Aquaman: Andromeda
by Ram V
art by Christian Ward
art by Christian Ward
2023
Aquaman: Andromeda collects a 3-issue standalone miniseries from DC's Black Label line of mature comics. Based on the title, I was kind of expecting this comic to be Aquaman ... in spaaace!, but instead we get a mix of horror and scifi in the deep ocean.
Aquaman as he's depicted here seems kind of old and tired, and his armor looks encrusted like metal from a long-ago shipwreck. There's no overt tie to other DC continuity; Aquaman is more like a myth than a celebrity. What makes this one mature, I think, is the backstory of one character who committed a realistic war crime during the Bosnian War. There are also a few present day killings that might be too graphic for a regular comic, although 'regular' comics are plenty violent, the causes of death tend to be more fantastical than getting stabbed by a coworker you trusted.
So, the setup here is that a team of scientists has been dispatched on the Andromeda - an advanced, futuristic submarine - to go to Point Nemo - the spot on the Pacific furthest from land, where all space programs try to send their returning spacecrafts - to investigate the seafall of an extraterrestrial craft. They're hoping to make first contact with any intelligence onboard, and maybe learn from the alien technology. The supervillian pirate Black Manta wants to steal from both ships. And Aquaman is there to investigate the mystery as well. Almost immediately, a Kraken appears and wrecks the Andromeda's support ship on the surface, before being defeated by Aquaman.
After that, the pace slows down as the scientists start to investigate the mysterious, and seemingly empty spacecraft. We get flashbacks from several of them, including the woman who knows of Aquaman as 'the King Under the Sea' from folktales she heard as a child, and the Bosnian War veteran I mentioned earlier. The ship is not empty, of course. I won't spoil what's on it except to say it's something scifi authors have done before, but not often, and Ram V handles it compellingly and well.
As crew members start dying, the survivors make desperate plans to save themselves and keep what's on the alien ship from escaping any further. Black Manta is undeterred and wants to steal anyway. Aquaman acts to protect the people still alive and helps with their plan to deal with the threat posed by the ship. I almost think Black Manta was superfluous to this story, although I guess his presence adds even more pressure to an already tense, volatile situation.
Ram V's writing is very good. These are competent adult characters dealing with something that overwhelms them, not because they're foolish, but because it's so far outside what they've prepared for. Christian Ward's art is excellent and beautiful. His 'old man Aquaman' looks ancient and alien himself. The contrast between the futuristic submarine, the alien vessel, and the organic, oceanic visuals are great. The fight between Aquaman and the kraken, only a few pages long, is particularly well-done.
Aquaman as he's depicted here seems kind of old and tired, and his armor looks encrusted like metal from a long-ago shipwreck. There's no overt tie to other DC continuity; Aquaman is more like a myth than a celebrity. What makes this one mature, I think, is the backstory of one character who committed a realistic war crime during the Bosnian War. There are also a few present day killings that might be too graphic for a regular comic, although 'regular' comics are plenty violent, the causes of death tend to be more fantastical than getting stabbed by a coworker you trusted.
So, the setup here is that a team of scientists has been dispatched on the Andromeda - an advanced, futuristic submarine - to go to Point Nemo - the spot on the Pacific furthest from land, where all space programs try to send their returning spacecrafts - to investigate the seafall of an extraterrestrial craft. They're hoping to make first contact with any intelligence onboard, and maybe learn from the alien technology. The supervillian pirate Black Manta wants to steal from both ships. And Aquaman is there to investigate the mystery as well. Almost immediately, a Kraken appears and wrecks the Andromeda's support ship on the surface, before being defeated by Aquaman.
After that, the pace slows down as the scientists start to investigate the mysterious, and seemingly empty spacecraft. We get flashbacks from several of them, including the woman who knows of Aquaman as 'the King Under the Sea' from folktales she heard as a child, and the Bosnian War veteran I mentioned earlier. The ship is not empty, of course. I won't spoil what's on it except to say it's something scifi authors have done before, but not often, and Ram V handles it compellingly and well.
As crew members start dying, the survivors make desperate plans to save themselves and keep what's on the alien ship from escaping any further. Black Manta is undeterred and wants to steal anyway. Aquaman acts to protect the people still alive and helps with their plan to deal with the threat posed by the ship. I almost think Black Manta was superfluous to this story, although I guess his presence adds even more pressure to an already tense, volatile situation.
Ram V's writing is very good. These are competent adult characters dealing with something that overwhelms them, not because they're foolish, but because it's so far outside what they've prepared for. Christian Ward's art is excellent and beautiful. His 'old man Aquaman' looks ancient and alien himself. The contrast between the futuristic submarine, the alien vessel, and the organic, oceanic visuals are great. The fight between Aquaman and the kraken, only a few pages long, is particularly well-done.
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