Future State: Aquaman #1

All it took was one issue and one badass ending sequence to make this one of the best "Future State" series to date. Read Full Review

The fact that I've been convinced to invest myself in the year of our Poseidon 2021 into an Aquaman book is proof that when there's representation on the page, backed up by representation behind the scenes, stories can be elevated at least one letter grade. But probably more. Read Full Review

This was the Aquaman series set-up I didn't know I wanted. A shame we won't see more of it beyond this event, because it was fantastic. Read Full Review

Future State - Aquaman #1 comes completely out of nowhere and delivers a perfect reading experience. Get ready for the next level, because it's here. Read Full Review

Future State: Aquaman #1 is filled with great art, great action, intensely emotional moments, and an exciting Sliders/Quantum Leap-esque story with an edge. Despite only a few plot holes, the story is well-constructed, and I'm hooked to see what happens next. Where the heck was Brandon Thomas when the regular Aquaman title was running?!? Read Full Review

Future State: Aquaman #1 is really good. Telling a story out of order does not always work, but the team here has dropped the mic. Beyond the fact that the title is misleading and no one is actually the color aqua, which seems like a big miss, this has a lot of legs and gills and fins. Read Full Review

The Future State: Aquaman creative team have crafted a gorgeous, compelling new status quo for the Atlanteans, one that they deserve to be a part of as we enter the Infinite Frontier era. Read Full Review

Daniel Sampere does some great work with the art. There are some beautifully detailed panels throughout and the creatures and alien worlds are filled with new and interesting imagery. Read Full Review

Even though Thomas' narrative is narrow in scope, the characters he's created and the artwork create a title worthy of multiple reads. In a line of heavy, doom filled titles, Aquaman stands on its' own. The plot does not need to connect to other titles to create an enjoyable comic. This distance creates a meaningful breath of fresh air in DC's current event. Read Full Review

This is a comic that has a lot going for it, but it goes in some very strange directions too. Writer Brandon Thomas is best known for dark, challenging indie comics. He's never written an Aquaman story here, but he slips into the mythology pretty neatly for a story focusing on an older Jackson Hyde. Read Full Review

Future State: Aquaman #1 presents a look at the ups and downs of inheriting a legacy and takes a dive into science fiction territory with its story. Unlike the other Future State stories, this issue has no backup story-presenting a breezy yet entertaining read. I'm intrigued to see how this story concludes in its second half. Read Full Review

It gets deeper than this as Jackson Hyde accepts the mantle of Aquaman while fearing its cost him everything. Read Full Review

While the majority of the book focuses on Jackson's tale, the back half of the issue turns into another escape scene, and it's here that the comic stumbles. Read Full Review

The art makes it worth a look, but the story fails to hook me on either Jackson or Andy. Read Full Review

Although elements of this first half of "Future State: Aquaman" are intriguing, the art alone is not enough to bring together this first half of 'The Confluence.' Read Full Review

Antenovial

Jan 26, 2021

Aquaman is the surprise I didn't know I needed, the title wasn't initially on my Future State pull-list, but Andy's portrayal in Justice League convinced me to try it out. I'm glad I picked it up. Brandon Thomas explores the relationship between Andy and Jackson as they fail to capture a villain and is then strengthened when they find themselves in an impossible situation. A whole new world (or rather a whole new ocean) to explore is revealed that forces them onto an adventure they didn't want to go on. Daniel Sampere on art is awesome. There is no line that feels out of place, no awkward poses, and no space wasted. This is one of the most beautiful titles Future State has to offer. Adriano Lucas on colors enhances the art perfectly. Clearly smitten with this Issue, I eagerly await the next. more

I Review Comics

Feb 17, 2021

I've never read an Aquaman story that really resonated with me. The film made me a fan of the character but none of the material I've consumed since the movie dropped made me want to actually invest in the character. The Irony is that Future State: Aquaman is the best Aquaman comic I've ever read and Arthur Curry doesn't even appear in the book. The comic follows Aqualad who has graduated to the role of Aquaman. I've never read an Aqualad story either so this issue was my first experience with this character aside from seeing screenshots from the Teen Titans animated series. In this issue, he acts as knight and protector for Aqualass the daughter of Arthur Curry and Mera. The comic moves back and forth within the Future State timelin e and starts post encounter with Black Manta who also happens to be Jackson's Father. The comic immediately establish their relationship with one another but doesn't give much insight into what has happened to her parents. What the comic does do is establish Jackson as an A-List character and firmly establishes him in the title role. The two characters are split up early on with AquaWoman being MIA most of the issue. In the Future State Landscape Jackson has been imprisoned and although he attempts to escape his captors he fails constantly. This continues until he receives a hint that Aquawoman is alive and renews his vigor in order to reunite with her. This is a beautifully written story. The pacing is also solid as the creative team strings along several strong moments in the issue. Brandon Thomas is the writer/co-creator of "Excellence" over at Image Comics. Excellence is one of the best books out there so although I had little knowledge of what to expect from this issue there was little chance that the story was going to suck. I love Brandon's take on the new Aquaman. Jackson is a strong, earnest and extremely loyal character with flaws but feels fully realized in a way that Black characters in 2021 are lacking. He's suffered immensely over the course of the issue but once he receives a glimmer of hope that Aquawoman is alive he reverts back to his role as Knight and protector. These a powerful moments in the issue and a ton of depth to the character as the story goes on. The book is also beautiful to look at. There is a lot of variety in locals and the character models look great. I loved the updated look for Jackson. He fits the role of Aquaman nicely but maintains enough distinction to differentiate him from Arthur. I don't know a lot about the character but Future State gives enough insight into the current situation that I never felt the need to dig into the backstory of either lead. Daniel Sampere also does a great job of visually showing the transition of Jackson's progression from Aqualad to Aquaman. In the flashbacks, we're clearly not far removed from the current DC timeline and the little bit I do know of him. As the comic flashes forward we see Aquaman has aged and filled out which makes the story feel like a coming-of-age story filled with traditional superhero elements. The only weak link to the comic is the cover. If I hadn't subscribed to the Future State event I probably would have passed on the book altogether. It really doesn't sell the story or concept of the issue. The variant cover isn't much better. This is unfortunate because the book is one of the best that Future State has to offer. The content of the book is proof that you simply can't judge a comic by its cover. Aquaman hit's hard and promises to deliver even more action and solid characterization in the next installment. This is a perfect intro for these characters and I hope the story has a life beyond Future State. more

Kaseladen

Jan 26, 2021

Actually a positive surprise, this is a solid title with solid art. Probably the best Future State title (not a high bar) but I would recommend this

Swift Planet

Mar 30, 2021

Turns out I like Brandon Thomas.

Onomatopoeia

Jan 27, 2021

Well alright then, that's how you start a series. Reminds me of the second season of Reboot (if anyone can remember that...). Thomas makes me interested in these characters, gives me something to look forward to, and also sets up a cliffhanger that I actually want to be resolved. Definitely a gem in the Future State failure.

Nihilist

Jan 27, 2021

I've never followed Aquaman comics up close, not conting the beginning of Geoff Johns' New-52 run, but I have to say, I'm hooked. This is an intense fast ride start to finish, and one that unlike many Future State books feels like has actual stakes. Sure, the main two characters discovering The Confluence is a bit wonky, but I can't blame Brandon Thomas for rushing the plot, since the event is going to conclude the next month, so obviously everything has to be done quickly. What makes this comic stand out even more is the art. Daniel Sampere did fantastic job here. Every character is expressive, detailed and unique. You can actually see his talent and passion flowing through each and every panel. It's just mesmerizing, simply beautiful. Highly recommend this one - definitely one of this week's Future State highlights. Pure joy to read and stare at. more

TheKize

Jan 28, 2021

Forward moving action with emotional resonance. After just one issue, I feel like I've been reading the adventures of Jackson and Andy for years! Where's that new Aquaman ongoing series, DC?

Psycamorean

Jan 26, 2021

I was surprised that I enjoyed this.

Spacey Medicine

May 10, 2021

Not bad.

JHugh

Mar 17, 2021

Artwork was great, parts of the story were ok. Just left me feeling, meh and not wanting to read the next issue. I had higher expectations, this isn't the Aquaman I want to read. Aqualad is simply weak and lame.

Merlyn

Jan 26, 2021

Great art, okay story.

DiRT

May 13, 2021

It’s not that Future State: Aquaman #1 is a bad comic book, the problem is that it doesn’t really do anything of value. For a book that gives us our first glimpses of Arthur and Mera’s child, Andrina “Andy” Curry, grown into adolescence and having her own adventures, the story does nothing to make the character interesting – or memorable – or even present for most of the story. Instead, we’re stuck with Jackson Hyde – though there’s no telling if the Infinite Frontier is allowed to bring back the version readers enjoyed from Brightest Day or if we’re still stuck with the retconned version readers rejected from DC Rebirth. In the end, it doesn’t matter since this issue doesn’t really give him much to do anyway. If a boring story were all we had, that would be fine as a mediocre entry to the Aquaman mythos, but our story takes place in the ocean… in outer space. Apparently these two stumbled upon “The Confluence,” a place where all of time and space… in the oceans… interconnect and travelers can move from one place and time to another… in the oceans… from planet to planet and era to era through a floating mass of water in space that connects them all. (The idea of a giant oceanic portal connecting all of space and time makes no sense considering that no one has found it before, and nothing has come through it before, but whatever.) The two were separated, and thinking that Aqualass had perished, Aqualad had given up when captured by some alien things (I guess because they aren’t really explained very well) at some point in the past. Aqualad is not interesting. Nothing about his character is remotely entertaining or interesting. Aqualass is not interesting. Nothing about her character us remotely entertaining or interesting. The story is given no context. We have no reason to care about these characters or their actions. The only thing I can figure is that writer Brandon Thomas literally took the idea of plucking issues from a future storyline out of sequence and dropped them into this special event, but in doing so, robbed it of all meaning and value. Aquaman is mainstay of the DC Universe but as we’ve seen with the recently finished Kelly Sue DeConnick run on the eponymous series, the wrong writer can drain all enthusiasm from a series and leave nothing left for fans to appreciate. But at least the art from Daniel Sampere and Adriano Lucas looks good. Too bad it’s just not enough to make me come back for the second issue. http://ThePopC.Net http://dirtmound.com more

pizzamain

Feb 07, 2021

genius level writing to open a story in the middle of an argument lol