Aquaman and the Others #1

By Dan Jurgens, Lan Medina & Allen Martinez

Aquaman and the Others is a spin-off from the second story arc in Aquaman titled The Others. The arc introduced readers to several new characters created by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. The arc was very popular among readers, and this month we get our second look at the characters and their struggle for a team dynamic.

There is a ton of room to explore these characters, but it’s up to Dan Jurgens to make it an interesting journey. First issues can be tough because they have to cram characterization and story set up in one issue, but Jurgens does a good job of keeping the reader wanting to know more. He gives each character their moment to shine as their artifacts and powers seem to malfunction. We are also introduced to a new seer named Sky and she shows off what she is able to do when she takes on several henchmen by herself. Dan Jurgens has been writing comics for a long time and has written some great stories for DC, and this issue was a decent start to what looks to be a promising new series.

The art in this issue is done by Lan Medina, who does nice work for the book. Medina does his best work in panels that are close up where he can put a lot of detail on faces or objects. The further things get away, obviously the less detailed they get. Medina looks to have a grasp on all the characters as well, none of them look goofy or have misshaped body parts. One of Medina’s stronger qualities in this issue is his shading, which is very effective and realistic. He also teases us with a last page that may connect to future’s end.

For a first issue, this was well done by everyone involved. Jurgens and Medina seem to be on the same page and pull off a book that raises questions that the reader will want to see resolved. Jurgens gave everyone a little panel time to introduce them and Medina showed off his talent with a pencil. Hopefully this title can keep up the mystery and intrigue, because this was a solid start to a series.