Aquaman Gets a Robot Chicken Variant Cover

With the Aquaman-centric Robot Chicken DC Comics Special set to air on September 9th, DC is offering a very amusing variant cover to the upcoming Aquaman #12. TV Guide broke the image:

"Aquaman will play a pretty big role in the show. In fact, the title could just as easily be How Aquaman Got His Groove Back!" said Aquaman scribe Geoff Johns of the special. "This is the last thing I ever thought we'd put on an Aquaman cover because it's such a bizarre collision of worlds but I think it's one of the best covers we've ever done...I just love the look on Superman's face!"

For more with Johns and the minds behind Robot Chicken, head over to TV Guide.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

Source : ign[dot]com

Catching Fire Casting Roundup

Smallville's Aquaman is among the latest additions to the cast of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Alan Ritchson, who succeeded Justin Hartley as the small screen's aquatic superhero, has joined the Hunger Games sequel's cast in the role of Gloss, a former career tribute who, along with his sister Cashmere, competes in the Quarter Quell.

Lionsgate has also announced that Bruno Gunn (Bad Teacher, Sons of Anarchy) has been cast as Brutus, while Meta Golding (Dark Blue, Criminal Minds) will play Enobaria, a career tribute from District 2 known for the particularly brutal, disturbing way in which she came to win The Hunger Games. Their casting comes on the heels of Munich's Lynn Cohen winning the role of Mags.

Catching Fire begins as Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a "Victor's Tour" of the districts.  Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) - a competition that could change Panem forever.

Source : ign[dot]com

Aquaman #11 Review

Apparently it's not enough for Geoff Johns to swoop in and make writing a compelling Aquaman yarn look like child's play. He also has to prove that it's perfectly possible to toss an entire team full of essentially new characters at readers and make these readers fall in love with them after a handful of issues. This is a book that makes good on all the promise the New 52 offered.

More flashbacks in this issue shed light on the early days of Atlantis, its first king, and how all of that ties into Aquaman's revamped origin. The scope of the series is getting bigger all the time, yet never does it feel like Johns is losing sight of his characters or the very personal grudge between Arthur and Black Manta. New developments this month suggest that the series is only going to get bigger and more unpredictable after this current conflict wraps up.

Johns focuses more attention on the present-day incarnation of The Others in this issue. It's interesting to see how these characters interact with Aquaman and respond to his status as a Justice League member. Their jealousy is an amusing counterpoint to the constant "Aquaman is lame" jokes that were flying in the first arc. Johns offers up some memorable character work for characters like Vostok and The Prisoner (who makes for a much better Unknown Soldier than the one currently seen in G.I. Combat). It's impressive how much life Johns is able to breathe into these characters despite their limited dialogue and screen presence.

Ivan Reis and his collaborators shine quite a bit in this issue, despite there being three inkers. For the most part, the inking duties are divided in such a way that the pages play to each artist's strength. Andy Lanning's bold lines crop up in pages where clear, detailed figure work is required. Joe Prado's inks, meanwhile, enhance the more ethereal and underwater scenes. Unfortunately, Jonathan Glapion's inks don't seem to complement Reis' pencils as well as the other two. The standout sequence this month is an aerial drop that recalls the expert framing of Superman's plummet in the climax of Johns and Gary Frank's Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes.

See? Aquaman is as cool as Superman. In the right hands, at least.

Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and various other IGN channels. Follow Jesse on Twitter, or find him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com