Daddy Issues
Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Pencils: Robson Rocha & Jesús Merino
Inker: Daniel Henriques & Vincente Cifuentes
Colorist: Sunny Gho
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Cover: Robson Dan Panosian
Variant
Cover: Shane Davis, Michelle Delecki & Morry Hollowell
Assistant
Editor: Andrea Shea
Editor:
Alex Antone
Group
Editor: Brian Cunningham
Cover
Price: $3.99
On Sale
Date: November 20, 2019
**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**
Black Mantamech has rocked
Amnesty Bay and now there’s a Legion of Doom symbol in the sky where the
lighthouse used to be! Let’s dive back into the deep and read my review of Aquaman #54, right here!
Explain It!
Life is like a box of chocolates, and that box of
chocolates is like the ocean. See, all the chocolates are like the dumb little
fish that populate the waterways of the world, each uniquely stupid unto its
own kind. And then you pee in that box. Like the ocean, a box of chocolates is
made up of 80% human urine! Okay, so I might not be great at making metaphors,
nor do I know any facts about the world’s oceans. But you know who does? Black
Manta’s dad. Why, he used to impart all kinds of facts about the sea to his
son, like it’s okay to steal anything that’s underwater. Also, he has the same
contempt for human tears that he does for salty sea water. These were important
tips that helped shape Black Manta’s view of Atlantis and anything related to
water as being targets for his giant mech-suits missiles.
But wait, isn’t that Black Manta’s dad acting as the
Artificial Intelligence of his mech-suit for no discernible reason? Yes, but B.
Manta toned down his fatherness a couple of issues ago. Still, because this
book is idiotic, the mech-suit’s A.I. appears to be startled by Black Manta’s
son, Jackson—clearly having a grandson is new to him. Only he doesn’t have a
grandson. Black Manta’s father is dead and his personality is being used for
A.I. It’s not like his soul has possessed this robot.
So anyway, Black Manta shoots the hell out of
Aquaman, and then Jackson and Mera react by yelling. Maurer then squeezes into
the frame and unleashes a C’thulu monster, This appears to be an actual task
for the mech-suit to deal with, while Aquaman floats in the churning water in
the foreground of the final page. Nice scene. Great artwork throughout, really.
But this story was a perfunctory unleashing of several concepts introduced to Aquaman over the last few months. How
much you wanna bet the Elder Ocean Gods are going to deliver a final blow soon?
Two things really annoyed me about this issue. For
one thing, Maurer didn’t get named at any time. But worse, there’s a caption on
the first page that, referring to the Legion of Doom laser light show that’s
showed up in several Year of the Villain issues,
suggests that the reader check out a bunch of Year of the Villain issues to find out what’s going on. No,
dickhead, you tell me what issue will
explain the thing. If I have to slog through twenty-plus dollars of other books
to figure out what’s happening, I’d rather not know. This is sheer editorial
laziness, and indicative of so many gaffes we have seen in DC Comics’ books in
the last year. It really feels like a company on its last creative legs.
Bits and
Pieces:
A by-the-numbers doling out of story elements accrued
in the last four issues, to create a very contrived cliffhanger that you could
probably guess in three tries. Give it a shot! Save yourself the four bucks for
this visually impressive comic book.
6/10
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