Do you feel characters like Aquaman or Martian Manhunter haven really been justice as of late?
Johns: More just under the radar. A lot of characters do that, really. They’re around and then they go away for a bit. Then they’re back up again. That’s literally what this series is about anyway – it’s about characters rising up. But Aquaman and Martian Manhunter should never go away. They’re too important. IGN Comics: Mera takes a very prominent role as well – and in some ways a bigger, more powerful one than Aquaman. I remember at Comic-Con you said you just love the character. For those who aren’t familiar with her, who is she and why is she such an appealing character to you? Johns: Well Mera is like Aquaman. She’s caught between two worlds – Atlantis and the land. She’s been the queen to Aquaman’s king for decades. A lot of people know of her but I really wanted to play up the sense of regal power in her, and all of the things she’s had to deal with. She’s lost a child. She’s lost a husband. She’s lost her world and seen Atlantis fall. And yet despite all that she’s still standi
