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AQUAMAN #3

The secret of the Trench revealed!

Where did these cannibalistic sea creatures come from? What fuels their monstrous hunger? Why have they chosen now to invade the surface world?

To unravel the mystery of the Trench, Aquaman must seek help from the last person on earth he ever wanted to see again.

Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

Price: $2.99
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 1.6%
1109
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Avg Rating: 4.0
 
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Comments

  1. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    November 21, 2011 at 3:38 pm

    Shocking bloody cover….sorry not used to seeing blood on these things…

    • edward says:
      November 21, 2011 at 4:39 pm

      hey, it’s alright. it’s just make believe

    • Avatar photo sitara119 says:
      November 22, 2011 at 10:27 am

      i love seeing our heroes killing monsters. parademons and the trench can go fuck themselves, the kid gloves are finally off. im sure they wont be killing any evil humans, though, no matter how much they might deserve it. too bad

  2. WookieLoveMachine says:
    November 21, 2011 at 3:42 pm

    I ve liked the 1st two issues, but aside from the dinner scene in issue 1, I can’t really remember what the hell else happened. I’m probably done after the first arc. Not that is is bad, it’s just not as good as a lot of the other titles. Maybe everyone is right when they say Aquaman is boring.

    • Avatar photo Conor Kilpatrick">Conor Kilpatrick (@cskilpatrick) says:
      November 21, 2011 at 4:37 pm

      Everyone doesn’t say that.

    • Avatar photo sitara119 says:
      November 21, 2011 at 4:42 pm

      i dont

    • edward says:
      November 21, 2011 at 4:42 pm

      i like how two fantastic issues, one which features a big blonde dude flipping as stolen bank truck over with a trident and the other with a massacre by viperfish/humans, are considered boring

    • MisterJ says:
      November 21, 2011 at 4:52 pm

      He’s not boring. He is just rarely handled/written very well. This is an exception to that generality.

      Remember; no bad characters, just bad writers.

      That much having been said, if you like other stuff more, you should definitively get those books.

    • WookieLoveMachine says:
      November 21, 2011 at 5:30 pm

      Ok, maybe not everyone says that, but a large population of readers have always listed him as a subpar superhero. What did you think the dinner scene was implying. Jezzzz, jump all over the guy who doesn’t love this title why dontcha

    • Kmanifesto says:
      November 21, 2011 at 7:34 pm

      @WookieLoveMachine – not enjoying the brow-beating? You can’t light a fuse without getting a bang!

    • Avatar photo party says:
      November 22, 2011 at 2:49 am

      I can kind of see your point. I feel like they’re trying too hard to force the “HEY GUYS AQUAMAN IS NOT AS LAME AS A LOT OF PEOPLE MAKE HIM OUT TO BE” thing. They could just let it flow naturally from the story but so far it feels too much like they’re forcing something that doesn’t need to be forced.

    • edward says:
      November 22, 2011 at 2:55 am

      expect the whole conceit of the book is that everyone thinks Aquaman is lame, right

    • Avatar photo Askanison says:
      November 22, 2011 at 8:56 am

      I love me some Aquaman and am enjoying the hell out of this series

    • WookieLoveMachine says:
      November 22, 2011 at 9:23 am

      @party. Right, a natural flow to let us decide if the characters rocks or not would be better. I’ve never said that I am not enjoying this series so far, it’s just not leaving a lasting impression. Albeit it’s only been 2 issues. Let’s see what #3 has in store.

    • Avatar photo glwarm76 says:
      November 23, 2011 at 8:43 am

      @WookieLoveMachine. It isn’t your negative view of the title that others jumped on but instead your choice of words that draws criticism. You said “Maybe everyone is right when they say Aquaman is boring.” It’s easy to assume that you meant most people, not everyone, which indicates there is a general consensus on the character and/or title and that is likely true. The first problem is that you don’t explain whether you’re commenting on the character throughout his history or this title in particular. In either case, I’ve never heard or read someone describe the character of Aquaman or this title as boring. There are a number of people that view Auqaman and/or his powers as goofy, lame, or stupid but never boring. In your second comment you make a completely different comment, Aquaman is not an A-list hero, which may be true but it isn’t the same as boring. Not until comment 3 do you truly express your individual comments on the title instead of generalizing.

    • Avatar photo Adamius (@adamius) says:
      November 23, 2011 at 12:59 pm

      I must say I completely disagree with party on this one. What made the first two issues so fantastic was that it was pushed so much and as you would say “unnatural”. Just about everyone who has ever heard of Aquaman has either made fun of him themselves or heard someone else make fun of him. It just comes with the territory.

      With Johns’ writing in the first two issues it was DC saying to everyone, “We know what you think. And now you’re going to love seeing yourself while you’re being proven wrong.” No one likes to be proven wrong. Yet Johns has managed to make me, and a lot of people, laugh and love being wrong. That’s just good writing. The “more natural” process just simply wouldn’t have been as fun, nor probably as effective.

  3. Avatar photo Firemass13 says:
    November 21, 2011 at 3:49 pm

    This has been one of my favorite relaunch titles, which surpised me since I’ve never read anything Aquaman, and like the rest of the world, kinda considered him a big PUSS.

  4. Avatar photo GunnerAsh says:
    November 21, 2011 at 4:01 pm

    Great cover. Been enjoying this so far and will keep buying as long as Reis keeps producing the goods.

  5. Avatar photo JimBilly4 says:
    November 21, 2011 at 4:21 pm

    Definitely enjoying this so far. Reis and Johns doing a good job of making an Aquaman book live up to how cool I imagined it could be. He is the perfect combination of bad ass and total comic book absurd.

  6. Avatar photo Dokhou says:
    November 21, 2011 at 5:01 pm

    This book is awesome! The Trench monsters are great. They totally remind me of the movie Humaniods from the Deep I saw back in 1982.

  7. Avatar photo ABirdseysView says:
    November 21, 2011 at 5:10 pm

    Who would win in a fight, this Aquaman or Batman: The Brave and the Bold Aquaman?

  8. Avatar photo JNewcomb says:
    November 21, 2011 at 6:03 pm

    This is a “wow me or lose me” issue for me.

  9. GL206 says:
    November 21, 2011 at 7:31 pm

    good book

  10. Avatar photo CaseyJustice says:
    November 21, 2011 at 8:26 pm

    I’m really waiting for a moment to prove to me that Aquaman is awesome. So far, the book has just told me rather than shown me.

    • Avatar photo party says:
      November 22, 2011 at 2:51 am

      That’s my main problem with this as much as I love it. It feels like Geoff Johns is sitting us down and explaining why Aquaman is awesome instead of just showing it in the story.

    • Avatar photo Blargo says:
      November 23, 2011 at 11:16 am

      Has Aquaman ever been treated this way in-universe before? I know he’s the butt of many jokes in pop culture, but I always thought he was well respected within the comics. And I don’t like how Johns draws attention to these things. Feels like it’ll do more harm than good to his character in the long run.

  11. yellowjacket says:
    November 22, 2011 at 8:50 am

    Issue #1 was a lot of fun but #2 was kinda meh. This issue is the decider for me.

  12. Avatar photo robbydzwonar says:
    November 22, 2011 at 12:35 pm

    I never even read any Aquaman comic before #1 but I’m loving this series so far. It seems like Johns is trying a lot harder on this then he is doing on Green Lantern right now.

  13. Avatar photo sitara119 says:
    November 22, 2011 at 12:49 pm

    my only wish is for aquaman to rock the 70’s shag cut with the elvis chops and stubble(like in JL). i like rough and ragged, not nice and trim. i’ve said it before, eventually he needs to grow the fuckn’ beard back. fuck the stache, though, abraham style. super long on the chin.
    i never thought the worst criticism i could have on an aquaman book would be a question concerning grooming.
    i never thought i would have a grooming criticism on a male character.
    funny

  14. Avatar photo zattaric says:
    November 22, 2011 at 8:54 pm

    This is Aquaman’s last shot. I hope he hooks me (hee hee, get it?)

  15. Avatar photo TheRealVenom says:
    November 22, 2011 at 10:06 pm

    Dear Geoff Johns, Please write every comic book ever because you are awesome.
    thanks,
    Venom.

    • Kmanifesto says:
      November 23, 2011 at 9:37 am

      Dear TheRealVenom,
      If I wrote every comic book ever, that would tell DC that you love the ‘made-for-trade’ style of writing and the craft of the monthly periodical would become nothing more than 20 pages of set-up and ‘splash pages’.
      I’ll be sure to pass your apocalyptic vision of a decompressed future along to the other DC elite.
      Thanks,
      G. Johns

    • Avatar photo Conor Kilpatrick">Conor Kilpatrick (@cskilpatrick) says:
      November 23, 2011 at 11:01 am

      @KManifesto: Considering that, other than Grant Morrison, Johns is the most popular writer at DC, many people would be quite happy with that future. (It’s not like that’s some mythical future, either. It’s happening now and has been for a decade.)

    • Kmanifesto says:
      November 23, 2011 at 2:38 pm

      @Conor – I rather enjoy John’s stories/arcs (JL, Aquaman), just not in monthly doses. His pacing is too ‘fluffy nugat’ and reeks of trying to fit a circle (trades) into a square (monthly books).

      Also, I don’t agree with your premise that Johns, outside of Morrison, is the most popular writer at DC. Historically, speaking perhaps and among the DC elites (of which he is one), but with the likes of Snyder (Batman, SwampThing, American Vampire) and Lemire (Animal Man, Frankenstein, Sweet Tooth), Johns ‘favorite son’ status is eroding, and hopefully, with that wearing away , the bastardization of the monthly sequential art periodical ends.

    • Avatar photo Conor Kilpatrick">Conor Kilpatrick (@cskilpatrick) says:
      November 23, 2011 at 2:43 pm

      @Kmanifesto: Snyder is popular and BATMAN sells like gangbusters and Lemire is critically acclaimed but no one at DC touches Johns, sales-wise.

    • Kmanifesto says:
      November 23, 2011 at 3:15 pm

      @Conor – I guess I misunderstood what you meant by ‘popular’.

      From DC’s viewpoint, I can understand equating sales with popular. As a happy registered member of iFanboy, I was equating popular with the ‘Pull’ numbers.

      Sales=Johns
      Pull numbers = Snyder

    • Avatar photo sitara119 says:
      November 23, 2011 at 9:21 pm

      snyder is awesome! but johns has three popular books to snyder’s two. so doesnt johns technically win by default? even if you only compared their two best books, doesnt johns still have the slight advantage? i realize of course batman has the most, but all of johns books are always in the top two or three. i not quite sure where swampthing usually falls.
      just wondering….

    • edward says:
      November 23, 2011 at 11:06 pm

      My god, kmanifesto, broke the code. You can leave your beautiful mind like string covered basement now

  16. Avatar photo CaseyJustice says:
    November 23, 2011 at 8:55 am

    Hot damn, but I love the words on the cover.

  17. Avatar photo thompsonlive says:
    November 23, 2011 at 2:37 pm

    Solid issue. I’m sold for this first arc at least.

  18. Avatar photo FACE says:
    November 23, 2011 at 3:46 pm

    Like what Johns is doing with the Trench creatures (i.e. making them animals with needs rather than just chaotic villains). This ish made me wish for a bit more. Maybe a bit too much fighting? Worth it to see Reis’ work though. No more than a three from me. A good three nonetheless.

  19. Avatar photo rift1128 says:
    November 23, 2011 at 8:13 pm

    It was a solid issue but i felt kind of bored… maybe it was a little too low on my reading chart for today.

  20. Avatar photo sitara119 says:
    November 23, 2011 at 10:29 pm

    this is bloody and smart. i love it

  21. Avatar photo cosmo says:
    November 23, 2011 at 10:36 pm

    I thought that this was another strong issue, especially as I felt we’re wading deeper into the story now. I do agree that the “Aquman’s lame” rifts might get stale after awhile, and Johns does seem to be pulling back a little on them here. At the same time, it does allow for the expression of resentment against power types from everyday people (a theme which appears to reappear in a few DC books).

    One question: I’ve never really paid attention to Aquaman before and so was wondering if this Shin guy is a new character or not . . .

  22. Avatar photo CaseyJustice says:
    November 23, 2011 at 11:21 pm

    Aaaaaand I’m out. Don’t get me wrong, Reis can draw a beautiful scene of people disrespecting Aquaman, but three issues is more than enough. I have seen Aquaman do exactly one cool thing in three issues (two, if you count owning that hipster in issue one), pouting and being stoic the rest of the time. A zero percent fun quotient.

    Sorry, Arthur. I really tried.

  23. Avatar photo JNewcomb says:
    November 24, 2011 at 7:19 am

    An improvement. At least the plot is getting interesting.

  24. Avatar photo martinNL says:
    November 24, 2011 at 4:56 pm

    Another great issue. Curious to find out who the Trench are and why they’re so hungry :p The art is just stunning. So many details. Lovin’t it.

  25. Avatar photo Anville says:
    November 24, 2011 at 5:36 pm

    Sort of new to Aquaman, so I wasn’t sure what I was seeing. Can some ‘splain me: are Aquaman and Mera flying in this issue? Or just jumping around like the Hulk?

    • Avatar photo MrSethypants says:
      November 25, 2011 at 4:59 am

      they didnt fly. aquaman can leap tall buildings, kinda like superman initially. Mera cant so aquaman carried her with him. Mera on the other hand has water manipulation which she lift herself up with her water manipulation. But Aquaman is definitely faster with the leap

  26. Avatar photo Skyfire124 says:
    November 25, 2011 at 3:08 am

    While I can see that the community understandably chose Fantastic Four’s 600th issue for their Pick of the Week, I’m still thrilled that in terms of the number of pulls, it appears Aquaman has 200 more pulls then FF. I never would have seen that coming a year ago….

  27. Avatar photo MrSethypants says:
    November 25, 2011 at 5:02 am

    Aquaman is the best thing that happened to DCnU

  28. Avatar photo yyzKyle says:
    November 25, 2011 at 9:41 am

    I love this book. This and Flash have been the surprise of the new 52. I had never read DC prior to the launch this september outside of a couple Vertigo books (Fables) and some Batman trades (killing joke, year one, dark knight returns). I had no idea how much I would fall in love with Arthur and Barry nor how quickly. Wow! Great writing on both series and great artwork too.

  29. Avatar photo BionicDave says:
    November 26, 2011 at 6:33 am

    I really wanted/needed this issue to be much more character-driven. I realize we need plot plot plot so that, yes, Johns can *show* us why Aquaman’s cool versus merely telling us, but… this plot is mostly just cheesy B-movie stuff so far, so it’s tough to love what I’m reading. I can certainly love the art – the Reises & Prado make this book a feast for the eyes. But right now I don’t care about creatures from the black lagoon, I care to know Arthur’s backstory and what he thinks of the world he’s in.

  30. Avatar photo Flash923 says:
    December 3, 2011 at 10:26 am

    Well another super solid issue for Aquaman!! This would have been my POW again if not for The Flash!! I gave this issue another 5; artwork and the continued back story and the over general plot for Aquaman is really coming together. The Trench are truly bad ass and I like the dirty little b*#tards!! No cheese here in my opinion; there is just action and a straight evil force for Aquaman to show his true abilities and set up for future story lines and really sets the bar for how much he can really take!! I can’t believe it Aquaman is truly one of my favorite characters now; before he was just ok now very cool! I love the way Mera is involved in this all the way!!

    K

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