Review: Mera, Queen of Atlantis #4

If you aren“t keeping up with the latest events in Aquaman, you probably have given up on Mera, Queen of Atlantis. This is a shame, because this mini-series could have been a great breakout opportunity for a character that has generated a great deal of interest. If you are a dedicated reader of Aquaman, you are easily following along. Either way, this seems like a missed opportunity.

I“m on record saying I“m not the biggest fan of Aquaman. I“m not making fun of the character, I think that when done well, Aquaman can be an amazing character. There“s a reason he“s been around since the 1940s. But when his stories take place in Atlantis, they tend to get bogged down in weird underwater politics.

And in this series, Dan Abnett (Titans, Silencer, Nova) has quadrupled down on the weird underwater politics to the confusion of everyone who hasn“t been keeping current in Aquaman. The short version is evil king is ruling Atlantis and threatening all the other undersea kingdoms. A civil war has broken out (again). Mera is teamed up with Ocean Master trying to find all the allies they can to flush the king from the throne.

To that end, they have gone to the undersea city of Xebel, Mera“s home and longtime rival of Atlantis. Mera“s family is intertwined with the current ruling family and she was supposed to be the Queen there. This has led to a lot of bruised feelings so she and Ocean Master are forced to fight a giant evil octodon (think of an octopus dinosaur) in order to say hello to the king.

Once they get through the hello duel ritual, we get to meet Nerus, king of Xebel, who immediately displays unhealthy anger issues and abusive tendencies. Mera points out that they would have been an unhappy couple if they had married. (No duh, Nerus needs years of therapy, which seems in very short supply underwater.) Once he calms down, Nerus seems more interested in sowing dissention between Ocean Master and Mera.

In the meantime, Tula (who was once Aquagirl, but I not sure who she is currently) is hanging with the Ocean Master“s surface world family. During this time, she learns that he isn“t alway the jerk we see underwater. She decides to head back and remind him not to be a villain and immediately gets captured.

Lan Medina (Silver Surfer, X-Men Gold) and Norm Rapmund“s (Action Comics, Cable) art is inconsistent throughout the issue. Many of their faces have strange blank expressions. And when the script calls the Xebel throne room as command post, I expected tables and maps. Instead we get a room with a throne and piles of junk which looks more like my guest/storage room than a military headquarters.

However, their work spring to life in the octodon battle and the kidnapping scenes. Those panels are amazing. You feel that this is a real threat to Mera and Ocean Master. I also like how you can see them coordinating their attacks against the monster. These pages are really engaging and the highpoint of the issue.

If you are a diehard Aquaman fan, I can see how you would love this series. If you aren“t, there really isn“t a reason to pick this book up unless you are a fan of confusing imaginary politics. I would really love to see Mera star in a book of her own where she single-handedly has to take down one of the classic Aquaman villains. As it is, this book only give a little more depth to what is happening in the main Aquaman title.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writer: Dan Abnett
Penciller: Lan Medina
Inker: Norm Rapmund
Colorist: Veronica Gandini
Cover Art: Nicola Scott and Romulo Farjardo Jr.

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Andy Hall

Sent from the future by our Robot Ape overlords to preserve the timeline. Reading and writing about comics until the revolution comes. All hail the Orangutan Android Solar King!