The Good

In the past few issues, Mera has really become the star of this book. Her story continues here as she heads to a place called "The Underrealm," an area farther and deeper from where Mera is from. It's cool to see that Atlantis is much larger than most have thought before. There are sections of this empire that are their own subculture, and within one of those areas is The Underrealm, which don't take kindly to strangers. Mera and her companions are the coolest part of this book. It truly feels like a great adventure story with a dash of mystery thrown in there.

On the surface, Aquaman is with Ya'Wara looking for Swamp Thing. It cuts to one of the silliest things in this issue, and I mean that in the best way possible, which is a couple of cryptozoologists, complete with guns and a video camera, searching for the legendary Swamp Ape. It's silly and a bit of good fun, and all of that leads to a back and forth battle between Swamp Thing and Aquaman. "Fun" is the keyword here as these two super-heroes battle it out and readers get a full-scope of just how powerful Swamp Thing can actually be.

The final couple of pages bring us back to the Triton Base and we learn that Aquaman hasn't seen the last of Coombs. This is a pretty cool moment that really pushes the story Parker put into motion at the beginning of his run.

Art duties are split between Paul Pelletier and Alvaro Martinez and the transition is smooth and seamless. Both of these artists are incredibly talented and the actual art-switch is not distracting. While it would be great to have Pelletier doing full issues again, Martinez is a welcomed addition to this series.

The Bad

Why is Aquaman going after Swamp Thing? Because Swamp Thing put algae in the sea? It's a bit of a loss why Aquaman would travel so far and just duke it out with him. Sure, the fight is fun, but the reasoning behind feels weaker than it really should. This book comes off more as "let's have these guys fight for fun" than anything else.

The Verdict

AQUAMAN continues to be a pretty fun book. However, the real highlight of this issue is Mera's story as she tries to find out who is killing her. While the Swamp Thing and Aquaman battle is pretty pleasing to read, it feels like the reason for it happening is pretty weak and not well explained. AQUAMAN is still worth your time and money as Parker continues his run though. Overall, I recommend this issue.

Haven't read Aquaman since Throne of Atlantis. But I picked this up because of Swamp Thing. I liked the book ends with Aurthur and Ya'Wara fighting Swamp Thing but I was completely lost in the middle.

Yeah, the whole Mera story is not new reader friendly at all

So, if I'm regularly reading Swamp Thing, is this necessary to pick up to follow what's going on in there or was it just a tiny encounter?

@iragulasuperbia: Yes, you should read it. It's a pretty good fight scene and it ends with something that might be the next storyline in Swamp Thing

Dem crabs.

@iragulasuperbia: I picked this up hoping to see some follow up from Swamp Thing 31 but it was mostly a fight scene between Aquaman and Swampy. Everything else in this issue is focused on Parker's Aquaman plot threads. There's one line about what Swampy will encounter in 32, and whatever happened here will likely be summed up in 32 .

@iragulasuperbia: I'm going to suggest skipping it. It didnt feel at all necessary to the plot of Swamp Thing.

The battle between Aquaman and Swamp thing was underwhelming.....

I can finally drop this comic.

Loved this issue! Was alot of fun and I agree, the highlight is Mera's story. We really get to explore more of Atlantis and it's really interesting. Now we get to see Chimera next month! Parker's run is getting better and better with each issue.

Don't listen to the nay-Sayers on this one. The series is still a fun and fantastic read

Pardon for asking this, but isn't the Underrealms the same name Lobdell gave Trigons dimension? (pretty sure they are unconnected, just a weird oversight)

Couldn't agree with you more! I'm loving Parker's run just as much as I loved Johns'! Sure they are different but it's just as fun.

@inferiorego: I enjoyed this issue but I totally agree with your Bad point

Both of these.