Aquaman #3

Recently, I've gone through the back issues of my dusty old long box I had stored and picked out some of the comics that were some of my all-time favorites reading; from the cover to the storyline, I pulled them out of the box, and this issue was one of which that caught my eyes. Apart from the other comics I pulled to read, I really wanted to write a review on this issue which is one of my favorite storylines from the Aquaman title on behalf of me being born and raised on the Islands of Hawaii. Now, there's no such quotes like "Once you go Hawaiian, You won't come back" or "What Happens in Hawaii, Stays in Hawaii" or any of that stuff, but I do know if you come to visit the Hawaiian Islands one day, there's lots of certainty that you'll fall in love with the beautiful green "Aloha" state and have lots of great memories while on the islands; as Aquaman did in his adventures and encounters with some of the greatest DC characters to come to make Hawaii their fitting home at the time. So here it is; one of my favorite story arcs to Peter David's 1994 run on the Aquaman Series, "Arthur Goes Hawaiian!"

The Good

I really enjoyed this issue, having the script been written by the intellectual mind of Peter David, who has made one of the best runs on the 'King of the Seas' in Aquaman history, before the recent writer Geoff Johns took the throne to write for the title. Upon his arrival to the book, David remarkably ended a 12-year long run with another of my most favored characters in comic history, 'The Incredible Hulk' which became a very successful series. I believe Peter David was a great addition into writing for this super hero and to explore what he is capable of. Some of the main character changes we see in Aquaman is his determination and the sharpened harpoon that replaces his missing hand.

As we go into this issue, we see Aquaman giving Vulko a rundown on what additional features he would want to add onto his harpoon and that it'll take sometime for him to get used to having a fierce weaponry at hand. Soon afterwards, Aquaman, Aqualad and Dolphin set out to Pearl Harbor to receive some answers from Admiral Strom concerning the Charybdis, which came to a halt when Superboy (Hero of Hawaii, at the time*) arrived to stop the trio from entering the Hawaiian naval base and going any further with their main objective. Thus, the battle between Aquaman and Superboy has begun! In all honesty, this is probably one of my most favorite battles from Aquaman himself due to the fact that he's just getting used to his offensive weaponry and not 100% percent at the time, he's going up against a complete brute powerhouse, and in the end he uses his keen intellect and strength to come up on top.

Now, there's two plotted stories being told in this issue, one of which will be a continuity to the next issue, as Japanese Fishermen captures Porm and space dolphins for experimental purposes led by Doctor Shinobi which will cause them to be targeted by the bounty hunter himself, Lobo (in the next issue*). I believe Peter David does an excellent job including this while focusing on the current event going on, which is Aquaman and the others' adventure to confront Admiral Strom at Pearl Harbor, before reaching a detour that involves fighting off Superboy. Having Porm, Arthur's adopted mother captured, as well as Lobo's space dolphins in the mix of it all will definitely raise animosity in the future and will be a great plot to the next story. Such prologue creates more of a vivid continuity to the on-going series and I think Peter David thought of this before going along with writing the issue.

With the interior art sketched by the talented hands of Martin Egeland and Gene Gonzales and polished by various colorists like Tom McCraw, Howard Shum & Brad Vancata, the panels are expressed in a more classic appearance. However, Egeland and Gonzales does an exceptional job elaborating on the intensity of the events displayed so we don't get the feeling that we're reading a 'Archie' comic, and instead an action comic; from the appearances of Vulko, Aqualad, Dolphin, Superboy and all the other characters drawn out in this issue to the intensive battle between Aquaman and Superboy. The cover was created by the collaboration of Terry Austin and Tom Grummett.

The Bad

Wouldn't have reviewed this issue in the first place if I didn't think it met my standards of writing an analytic review about it. So no, I do not have any bad comments or feedback that should be pointed out here.

The Verdict

5/5 stars. Recommended if you haven't purchased the issue yet. This story leads to AQUAMAN #4 and is somewhat recommended after reading this issue. Available in stock at Midtown Comics online store. Order it now!