Mera Has Her Day – and Her Own Series
Im a big Aquaman fan, but as the saying goes, behind every great man is a great woman. For quite some time, the one-time rival and now love interest of Arthur Curry, Mera of Xebel, gets her own comic book series. Though it is a limited series, something tells me DC is testing the waters to see if sales will allow her to get her own ongoing story. For now, I’m just excited this has come out. DC released issue #1 of the Mera: Queen of Atlantis at the end of February. Pardon me for a being a little late to the game, but as the other saying goes, better late than never. Plus, this is one title that is worth the wait.
First off, writer Dan Abnett has done some serious justice for my favorite character in comic book lore, which is none other than Aquaman himself. The ongoing series has been getting the royal treatment (pun intended) and with Mera being such a strong, independent character in her own right, it only made sense (and was about time) that Mera finally got her own series. After all, she’s saved her beloved’s skin more than a few times, so capability is not a question.
The six-part mini-series also features artwork by Lan Medina (Cable & Deadpool, Punisher and Fables just to name a mere fraction of his other efforts) which delivers a detailed and crisp lineup of characters and landscapes that range from the subtle to the eye-catching. This of course is nicely complimented by the inks of Richard Friend and the coloring of Veronica Gandini. The trio work well in establishing a surface full of pop and color while also establishing murky depths in some of the underwater panels.
Truth be told, the inaugural issue of Mera’s standalone tale is best absorbed if you’ve kept up on the ongoing Aquaman series. With that being said, it’s not necessary to read all of that in order to dive into the Mera series. Abnett does a good job in catching up readers so they have a basic grasp on the here and now. Some familiar faces pay the pages a visit and Mera has her hands full right off the bat, but it’s the antagonist looming nearby that brings an interesting variable to the story. As to who that is, I’ll leave that up to your reading pleasure. With Abnett behind the wheel, I have full faith that this will be a great bit of fun.
