COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Aquaman #26
I admit, I was never really into Aquaman. I’m more of a Gotham kid and I’ve been really into the Bat Family even before New 52. But the thing is, when I picked up all the titles back in 2011 when New 52 launched, Geoff Johns made the Atlantean king seem more interesting to me, so kudos to him for that. And so moving forward to 2014, looking at DC Comics‘ Aquaman #26 where we have the pen moving to the hands of Jeff Parker, I was and still am being keen whether this change would affect the tides of the sea-ruler.
The way I see it, Parker treated this issue like some brand new release, as if the title’s been relaunched once more. Not in the sense of creating new grounds or beginning stories, but he has made a quick review of what has happened and is still happening to Aquaman and his world. Along it with comes the usual quirks of course, where there are parts that seem dull just to get an background check out there, or conversations that seem redundant. Although some might find all these pages of subtle explanation unnecessary, I’d say Parker’s done a good job in updating the followers and making this issue an easy entry point to new readers.
And aside from this issue being somewhat newbie-friendly, Parker’s able to put his own new ideas as well. Well first, there’s that cool water projectile thing Aquaman uses to travel, answering the questions all these years regarding how Arthur Curry (heh, I still think that’s a weird surname), travels the world’s waters so fast without the help of some speedster fish or Atlantean boom tube-ish technology. Aside from that there’re tidbits of undersea politics, of course based on the fact that Aquaman’s related to the surface and his consort has some family issues Atlanteans have dealt with. But what’s new is that the politics looks like it would connect us to some Atlantean history. Aquaman’s battle with the kaiju also hints that Parker’s first story would tackle some intertwining histories and conspiracies.
The issue ended abruptly and one could wish there’re more pages of Aquaman battling sea-monsters. But hey, it’s a good start for Parker and he’ll be able to cover more soon I hope.As for the art covering anything, I don’t think I’ve got qualms as Paul Pelletier and Netho Diaz‘ artworks never desist. I mean, just look at that cover. When I picked up the issue, I thought I could’ve picked the wrong one, a special edition one as it looked like the cover had this 3d effect. But it turns out it’s just my glasses playing a fool out of me as the Pelletier’s art was just that able to spring Aquaman into action, most especially in his new launching trick. Diaz’ pages act as fill-ins and his faces need a little bit more work. The look suddenly changes from one point to another and smaller panels make the heads look narrow. But despite that, he does a good job with the figures and I appreciate the leaner builds for our aquatic folks.
Like I said, I have never been the biggest fan of Aquaman. Nevertheless. I was able to notice him before and right now he’s still able to grab my attention and pique my interest. I wish there could’ve been more pages of the king pummelling (and being pummelled) by the crab monster, or more dialogues that could get us thinking about the intricacies of Atlantean government. But then again we can’t have that. Not yet. For a start, it’s a great issue for Parker and his team and I would love to see how he would make the title his own in the next issues.
Review Score:
8/10
Just as usual, thanks to Comic Odyssey for another great read! Check out their branches to grab your weekly dose of comic geekery!
