Exploring the underwater horror of Aquaman: The Trench
When Geoff Johns helped relaunch Aquaman for the New 52, he looked to aquatic horror for monstrous inspiration
Aquaman comicbooks might not be the first place you’d look as a fan of horror fiction, but Geoff Johns first four-issue story arc dubbed “The Trench” is as horrifying as any novel. To many, the murky depths of our unexplored oceans are terrifying. The darkened deep and the monsters that dwell within have long captured the imaginations of writers with everyone from Michael Crichton (Sphere) to James Cameron (The Abyss) diving into the horrors of the ocean. Johns takes the familiar superhero, tears him from the pages of a traditional comic, and drops him straight into a horror novel, creating something wholly unique and terrifying.
We meet Arthur Curry, the king of Atlantis, in a typically heroic moment we’ve seen time and time again in superhero comicbooks. He saves the day by intercepting a car of criminals but the cops aren’t in awe in the same way they might be of Superman or Batman. “The boys at the station are never gonna let us hear the end of this,” one of them quips hinting at the perception of Aquaman in the world of the story. It disarms the reader, telling us that they’re in on the joke, that this is a reinvention of the character. This reinvention continues through issue one reminding us of Arthur Curry’s backstory. A child of two worlds, half human and half Atlantean, imbued with unique powers. This is the Aquaman you know, albeit a more troubled and distracted hero.
By the end of issue one, however, it becomes clear that this is a different world. Johns upends the formula but channeling Steven Spielberg in a three-page sequence that sets up something monstrous lurking within the depths of the ocean. A fishing vessel alone in the ocean at night. One moment they’re joking about their lack of luck and the next, their line is jerked forward. There’s a big fish on the line. Our captain wrestles with his catch but before long he’s pulled overboard and into the black waters. A swell of bubbles swallows him before the ocean regurgitates thinned out blood which ripples outwards into the abyss.
That’s when Johns and artist Ivan Reis reveal the creatures that dwell in the titular trench.
Huge silver eyes reflect and contort the faces of their prey as they look on in horror. Long, needle teeth protrude from a black mouth, coated in coagulating blood. Their language is unintelligible, blots of ink in a pale word balloon, but the translation is clear: there’s food up here. This isn’t Super Friends, this is a violent world whose pages are soaked in blood.
Ever since Warner Bros. dropped the first trailer for Aquaman (due out December 21st) we’ve known that horror master James Wan would be bringing the underwater terror of the trench to his second blockbuster outing. A beautiful shot of Arthur and Mera swimming downwards, pursued by a swarm of the monstrous “cannibals of the deep”, is one of the trailers stand out moments and Wan has promised the full sequence will channel all of his horror instincts.
Johns opening four-issue run helped to bring a sense of pulpy fun to Aquaman, something the new film promises to continue. By leaning into underwater horror, the book created some truly unique moments and darkened the world of Aquaman by introducing a new set of villains alongside a re-imagined hero. If you’re a fan of aquatic horror novels like Sphere and Junji Ito’s masterpiece Gyo, then Geoff Johns Aquaman reboot is a must read. Oh, and take care next time you swim in the ocean, you never know what hungry monster might be lurking in the depths.
Dive into the depth and buy Aquaman: The Trench.
