In the conclusion to "The Trench," Aquaman and Mera head to the Trench's breeding and feeding grounds and find a connection to Atlantis before it sank.
The Good
A wonderful start to the new series. It has a solid story, and it introduces a new villain that isn't just another bad guy in a spandex suit. It re-establishes Aquaman as a worthwhile hero, and this issue cements the fact that you don't mess with the King of Atlantis. Aquaman fans can rejoice. Their favorite character is finally cool again.
Ivan Reis was born to draw this comic, at least that's what I'd like to believe. There are two 2-page splash pages that are incredibly wonderful. Reis does great at drawing creatures of the deep. It's a different atmosphere and you need a top-of-the-line artist to take the reigns for a unique location.
Geoff Johns made Aquaman awesome again. I love the fact that he's a hero who will kill, if it's the only option. He thinks about the bigger picture, not just about justice. He comes off a bit more stoic, king-like, but with a sense of compassion. Also, again, he's still awesome.
I always complain about last page reveals because most of the time, they go way over the top, and they're just there for shock value, it seems. Nonetheless, this last page "reveal," which is more of a teaser for the upcoming year in Aquaman, is probably the ideal way to end an issue. There's a little bit of set up to it during the story, which you'll miss at first, and that last page got me giddier than the last trailer for Dark Knight Rises. I LOVE the direction Johns is taking this book.
The Bad
Not too much bad going on in this issue. I felt the story wrapped up a bit too cleanly and way too quickly. I was expecting so much more in this issue, and for the story to be dragged out a tad bit more. Maybe even one more issue of the Trench. I'm pretty sure we haven't seen or heard the last of them, but even though it was a reintroduction to Aquaman, it felt too quick for me, but maybe I, as a comic book reader, am WAY too used to the whole 6-issue story arc.
The Verdict
It's hard to put my excitement for this book and this series into words. It's my personal favorite of the new 52 though. It re-establishes this amazing hero and hopefully, it will sweep that Super-Friends Cartoon version of him into some horrible vortex of death. I am loving Reis' art on this book and I think he's a perfect fit. The last page reveal was great, and I am very excited for 2012 Aquaman issues. The only real problems I had were that this issue wrapped up too quickly. I just expected a tad more from the Trench, but I guess they truly are just beasts from the deep... or are they? I highly, HIGHLY recommend this book... it's one of the best of the new 52!