Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis, Vol. 1: Once and Future [Paperback]

Kurt Busiek (Author), Jackson Guice (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (December 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401211453
• ISBN-13: 978-1401211455
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.2 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #930,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new Aquaman, April 25, 2008

By 

Jon Repesh (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis, Vol. 1: Once and Future (Paperback)

Some fans of Aquaman had no interest in this story from the outset due to its introduction of a new Aquaman. Replacement or legacy characters are fine, just as long as it happens to the other guy's favorites. Having never been a huge fan before, more because of how he was written than any inherent dislike of him, I was open to this new approach. The first thing that caught my eye was Butch Guice's mood provoking artwork. His style may not fit well with others but was the ideal match for Aquaman's underwater milieu. Upon reading it, I was immediately caught up in Kurt Busiek's intriguing tale, replete with twists and turns at every juncture. He weaves a world of mystery, mayhem, and mistrust throughout and imaginatively plants numerous seeds for future storylines, including a fantastic closing cliffhanger. Unfortunately he wasn't able to resolve these loose ends as he was taken off the title shortly thereafter in order to start work on an unknown project, which was recently announced as the new weekly series Trinity. Kudos to Kurt and Butch, despite their regrettably short tenure on the book, for converting a non-fan and illustrating the great potential of this legendary underwater figure. With so many superheroes sharing similar backgrounds, powers, and environments, characters like Aquaman with their distinct setting and potential for unusual and distinguished stories are needed now more than ever.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fresh New Start for Aquaman, September 8, 2007

By 

Zauriel (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis, Vol. 1: Once and Future (Paperback)

Aquaman has always been one of my favorite characters. He's never really had a good direction in his books though. Super Friends pretty much ruined any chance of him having mainstream success.

Anyway, Like I said this is a fresh start for Aquaman. A Brand new Aquaman takes over the mantle and is guided by the mysterious Dweller of the Depths. The book was a little slow but, that was mostly to get the characters properely introduced. It's a good read for anyone who likes the character.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sigh, why can't anyone write a good Aquaman story?, July 21, 2010

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis, Vol. 1: Once and Future (Paperback)

I realize he's pretty much viewed as the weakest character in the Justice League pantheon, but I always thought Aquaman was a cool superhero. Unfortunately, no creative team in recent memory has ever really been able to do the character justice. They chopped off his hand and replaced it with a hook to make Aquaman edgier. They gave him a hand made of water to make him mystical. Nothing worked, and I finally gave up following the Aquaman comics until Kurt Busiek (Astro City) took a turn with the character. I figured if anyone could restore this classic character, it would be Busiek.

Unfortunately Busiek's idea was to replace Aquaman entirely, handing the mantle to a younger guy who looks just like Aquaman, has the same name and abilities, but sounds like a teenager. He spends the whole time running (well, swimming) around with a giant shark guy, visiting Aquaman's old friends and fighting his old foes. Why? Because some tentacle-faced mystic (with a deep dark secret, natch) told him to. I love Busiek's work, but this was such a disappointing story. We didn't need a new Aquaman, we needed you to fix the old one and remind people why he's a worthwhile character.

The artwork for this collection was provided by Jackson "Butch" Guice. I've been a fan of his since his classic 80's Iron Man run with Bob Layton, and he's in good form here. Some of the pages are a bit inconsistent, and his non-human characters are pretty generic, but for the most part Guice depicts the undersea world very well. The artwork is what pushes the rating of this book to 3-stars.

I really wanted to like this, but came away frustrated and disappointed. Busiek is capable of so much better, and could made this Aquaman's defining series. Instead it joins Aquaman: Time and Tide and Aquaman: The Waterbearer as misfires in the Aquaman saga.