Aquaman is, without a doubt, one of the most underrated superheroes of all time. He is part human, part Atlantean royalty, telepathic, able to withstand the pressures of the ocean, super strong, extremely resistant to physical damage, fast on land and faster in the water, has super-hearing, and can command almost any form of sea life. And if all of that fails him, he is still fully capable of stabbing enemies with his trident. In the hands of a competent, well-versed writer, he is an engaging superhero and a compelling character, but due to a combination of prior bad stories, poor use of the character, and plenty of parody, Aquaman has gotten a bad reputation as nothing more than “that guy who can talk to fish.” Interestingly though, during the superhero relaunch of 2011’s “The New 52,” the creative team recognized Aquaman’s floundering reputation. Rather than fighting the tide of negative opinions surrounding the character, they chose to incorporate that into the story and highlight the fact that no matter how much good he does, Aquaman gets no respect in his universe either. “Aquaman: The Trench” dives headfirst into the DCnU’s reimagining of Aquaman and introduces both the characters and the readers to the hero the world always seems to forget.
