Review of Aquaman in the 80’s

***Contains Spoilers***

The 1980s were a rough time for Aquaman, and revisiting his stories from this decade has only reinforced my disappointment. The 1985 miniseries by Neal Pozner and 1988 special by Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn attempted to modernize the character but instead left me slogging through a convoluted story. The art was difficult to follow, and the supporting cast lacked any charm or depth. Moving to the 1989 special by Keith Giffen, Aquaman’s origin was retconned into a much darker, grimmer tale that felt completely at odds with the character. From being abandoned as a child to imprisonment in Atlantis and never knowing his mother, it was a harsh reimagining that ultimately didn’t stick.

There’s very little to praise here. If I had to choose, the attempt to dive into Aquaman’s backstory showed some ambition. It’s clear the creators wanted to flesh him out and add a layer of gravitas to his mythos. However, the execution was lacking, and any potential impact was buried under a dreary tone and messy narrative.

What didn’t work? Practically everything. The work failed to deliver a compelling story or visuals, and the 1989 special’s darker tone felt forced and unearned. It’s frustrating when a creative team disregards what makes a character unique in an attempt to make them more “serious” or “adult.” In both cases, Aquaman’s supporting cast and villains felt one-dimensional, making the experience even more tedious.

In conclusion, the Aquaman stories from the 1980s are a prime example of a character being mismanaged. These works struggled to find a balance between reinvention and honoring the core of the hero, resulting in stories that felt lifeless and unengaging. I can’t recommend them, even for die-hard Aquaman fans. Rating: 1 star.

Feature Image Aquaman #1 cover art by Craig Hamilton