Current Aquaman News

BREAKING NEWS

Thursday, October 05, 2006

New Shipping Dates

No, I'm not happy about it either...

The ComicList is reporting that Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #45 is now due out on November 1st, and Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #46 is due out on November 22nd. Because the ComicList hasn't been wrong yet, I'll be updating the release dates in the events calendar and sidebar.

Pure speculation: This change will probably push back #47 to mid-December, but if they don't push back #48 as well, we'll get a nice treat of bi-weekly Aquaman in December. The delay is also likely to push back the publication of the trade, but I could be wrong about that as well.

For folks coming in late, the delay is due to Butch Guice not being able to keep up the superhuman pace that DC editorial expected of him. When Kurt and Butch took over the book it had already been cancelled, and they started two months behind. They asked for a relaunch, but DC didn't want to do it, so they attempted to keep up with it. Kurt was able to write the stories, but Butch hasn't been able to keep the pace on the art (although he managed it for a few months), and the book has been delayed because of it. Starting with issue #46, there is a guest artist, and the book should return to schedule. We hope.

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posted by Tegan at 11:56 AM - permalink - 0 comments

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Sunday Question

Aquaman's shipping schedule has been delayed because DC editorial was a little too optimistic about Butch Guice's drawing speed. So, here's the obvious question to ask: Have the delays in shipping affected how you feel about the Aquaman series?

Archive of Sunday Questions.

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posted by Tegan at 3:17 PM - permalink - 0 comments

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Original Aquaman Artwork

Enjoying the new Aquaman? Want to get your hands on some original artwork from the series?

Aquaman in Battle Sketch

Dave Karlen Original Art has pages up from Aquaman #41 for sale. If you don't see a page you want, be sure to contact Dave and ask, as he can often get the page you want. In addition, all Butch Guice artwork is on sale for 25% off until August 27th.

The Dweller Sketch

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posted by Tegan at 11:06 AM - permalink - 0 comments

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Shipping Changes... Diamond Dateline

Yup, this week's Diamond Dateline confirms what ComicList reported last week: Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #44 will be shipping September 13th and Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #45 will be shipping October 4th.

This actually puts the book on the schedule originally envisioned by Kurt and Butch when they took over the series. They asked for two months breathing room, and a May relaunch. Instead, the series simply continued, with the creative team two months behind (because Aquaman had already been canceled when they took over).

If the book had been relaunched in May:
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #40 would've come out in May (shipped Mar 1),
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #41 in June (shipped Apr 5),
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #42 in July (shipped May 17),
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #43 this month, in August (shipped Jul 19),
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #44 in September (now due Sep 13), and
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #45 in October (now due Oct 4).

Despite their best efforts, time caught up with Guice. Reportedly, having an inker on the last issue did not catch up any time at all, as they had hoped.

Good news, though. The two-issue flashback story scheduled to appear right after this first six-issue arc is apparently completely finished and waiting in the wings. So there should be no more delays for a few issues, although there is the chance that DC will push back the solicit for Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #47. We'll have to wait until next month to be sure.

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posted by Tegan at 3:01 PM - permalink - 0 comments

Monday, August 07, 2006

Shipping Changes

Ok, here's the scoop. Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #44 is definitely shipping later than originally scheduled. As of last week's Diamond Dateline, it is now scheduled for August 30th. I'll be updating the sidebar and the Aquaman events calendar to reflect that.

However! ComicList reports that Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #44 has been pushed back even further, to September 13th, and that Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #45 has been pushed back to October 4th. Until I have independent confirmation of those new dates (preferably through Diamond Dateline), I won't be changing the sidebar and calendar to reflect them. But ComicList is generally correct, so don't depend on getting the new issue of Aquaman any time soon.

As was mentioned before, when issue #43 was delayed, Aquaman was canceled when Kurt Busiek and Butch Guice took over. They started out two months behind and have been struggling to get the book out ever since. After the first six-issue arc, there will be a two-part story with a guest artist, which will allow Guice more time to catch up with the book. The shipping delays are probably still a result of the book having been canceled without ever actually being canceled. Hopefully they will be resolved soon and we'll get a monthly dose of Aquaman again.

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posted by Tegan at 1:47 PM - permalink - 0 comments

Monday, July 03, 2006

Overdue Review - Aquaman #42

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #42: "Deep Down": It really would be difficult to convey how much glee this issue gave me. And not all for just story reasons. I have been really enjoying this revamp and this issue was, in my opinion, great from start to finish.


I like how the status of Atlantis is explained. I love seeing parts of the undersea world from an outsider's point of view (Arthur's delight at the food and drink was a lovely touch). I love the fractured nature of the ocean civilizations once Poseidonis was destroyed, and I love seeing the underside of that world, the parts that Orin rarely entered. An undersea bar? Great! I love the Windward Home, and especially the view from below. I love seeing the old heroes return, like The Sea Devils, Red Torpedo (Jimmy Lockhart), and the variety of folks gathered at the Windward Home. And I LOVED the last page, even if the character wasn't drawn quite right.

And that's where I'll start on my complaints. I felt the coloring was too dark in many places, and would've preferred some brighter colors just for ease of reading. I also loved Guice's design for the bar... but we only see it clearly in a single panel, right before it's destroyed. I think I would've liked to see it more than that. And I wish the colors had made it look different than the trench wall it was clinging to. Same with the town. It's hard to tell that that opening scene is a town. Colors would make a HUGE difference here, but I wish Butch would give us a few more close-ups as well later on.

The only other major art problem is with the character on the final page. He just doesn't look quite right in robes. For obvious reasons, Atlanteans generally don't wear robes or dresses unless they are making a statement. So seeing that character in robes didn't look quite right. Not a big nit, but it did throw me.

So to sum up: Loved the story, loved most of the art, I think the color needs a bit of work (and some contrast in the backgrounds), and was absolutely delighted by the final page.

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posted by Tegan at 7:34 PM - permalink - 0 comments

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Happy Birthday Butch Guice!

Today is current Aquaman artist Jackson "Butch" Guice's birthday. Happy day, Butch!

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posted by Tegan at 9:17 AM - permalink - 0 comments

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Shipping Dates

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #43 is now officially due to ship on July 19th.

While we do not have an official reason, there is speculation that the shipping dates for #43 and #44 were delayed to allow artist Butch Guice to catch up, as he and Kurt Busiek started on the book after it had been cancelled, and therefore started out behind schedule.

The trade paperback of the first storyarc is still listed on Amazon, and is supposedly due out in October, though that date probably isn't set yet.

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posted by Tegan at 6:15 PM - permalink - 0 comments

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Sales Data for April Books and Shipping Changes

No drop for Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis from the first issue to the second issue. The book actually rose on the sales chart. Estimated sales data is from Newsarama and ICv2.

Aquaman #39 sold an estimated 18,300 copies and was ranked 112 on the charts.

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #40 jumped to 58 on the charts, and sold an estimated 37,600 copies, more than double the previous issue.

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #41 sold an estimated 37,600 copies and ranked 54 on the charts. No change in sales and a jump in rank.

While all this data is nice, we won't really know how the new book is doing until after the first arc is completed. With the shipping delays in the book's schedule, the situation might change completely. We'll have to wait and see. In addition, DC has already announced a collection of the first storyarc, which may bring in new regular readers.

As for the shipping changes... When Kurt Busiek and Butch Guice took over the book last autumn, it had already been canceled. They asked for a couple of months and a relaunch to give them more time, but DC didn't want to restart the book. Kurt and Butch started the series at least two months behind, yet still managed to get the first two issues out on time. The third issue was done, but delayed by production issues at DC.

Now we have word that #43 and #44 will each be delayed a full month to allow Guice to catch up and not get burnt out on the book with the looming deadlines. While this is far from ideal, it's better than having a fill-in artist in the middle of a major storyarc OR having no book at all.

In the meantime, Kurt's ahead on the writing, and has reported that Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #46-47 are done and in the hands of guest artist Phil Winslade, who will be drawing the flashback tale. Those issues are now likely to ship in October and November.

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posted by Tegan at 8:58 AM - permalink - 0 comments

Friday, May 12, 2006

Interesting Item on Amazon.com

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis TPB by Kurt Busiek, Jackson Guice, 144 pages, release date November 1, 2006.

Update: The item has mysteriously changed to another book. Hmmm.

Update: As of May 20th, there's a new listing with a different ISBN (updated in link above) with a ship date of October 4, 2006. I'll be keeping an eye on it to see if it changes again.

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posted by Tegan at 10:17 AM - permalink - 0 comments