What are the odds that this book would get reshuffled in the
upcoming Divergence relaunch? As someone who is buying only a handful of DC
comics these days (Aquaman, Batman & Robin, Batman, and JL3000), I’m pretty
bummed that Jeff Parker and Paul Pelletier are leaving this book.
I’ve made no secret of my distaste for the new 52. I have
many reasons for disliking it; the generic stories, having to pretend that
characters have never met before, and lack of consistent or interesting
characterization all make the list. But Parker’s Aquaman didn’t fall victim to
any of those traps.
Parker gave us Aquaman as a king of Atlantis who was
experienced as a hero but was still on his hero’s journey. More importantly,
but putting Arthur against new foils and obstacles, nothing felt repetitive. Throughout
the Maelstrom storyline, we’ve seen Aquaman team up with other heroes and take
on a variety of classic villains. In every case, the evergreen interaction that
Parker presented meant that this story would fit into any continuity. I found
this approach so refreshing. I don’t’ know if incoming writer Cullen Bunn will
continue this or not.
One of the best parts about this run has been the bond
between Aquaman and Mera. They are the ultimate butt-kicking couple, supporting
each other while maintaining their own personalities. Heck, in this final
chapter of Maelstrom, Mera steps up to take on the big bad in a spectacular
action sequence. Through all the familial strife of the last few issues, things
never seemed too dire because Aquaman had Mera at his side. Judging from the
solicits, that will not be the case after Divergence.
Pelletier is one of my favorite artists. I always say I can
see a John Byrne influence in his work, so it has been a pleasure seeing him
draw Martian Manhunter, Gorilla Grodd, and the other characters in this arc.
Atlanna is a great addition to the DCU, half Conan and half DC Atlantean. Pelletier
also excels at drawing monsters, making the fantasy-tinged Maelstrom a showcase
for his monster design skills.
Parker and Pelletier delivered an action packed story with many
good character moments, crowd-pleasing guest stars, and the addition of Aquaman’s
mother to his mythos. That’s a pretty GOOD run, folks.
1 comment:
After Johns' departure from the title I was sort of anxious to see what Parker would do next with Aquaman... turns out he's been more than able to finish it in a pretty decent note. The Maelstrom arc (and whole series if you ask me) has been one hell of a ride.
Just like you, I'm not sure the new issues will take the story further. Judging from previews from #41 it looks like some sort of reboot inside a reboot (?). Whilst it looks promising I can't help but to be pissed when thinking they won't follow this continuity... #41 (and I guess most Divergence titles) seems to drastically be heading towards the Futures End storyarc rather than continuing with the previous issues. Which I'm not sure I like...
The 40 issues so far have managed to leave more than one loose end to assure continuity in future issues by other writers (I'm aware the "rise of the seven seas" arc will be a JL one, that Chimera and Atlanna's open endings do not necesseralilly mean they have to appear again, but it all feels too important to just leave it out not only from the main series but also from the series at all).
Do you have any clue on what this is all heading to? I'm lost here
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