One thing DC has done lately has been to mine the families of some characters that we never really learned about. Geoff Johns did it in Flashpoint putting a new spin on the fate of Barry Allen's mother and father. That has spilled over onto The Flash TV series where Barry's mother is dead and his father is unjustly imprisoned for her murder. Now Jeff Parker is recruiting Aquaman's mother for his Maelstrom story arc.
On the surface is seems like a smart idea. We all know Arthur was left on land as a baby by his Atlantean parents, but the reason has been amorphous through the years. Jeff Parker has been unraveling the mystery of the fall of Atlantis while Arthur's King and Queen parents were in power.
Parker (and artist Paul Pelletier) have done nothing but good things on this Aquaman book. So I should trust them, right? But for some reason, bringing back Aquaman's mother has a jump-the-shark quality to it. Yes, there is a rich history there that Parker has limitless resources to explore, but Aquaman has never been a character driven by his parents before. Same with Barry Allen. I don't want them to become one now.
Superman, Batman, Hal Jordan, even Wonder Woman... DC's big heroes have all had tragic parental moments that made them who they are. Aquaman and Barry Allen seemed exempt from that, and it made them unique characters. Motivated by just the desire to do good rather than living up to some oath or pre-set standard.
The announcement of the Queen's return has left me with more of a "Oh... ok," than any real excitement. But as I said, Parker and Pelletier's run on the book has been nothing short of awesome. They've earned my trust on this one.
-Gint
No comments:
Post a Comment