Black Manta, fresh from the Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100 page comic, now has his own six-issue miniseries at DC.

He’s David Hyde, and he first emerged from the deeps in Aquaman #35, in 1967.
Anyways, enough of the history lesson. Let’s dive into the first issue. I’ll give you a short review and quick impressions.

Chuck Brown’s story is crisp and exciting. There is no fluff, no elongated narratives, it’s neat to the bone. Pirates, Gods, ambushes, and mysterious cargo. The dialogue is similarly nip and tuck. No posturing or pontificating, it’s simply the meat of the matter. Or maybe it’s the sushi without the seaweed wrap.

The artwork by Valentine de Landro (colour by Marissa Louise, lettering by Clayton Cowles) is dynamic, with solid figures and a great bold, simplified line approach. De Landro’s slim horizontal panels allow for easy reading. It’s not the ‘every window shining’ art style; rather de Landro’s fluid depictions help us accelerate through the fight scenes, and keep momentum in the story flow.

Awesome first issue, I am excited to read this miniseries. Hope you will look at this issue too!

DC Comics, Black Manta #1, $3.99 for 23 pages of content. Ages 13+

By Alan Spinney

After a career of graphic design, art direction and copywriting, I still have a passion for words and pictures. I love it when a comic book comes together; the story is tight, and the drawings lead me forward. Art with words... the toughest storytelling technique to get right. Was this comic book worth your money? Let's see!!

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