Geoff Johns on Mera

To promote the launch of Aquaman #1 this week, creator Geoff Johns spoke to Newsarama and IGN about the title and the characters.  Following are excerpts from both interviews focusing on Mera, acompanied by art from Aquaman #1 by Ivan Reis and a tiny preview of issue #2.  For the complete interviews, visit Newsarama and IGN.

"The first issue kind of sets the stage for Aquaman and then Mera comes into the book in issue #2, and – I think it's issue #6 – is actually just going to focus on Mera. So for me, ever since Blackest Night, pulling her out of obscurity and putting her into it and building her up, I think it just makes Aquaman stronger and it adds another iconic female superhero to the DC Universe."

"She's his life partner. She's a lot more aggressive than most of our heroes in the DC Universe, but she is incredibly strong and she's incredibly loyal. She has a very conflicted and violent past, which we explored a bit in Brightest Day. She's here to make a life with him."

"We talked a lot about doing Aquaman during Blackest Night but we ended up doing Brightest Day. But during Blackest Night with Mera and even the Black Lantern Aquaman, Ivan [Reis] and Joe [Prado] really got into the character. I got really sucked in. For me, writing Mera alone was a blast. I could've done a Mera book."

"There's a great scene in issue #2 where Mera uses her powers for the first time, and it's just breathtaking, the way [Ivan Reis] is drawing. And our colorist Rob Reis is just doing an amazing job on lighting up the book. It just looks spectacular."