Wait no longer, Tag Team Thursday is finally here! This week Shaz-Bot and Clobbet-Tron discuss Marineman #1.

C-T: Oh no! It’s Aquaman in a Miracleman outfit! Seriously though, I’ve loved Ian Churchill’s previous work on Superman, Supergirl, and Deadpool and the cover to this looks fantastic.

S-B: I am not as familiar with Churchill, though I have heard of him, I like the art style to be sure, cartoony, but not cartoonish, if you catch my meaning.

WHAT”S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT THIS?

C-T: I was hoping for action right from the start, instead we get a 3 page prologue that starts with 18 huge dialogue balloons.

S-B: Yeah, that was really off-putting. I was like, “Hello, wall of text!” Once I hunkered down and read it though, it flowed pretty well, like I was reading a segment on ESPN 3.

C-T: Well put. It’s always nice to get a little mystery in the prologue before the setup splash page. Steve Ocean isn’t the most creative name for an oceanographer, but he doesn’t seem to have much in common with Aquaman or Prince Namor either.

S-B: A lot of the names are water-based puns though, his buddy has the last name of Clearwater. It’s kind of refreshing to read a book that doesn’t take itself super seriously. Anyway, I agree he doesn’t really have too much in common with other water-based heroes. He doesn’t seem to have any powers, and is kind of like an underwater Steve Irwin. Speaking of, I know more about sharks than I ever did before, thanks to this comic.

SUPERPOWERS?

C-T: I was surprised at the amount of shark knowledge slipped in the aquarium scene as well. Despite the lack of powers there’s an element of heroism in his actions and the secrecy of his father hiding out in Marine Base Alpha only adds to the mystery.

Entering Marine Base Alpha

S-B: Yup. It started to get really intriguing there near the end…

C-T: I thought it ended quite abruptly however. Did you read the supplemental material? Sometimes the little things at the end of an issue really wrap it up for me and make the story a little more interesting, definitely the case here

S-B: Just when things were picking up, it’s like you hit a brick wall. I know you’re supposed to leave people wanting more, but wow, that was abrupt. As for the stuff in the back, that’s what convinced me to not just outright dismiss the book. I love hearing how a book came to be, and knowing that a creator puts his heart and soul into a project makes me want to support them.

C-T: I really enjoyed the artwork and thought the story flowed fairly well, I just hope it picks up in the next issue, which I plan to read.

S-B: I have a feeling it will pick up next issue, and I’m willing to pick it up to find out.

C-T: Yeah, I don’t feel like you have to work very hard to enjoy this one, you get what you put into it!

S-B: My bottom line is, if you’re willing to give it a shot, this book is definitely worth your time.

That’s a solid recommendation from this tag team, check out Ian Churchill’s Marine man #1 from Image Comics this week!