I was disappointed by a lot of choices in the New 52, but thankfully, this run isn't going to be one of them. A lot of the misconceptions about Aquaman are addressed through dialogue in the story and Arthur's responses to those assumptions. It retcons a lot of his original backstory and overall, I am happy with the subversion of his prior backstory. In my opinion, Johns does a great job of reintroducing the character and giving him nuance. Despite having a claim to the throne, Arthur grapples with missing the surface world. He opts to try to live on the surface with Mera, and both of them are met with distrust. Despite being respected reagents in Atlantis,  Arthur is a decent person overall but surface dwellers are afraid of what they are not familiar with. The public also consistently gets facts about Aquaman wrong, and it becomes sort of a running joke. At the same time, it serves a humorous way of exposing the source of their distrust; they do not know him well, and therefore, do not trust him.

Arthur is forced to make morally questionable decisions for the greater good within the story. We explore the psychological implications of this for Arthur. He carries a sense of guilt for his decisions and requires reassurance from Mera. It allows him to be seen as someone with flaws who doesn't always know what the best decision might be. I find this quite fitting for his character in particular since rulers often have to make difficult decisions while also being in the public eye. While not currently being a ruler, Arthur holds the weight of important decisions while also being judged publicly for them. By the end of the volume, he has gained more trust from the public, but they still hold him at arm's length. I'm looking forward to seeing how his actions hopefully help him and Mera gain more of their trust. In addition, I think depending on the outcome of this, it will ultimately determine if Mera and Arthur remain on the surface or return to Atlantis.