It’s been ten months since Mera’s coma began and Aquaman still hopes every day that she can recover so that they can raise their daughter together. Spoilers for Aquaman #58 follow.
The ending of the previous issue of Aquaman was full of mixed emotions. It was a brutal downer simply because Mera ended up in a coma from her over-exertion against Black Manta. But it also ended with Princess Andy, the new heir to Atlantis, being born safely. It was really the most bittersweet way to end an issue. Now, how were they going to tackle the fallout of this? Turns out, the series does a ten-month time jump, which feels like it could be an easy out for some of the problems that have been created. How it’s done in this issue though is a good example of how to do time jumps though, making for a very enjoyable issue.
This issue is basically an issue re-establishing the status quo within the series. It’s a decent jumping-on point for new readers, as well as a very satisfying continuation of the previous arcs. And, because of that, we don’t really get any action in this issue, which is good. Character is the focus here and that’s all for the best. We get to know a ten-month-old Princess Andy and if your heart doesn’t just melt for her immediately; I don’t know what to say. And this is coming from who doesn’t care all that much for babies.
Because we get to see Andy a bit in this issue, we also get a few pages of seeing Arthur as a father, in between his regular Aquaman stuff. He obviously loves her with all his heart and the fact that he goes to see Mera every day, telling her about Andy, it’s honestly heartbreaking. There’s a moment in this issue where a tear falls from Mera’s eye that will more than likely bring a tear to yours.
On top of that, we also get some true set-up to the next antagonist for this run of Aquaman, Ocean Master. Here’s the catch though, Ocean Master is actually a sympathetic villain this time. Or at least, he’s making a compelling argument to fight against the current leadership of Atlantis. And the reasoning? Surprisingly topical given what’s happening currently in the world and how leaders are acting. Can Kelly Sue DeConnick predict the future?
As for the art, Miguel Mendoca handles the duties on this issue and, for the most part, does a solid job. There are a couple times where pacing could’ve been better and where his faces get a bit too anime-esque to fit the style of the rest of the issue, but 95% of the issue is really solid. His linework is good and he gets across emotions very well throughout the issue in both subtle and unsubtle ways. It’s often hard a comic artist to tell a story of character just sitting around and talking for most of an issue, but Mendoca does some great work here.
