Aquaman #12: DC K.O. ALL FIGHT MONTH: ROUND 2 OF 8 – Aquaman Vs. Hawkman: When Friends Become Foes

DC K.O. ALL FIGHT MONTH: ROUND 2 OF 8 – Aquaman Vs Hawkman

The K.O. event takes a small step back following the first round between Superman and Captain Atom with a lackluster match-up that feels forced to move the events unfolding in Aquaman’s solo titles. Having this battle happen in a regular issue rather then a special one-shot is the first sign that this was going to be a match that was quickly decided in Aquaman’s favor.

Adams attempts to build the tension between Arthur and Carter in the opening pages, before stepping back to the end of last issues that loosely ties Aquaman and his dealings with The Dark Tide and Darkseid.

Round 1 finds Arthur using his new connection to the Blue to drown Hawkman who claims that he has the edge due to multiple lifetimes of being a warrior. Round 2 goes about the same for Hawkman, who receives ab boost from the god Horus, as Arthur once again uses The Blue to pull the water out of Hawkman allowing him to win and advance in the tournament.

While this pairing was interesting, it felt forced, since in the Round 2 battle royale of DC K.O. #2, both of these characters as appear twice in the issue: at the beginning before things start and at the end where the round winners were revealed. Also, while Aquaman has been connected to the main story since the beginning of the All-In Era, he is most definitely overpowered as an Avatar Of The Blue, which in and of itself is a nice addition to The Red and The Green.

Despite the above complaints and nitpicking, Jeremy Adams and his creative team continue to explore the character of Aquaman in an interesting and manner that has some great storytelling potential.