Hey! Ocean Master’s a dick. Well, glad we got that out of the way. In Aquaman #23.2, it takes Geoff Johns and Tony Bedard to make sure we all understand that the guy who flooded Boston and killed millions sucks. I was hoping for something a little deeper. I was hoping that the story from Johns and Bedard, with a script by the latter, would illuminate some of the more nuanced aspects of the character. Nope. He sucks. He’s a dick. Thanks for playing our game.
Picture it. Under the sea. 2012. Having had a missile shot right into the heart of Atlantis, Ocean Master decides to bring the fight to the surface dwellers. Cut to several months later. The OG called OM is drying out in a cell, having been brought down by Aquaman and the Justice League. His lawyer, who feels it may be difficult for his client not to end up on death row, is visiting him. A guard walks in and hands OM a bottle of water. He explains to the lawyer that he thinks what happened between humanity and the Atlanteans is not to be judged by him, and is more complicated than most understand. The guard alludes to Ocean Master’s health problems if he has no water. In short, he shows him kindness.
Here’s where the story starts to come unraveled. First, it was proven that an Atlantean set off the missile in hopes of starting a war between the surface people and his comrades. Even though Ocean Master brought death upon the heads of the innocent, he is unfazed by it. It doesn’t jive with the man he was before the attack. During his prison interview, the Crime Syndicate unleashes hell and Belle Reve prison is demolished. During his escape, Ocean Master stumbles on the security guard who was kind to him. The guard is wounded, and in dire need of help. So Ocean Master kills him, and acts like it is some magnanimous act. This makes OM just look like another dickhead villain. Later on, when OM allows a mother to be beaten near to death before he contemplates stepping in, his level of being interesting crashes to almost nil.
I’m not sure of the endgame here. In the issues of Aquaman dealing with Ocean Master, Geoff Johns took great pains to make him a more layered character than we’d seen before. Now, after his glorious one shot, Ocean Master is just a dick, a dick with a cool costume, but still just a dick. Tony Bedard’s story unravels what Johns does and leaves OM as the evil reflection of Aquaman. When all this Crime Syndicate stuff calms down, and Aquaman is back to facing his brother, how interesting will it really be?
Geraldo Borges’ art is decent, though he really excels at the water scenes. The opening splash page, involving OM and his crew ready to slap out at the surface dwellers, is amazing. The on-land pencils are a little lackluster. They lack the punch of the aquatic art. Borges has a nice handle on pacing. Very little happens here action wise, but the story never drags. I wouldn’t consider the work in Ocean Master exceptional, but it does have its merits.
(2.5 Story, 2.5 Art)
