Aquaman (3) #1
Title: Hitting Bottom
Cover Title: Into The Abyss!
Cover Date: August 1994
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Marty Egeland
Inks: Brad Vancata
Colors: Tom McCraw
Lettering: Dan Nakrosis
Asst. Editor: Eddie Berganza
Editor: Kevin Dooley
Cover: Marty Egeland and Brad Vancata
Cover Price: $1.50
Continuity: IN
OVERVIEW:
Aquaman and Aqualad are called on by Admiral Strom to investigate a Navy submarine that is supposedly leaking radiation into the ocean. On board the dead ship, they are attacked by a cleaver-wielding water-breather. This strange villian defeats Aqualad, leaving him to the sharks, and captures Aquaman.
Upon waking, Aquaman's captor, Charybdis, introduces him to an unconscious Dolphin, and informs him that he will be spending the rest of his life as a captor.
COMMENTS:
I can't really call this a terribly inspired start to the new series. I mean, we've got Aquaman who's in a funk, has been having nightmares about his father (who he's only just learned about, having just read The Atlantis Chronicles in the Time and Tide mini), and has just grown a beard. We have Garth, who somehow has developed this new attitude he's never had before (He showed hints of this attitude in issue #8 of the previous series, but nothing like this). And we've got Charybdis, a strange new villain who is somehow able to easily defeat both Aquaman *and* Garth. And lastly, we have Dolphin, who makes a typical appearance in this book, in that she doesn't say anything.
All in all, not a terribly happy start for the much awaited Peter David Aquaman, and as I recall, lots of people immediately started complaining about the beard. Oh, what they didn't know.
An interesting side note: The letter col mentions that an Atlantis Chronicles TPB would cost $30 or more. I'd be willing to pay that much for it, but how many Aquaman fans are as nutty as me?
CONCLUSION:
This is acutally quite skippable, if you don't mind being a little confused when you read the next issue, which is NOT skippable at all.