Aquaman (1994) #60
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Cover Date: October 1999
Writer: Erik Larsen
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Editor: Kevin Dooley
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Cover Price: $1.99
COMMENTS:
Wow! Ask and ye shall receive! No sooner do I mention that it would be nice to have a different style for the cover, to break the monotony of Battle's work, then along comes a cover which fits the bill. I really like the design of this cover, from the borders to the placement of figures. The seahorse in one corner balances the spot for the UPC code in the other, while Mera balances Vulko. Aquaman looks great except for that silly headband. Tempest looks a bit too buff, and his glove doesn't look quite right, but is otherwise well-drawn. Battle isn't too good at kisses, so having the couple gaze into each others' eyes might have been a better choice, but all-in-all it comes off ok.
My big problem with this cover is the subject matter. The entire relationship between Dolphin and Tempest was badly mishandled. Peter David was having Tempest play the role of Lancelot, which doesn't fit him. He also hadn't gotten their relationship to the point of intimacy. However, Larsen completely misread Tempest from the beginning and inserted an utterly asinine and typically Larsenesque pregnancy, then badly misread Dolphin to be the type of character to want marriage. His badly researched mis-handling of these otherwise great characters has led to a storyline that is so stupid from inception to final result that its idiocy taints an otherwise pretty good cover.
Review of the story will come when I read it. It won't be anytime soon.