Aquaman #5: Finding Captain Nemo

Jeremy Adams and John Timms’ Aquaman story “The Dark Tide” continues on with this issue, where Arthur, Arion of Atlantis, as well as the Lady Of The Lake, aka Vivienne, have finally made their way to the city at the center of the Blue, as their search for Mera, Atlantis, and all of the Atlanteans who dwelled in it, comes closer to its most dramatic end. They also pick up a stranger to this motley crew, one Captain Nemo from Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, so I can’t wait to see what else is tucked up the teams sleeves.

Jeremy Adams and John Timms Aquaman run has been a wild ride, from Arthur having a brand new power set due to the events of Absolute Power, to having Atlantis, and all of its residents stolen. He found Arion, the immortal sorcerer who was a resident of Atlantis before it sank, performed blood magic, met up with the original Lady Of The Lake, and now Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, and it just keeps getting better.

I love how Adams included Lori Lemaris, Superman’s mermaid girlfriend, to being one of Dagon’s enforcers, which is something that literally came from left field, but I’m kinda in love with the idea. Honestly, it’s always a good time when we see this vastly underrated character like Lori, and Adams has had a pretty successful career with giving us these deep dives, first in his Flash run, then with Green Lantern, and he’s doing it again here. Who would have thought of bringing Captain Nemo into the Aquaman mythos? It’s just brilliant, and one of the reasons I keep coming back to this series.

John Timms’ work here really helps sell the story as well. Whether it’s how he designed the creatures who are residents of the city at the center of the Blue, or Lori and the rest of her mermaid marauders, or how Captain Nemo is depicted, it’s just a lush menagerie. His Arthur gives me a nod to the Peter David era, mixed with the Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis run, giving us a very focused and sincere Arthur, who is on this odyssey to save not only his wife, but also his subjects. Mix that up with having to create these brand new villains, and exotic locales, he’s just really upping his game here. I can’t wait to see what’s coming up next.