Aumakua Volume 1 collects the first issues of Sistah Shark’s team. This flagship team of Mana Comics tugs at readers heartstrings for trying with sincerest effort.
Aumakua, The Heroes From Hawaii
The Aumakua are Hawaii's premiere superhero team, but they have to get good at it first. As I said in the Sistah Shark review, my first impression of them wasn’t the best. I thought they were just a generic superhero team with struggles and some not-so great artwork. But rereading that issue and the other parts that make up the first trade, my perception changed entirely.
Creator Christopher Caravalho’s art was still in the process of getting it’s best picture. The line work and architecture looks rough and amateurish. But in terms of cinematic action, it’s very impressive. It’s a joy looking back and forth on how the anticipation builds up. Best of all, the moving parts never get in each other’s way. Plus the reaction the Aumakua and their enemies make when a building gets shoved where the sun doesn’t shine is priceless. The cartoony look really helps in that department.
It all gives the impression that these heroes and their creator have a lot of challenges and expectations. The Aumakua are good but not great and something sinister is stirring. A force so deadly that makes their leader the Royal Hawaiian Guard shudder. Which is what makes the next parts even more notable, because that’s what grounds them.
Why Bother?
The second issue… does not have this bigger threat. Instead it features something like I said about another comic in fan interest. It goes something like this: Why bother with a bunch of nobodies who talk funny, when we can enjoy Superman or Batman or another big superhero? Hence why villainous stand-ins for the Justice League, Avengers, and X-Men show up. This Supreme Team isn’t your usual inversion of superheroes to troll the big publishers. You know… celebrities with superpowers like in The Boys. They represent how corporate names from Marvel and DC can choke the life out of other comics. I’ve come across a number of times when American superhero comics stifle local talent in other countries. Places like Mexico, Greece, and a few others. Sadly the US itself is no exception, especially in territories that are less paid attention to. Meaning anywhere that’s not New York or LA.
With how influential those legacy publishers are, the Aumakua’s fight against the Supreme Team feels like a battle for a spot in a comic store. One where they’re too young, inexperienced, and lack the support to beat Marvel or DC. Their potential is on display when one of the Hawaiian heroes defeats a Jean Grey stand-in. But everybody else needs more time, something Caravalho and the rest of Mana Comics are perfectly fine with. Exploring these characters and giving them emotional weight comes first.
Aumakua, The Individual Heroes From Hawaii
The last bit of Aumakua Volume 1 with Geckoman really hammers home the direction this series is going in. Geckoman seems like a stand-in for Spider-Man, an unlucky wall-crawler with a danger sense. But Thomas Lee has something that I haven’t seen in a lot of those comics lately, heart. The gecko genuinely tries his best to do good but he gets disheartened like everyone else in a bad situation. Especially when being a failure is tied to some deep trauma. But he does manage to leave some good even if it does take a while to come around.
It just so happens to come in the form of Mana’s letterer Kel Nuttall, or at least that’s what artist Eliseu Gouviea makes him out to be. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t some pep Geckoman gets from his creator or anything. It’s probably the most meta way of showing how the characters inspire their creators. When things look bleak, it’s not the greatest heroes who triumph over all that get these people going. It’s the fact that they keep trying to be better despite having the odds stacked against them.
What Does Aloha Mean To You?
Aumakua Volume 1 reminds me why Gutternaut exists. There are a lot of comics out there that may never get their time in the limelight. I couldn’t even find anything about either this or Sistah Shark on Goodreads. That’s despite how Mana Comics manage to beat some odds. It’s been nearly 10 years since it’s been publishing comics, most indie studios barely last three. This comic took my initial cynicism and turned it into something good. There’s genuine love, care, patience, and passion in creating this superhero team. Overall this gets a final score of 8.5/10.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.