Written by Jeff Parker
Inks by Sean Parsons & Norm Rapmund (Pg. 20)
Colors by Rain Beredo
Published by DC Comics
Aquaman has been dealing with some very unique problems since Jeff Parker took over writing him a few issues ago. At the start of this issue, Arthur’s trident was stolen while he was at a class reunion by Dr. Evans, a man who thinks he can open a portal that connects our world with that of Atlantis. Things go amiss rather quickly though, and Arthur is forced to spurn his Atlantian council once again to save the surface world from the demons of hell itself and a character making his New 52 debut….Hercules!
I absolutely love the work Jeff Parker has been doing on this series. While I think we’ll be seeing it soon, I think it’s great that he’s got Arthur dealing with problems that don’t deal directly with the sea. I get that he’s the King of the Sea, but it’s really awesome to see his connection with the problems of the surface world as well as what’s happening in Atlantis. We haven’t had a major arc since Parker took over the series, but I think that what’s going on in this issue is going to change that because it’s some really heavy stuff that Arthur has to deal with. It really has the potential to expand the entire DCU with the introduction of Hercules and the Olympians into the fold. I also loved the twist that allowed the demons to come into our world to begin with. Parker is definitely working on something much bigger than what we’ve been given and I can’t wait to see it!
The art is absolutely STELLAR in this issue. This book is packed to the brim with action and hell spawn and it was awesome to see Sean Parsons flex his creative muscles in showing us all the twists visages that Hell had to send us. There was something horrifyingly beautiful about all of the demons rising from the fire that was just amazing to look at. In a story dealing with polar opposites (fire and water) it would be really easy to mess up the color pallet of the issue by using super vibrant colors that worked against each other and really messed with the visuals. That’s not the case with Rain Beredo’s work. I loved the decision to use a flatter pallet so the oranges and blues complimented each other instead of pulling your eyes all over the page; it was an extremely unique way to present the story!
Jeff Parker’s run thus far on Aquaman has been great, but I’m still waiting for something big to happen. I honestly do get the feeling that we’ll be getting something like that in the very near future, but for now it’s still a wait-and-see game. I love the direction the book’s taken and while the scale of the action is huge, the implications of the story don’t feel universal. Maybe that’s something we’re going to see more of in Aquaman and the Others, but this book feels a bit detached from the rest of the DCU aside from the one reference this issue makes to Swamp Thing, which was really cool for me since I’ve been reading that book since its beginning. It’s still a ton of fun and packed with as much action as you could hope for in a book. For that alone it’s well worth the read!
3.5 out of 5 nerds
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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