REVIEW: ‘Aquaman/Green Arrow – Deep Target,’ Issue #1

Aquaman/Green Arrow – Deep Target #1 is a crossover comic published by DC Comics and written by Brandon Thomas with art by Ronan Cliquet. The colour artist is Ulises Arreola, and Josh Reed is the letterer.

Sitting at the bottom of the ocean, the city of Atlantis has an intruder. Royal guards are knocked out with trick arrows. A figure enters the throne room, and a fight breaks out. Green Arrow and Aquaman have a brawl, but something is unusual about these two men. Elsewhere, on dry land, a general and a group of scientists appear to be interfering with time.

The concept of this comic is fantastic and instantly brow-furrowing. Thomas works wonders with misdirection, doing so multiple times within this first issue. The initial instance of misdirection is the actions of the villain, setting up hints of where the story may be taken. But the biggest shock that happens right in the middle of Aquaman/Green Arrow – Deep Target #1 regards the heroes. It suggests that some of the action has already happened and quickly incentivizes the characters to team up. There is another twist on the final page, but perhaps the earlier confusion takes the sting out of the unexpected.

The setup of this series is fascinating as it brings together two characters that are not considered regular partners. Both Aquaman and Green Arrow have existed for decades, sharing teams and pages together. But due to the nature of their powers and genres, a direct team-up between the pair is rare. Aquaman is an extremely powerful seafarer who may be more commonly seen collaborating with Superman or Wonder Woman. Green Arrow does team-up with metahumans, but with Green Lantern or the Flash. This shows that there is so much potential for new stories to be told, even with 80-year old heroes. The twist of the story will ensure that the reader cannot predict what is going to happen. The differences between the king and the billionaire will also be exposed as they clash.

The misdirection that was mentioned within the writing is also a technique utilised by Cliquet. Characters hidden off-panel or within the shadows mak their true nature until the last possible second. Suspense is challenging to implement within a comic, but the artist manages to access it well. Both of the protagonists look phenomenal. Although it may initially be difficult to make two blond men stand out, these similarities end up adding to the intentional confusion within the comic. The first chapter of this series is primarily based in Atlantis, which looks superb.

The colours are fantastic, although it might be jarring at times. Arreola acknowledges the shared colour that the heroes possess, thus filling each panel with a large amount of green. On Aquaman in particular, this is odd as the orange of his torso is replaced with emerald. There is a canonical reason for this, but the overabundance of the same shade can be too much at points. The colours are still vibrant and gorgeous, with gold being another of the familiar tones that work brilliantly alongside the jade green.

The lettering is superb. Reed ensures that the word balloons are perfectly placed, and the text inside them are always easy to read.

Aquaman/Green Arrow – Deep Target #1 is a fun start to the team-up. As a first issue, the story is set up with a nice amount of mystery woven into the comic. Some premier issues can get bogged down with exposition, losing momentum quickly. However, Thomas does so differently, often resorting to letting the reader figure out what is happening on their own. The concept of the plot is ridiculous and chaotic, which is not a criticism at all. The madness of what is happening, with a unique duo working together, means that the book is energetic and unpredictable.

Aquaman/Green Arrow – Deep Target #1 is available now wherever comics are sold.