Aquaman (Mini 1) #2
Title: Thierna na Oge
Cover Title: The Sea King In Mortal Combat For The Future Of Atlantis -- And The World!
Cover Date: March 1986
Writer: Neal Pozner
Pencils: Craig Hamilton
Inks: Steve Montano
Colors: Joe Orlando
Lettering: Bob Lappan
Editor: Neal Pozner and Dick Giordano
Cover: Craig Hamilton and P Craig Russell
Cover Price: $0.75
Continuity: OUT
OVERVIEW:
While Orm gathers crystals, Aquaman finds himself trapped in chains that even his great strength cannot break. Nuada receives a visit from Diancecht, who uses magic to enter her cell. He leaves as guards come to escort Aquaman and Nuada to the king. Bres accuses Nuada of consorting with aliens to overthrow her.
Orm destroys the lighthouse where he and Aquaman grew up.
Both Nuada and Aquaman resist Bres, so she uses the conclave's power to mind-rape Aquaman and discover who he is. They learn his story, then throw him into an arena with a monster, Spreng.
Vulko leads the people to the surface world to get back the seal, as they will wait no longer.
While Aquaman desperately fights, Nuada denies everything her sister accuses her of. Aquaman snaps and gets his second wind at the same time, and starts to push the monster around. Bres makes the conclave give it more magical power in order to defeat Aquaman. Aquaman uses his telepathy on the monster and only suceeds in freeing it from the spell Bres put on it to control it. With its freedom, Spreng starts to rip the city apart. While the conclave attempt to stop it, using all the magic in the city, Aquaman summons a fish to get himself and Nuada out of the city.
Someone prepares for visitors.
Nuada explains that a magical item from her city has been stolen, much the same as in Atlantis, and the two trace the magic of the item in the hopes that the Lia Fail and the Royal Seal are in the same place. They reach the land of the savages of Maarzon, and are attacked. They are holding their own when Aquaman is distracted by his brother...
COMMENTS:
The story is both simple and complex, and it moves at an appropriate pace. The strength of this book has a lot to do with the excellent art, which was pencilled by a young artist named Craig Hamilton, who had never had a story published. The inker, Steve Montano, was doing solo inking for the first time in his career.
In fact, according to the notes in the back of this book, Writer, Penciller, and Inker were all doing this for the first time. Neal Pozner had never written a story. Craig had never inked a published book. Steve was inking solo for the first time. Pretty good for a bunch of first-timers.
CONCLUSION:
Rating: 7
This book is perhaps the most exciting of the mini-series, but it lacks without the other books.