COMIC BOOK REVIEW - Aquaman: The Trench

By The Masked Medic

After the recent ‘Aquaman’ film, it seems everyone has got on the bandwagon. Gone are the days when the character was a bit of a joke despite having the skill and power set of Superman and Wonder Woman. I had heard that the New 52 Run was an impressive one, so I was looking forward to reading this novel.

‘The Trench’ tells the story of Arthur Curry when he is relatively new to the Aquaman persona. Mera and he have made a life for themselves on land with no imminent plans to return to Atlantis. Cut forward, and an ancient host of creatures known only as the Trench emerge from the deep sea to wreak havoc upon the local town. Aquaman decides to investigate where these creatures came from and how to stop them from devouring the people.

In terms of a first novel to introduce the character to readers, this for me, was definitely up there with the best of the best. It makes no attempt to hide away from who Aquaman is perceived as and instead tries to get the reader to change their perspective. The development of both Arthur and Mera throughout the novel is excellent, any new readers would get a real feel for both of them.

The artwork is done by Ivan Reis, who I’ve mentioned before as one of my comic book artist heroes. His covers were excellent, and it was tough choosing one to pick. Overall, this has to be one of my favourite comic book novels, if you want to get into comics, this is a really good place to start.

Favourite Panel:

The writers really addressed all the jokes about him.

Favourite Character:

Aquaman. He’s badass but has all the grace of a true King. Mera’s not too far behind either!

Rating:

• Story Arc: ★★★★

• Character Development: ★★★★½

• Artwork: ★★★★½

• Enjoyability: ★★★★

• Re-readability: ★★★½

Level: Beginner