel contains exposition, a unique angle, shows Aquaman's power and amphibiousnous (amphibianity? who knows), and is at the same time beautiful.

There is a strong beginning to alot of story archs here. First, a love intrest ( by the way I thought the P.O.V. panel on page 8 of Aquaman checkin out Esther was a nice touch). There is also political unrest, the return of Black Manta and more. This book is packed. It will set the stage for many exciting issues.

Well there have been times I didn't think I'd say it, but it is great to be an Aquaman fan.

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Aquaman 26:

I started really reading Aquaman during the Erik Larsen run. Ouch. It sucked. No really. I mean it sucked. Bad. I know alot of you out there have tight loyalties to Larsen from Savage Dragon and what not, but his run of Aquaman was some of the worst comics I have ever read in my entire life. Trite, boring and uneventful. The only thing that rivaled his lack of story telling was the art, what the hell was going on. I hate that whole run of comics.

Whew.

Ok, now back to this run of Aquaman. I think the storyline has been incredibly eventful, San Diego sinking, its citizens mutating into water breathers, and a new Aquagirl to name a few things. And it's interesting and dramatic. So start reading it if your not.

Now issue 26. I think it was a good one. I think I missed exactly how Aquaman and the Ocean master switched roles, but anyway, they did some time prior to this issue.