The Good
AQUAMAN is back on track and all of Jeff Parker's (writer) setting up over the past few months are finally paying off in one, huge way. Over the past few months, Dr. Shin has been doing some experimenting on some creatures at the Triton Base, and as you may have guessed, the creature has escaped. This creature, who was once Coombs, among other things, now goes by the name Chimera. This is easily the best issue of Parker's run so far.
Chimera seems to be a very interesting character who also possesses the powers to talk to creatures under the sea. On top of that, he seems pretty strong, impervious to bullets, and a killing machine. It's almost like, in a weird, Dr. Frankenstein way, Shin was trying to make his own Aquaman. For what purpose, who knows? Regardless, he looks extremely cool, even though we haven't seen a full shot of him yet. Pelletier nailed this design out of the park. It is frightening.
Speaking of Paul Pelletier, it is fantastic to see him doing a whole issue again. He's really helped define the look and feel of this volume, even though he was not the starting artist on it. His splash pages are excellent and incredibly detailed. He, visually, moves this story along nicely and his action sequences are thrilling.
Topo returns! It's brief, but just enough to get fans (me) super-excited again.
Once again, the stars of the issue are Mera and Tula. They have a battle with a tyrant of the Underrealm. Mera and Tula are an incredible team and their adventures, exploring the other realms, would make an awesome on-going series (HINT HINT).
The Bad
Two different inkers worked on this book, and normally, it's not something readers will notice. However, on the pages where the second inker worked, the art looks a bit rushed. It may just be a coincidence that those two pages, which have a different inker, look rough, but chances are they probably had to be redone and the other inker wasn't available. They don't look terrible, but it's noticeable enough to take the reader out of the story.
The Verdict
Parker's run on AQUAMAN has been pretty good, with a few ups and downs, but issue #32 of AQUAMAN was brilliant. This book feels completely back on track and all the seeds Parker has been sewing for months are finally starting to pay off. Aquaman finally has a foe that can go toe-to-toe with him, that isn't Black Manta or Ocean Master, and Mera is having her own adventures, which rival the awesomeness of her husband's. This is easily the best issue of the run, and fans of the series who have been reading month-to-month will love this issue.
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