] type='image/vnd.microsoft.icon'/>

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Atlantis Chronicles #5 - July 1990

sg
Comics Weekend "The Atlantis Chronicles" by Peter David and Esteban Maroto.

Once again we flash forward many years, and the young man we knew as Regin is now elderly, telling Atlantean children stories from history. They all want to hear about "the great battle", and after increased hectoring, Regin gives them what they want:
sg
The two cities of Poseidonis and Tritonis are at war, with Orin and Bazil leading one side, and Korax and Dardanus the other. Kordax seems to have the ability to communicate with sea life, but his command of them is tenuous at best.

When Orin and his army fire upon their enemy, the blood spilled drives the various sharks crazy, and they start to attack everything in sight. Dardanus is furious at this loss of control, and takes it out on Kordax.

Bazil's left arm is bitten off by a shark, and then Dardanus stands over him, ready to strike the killing blow. But before he can, he is stopped by Orin. Kordax, watching all this from afar, is taken by surprise by Fiona--his competitor for the throne--who Korax sics an octopus on:
sg
Korax gets in close, hoping Fiona's confusion will give him the upper hand. But she's a good warrior, and a swift kick to the...lower stomach has Korax doubled over in pain.

Orin and Dardanus continue fighting, all the way to The Cave of Death, a mysterious spot known for its evil energy. Emerging from it is something no one expected to see:
sg
Shalako seemingly has returned, and is prepared to exact revenge on the son who betrayed him. Dardanus, looking to please his father, stabs Orin in the back with his sword! But Shalako is indifferent to the act, grabbing Dardanus and crushing him.

Then, a ghostly spirit rises from the dead body of Orin, and the two spirits--looking like fire and water--fight one another, their battle taking them all the way into the mouth of the cave, where they both disappear.

Later, a grand funeral procession for Orin is held (Dardanus' body is left on the sea floor for sharks to nibble on). Afterward, Queen Cora has Kordax brought in front of her. She can't bring herself to put Kordax to death, but nevertheless dispenses punishment:

sg
The children ask what happened to Kordax, and the historian Regin admits he doesn't know. We see Kordax climb aboard a shark, and they swim off into the distance. And so ends the first age of Atlantis.

Some time later, we see a hawk felled by a rock. It falls to land, and its body is picked up by a hooded man, who is then chased by a gang of armed men. The hooded man fights with ferocity, keeping his attackers at bay, then diving into the sea, escaping.

We find ourselves back in Poseidonis, but obviously many years later. We meet a new historian named Helios, and a young man and woman named Haumond and Dona. They discuss the relative lack of dress Tritons carry themselves in, but their thoughts are interrupted when they hear Atlan has arrived at the city gate!

We then see that the man who escaped his attackers earlier is Atlan, and he comes baring startling news:
sg
...to be continued!

3 comments:

Joe Slab said...

I really hope DC collects this series!

Thanks rob! for the look at AC, its fascinating.

I wonder if any other hero has had his lineage detailed in such a biblical manner?

rob! said...

You're welcome Joe! I've been meaning to get to this series for a while.

And you touched on one of things I find so amazing about this series--very few heroes have been given this much space for their back story, let alone someone with such a checkered sales history as Aquaman.

Sure, DC has done a gajillion Krypton stories, but that's their marquee character. Devoting seven 48-page issues to what is essentially an Aquaman prequel is pretty damn amazing.

Wings1295 said...

Agreed. It is truly one of the most in depth histories for a character & his/her main "base of operations", in this case, Atlantis. Sad that Aquaman has no series of his own to dip into this huge creative pot!