Future State: Aquaman #2 continues and finishes “The Confluence” story by Brandon Thomas and Daniel Sampere. Aquaman, Jackson Hyde, and Aqualass, Andy Curry, have discovered the Confluence, the dimensional gateway between all oceans including alien worlds. Last issue, had them traveling to the different seas and encountering the guardian, an island-sized creature. Aqualass uses her powers to sever her leg and saves Aquaman! The alien world of Neptune has imprisoned Aquaman for six years, but on an escape attempt he sees “Aquawoman Lives” in bubbles. Jackson shatters his chains and forms his Waterbearer blades to take on the Neptune guards. It features a cover by interior artist Sampere with Aquaman and Aquawoman taking on alien sharks and guards. What is needed in Future State titles is complete stories that hint at countless others. This is accomplished by Thomas and Sampere.
The comic opens with a splash page and the caption that it is six years ago when Aquaman escapes the creature called the Great Beast. We see a ringed planet, stunning colors by Adriano Lucas, and Andy bleeding on an island beach with the caption, “Aqualass Lives”, a perfect mirroring of last issue. She is unconscious and images of the duo’s last moments come to her. Andy wakens and hears a voice from the waves. I’m getting echoes of Moana. The voices come from glimmerfish out in the alien ocean. Andy, tearful and weary, cries out for them to help. She screams for help, sending out waves of her power, it sends out some water that forms a new leg! The glimmerfish tell her to leave the island. Andy promises to return the water after she finds her brother. We get flashes of her training with Jackson, he shows her how to fashion a bow and loose an arrow if her power fails. Andy tries to make a bow, the string snaps, while the glimmerfish, ocean voice criticize her. I really like the six years from Andy’s perspective and her training.
She flashes back to Aquaman calming down alien gunmen. Andy gathers logs for a raft while trying to work things out with the glimmerfish who call her a Conductor. The next lesson, Jackson teaches Andy to surprise an opponent with physical attacks. We see Aquawoman taking the lesson with a right cross to a frog-like pirate. We have Aquaman trying to have Aqualass control her power in one hand. She uses this lesson to defy the glimmerfish and their wave. Aquaman’s lesson is to dig, work hard, and while the glimmerfish want their brother back, Andy defies the jelly-like glimmerfish. Aquawoman leaves the island and her glimmerfish leg stops talking to her. She suddenly wakens and is ready to go after Jackson. The years start to move forward, we have Andy trying to understand how the Confluence works with her glimmerfish leg. We see ontop of a giant shark flying in a forest past blue apes and other adventures. On a rocky pad, Aquawoman uses her power to send the bubble message. Very cool glimpses at some great adventures.
We get Aquaman swimming sending messages to some carnivorous fish. A Neptune soldier tries to blast them with a cannon. We get a red panel with some chomping noises. The battle continues with Neptune soldiers swallowed up by a whale-like fish. Then, Aquman fights with some guards. A guard manages to electrocute Aquaman with a spear. Then, a splash page of Aquawoman shattering a dome sending water down as we see a closeup of Aquaman, very cinematic. Aquaman uses his power to hold back Andy’s wave. He tells her how long he has been imprisoned and this makes Andy angry, the faceless masks of the guards look like uh-oh expressions. She shatters their helmets, but Jackson calms her down. They leave and we get a two page spread, epic, Aquawoman and Aquaman swimming to the surface surrounded by the alien sea creatures of Neptune. The duo gets to the surface and Jackson tries to have Andy release her control of the sea creatures. We see a closeup of Jackson’s intense face. Then, an extreme close-up of Andy’s eyes as we see she realizes what she has done. I can’t wait to read more of Aquawoman and Jackson Hyde. What is needed in the Aquaman titles is the expansiveness of the ocean, plus the alien worlds like what is promised in the upcoming Avatar sequels. A very strong ending to Future State: Aquaman!
Five Waterbearers out of Five!
#FutureState, #Aquaman, #AdrianoLucas, #Aquawoman, #JacksonHyde, #AndyCurry
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