Review: Aquaman Vol. 8- Out of Darkness

Quick Summary

Pros: The opening chapter is terrific. Dead Water proves to be a solid villain who adds intrigue and suspense to the book. The diplomacy seen here is well done and develops potential for future volumes. The artwork looks good throughout.

Cons: The Dead Water arc felt slightly rushed at points.

Overall: A lot of things go right here to make a book that represents a positive point of growth for the Aquaman series. It succeeds in telling an entertaining story on its own, one filled with equal doses of suspense and fun. Meanwhile, it also sets up plot points that push the Kingdom of Atlantis forward and have potential to play out in the future. Anyone interested in reading Aquaman, whether a new or old fan, should pick up this volume.

Story

Aquaman Vol. 8: Out of Darkness, by Dan Abnett, is a refreshing return to what makes Aquaman such a compelling character. It starts out strong, highlighting the fun and the serious aspects of Aquaman’s life. It then proceeds to tell a story that is humorous and lighthearted at some points and full of suspense at others. This combination makes for an entertaining volume that both new and old readers will be able to enjoy. It also starts a plotline that furthers Aquaman’s overall character development and has the potential to get even better in the future. Overall, Out of Darkness is a good read that is setting the Aquaman series on the right track.

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The opening chapter here instantly drew me in to this volume and quickly became one of my favorite Aquaman issues. Most of it is wonderfully relaxed and allows readers to see the full cast of characters just enjoying themselves. Decompressed moments like these are rare but are incredibly entertaining. Meanwhile, the chapter also shows murders being committed by a mysterious villain, which introduces the conflict that the rest of the volume will center around. This combination of lighthearted fun and enticing mystery is a fantastic way to start a story.

With the mystery already established, the rest of the volume is able to focus on Aquaman’s pursuit of this killer. This pursuit quickly leads to a confrontation between Aquaman and Dead Water, which is action-packed and entertaining. However, things get even more interesting once Dead Water is subdued and readers discover that he is just an ordinary man. The twist is well-executed and gives this creature some additional depth.

From here, the investigation continues until Aquaman is thrown into another fight against Dead Water. Armed with knowledge of the creature’s origin, Aquaman makes an emotional appeal to the man trapped inside Dead Water’s monstrous form. The human side of Dead Water responds and is able to kill himself and the monster. It is another well-executed twist that provides a satisfactory conclusion to this arc. The only complaint I had was that I wish the story would have been longer, since Dead Water’s arc was over when it had only just begun.

Alongside all of this, Abnett also sets Aquaman and Mera down a path of diplomacy designed to open relations between Atlantis and the surface world. This is a natural evolution of previous storylines that works well in the world that has been established. It is also an incredibly interesting concept that has tons of potential to pay out in the future. While Dead Water made this book fun to read, the diplomacy subplot made me want to read more.

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Art

The artwork in Out of Darkness is similar to the story, in that it is consistently good throughout. Vincente Cifuentes does some solid work here, presenting beautiful characters and locations. The creativity he expresses here is definitely a step up from the previous volume and goes a long way in making this a nice looking collection. Brett Booth’s work is different in terms of style but similar in terms of quality. Together, these two artists make a book that works well overall and certainly does not disappoint in the visual department.

Continuity

Aquaman Vol. 8: Out of Darkness continues the story from Aquaman Vol. 7: Exiled (Review).

This Aquaman series ends with this volume. However, a new series begins with Aquaman Vol. 1: The Drowning (Review), which continues the story started in this volume.