Letters to Aquaman #18

Dun dun duhhh! A reveal a long time coming but effective none the less! I like how we got glimpses of how bad ass Orm was before his later big reveal, his cutlass slicing those weapons in half, and I like how we're tying everything back to what's come before. It's pretty cool to see Krell return, as I remember enjoying that arc very much when Brandon was on the book. I'm liking Orin's characterisation. He's just the right balance of arrogance and righteousness, and him bristling with anger as Krell entered the city was spot on. I'm amazed at his resilience (stabbed through the chest and still talking? sturdy ) but it shows how imposing this Thanatos character is, and how sharp that sword must be! Nice work P, I'll be back next time around!

Thanks for reading Charlie and yeah the Ocean Master reveal was something that's been hanging around for awhile. The readers have known but it took Aquaman awhile. Guess we'll leave the detective work to Batman eh? ;D

Cool that you noticed I was showing Orm be an incredible warrior before it was revealed he was Ocean Master. It was first shown that he was quite the soldier when Black Manta raided Poseidonis back in Brandon's run, then I showed that a lot in the "Crimson Tides" arc and then showed it here as well.



Krell returning is something I've really wanted to do, having loved "The Deep" by Brandon(if there's anyone who hasn't read it, then shame on you and check it out ASAP! ) I wanted to really get back to the relationship him and Orin had when Krell first showed up. They both think of themselves as the alpha dog and both believe they are more knowledgeable and better than the other.

I also enjoyed exploring more of Orin's resentment towards Krell. He is one of the few people that Orin truly and absolutely HATES. He despises the man's slimyness and the fact that he was responsible for the death of his own daughter as you saw, disgusts him.



Short answer: Hey he's AQUAMAN!!!

Scientific answer: He's got super strength when hydrated.

And yeah Thanatos who as the book showed is a mix of AJ Curry from DCU and Thanatos from DCU. I had no intention of ever using the DCU Thanatos(one dimensional much!) so I said what the hey, Arthur Joseph Curry shall be the DC2 Thanatos! And yes this new foe is very dangerous with a blade ;D



(puts on Godfather voice)

You'd better be Charlie, or there may be an unfortunate accident.

Even though we knew it was coming, the writing of this was so masterful that it still felt like it was being revealed for the first time. Excellent writing here. Top notch.

Is it just me or has every book on this site really raised the bar in the last few months!?

While I feel this was the strongest issue of the current run thus far, I am conflicted : I like the way the story is headed (though, for me, the writing is a bit awkward in places) I'm having a hard time really getting into it. The characterization and tone feel "off" to me--- though maybe it's because I grew up on the sea-horse riding, fish-talking Arthur Curry, not the Orin/Peter David grim and gritty version of the character (you know, the things that made him King Arthur of the Sea not Conan of the Sea--- not that there's anything wrong with Conan ;D). It could be that I am just a crusty old man, and the character (with his fanbase) has moved-on.

That being said, I am enjoying the story and the cover was beautiful. Orm's betrayal was no surprise, but it was nicely executed. Garth's story is a bit tedious, but I will give it time to develop (I would love to see him do something other than avoid Tula and walk and talk with Aquaman--- Oops! Sorry! Orin ).

I'm not giving up on this title, because this is a talented creative team, and I know this arc is going to blow me away!