Member Reviews
As a comic book reader, I was impressed with this volume. The visuals are amazingly rich and the plotline hooks you in. The writer added something new to the iconic characters. Definitely worth a read.
ARC From Netgalley.
This title hits hard and never lets go! Right after "Sink Atlantis", this event gets gets Aquaman right up to his post-Metal reboot.
Highlights:
-In the Antarctic Circle, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Firestorm are searching for the Key to the Graveyard of the Gods, and they find it on a wrecked ship. As soon as they do, they are attack by a giant Kraken, who converts Firestorm into a fishman before swallowing the other two.
- Inside the Kraken (and really on a completely different plane of existance) they meet 3 Sea Gods, who inform them that Black Manta, Lex Luthor and The Legion of Doom helped them escape the Graveyard and they are now going to take over the Earth using an entity called The Flood that changes anyone into a fishperson upon touch.
-Having had his powers taken away, Aquaman thinks they should rescue Poseidon from the Graveyard so he can get his powers back. Diana doesn't agree with this plan as she has always found the Gods untrustworthy. They do make it to Poseidon, but he impales Aquaman with his trident, sending him on a spirit quest (more on that later)
- Meanwhile, the Justice League are dealing with The Flood slowly transforming everyone on Earth into fishpeople. Mera seeks the help of Ocean Master, yet he can't give much assistance at all. Superman goes toe for toe against one of the Sea Gods, but ends up having to fight off infection as well. Flash, who with his speed powers is very effective, gets bit and has to keep moving fast to stem off the infection. Those three JL members go to the Tomb of Arion to find a weapon that can help, but are met there by Black Manta, who has sided with the Sea Gods.
- Back at the Hall of Justice, Batman (still heavily injured) is doing his best to help the team AND save the base. BUT.... it is invaded by the Legion of Doom: Lex Luthor, Sinestro, Cheetah, Joker, and Grodd. He puts up a good fight (using one of Lex's old power suits), but they are able to get away with the Totality.
- On his spirit quest, Aquaman comes to terms with himself and realizes he must do whatever is necessary to save all of us. Upon awakening, Poseidon reveals the truth: the Sea Gods were not meant to be invaders. They came to Earth, answering the call from Arion, to be a part of a "galactic ocean", one of friendship and peace. It was Poseidon's fault that it didn't work. He got jealous and corrupted Arion's mind and together they locked the Sea Gods in the Graveyard of Gods.
- With the key being destroyed, the Graveyard is collapsing. Poseidon gives his trident to Aquaman so that he may combine it a power hidden in Arion's bones and use them together to finish Arion's mission.
- Aquaman and Wonder Woman escape the Graveyard and meet back up with Superman, Flash and Mera. Mera has already taken the power from Arion's bones and is planning to use it to kill the Sea Gods. Arthur needs them to make peace, and they can use the towers of Atlantis to do it. They, when launched, can penetrate any barrier, and there is a huge one above them now.
- Black Manta is overwhelmed by the power he has received from the Gods and uses it to call out to the Death Kraken, who's touch is completely lethal. For that, he basically get kicked out of the Legion of Doom.
- Wonder Woman (with the help of Batman) is able to launch the towers. Aquaman continues to try desperately to convince the Sea Gods of his desire for peace. He is able to help Mera convert the power (from the bones) into the force that can break through to them and they make peace, taking the offered trident from Aquaman.
- At that moment, Black Manta kills one of the Sea Gods and takes his crown, trying to gain the ability to control the Death Kraken. An inevitable and epic fight breaks out between Manta and Aquaman (like always). Seeing that Manta really has no control, Aquaman knows his only option is crash one of the warships into the Death Kraken, using the power of Life gained from Arion and Poseidon to cancel each other out.
- Mourning their loss, the Justice League invite Mera to take his place and Earth returns to normal..... but Aquaman is alive, washed up on a shore somewhere....
There's something amazing about an Aquaman crossover event. It always seems to threaten everything, yet comes out alright in the end. You know this going in as a reader, but the authors continue to do a great job building the stress and tension throughout. Perhaps the reboot of the character will match him closer to his cinematic counterpart. Either way, Aquaman continues to provide some of DC's most interesting and entertaining adventures.
Strong Recommend. AND this Volume can be read pretty much on its own and you can understand it without reading everything else first (which I don't say often).
After Dark Knights Metal the world is struggling with the aftermath of everything. Old gods have returned and flooded the world and turned every one touched by the flood waters into fish monsters.
The story is fantastic. It's over the top and cheesy in spots, but it is everything you want in a Scott Snyder story. I loved every minute of this crazy ride.
The art is phenomenal. It switches between artists because there are multiple titles in this trade, but it doesn't feel disconnected. Everything flows seamlessly. I love the color and style switches when you are in different realms.
I read Drowned Earth as the issues came out since some of these titles are on my pull list, but I will still be buying this trade because it has all the tie in issues and is arranged in a way that makes the story complete.
The story felt captivating without being flashy and the art was exquisite! I thoroughly enjoy this artist's and author's work (in all they have done) and look forward to another comic partnership by them.
So I have tried everything in NetGalley’s device FAQ to get this file to open but nothing works. I have Adobe Digital Editions but sadly it tells me it cannot locate a license when I try to open this file type. I love Scott Snyder so I’m sure this trade is amazing but I cannot read it. So I cannot review it. I’m at a loss. From now on I will not request comic book titles from NetGalley. I am approved for three and all three will not load. Very bummed. Giving this five stars because I have faith in Scott Snyder.
I was granted this issue via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The art in this is of course amazing its DC that never really fails, my main thing with this issue
is just that the story just keeps piling on top of it self. Problem after problem after problem.
Now i'm not saying it was bad but as a comic it was a bit exhausting. I kept having to put it down to chill lol
Kind of reminded me of the Dark Metal comics as the story progressed. Maybe it's because I wasn't expecting much from an aqua man comic.
Don't get me wrong I'm not saying its bad it was just so many things at once it was a little overwhelming to read.
The ending of course like all comics leaves you wondering whats next so that's a good thing and of course Wonder Woman and Mera look freaking awesome lol
Aquaman and Justice League: Drowned Earth by Scott Snyder is an epic tale of alien gods of oceans determined to see Earth’s ocean waters raise and drown the earth, after the oceans on their home planets have dries up or frozen over. Scott Snyder uses the type of story telling that I fell in love with his writing in the first place like his Court of Owls run on Batman, where he starts with a theme and then reinforces it in flashbacks and present action, what I love is there is an over arcing theme but also an individual comic theme as well, he handles this better than anyone in comics, it reminds me a lot of what Joss Whedon did on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel so well in the TV storytelling landscape. This novel feature to many character’s to name them all, If you read DC’s Metal comics or graphic novel’s this story is still dealing with those changes like Atlantis is no on the surface not at the bottom of the sea. I have not read DC’s Metal, I read Dark Days: The Road to Metal and was not a fan, you can find that review here https://readingwithmyeyes.wordpress.c… but this work does a good job of catching you up and actually got me excited to finally explore those titles. A thanks to netgalley and DC comic’s for letting me download this title, (Note : I was not able to open this title and had to purchase it) I’m an honest reviewer and did not let this reflect in my view at all of this title. It was released on April 16th of 2019.
The Plot: Aquaman, Wonder Woman, other Justice League members are searching are searching for a rumored Graveyard of the Gods. As legend tells this is the place the where gods would dispose of there human form, but it’s rumored Poseidon the actual god is down there. They find a graveyard of ships from the past that got lost in there searching. When they arrive they find something they did not expect, they find the entrance to the Graveyard of the Gods is opened with a trail of heat signatures. It is reveals that the Legion of Doom have released alien gods of the ocean from other planets that were trapped by Aquaman’s ancestors and they want revenge on earth. They start by a massive flood of the Earth then they release a new Kraken that infects the flooded waters where if the breathe in the water it turns you into a controllable sea creature who’s goal is to drive you into the waters to change more. Evacuations have started in Gotham with people going to the highest towers to get flown to higher ground, Jim Gordon in an emotional scene is dragged down to the water by sea creatures as he saves a family. Superman has a force wall over Metropolis that keeps most of the water back. Atlantis is the first place hit having only Mera and an imprisoned Ocean Master survive. Aquaman rushes full steam ahead and is easily defeated not knowing the true power of his enemies and his powers are taken and given to Black Manta Aquaman’s greatest foe and member of the League of Doom. Can the justice league survive and can a powerless Aquaman prevail a Drowned Earth?
What I Liked: The writing and theme work is so good the overall theme for Aquaman is exploring new oceans and ideas, plotting and finding the unknown. The Sea creature reminded me of Cthulhu like creatures and there were nods to the Trench. I liked that Flash get’s infected but is able to stave it off longer than anyone due to his metabolism. Jim Gordon turned into a sea creature is powerful and to his character. Ocean Master’s dialogue to Mera that convinces her to trust him to fight for Atlantis. The ending is pretty good and satisfying, there’s a real nice double cross at the end. Really nice character study on Aquaman in the Graveyard of the Gods.
What I Disliked: The art especially the wide drawings closeup are just fine but 80% I was just turned off by the art. There needed to be a synopsis especially on the Teen Titan book I was very lost on what they were doing and it took me a couple of pages to get oriented, I was a little bummed to only see one of those characters do anything further in the novel.
Recommendations: If you are up on current comics then you should definitely read this. If you are not you might be lost for a little bit because there is no real synopsis, but the writing is really good and it doesn’t take too long. If you’re a fan of Scott Snyder’s writing like in the Court of Owls, End Game, and White Knight then this is a great graphic novel that shows off his skills. I rated Aquaman & Justice League: Drowned Earth 4 out of 5 stars.
Aquaman was an entertaining comic book that brought together superheroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and so on. Since I watched all superhero movies and read the backstory to Mera, I was delighted to see that she’s at his side again and that I was able to follow the storyline, which centered around the notion of water drowning land. The story had its typical tropes and clichés, but for a comic book about superheroes, it worked well. This would definitely be a great addition to a high school library. Thank you NetGalley and DC Comics for this eARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I received this book via Netgalley in return for an honest review. I really enjoyed this Justice League graphic novel, focusing on Aquaman and some sea creatures that came from outer space. I also liked the inclusion of the city of Atlantis in the story telling. The pictures and graphic illustrations were awesome too.
Snyder picks up with his Totality story from Justice League and continues his thread with the Legion of Doom as they resurrect some sea gods from other planets who turn everyone in the world into fish people. I'm not sure what the Legion's plan here is. Who wants to take over a flooded world full of fish people? Some of the stuff with Atlantis's origins and Arion were interesting but I am getting a bit tired of how many times DC has retconned Atlantis's history at this point. I'm not a huge fan of the stuff Snyder's been writing since Dark Nights: Metal. His strengths as a writer lie with individual characters, not team books. He should leave the high concept stuff to Grant Morrison or Jonathan Hickman.
I read both this and Justice League: Graveyard of the Gods. The Justice League book has two additional Justice League issues that lead into Drowned Earth. This book has two additional Aquaman issues and a Titans issue. These three issues are complete filler and add nothing to the story. If I were to choose between the two books, I'd get the Justice League one. You're wasting your money buying both as those additional tie-in issues are 100% fluff. Anything pertinent was recapped in the Justice League issues.
I overall liked the increased focus on Aquaman and Mera, but there was a fair helping of repetition between some of the issues that made up this trade that I didn't care for. Also, I wanted a better balance of Justice League characters (i.e., Wonder Woman coming in in the last ~2 issues).
Interesting story.
I have no previous knowledge on Aquaman except for the little I saw in the animated television show. The art is incredible. I say it is worth reading and owning just for the art alone. However the story is captivating and intriguing.
The aspect of a concentric Aquaman-focused texture in this way is expected after such as strong box office film performance. The texture of “Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth” [Scott Snyder & Dan Abnett/DC/252pgs] comes to bear to show there are greater forces in the galaxy but also keeps circumspect that the abuse of environmental aspects is not limited to this world. The intention of the invaders renders even the most powerful of the League helpless but the essence of revenge, especially keyed in to Manta, is another connection to the movie that gives the narrative credence. Batman is even relegated to an essence of inertness which is an interesting quandary. In a previous mission, he had broken every bone in his body so he has become more of an introvert, the multi day stubble revealing a more grizzled and tired visage. In mutating the oceans, the water flooding the cities transforms every person it touches into an aggressive mutant so slowly but surely all help disappears. Even the Queen of Atlantis must flee. What works in the narrative idea when mixed with visual is the loss of partners and friends in this situation. Watching Batman lose Commissioner Gordon and then an almost broken Aquaman nearly crying because of his loss of connection to all his sea creatures can be more primal than any of the action. Superman hovering over a Metropolis simply crestfallen saying “I couldn’t save it”. As even The Flash and Superman appear to falter to these Gods from above, the only aspect that can save is a concurrent, almost mythic journey to certain lost arenas of Earth by certain members of the League to find an intellectual and ancient way to defeat these ancient attackers: one being in the desert and the other in a city of the dead. These quandaries allow these heroes, especially Aquaman and Mera, to see their power from a slightly different way but ultimately to show a different path, a road less traveled, which tends to broach worlds. And of course, none of it would be possible without Wonder Woman. “Drowned Earth” works in the texture that life is nothing if not fleeting.
B
By Tim Wassberg
What happens when the Earth drowns?
What if it's not regular ocean water?
If you want to know then 100% read this comic series. I absolutely enjoyed this so much. The art work is beautiful. It is crazy how amazing the art work is. The story was interesting. For someone who has not read all the comics or original back story for the Justice League characters yet I think this was great. Loved the villians in the story. The ending was good it got me hooked in. Now I want to read more that's for sure. 4 out of 5 would recommend!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read and review this.
This was a very vivid end-of-the-world situation. I loved all the various characters and how they all came together. It made the storyline more complex and interesting. The colours and drawings were next level. The detail and effort given to this story visible on each page. There were a few clichés which I think could have been avoided, especially phrases that were expected. The dialog slowed the pacing for me, there were instances when a character would talk on and on about something that happened in the past. I understand the need to bring the story together, but if the information doesn’t affect the immediate story line, then rather leave it out. For the most part I think any DC fan will love this!
As far as semi-humongous DC events go, this one didn't annoy me quite as much as some of the other ones (yikes, still can't stand Metal).
Basically there are other planet's deities on Earth. Aquaman, Mera, Wonder Woman and a good number of Justice Leaguers (including a very broken Batman) have to figure out a way to defeat those gods. Maybe even with one of their own.
I wish there had been more Aquaman/Mera stuff, but, I liked the Wonder Woman/Aquaman bros stuff and that ending. Wow. The new first volume of Aquaman's title should be interesting for sure.
I received this book via Netgalley thanks to DC Entertainment.
Aquaman finds that the ocean has changed color. Why? His fellow beings are turning into monsters. What is causing them to change? As the oceans grow to cover the entire earth, most of the justice league is busy trying to save the people. Mera is saving Atlantis from the oceans by shielding it. Unfortunately, the oceans are faster in their growth than the justice league can keep up. Aquaman discovers that it is the gods from other planets that have created the proble with the oceans. Will he be able to find a way to stop them from destroying the earth? Mantra is working with these gods due to his desire for revenge. What did Mantra do?
Scott Snyder has written a great story. There are excellent illustrations. I enjoyed reading the story though it was not as smooth with the transition to the different members of the Justice League. However, I would have definitely missed out on a great story if I had not read it.
Great story. I'm a bit sad that Abnetts' run on Aquaman had to end on a crossover, but the story and talent involved make it a good one. The art is great, and the writing is top-notch, as Abnett clearly gets Arthur (but you know it, right?) Finally, he can show, that he is not just an addition to JLA, but has earned his right to be there.
Bits of it work really well and bits of it don't. In other words just what I expect from a Crossover of this type. It's disjointed and it makes the reader work way too hard to follow along and chop and change between issues/teams. Sorry, not for me.
'Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth' by Scott Snyder and a whole host of artists is a mega-event starring Aquaman and spanning 232 pages over 8 different issues of comic book.
Sea creatures from space invade the Earth and flood it. The Legion of Doom joins the fight. The aliens even bring a death kraken from space. Along the way Aquaman and Mera fight to save Atlantis and Aquaman even tries to appeal to Poseidon. The Titans show up for an issue, then are never seen again. The people of Earth that are touched by the aliens change into sea mutants. This also happens to some of the members of the Justice League. The only thing that may help is something that Arion, Atlantis' greatest hero, built long ago.
It's a pretty massive story, and it flails about a bit. I know the Titans are here just to sell a title, but they didn't have much to do with moving the plot along. Not being a regular reader left me confused about Batman and Dick Grayson. I think the decision to move in the pirate direction seemed a bit silly. Superman in an eyepatch was just kind of dumb. There is lots of action, and how much you care about it all probably will depend on how much you like Aquaman.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.