Aquaman #28 Review

The first two issues of Jeff Parker's Aquaman run were good, but they only really offered a taste of the scope he has planned for the series and how it'll truly differ from Geoff Johns' run. Those elements become a little more clear with issue #28 as Parker moves into his second storyline. Not unlike a good Thor comic, there's a pleasing blend of high fantasy and human drama at work in this issue. Parker seems intent on exploring more of Arthur's past and his relationship with the surface world, and that is already yielding some strong results.

Arthur's adventures really run the gamut this month, as first he saves a diver from a shark mauling even while being pelted by missiles, and then he returns to the surface for his most fearsome foe yet - the high school reunion. The second half of this issue is easily some of the most humorous Aquaman material since Johns' early issues poked fun at pop culture's anti-Aquaman stigma. It turns out Arthur has a pretty decent sense of humor. But there's also a sense that Parker is working to establish more of a human supporting cast to offset the more larger-than-life cast members. Again, it's the balance between big and small that makes this issue work.

This is the first issue of Parker's run entirely penciled by Paul Pelletier, and the visuals are markedly improved as a result. Pelletier has no trouble switching from epic undersea action to surface world character banter and back again. More than ever, it's clear this series remains in very capable hands.

Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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