Anyone who reads my posts knows my nepotism for Geoff Johns. DC's Chief Creative Officer has been a favorite writer of mine for years now. He's ability to flesh out and expand the mythology of DC heroes has always been spectacular. He's blown the door wide open for Green Lantern, brought the Flash back from the dead, and made Aquaman cool. But after leaving Green Lantern and The Flash, the titles just dried up for me. The current writers just don't hit the right notes. So I sat down to see if the same would be true for Aquaman.
Jeff Parker takes over writing duties for the King of the Seven Seas. In Johns last run, Death of the King, Arthur found out his ancestors weren't the true rulers of Atlantis, but the betrayers. We also learned that Atlantis is one of seven underwater kingdoms, each with a magical weapon to control their part of the ocean. Parker continues this tale with Arthur and Mera returning to the surface for a much needed vacation, and Aquaman attending his high school reunion. It seems a little cheesy, but actually pretty entertaining.
Arthur also learns of Triton Base, a human operation that has set-up shop under the sea , and are looking to defend the surface world in case of another Atlantian invasion. They are aided by Aquaman's frenemy; Dr. Shin. Triton accidentally awakens the Karaqan and it's up to Aquaman to stop it. On top of this fight, Arthur runs into a psychotic Hercules and teams up with Wonder Woman to re-incarcerate some greek monsters. Meanwhile, Mera is diving deeper into Atlantis to discover who is still trying to kill her and Aquaman.
As I read on in this book my interest seemed to wane, except when the focus was kept on Atlantis problems. Parker didn't provide any good dialogue or insight into the Aquaman/Wonder Woman relationship so it wasn't that good of a read, neither was the appearance of Swamp Thing. But Mera's investigation into her assassination attempt, and Triton's secret plans, were enough to get me to finish the book. I think Parker just needs to stay focused on expanding the Atlantis mythology Johns set-up. Paul Pelletier and his accompanying artist aren't Ivan Reis, so the story has to be strong to hold my attention.
WORTH A READ?: Only if you're an Aquaman fan.
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