We’re riding the tides in this week’s So You Want To Read Comics.  This is our weekly feature where we take a look at a single topic or genre, then give you two comic book recommendations, perfect for new readers, based on that topic or genre.  This week, we’re taking a look at comics about the ocean.

While this might not be that astonishing piece of information, the fact remains that oceans cover 70 percent of the earth’s surface and have a volume of roughly 1.3 billion cubic kilometers.  Basically, there’s a whole heck of a lot of water out there beyond the shores.  Something you might not know is that less than 5 percent of the ocean has been explored by humans.  Also, while the surface temperature of the ocean can fluctuate, beyond the reach of the sun the ocean is consistently seven degrees above zero.  Beyond these fun little pieces of trivia, the ocean has had a major role in both the folklore and culture of countless civilizations leading all the way up to today.  In pop culture, the ocean is often used to symbolize daunting adversity, an impossible expanse to cross, or even a path to freedom, amongst many other metaphors.  It’s this fluidity (see what I did there?) that makes it such a utilized and effective focus for creative endeavors.

So, here are a couple of comic book series that plunge into the depths to help tell their story.

AQUAMAN: THE DROWNING

Writer: Dan Abnett
Artist: Brad Walker
Publisher: DC Comics

For one of DCs oldest characters, Aquaman gets sort of a bum deal.  It’s not completely unearned though as a lot of his earliest stories and portrayals in other mediums failed to show how compelling and powerful of a character he can be.  This has changed in the modern era, especially in this series.  Coming out in 2016, this series was part of DCs Rebirth initiative, which was designed to rewrite the universe (again) with the partial purpose of bringing on new readers.  In this series we find Aquaman, the king of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, having to navigate both his kingdom’s own politics but those of the various surface governments.  A terrorist attack has been pinned on a group of Atlantean extremists and it’s up to Aquaman to find the truth and avert war.  While having plenty of great action, this series also excels with its political intrigue, both of which work together to highlight humanity’s relationship with the ocean itself and the ways that each side needs the other.

THE AQUANAUT

Writer: Dan Santat
Artist: Dan Santat
Publisher: Graphix

As mentioned above, the ocean is used, symbolically, in many different ways.  Its sheer size seems to provide space for not only countless creatures, but personal attachments. But, oftentimes creators choose just one of these.  That’s not the case with The Aquanaut.  This graphic novel follows Sophia, whose father was lost at sea.  Her father, though, loved the ocean and had created a theme park to share his love of the ocean with the world.  But, when a deep sea diving suit appears one day, being controlled by a group of sea creatures, what ensues leads Sophia on a path of discovery, not only about what has happened to the theme park, but her own acceptance of her trauma.  This series really excels at allowing the ocean itself to be whatever metaphor it needs to be in the moment it’s needed.  Sometimes it’s dangerous and cruel, other times it’s brimming with joy and possibility.  This is marketed as a book for middle school-aged readers, but the messages here can reach anyone and it’s one volume which makes it perfect for a quick read.

So what are some of your favorite comics about the ocean?  What did you think of these recommendations? Let us know in the comments section below.

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