Review: Aquaman and the Others Vol. 1- Legacy of Gold

Quick Summary

Pros: The characters themselves are interesting. The additional lore behind the Atlantean relics is enjoyable to read about.

Cons: Characters’ powers change dramatically based on the situation. The beginning and ending of the book are poorly paced and illogical. Events at the book’s conclusion undercut previous works and the beginning of this series.

Overall: The overall quality of this book ranges from average to below average in a unsuccessful attempt to continue the adventures of Aquaman’s old team, the Others. The book’s only real positives revolve around the characters themselves, who remain endearing despite the book’s flaws. This is a comic that could appeal to people who loved the idea of the Others and wanted to see the team’s adventures continue; everyone else should keep their distance.

Story

Aquaman and the Others Vol. 1: Legacy of Gold provides a unique opportunity to continue the adventures of the incredibly interesting characters introduced in Aquaman Vol. 2: The Others (Review). However, besides this, the book does not offer much as the story ranges from below average to downright bad. A boring storyline, inconsistently powered heroes, and an unappealing villain are the book’s biggest faults. There are moments where readers can appreciate the characters themselves, but these are few and far between. Readers who really love Aquaman and want to see more of the Others might find something to like here while everyone else will simply end up bored.

(spoilers start here)

The book starts out with two issues by John Ostrander which mainly serve to reintroduce the team and add a new member to the roster. These two issues are probably the worst portions of the book as they are so packed with exposition that they end up being poorly paced. The storyline flies by and leaves readers with little time to appreciate exactly what is happening or how it is happening. The only positive here is the introduction of Sky, who ends up being a rather interesting character.

The rest of the book is written by Dan Jurgens which, at first, is an improvement. The banter and character development between the members of the Others is better here, and they start to feel like a real team. The story here is also more interesting, as it gives more insight into the creation of the weapons that the Others use and explains their history.

The positives here don’t last long though. This arc’s conclusion is a mess where character actions are erratic and logic seems to fly out the window. The last two issues have the main villain, Legend, completely defeat the Others, yet he just lets them sit on the ground unmolested. This gives the characters a chance to rally and fight back, forcing Legend to beat them and, once again, leave them on the floor. They rally again and are finally able to beat him, but at this point interest in the story is at an all time low and the villain’s defeat just feels hollow.

This ending isn’t just a poor end to this story, it also actively undercuts previous moments in the same series. Sky is introduced as a replacement for Kahina, who sacrificed herself in Aquaman Vol. 2: The Others (Review). However, before Sky can get her fair share of character development, she is replaced here with Kahina’s sister. A brand new version of Vostok-X is also introduced to the story, completely eliminating the meaning behind his sacrifice in Aquaman Vol. 2: The Others (Review).

On top of the mediocre story, the inconsistent powers of the Others makes it hard to really like this book. Sky’s ability to travel through the land of the dead goes from being extremely helpful to nonexistent based on what the story needs, the Atlantean Helmet somehow restores memories now, and none of the villains’ powers are fully explained. When powers are this shrouded in mystery and change this radically throughout the story, readers are never able to get a grip on the book’s rules or mechanics and everything feels too chaotic.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The first two issues in this book don’t look that great at all. Specifically, character designs seem very off, especially on pages where there is a lot going on. Faces are either expressionless or lack the detail necessary to convey expression, and the proportions of their bodies appear strange. All of this is also magnified by the fact that the last time most readers saw these characters, they were drawn by Ivan Reis, who depicted them perfectly.

The last five issues here see a significant improvement, though it still isn’t anything to write home about. Lan Medina presents the characters with more detail and expression, something especially noticeable in characters’ faces. Though this isn’t the best looking art in the world, it improves the overall quality of the book and leaves it feeling a little better than average.

Continuity

Aquaman and the Others Vol. 1: Legacy of Gold is the first volume of a new series in the world of DC Comics. Though this is a new series, it is largely a spin-off of the events in Aquaman Vol. 2: The Others (Review) as it continues many of the plot threads started there.

The story started here continues in Aquaman and the Others Vol. 2: Alignment Earth (Review).

This volume also references and continues the stories from other comic books, all of which are detailed below.

• There are a few references to events and characters in the current Aquaman series.
  • The recent actions of the Scavenger and Atlantis’s attempt to reclaim their lost weapons are both plot points from the beginning of Aquaman Vol. 4: Death of a King (Review).
  • The war with Atlantis is mentioned. This happened in Aquaman Vol. 3: Throne of Atlantis (Review).
  • Most of the details surrounding the first king of Atlantis are from Aquaman Vol. 4: Death of a King (Review).
• A brief vision of the world of Future’s End is shown. This is a tease for the events of Future’s End Vol. 1.