Really Rapid Review - Aquaman: King of Atlantis Chapter One: Dead Sea

I have watched the first episode of HBO Max's Animated Aquaman series.

I have... thoughts.

First off, the animation style does nothing for me and, in fact, continually distracts me from the story. It's just not something I enjoy. That said, the animation style was 90% of my problem with the show, and not enough to make me dislike it.

The story was slight and amusing, but there were so many little bits and nods to Aquaman history and, I think, comic book history. I'm not entirely sure, but I think I could even point to the Silver Age book that the story is based on - or at least owes some homage to. I'd love to have a chat with the writer(s) and find out if I'm correct.

The story also leads into a new mystery with what seemed to be a running gag turning into something else entirely.

Character-wise, Mera is... um... let's just say I can see this Mera becoming a Red Lantern some time in the future. As it is, she's a great deal more aggressive than in the comics, but that's not a bad thing at all. There were more than a few moments her comments made me laugh out loud.

Aquaman is unsure of himself as a king, but absolutely certain of his role as superhero, which is perfect. Having him have more sense than Mera seemed a little off, but it worked well enough.

Overall, a decent start from my point of view, but I'd really like to see the reactions of non-Aquaman fans and younger viewers who actually like that type of animation.

If you've seen it, feel free to let me know what you thought, good or bad.

I hope to have the energy to write a more detailed and perhaps spoilery review later. We'll have to see if I can manage it.