Aquaman (3) #42
Title: Necessary Poisons
Cover Title: Sea Wolf! Hungry For Your Soul!
Cover Date: March 1998
Writer and Co-plotter: Peter David
Penciller and Co-plotter: Jim Calafiore
Inks: Peter Palmiotti
Colors: Tom McCraw
Lettering: Albert DeGuzman
Asst. Editor: Dana Kurtin
Editor: Kevin Dooley
Cover: Jim Calafiore and Mark McKenna
Cover Price: $1.95
Continuity: IN
OVERVIEW:
The Sea Wolf, an assassin werewaterbeast, kills another victim and dumps his body into the water.
Back where the gods dwell, Triton claims to his Nymph lovers that he let Aquaman win, which angers Poseidon.
In Posiedonis, Aquaman hears the calls of the fish that discover the Sea Wolf's victim, and ask Aquaman to come. He starts to leave but Vulko protests. Vulko says that the people want a new king, and Aquaman accuses him of treason. Then Aquaman makes it clear that when he is in the city, he is king. He then leaves.
Aquaman confronts the Sea Wolf, who turns into a wolf when in water. The beast is also undead, and when Aquaman "kills" it, he frees the souls of its victims. Aquaman leaves, and the Sea Wolf comes back to life, as the soul of its last victim is actually not free.
Garth thinks that Aquaman's words to Vulko were a suggestion to him. He decides to run for the High Councilman position so he can rule Posiedonis while Aquaman is away.
Triton, berated by his father, finally snaps and kills Posiedon. He then swears to take revenge on every living thing that ever annoyed him, starting with Aquaman.
COMMENTS:
The cover is a bit much. I'm not usually sqeamish, but there's a bit too much blood. I think the line of good taste was crossed.
The Sea Wolf could be an interesting concept. I'm not sure why, but I feel a little dissatisfied with the whole fight and ending. Perhaps it's because the rest of the story felt like a set up for things to come, I expected more out of the fight?
I'm not sure Garth has the right idea. On the other hand, he's been given domain over all the people in the oceans, while Aquaman has domain over all the creatures, so maybe this is a step in the right direction. I expect Koryak to become a major player in the debate here, soon, though.
I loved that Aquaman finally confronted Vulko, and that Vulko finally had the courage to stand up to Aquaman. I do not like the result of their... discussion. The old Vulko would've confronted Arthur alone and talked out the problem with him. He forced Aquaman into a public display, and will regret it. The problem is, though, that he probably blames Aquaman for it. What will it take to knock some sense back into Vulko?
Triton is a worthy enemy, and I'm looking forward to the next step. I'm not sure Poseidon is dead, can the DC gods die? By the same token, I have a feeling that Triton won't enjoy taking his father's place for very long.
Two members of the Aquaman Mailing List made the letters page! My first ever letter printed in a comic book made it, as did another great letter by Dan. Congrats Dan!
CONCLUSION:
Another filler/setup issue. The Vulko confrontation made it worth it for me, but might not be enough for other fans. Of course, you'll all buy it to read my letter, right?