In the opening pages of Aquamen #1 (on sale February 22 from DC), artist Sami Basri introduces the re🌄ader to a titan of a sea monster. It is four-eyed, lousy with teeth, and large enough to wrap itself 🍌around NYC's UN Headquarters several times over.

And yet, s💝omehow, it is not the largest threat in this book.

The opening issue of the new Aquamen series sees Arthur Curry and Jackson Hyde teaming up against an Atlantean threat the likes of which the world has never seen, mostly because, well, the weapon is on dry land. All across th𓄧e globe, A𝄹tlantean sleeper agents posing as land-dwelling humans are being activated by some unknown force. Chanting in an ancient Atlantean language, the agents begin committing random acts of brutal violence, in some cases against their own loved ones. No one knows why it's happening, but Arthur and Jackson are willing to do anything to stop it… even if it means teaming up with Black Manta himself.

Speaking of The Becoming, its writer Brandon Thomas is helming this new series, along with Black Manta scribe Chuck Brown. This is quite the pairing: these two have been behind the most exciting Aquafam books in a very long time. Thomas and Brown have constructed a gloriously messy trio in the two Aquamen and Black Manta, mixing up the roles of father/son and hero/nemesis in a concoction that's sure to explode. Even past the genuinely engaging mystery that drives the story's plo🍨t, fans will want to stay for this tricky relationship at its heart.

Tying the story together are Adriano Lucas on colors and Andworld Design on letters. Lucas does a great job coloring the broad daylight in whicജh the Atlantean plot is happening. Then, when Arthur gets hints from his old nemesis Ocean Master about the origins of the sleeper's strange language, Lucas turns the tone of the page down, cloaking the scene in shadows. And while we're talking about language, the Andworld Design team's lettering finds an interesting way to present a language translated to English for the reader. It's fun but, as with all their work on this book, completely natural, not distracting from the art of the page f🧔or even a moment.

The only thing that makes this reviewer slightly nervous about Aquamen #1 is its familiarity. No matter how interesting their attack is, this is an Atlantꩵean plot to get revenge on the surface, after all, and we’ve been there before. However, storytellers Blake and Thomas also seem aware of this fact. During a confrontation with Ocean Master toward the middle of the book, Arthur accuses his half-brother of attempting the same violence against the surface world and promising that he’ll stop him, as he has before.

"Maybe it’s not up to you," says Orm, "Perhaps what hap⛄pens♛ next is bigger – older – than the both of us."

After finishing the ominous fiꦦrst issue of this dynamic series, you'll have reason to believe him.

Need more underwater thrills? We’ve got you covered with the ten best Aquaman stories of all time.