Scratch beneath the surface and discover even more power.
Creative Staff:
Story: Jeremy Adams
Art: John Timms
Colors: Rex Lokus
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
What They Say:
The lighthouse is lit, and Emperor Aquaman begins to send emissaries to the far ends of the universe to establish his kingdom in the far reaches of space. But when Jackson Hyde doesn’t check in, Aquaman and the Emperor’s guard, the Shiver, must embark on a rescue mission that turns friends into foes…a mission that won’t be as simple as Aquaman had hoped.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The DC All-In initiative continues with Aquaman, previously launching with this new book, and it has put together a pretty solid team. I’ve read a lot of Aquaman over the years and am always game to see if someone can craft some good stories for the character and his world. This one has Jeremy Adams writing it, whose work I’ve largely enjoyed on Green Lantern, if not for the crossovers barging into it. John Timms is back handling the artwork for this issue, which gives it a very rich and detailed look with some great layouts to help it all flow together, with some very neat designs. Rex Lokus is in a class of his own when it comes to color design, and his work with the water and settings here is just fantastic, tying into the dialogue and narration, which lets Dave Sharpe handle the lettering in a great and creative way.
While you continue to know that Aquaman will have his powers reset at some point, or just lowered a bit, it’s really interesting watching him grapple with the new set he has. The connection to the Blue is definitely altering his way of thinking about water and his abilities, and it’s making for some great story and page material. The big thing that I’m enjoying post-KO is the way that some characters that participated in the tournament really do seem to have changed for the moment. While Aquaman is able to free Mera from her problem at the start, which is a huge relief to all of them, the arrival of King Shark sets up a quick new fight on the new island. But, having been touched by the vision, King Shark is all-in on serving Aquaman and protecting him from what’s to come and all before that. It’s no surprise that others like Mera are wary and ready to fight, but those that fought in the tournament really have been changed by what they saw and what’s to come, so bringing King Shark into the fold really is a delightful moment.
The book has some solid small character moments for people like Arion and Jackson and all as they do the work tasked to them, but Aquaman is taking his team to start connecting to other lighthouses across the Blue and the galaxy. That has his team hitting a world where there are some humanoid ant-like creatures that have anticipated him through prophecy, but you know there’s a twist to it. It unfolds in fairly familiar ways, but it’s strong in its art and design of the world, and the way King Shark rallies to Aquaman’s side while Aquaman himself discovers new ways to manipulate water. We still get him basically trying to understand what he’s done since it’s so distant from past experiences, but it reinforces that he’s on the right path – and for some like King Shark to know that they’re right in following him.It’s got a big design building around it and it’s pretty exciting and a fair bit frightening as well.
In Summary:
I’ve enjoyed Aquaman as a character a lot over the years, and this series in particular has been fun for a lot of it. But as it’s explored building a new team, a kind of Justice League Blue, and then expanding it into this intergalactic sense after the KO event, well, it’s putting the character and its support in a very big and important position going forward. It is moving fast to be sure, as a lot of books do these days, but it’s hitting the right notes with how it’s coming together. It absolutely looks fantastic both in the artwork and color design, which helps sell it a lot more, and the inclusion of another character like King Shark delights me. I liked those we had added before, like Arion, and utilizing an oddball group is just perfect to redirect things and to highlight the kind of kingdom and project Aquaman wants to organize here.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: DC Comics
Release Date: April 8th, 2026
MSRP: $3.99
Chris Beveridge
http://www.fandompost.com
Chris has been writing about anime, manga, movies and comics for well on twenty years now. He began AnimeOnDVD.com back in 1998 and has covered nearly every anime release that’s come out in the US ever since.
He likes to write a lot, as you can see.
