Aquaman #38 Review

Written by: Jeff Parker
Art by: Paul Pelletier
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: January 28, 2015

Mother of All Problems

I have been saying over the past few months that this Maelstrom arc might be the highlight of Jeff Parker's Aquaman run when all is said and done.  Unfortunately, with the recent announcement of Parker leaving the book, I guess that is now a given.  At least he's going out on top because Maelstrom has been very good and has changed a bit of the Aquaman mythos to boot.  This month continues Arthur's search for his Mother and while it may be hard to top a trip to Gorilla City, it's still action-filled fun.

The issue begins with Aquaman (with a helpful hand from Mera) getting rid of Gorilla Grodd.  I know the guy (or Gorilla) ws a real dick, but did they have to exile him in the endless maze of the Greek Labyrinth?  It's not just cruel, but is also used to show that the Portal can lead to fixed places outside of time.  This is important because one such place is The Maelstrom.  Dun-dun-duuuun!

Aquaman and Mera head through the portal and after talking to some fisherman (and throwing some marine life under the bus), they head off to find the Maelstrom.  What they find is a portal, but when Arthur activates it, all Hell breaks loose...literally.  What follows is an awesome battle between Aquaman, Mera and some really cool rock/fire guardians.

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The issue ends with Arthur and Mera finally heading through the Maelstrom portal where they find themselves in a fixed point in time and face-to-face with Arthur's mother, Atlanna.  Aquaman may have put it all on the line to find his mother, but she doesn't look too excited to see her baby boy. She does look awesome, though.

As a whole, I enjoyed this issue.  The highlight was the great action filled battle at the Maelstrom Portal and it was nice to finally get to Atlanna.  Sure, this issue could be looked at a mainly setup for the last two issues, but with the action and information we got, I didn't mind at all.

I also didn't mind Paul Pelletier's art.  Actually, I liked it a lot.  Recently, I've been hot and cold with his work, but this one is hot, hot, hot.  Kind of like the rock magma guardians that looked so good fighting Aquaman and Mera.  

Bits and Pieces:

I have really enjoyed the Maelstrom story and this issue really pushes it forward.  While it can be considered setup for the final issues, I enjoyed it for the action packed battle and finally getting to see Atlanna.  I can't wait to see more of this crazy family reunion.

8.0/10