Aqua Leung Vol. 1

Written by Mark Smith
Art by Paul Maybury

Aqua Leung is an enjoyable fantasy epic, where the young Aqua, son of the murdered king of the seven seas, must go on three quests in order to regain his throne and begin the arduous task of uniting the different sea kingdoms. In terms of set up, it's pretty standard for this type of tale - there are friends that journey with him, and things are tough and stuff.

From this rather common premise though, comes a very charming story. Aqua's a bit of a smartmouth, having been raised on land. The pacing of the book is excellent, and characters are likeable.

The art in the book is stunning. Maybury's work reminds me a little of Cloonan and Lolos, so I was sold pretty quickly. There are some amazing double-page spreads, as young Aqua goes up against some very, very large enemies. The book has a very interesting sense of design - the undersea characters reflect their species, yet are something else entirely. The aesthetic of the characters are equally compelling - Aqua wears loin clothes and feathers a lot - it's a strange look.

My complaint with the book is that while it is set underwater, aside from a few token references to that, the book looks like it is taking place on land. No one swims anywhere. People walk for miles. Aqua has to carry rocks up a large set of stairs. That doesn't make sense within the context of the setting. This has been an issue in underwater comics forever, but it's almost like the creators here just decided to ignore the water aspect completely. It kept pulling me out of the story.

It's a shame there won't be more volumes of this title (apparently Smith and Maybury don't get along), as it is a fun adventure comic.