Drowned Earth
| "Drowned Earth" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics | ||
| Publication date | December 2018 – January 2019 | ||
| Genre | Superhero fiction Animation | ||
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| Main character(s) | Aquaman, Justice League, Black Manta, Ocean Master | ||
| Creative team | |||
| Writer(s) | Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Dan Abnett | ||
| Artist(s) | Howard Porter | ||
| Penciller(s) | Ivan Reis, Paul Pelletier | ||
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"Drowned Earth" is a 2018–2019 comic book storyline created and published by DC Comics. It is an Aquaman/Justice League crossover event that deals with Aquaman taking down Black Manta and Poseidon. The storyline received positive reviews, with critics praising the action, art style, and ending.
Plot summary
Prologue
After joining the Legion of Doom, Cheetah and Black Manta acquire a weapon called the Tears of Extinction, which allows them to kill god-like beings and make up the Seven Forces of the Totality. Cheetah murders Poseidon to free three ancient deities. Aquaman and Wonder Woman mourn Poseidon's death and hear that the Legion of Doom plans to go to the Graveyard of Gods. During their expedition, they are attacked by water creatures and are missing just as the world is covered in ocean and people turn into fish monsters.
Mera, the queen of Atlantis, does her best to stop the contagion among her subjects, using her aquakinetic powers to protect the city, but it is too much for her. The Justice League, coordinated by Batman, starts to organize an evacuation plan worldwide, but fails. Batman and Mera learn that a group called the Triumvirate of Atlantis is responsible for the attack, which causes Mera to flee and ask Ocean Master for help.
The Titans try attacking Drogue (one of the commanders of the Triumvirate of Atlantis) but fail, and Garth becomes a fish monster, but they escape safely. Orm reveals to Mera that the Tear of Extinction is the key to defeating the Triumvirate of Atlantis. Ocean Master gives the queen the Clarion, Arion's crown, to lead her to the location of the tomb so that she might find the Tear. As they are trying to escape from Atlantis, Orm is captured by Gall and transformed against his will. Aquaman is kept prisoner by the Triumvirate of Atlantis and finds out the three alien gods made a pact with Black Manta, which causes his powers to be stripped and his life force connected to Black Manta. Aquaman learns that the Triumvirate were in fact prisoners of the Graveyard of Gods, but thanks to Manta they are now free, their ancient enemy Poseidon trapped there instead.
On Earth, Batman again makes contact with Flash and Superman, as he discovers the location of a Space Kraken, the beast responsible for the poisoning of the waters. Superman and Flash are overwhelmed by Drogue but are rescued by Mera, and escape together with her, with Flash able to resist the transformation due to his Speed Force powers. They agree to help Mera in the search for the Tear of Extinction. Wonder Woman manages to free herself and asks the enemy where Aquaman is.
During the chaos, Lex Luthor leads his Legion of Doom to acquire an artifact that will access the Totality before escaping. Meanwhile, the Triumvirate decides to punish Aquaman, killing him by throwing Arthur into a space whirlpool. But Wonder Woman rescues Aquaman, who reveals to Diana he had a plan: they would travel to the Graveyard of Gods to persuade Poseidon to restore Aquaman's connection to the Life Force. Accessing the Graveyard, they meet Poseidon, who submits Aquaman to a trial.
Aquaman successfully completes the trial, which restores his Life Force, and Poseidon reveals the true story of Arion and the Triumvirate: Arion was an Atlantean hero who wanted to possess the Life Force (the power of Poseidon). Arion wanted to put the Life Force inside his Clarion (his crown), to then deliver it in space for other planets struggling to develop life in their own oceans. But Poseidon did not want to share his unique power with anyone, so he convinced Arion that the alien gods who answered his call for union were evil, trying to trick him into giving them power so that they could come and conquer Earth. In a fit of rage, Arion reversed the process of his plan, instead filling the Clarion with a power opposite to the Life Force: the Tear of Extinction. Then, he launched the Clarion into space, killing all life on the planets of the three alien gods, taking their lives as well. Since then, Atlantis stopped being a beacon of union and hope, instead replaced by a xenophobic society. Poseidon felt guilty about his actions and used the last piece of his power to send Diana and Arthur away before the Graveyard collapsed, telling Aquaman to bring the deity's trident with him, bathing it in the Tear which remained hidden inside Arion's body, to use it against the Triumvirate one more time.
Mera, Superman, and Flash find out that Black Manta has the Tears of Extinction but realize some of the Tears are in Arion's bones. Aquaman and Wonder Woman save the heroes, and Aquaman tells everyone the true story of Arion. Mera wants to use the Tears of Extinction to kill the enemy, but Aquaman wants to give Poseidon's Trident as a truce in hopes of ending the battle peacefully. Meanwhile, the Triumvirate of Atlantis agrees to Black Manta's idea of bringing in the Death Kraken to destroy the world. Aquaman concentrates on Arion's crown and turns it into a Weapon of Life and gives it to Mera who broadcasts Arion's message to the three Gods, and they turn back to good guys. Black Manta backstabs the Triumvirate of Atlantis and plans to use the Death Kraken to destroy the world, but Aquaman stops Black Manta and sacrifices himself to stop the Death Kraken since he is the embodiment of the Life Force.
In the end, everyone is returned to normal and Mera becomes a temporary member of the Justice League while rebuilding Atlantis and becoming its temporary ruler. Wonder Woman tells the League Aquaman was not dead, but only missing and unreachable because his death would be felt by everyone, as he was linked to the Life Force. Aquaman wakes up on a beach with amnesia.
Titles involved
- Justice League (Volume 4) No. 10 (prelude)
- Aquaman (Volume 8) No. 41 (tie-in)
- Titans (Volume 3) No. 28 (tie-in)
- Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth #1
- Justice League (Volume 4) #11
- Aquaman (Volume 8) #42 (tie-in)
- Justice League (Volume 4) #12
- Aquaman/Justice League: Drowned Earth #1
Critical reception
The entire crossover event received positive reviews. According to Comic Book Roundup, the entire story received an average score of 8 out of 10 based on 166 reviews. [1]
References
- ↑ "Drowned Earth Comic Book Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
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