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Saturday, February 16, 2013

Young Romance Special - 2013

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"The Lighthouse" by Cecil Costellucci and Inaki Miranda.

Our story opens in Amnesty Bay, and a storm is a-brewing:
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Via the letters, Mera reads the story of Samuel Wentworth and Felicity Markham, who met one night at a party. Many men have tried to woo Felicity, but her father has always kept all potential suitors at bay. Wentworth is determined however, and during a dance with Felicity they make a connection--only to have it interrupted when Felicity's father yanks her away from the sailor:
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That night, awaiting the storm, Aquaman and Mera talk about what happened to Felicity. Suddenly the lights go out in the lighthouse, just as they did years ago. Mera, determined to not let a ship get lost, heads out into the choppy seas, with Aquaman right behind.
This did not happen with Felicity and her father, who see the wreckage of ships floating in the water--but there is no sign of Samuel's ship, the Autumn's Daughter. Her father is sure Samuel is dead, but Felicity has hope, something Aquaman and Mera are providing in the present:
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Aquaman, with the help of his finny friends, helps direct ships tossed in the waves to safety, as Mera controls the water to lessen the storm's imact.

Hours later as the storm passes and the sun pops out of the clouds, Mera emerges with the figurehead from the Autumn's Daughter, buried in the ocean floor for so long. Arthur and Mera embrace, just as the ghosts of Samuel and Felicity do--two couple reunited. The End.


In contrast to the less-than-romantic cover (which would befit a Young Dry Hump Special, should DC decide to put that out), this is a sweet, gooey story, something you'd see in a romance novel, but for the inclusion of superheroes. I really liked the work of Inaki Miranda, someone whose work I was only dimly aware of before now. Miranda's gentle line fits the story quite well, and manages to keep everything in the story clear despite having to fit a lot in just a few pages. I'd love to see him tackle Aquaman and Mera again.

All in all, a fun little diversion, and only fitting that DC comics' premier superhero couple get to appear in a Valentine's Day special. More holiday specials, more Aquaman and Mera please!



Note: Suggested musical accompaniment while reading this story is "Brandy(You're A Fine Girl)" by Looking Glass


6 comments:

Joe Huber said...

I had avoided this special due to it's price point-planning on waiting to see if it drops in price next month on the digital store. That being said, the artwork for this story makes me think twice about that-to me it looks much more appealing that the current art team.

Sarah Park said...

Love this one. It depicts that even the powerful ones and superheroes fall in love.

aquaman said...

Ok, that cover is really nuts! C'mon, looks like WW is ready for ... well u know. Really awful. I get the sort of relation to old school romance novels, but who are they targeting with that cover???? And it looks like WW now has a set of double d's... ugh

Anonymous said...

Really like the first pages with Mera closing the windows. Feels like "everyday life". Something Aquaman and Mera rarely had during all those years.

It makes the characters all the more relatable. They are neither a king, nor a queen there.

Hugo

Micheal said...

The only weird part is Aquaman has the look of the JL first arc/5 years before.

But otherwise it's a great story.

Anonymous said...

I think there some extra resonance here especially in context of the recent issue of Justice League. I kinda have to wonder if the writer for this story knew what Johns was planning for Arthur and Mera.