Aquaman: King of AtlantisWins by Laughing at Its Hero With the Audience

Aquaman : King of Atlantis , HBO Max ’s newanimated miniseriesfrom executive manufacturer James Wan ’s Atomic Monster Productions , knows that no matter how aphrodisiac or cool Warner Bros. seek to make DC ’s signature amphibious Italian sandwich , he ’s always going to be thebutt of at least a few jokes .

fishy as we may cogitate tail end are , they ’re a core part of how we brace and craunch ourselves , standardised to how Aquaman ’s a sometimes pathetic , but important component of the Justice League . King of Atlantis — from Victor Courtright ( ThunderCats Roar ) and Marly Halpern - Graser ( Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)—fits right into DC and Warner Bros. ’ magnanimous project ofrevitalizing Aquaman ’s image , but it does so without drop off sight of the fact that fans have been poking fun at Arthur Curry for decade — not because masses dislike the fibre , but because they get it on him .

Though Aquaman : King of Atlantis is firmly place in a continuity separate from the DCEU , it occupy more than a few leads fromWan ’s 2018 alive - action featurethat follow Jason Momoa ’s Aquaman as he took his first steps towards becoming Atlantis ’ latest rule . Like his live - action counterpart , King of Atlantis ’ take on Arthur Curry ( voiced by Shazam ’s Cooper Andrews ) is a Isle of Man caught between two world and unsure of how to match into either as he embraces his Atlantean patrimony and his novel status as a illustrious superhero . In moments where Aquaman ’s strong-arm military capability is n’t quite enough to recompense for his dubiety , warrior princess Mera ( Gillian Jacobs ) is always ready to back him up with a fondly - shouted ginger talk — when she is n’t in use brawling with bass - ocean lump . compare to her cinematic and comic strip counterparts , this Mera ’s an explosive force of unchecked inflammation which tends to get the good of her , and is what makes Vulko ( Thomas Lennon ) the necessary third member of the serial ’ trio of fighter . Left to their own devices , Aquaman , Mera , and Vulko would n’t be able to give Atlantis ’ people what they need from leaders during a shaky time in their nation ’s history , but together , they set out to usher in a new geological era of serenity and harmony .

Atlantis’ newest king, Aquaman.

Atlantis’ newest king, Aquaman.Image: HBO Max

While some of King of Atlantis ’ more ridiculous element give the show an amped - up Spongebob Squarepants lineament in its more action - orient moments , its news report about Aquaman ’s struggles with anxiousness and ego - uncertainty is poignant and give him an endearing , emotional exposure that contrasts with his boisterousness elsewhere . This Aquaman ’s the definition of a manly man , but he ’s also a gravid softy with easily exposed , tender smell , and the show make out that ’s part of what makes him strong . But the show also knows that it ’d be silly to pass up the opportunity to poke fun at a yoked superhero who forget his menage every day dressed like a singular fish stick dip in an unidentifiable , green sauce .

Divisive as Aquaman : King of Atlantis ’ art style might be , it ’s absolutely beautiful and teeming with imagination as it builds out a vision of the mostly unseen world hidden beneath the Earth ’s sea where anthropomorphic fish citizenry go about their daily lives . Because the series shares so much of its narrative desoxyribonucleic acid with the DCEU , it feel both like a deepening of the character ’s status as a bonk joke vehicle and a throwback to the day when Aquaman was just some goofball in a garish , scaly suit . Compared to something like Marvel ’s late What If series on Disney+ , which likewise chuck out familiar - ish claim on establish grapheme into the thick ending of other universe , King of Atlantis feels innocent to have its own identicalness and less obsessed with hewing to canon .

Also like What If , Aquaman : King of Atlantis feels aimed at a younger audience more often than not . But where the Marvel serial publication has a curious means of feeling somewhat at betting odds and out of sync with its bouncy - activity siblings , King of Atlantis fall across as being much more aware of where it ’s meant to exist . King of Atlantis never baffle quite as meta as Teens Titan GO , or get as tiddler - y as grimdark as Young Justice , but the series sit around comfortably between series like that , tonally , all the while never cuckold into the universal gas constant - rated kingdom that ’s coarse in many other Warner Bros. Animation project .

Image: HBO Max

Image: HBO Max

Warner Bros. Animation has a long data track record of producing near - Elseworlds journeys off the beaten path that are capable to interpret parts of comics to the screen that simply would n’t be potential with live - action mechanism , and Aquaman : King of Atlantis crap percipient that the studio apartment has n’t lost its edge as its begun to dwell HBO Max with new shows .

Aquaman : King of Atlantis hits HBO Max on October 14 .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdjG44HX7Fc

Image: HBO Max