A new direction for Aquaman. Completely clean slate. Aquaman loses his memory and ends up in a strange village on an island. The story is more mythical - a fantasy, not a super-hero tale. And quite accessibe for new readers. The art is beatiful and nuanced. The story fast, original . Higly reccomended.

After the Drowned Earth series, Aquaman’s fate is revealed in this new series by Kelly Sue DeConnick. This story begins with the amnesia trope as Arthur has washed up on a remote island, called Unspoken Water, and is saved by a beautiful young woman Caillie. He has no memory of his past and is hesitant of the water. The few island inhabitants are a strange lot and later reveal that Caillie is the daughter of a sea witch that was banished long ago.

The story then moves into a complicated mythology-heavy narrative about revenge. The island inhabitants, not surprisingly, are not what they seem, nor is Caillie. When Caillie and Arthur try to find her mother Namma to end the curse on the island, they get more than they bargained for. Mera had an incredibly small role in this story, and although I assume Arthur has not been missing long, she is being encouraged to remarry as this story has The Odyssey overtones. Later she realizes he is alive, so hopefully, this remarriage nonsense will be put to rest. The end of this volume promises a future battle with Namma, and I would hope it also includes Arthur reclaiming his identity and reuniting with Mera later in this series.

The art was outstanding, with Robson Rocha and Daniel Henriques visualizing DeConnick’s tale is a beautiful way. The water scenes, with waves crashing, made you feel as though you really were surrounded by the ocean. The pages showcasing the ten Gods as they merged between their human form and their godly form included great detail and I spent some time looking up the Gods along with their cultural connections and history. The coloring was vivid and brought the creatures to life as they burst out of the panels. The only minor issue I had was in Loc’s human portrayal, as it was an unnecessary caricature.

As I’ve been on an Aquaman and Mera kick lately, I was pleased to receive this advance copy of the graphic novel through NetGalley. It is always interesting to see different author’s and artist’s versions of a character. I might look into the aforementioned Drowned Earth series, because all the Aquaman and Mera books I have read have been stand-alone stories, and I want to see them involved in the Justice League as integral members of the team.

Until the movie “Justice League,” all I knew about Aquaman was that he was the punchline of many a joke, and I didn’t have any interest in his stories. But if anyone is going to make me pick up an Aquaman comic, it’s Kelly Sue DeConnick.

The ocean is angry. At least, the mysterious inhabitants of the village of Unspoken Water believe so, and they tell their story to the handsome amnesiac they’ve been housing. (Aquaman. It’s Aquaman.) They’re tired of the ocean’s wrath, and try to strike a deal: if he completes a small quest, they’ll give him a drink that will restore his memories. He agrees and, of course, nothing goes according to plan.

You don’t need to have any prior knowledge of Aquaman comics and storylines to enjoy Unspoken Waters, mostly because he doesn’t really feel like a titular character. The main story is a creation mythology where the relationship between Mother and Father gods and their godling children sours, and A. happens to be in the right place at the right time to fight for humanity’s survival. He is selfless and endearing, and I think it’s a great way to introduce him to new readers. In future issues, we’ll learn who he is the same time he’s learning it. The rest—his history, his full powers, the entanglements of his past—will fall into place later. It’s enough for now that we know he’s a standup guy, powerful but humble, clever and a team player. At least so far.

And I’m usually not so dim, but it took me a full day to realize the story is chock full of parallels to The Odyssey. I was thinking that Mera’s one short scene didn’t make much sense, until it hit me, and I facepalmed and shouted “OH! SUITORS!” Memory loss, abandoned wife, angry ocean, gods and godlings, a multi-headed monster defending her island…ok, I see it now, and I like it more. I love a good Odyssey reference.

The artwork is superb, and reminds me of classic comic book art. I don’t have the knowledge or vocabulary to get into specifics, but the layout, the poses, remind me of classic DC art. I loved the face details in the close-ups: a slightly pursed lip, one frown muscle, expressive eyebrows. As much as the splash pages were over-the-top explosive, the tight portraits were subtle and communicated better than dialogue.

But it’s hard to really call it an *Aquaman* comic. The conflicts are so much bigger than himself, and most of the story is someone else’s mythology. I still like it, and I might continue reading DeConnick’s run on it, but it was an unusual way to introduce a superhero.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars.

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 Kelly Sue DeConnick 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 a five star because I have faith in Kelly DeConnick.

I love Aquaman. I feel like he gets the short end of the stick when it comes to comic book heroes. In this comic he faces his fears of the ocean and tries to regain his lost memories. The artwork was sick, as always. The story was beautiful, but I wanted more of Queen Mera. I wanted to see her reunited with this 'Andy.' Namma was really interesting and I loved getting the lore behind a lot of the story. And to men, the island inhabitants were a total plot twist. Great read!

I liked how DeConnick dove into some more mythology, as well as explored Arthur's amnesia, but the pacing, character development, and exploration of the mythology and amnesia could have been better done.

Aquaman, Unspoken Water, is a great intro to who Aquaman is, about his past and that of the gods created before him. The colorfilled pages are sharp, vivid and filled with great action. Enjoyable to read and highly recommended.

While many felt let down by the recent release of the blockbuster film of Aquaman, this graphic novel is here to save the image of the hero altogether. With the rising popularity of the gold and green clad hero comes a graphic novel that expands on Aquaman’s origin story in a new and beautiful way. This is the type of story that should be featured on the silver screen.

Aquaman is a vulnerable hero in this story, he has lost his memory and his life has been saved by strangers. The island he has washed up on has been experiencing intense hardships, and it is up to Aquaman to save the day. He is an unlikely hero facing up against a powerful goddess who desires to turn the world to salt.

One aspect of this story I really enjoyed was the use of a new mythology, one I had never experienced before. We are introduced to old gods, then even older gods. It seems that this universe is built on something entirely different than we have read in comics yet, it is fresh and introduces us to a new version of Genesis, at least that was how I read it. It really builds onto its own history and creates a setting that can only expand from here, I imagine that history will only get richer and deeper as the series continues.

I also have to praise the illustrator highly, Robson Rocha is fantastic. The imagery is beautiful and while reminiscent of old school comics stick to the high quality of newer graphic novels. Rocha creates a vibrant world for Aquaman to explore. We see beaches and the depths of the ocean, from humans to gods the illustrations are impeccable. The illustrations only add depth to the story and creates ideal settings for the narrative.


DeConnick switches up how we envision Aquaman, he is not some silly hero that can speak to fish. He cries out for the aid of the ocean and he does receive it, he is not just some commander of fish but truly a hero that works in sync with the marine life around him. I think this version of Aquaman is definitely different than what I was expecting while still resembling the original hero, the newness does not lose the original character just enhances it.


The story felt more serious than I was expecting and it was a good thing. We do not need any more silly heroes in tights and underwear, we need heroes with emotional depth and rich backstory, DeConnick delivers.


I give this one 5/5, I truly enjoyed this graphic novel regardless of how skeptical I was in the beginning.

Also a huge thank you to NetGalley and DC Comics for allowing me the opportunity to review this graphic novel.

Aquaman washes ashore in a strange village with amnesia, then the troubles begin. Beautiful art. The story is light on Aquaman actually, but in a good way. Arthur is challenging the most powerful enemy there is and only divine help will see him through. Loved the mythological nods, look forward to volume 2.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read a pre-release copy of this book.

Kelly SD is an amazing author, and this writing is no exception! This was a great story, I loved the inclusion of sea-gods and mythology. Plus, the Art was gorgeous in many parts.

An adventurous new aqauaman story. The sea king wakes up with no memories at all in in remote island where ppl are terrified of the sea . Can he recover his memories in time as a new enemy rises from the ocean. Beautiful eye popping art work

I liked this, it was grand, but also personal and intimate. And that doesn't surprise me, since I rarely dislike Kelly Sue DeConnick serieses.

Arthur has no memory of who he is when he washes up on an island of a mishmash of people, saved by a woman named Callie. But, they take him in. She has a big story, and eventually she and Arthur go on an adventure. He to find out who he is, and she to find her mother.

It doesn't go exactly like that for either of them, but, they do find out things about themselves, as do the other inhabitants of the island.

It was a fun read and I'm actually sorta looking forward to seeing more in this series.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to DC Entertainment.

Aquaman Vol.1: Unspoken Water finds Arthur Curry living on an island full of some strange characters. Arthur has no memory of who he is but still stepping up when a hero is needed. An island of washed up Gods needs Aquaman's help to save the world and they may just give him the elixir he needs to restore his memory. The story takes an interesting turn and the action sequences build up nicely for an exciting new story arc featuring the hero of the sea. The art compliments the story nicely for an enjoyable read. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and give an honest review. Wonderful graphics but confusing story-line. I have not kept up with the Aquaman story so this did not make much sense to me. The name 'Aquaman' did not even show up here. These was too much jumping around to keep track of who was doing what. Who were the good guys and who were the bad guys?

Unspoken Water puts Arthur Curry in a pretty cliche situation. He doesn't know who he and woke up on an island with no memory of who he is. This boring premise tries t stir up an exciting story: the old gods are punishing for their transgressions Arthur is stuck in the middle and must find his powers while those on the island lie to him about who he is.
The coloring and art is lovely except for when it isn't. There is one section where the yellow words are on a bight green background. These sections were hard to read and were literally painful.
I was not impressed by this compilation and not really interested in continuing with the story.

Aquaman Vol 1: Unspoken Water is Aquaman and his universe’s origin story.

Like traditional mythology, Aquaman’s universe is full of angry, vengeful gods. First, there was Father Sea and Mother Salt. They had a perfect marriage in the world’s seas. Unfortunately, their children, though fully grown, solved their problems in a childishly violent way. But Mother Salt fought back.

First, the Wonder Woman and then the Aquaman movie are box office hits. Mythology is popular again. You can’t simply be a rich millionaire trying to combat crime in a mask anymore. I’m sure the other popular comic book company’s movies also had a lot to do with the mythos trend.

Mythology’s creation stories have certain elements that are all present here. That might he why they all seem so similar. If your story is the first to be read, it seems original and fresh. Aquaman Vol 1: Unspoken Water doesn’t feel like either, unfortunately. The artwork, while effective, is also not particularly original and has a Game of Thrones’ feel to it.

Overall, this book is a good choice for Aquaman fans. For others, it is an okay way to spend a few hours but maybe not worth seeking out. 3 stars.

Thanks to DC Comics and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

No matter how many times I tried, I cannot open the file. I tried different eReaders but all in vain....My default ebook reader is Aldiko and it works fine for all other books....

Though there were some cool ideas, I ended up not really liking this book I was so in the dark for pretty much all of it. When I pick up a first volume, I expect to be given enough context to be able to pick up the book as a newcomer, but this did not give it to me, and as the book progressed I just felt like I had more questions rather than having my initial confusion addressed.
The art is pretty good, at least.

For good or for bad, this comes across as a heightening of the mythology of Aquaman – well, it was never that good so they just have to try and reboot and make it differently dodgy every couple of years; that's a given. King Arthur is washed up and being called Andy on an island, which – lo and behold – is peopled by a handful of old codgers. Unfortunately we only meet the kindly housewife one and the bonkers one, ignoring the fact we ought to be told about the others, before he's sent on a mission that isn't what it seems, which will ultimately reveal the whole island's codgers to be not what they seem, either. It's hokum, and you have to hope it knows it, for it doesn't read that way – it's hard to believe this is actually played straight, though. The one saving grace of the book is the quality of the artwork – this won't get churned out at this quality month after month after month, for it's just too detailed and interesting-looking. If only the story could match. Two and a half stars.

A cool new adaptation of Aquaman. The art is classic and the new storyline is a lot of fun. I'll definfitly recommend this one.