Follow

    Jeff Parker

    Person » Jeff Parker is credited in 911 issues.

    Writer, penciller, inker, letterer, colorist who has worked for Malibu, Marvel, and DC among others. In 2004 he was nominated for an Eisner Award for Talent Deserving Wider Recognition.

    Interview: Jeff Parker on Aquaman and his Adventures

    Avatar image for inferiorego
    inferiorego

    25752

    Forum Posts

    28300

    Wiki Points

    170050

    Followers

    Reviews: 324

    User Lists: 12

    Edited By inferiorego  Staff

    Jeff Parker's run on AQUAMAN has given readers a new sense of adventure and fun as he takes on sea monsters and elements from his own past. Now, Aquaman has learned his mother is still alive in the current story line "Maelstrom." Issue #36 of AQUAMAN, part two of this story, is currently available and Jeff Parker took some time to answer a few of our questions.

    No Caption Provided

    COMIC VINE: In the last issue, we find that Arthur's mother isn't dead because her essence wasn't pulled into the sunken continent. How long is this current arc going to be and how did it feel to toy with Aquaman's history and mythos?

    JEFF PARKER: This arc runs to issue 40, so it’s six parts. I loved that in the New 52, Aquaman’s history and the mythos of Atlantis is still wide open, it really gives me a chance to build in some intriguing backstory - and tie Atlantis into the DC universe in new ways.

    CV: You introduce the idea of dead Atlantians being sucked into this battery like room. What was your thought process behind this concept and what role will this play in this story and down the road?

    JP: It’s not just the room, it’s every part of the sunken continent and anything built or carved out of that strata. I was considering a lot of elements that have been presented so far, like how the dimensionally blocked-off realm of Xebel functions for instance, and other things yet to come like how the Atlanteans could adapt to aquatic life so quickly. It’s a big theory, and we start to get a handle on it with what we discover in Maelstrom. But there’s more revelations beyond this.

    CV: Lots of your run, thus far, has dealt with the unknown and beasts from the sea. What do you find appealing about these elements?

    JP: I feel like Aquaman works really well with discovery and adventure, and the ocean is still a big mysterious frontier that he’s best suited to find challenges in.

    CV: Has there been any specific elements or concepts from Aquaman's past volumes you've wanted to touch on during your run?

    JP: None that I want to just re-use, we’re trying to keep the fresh start feel for quite a while here. But there are some bits I want to sneak in without foreshadowing, surprise them. It’s a mistake though to assume just because some character existed in a particular form in a previous version that we will eventually replicate that. I really want Aquaman and Mera to be the focus.

    CV: You already have a quite a few issues of the series under your belt. Remembering back to when you started, did you have any goals for this series or anything you wanted to bring to the character and do you think you've accomplished that?

    JP: I felt like Johns soundly accomplished the ‘take Aquaman serious’ goal in his run, so to me the next step was to find a way to make readers relate to the character better. Because that’s what keeps readers coming back, if they can connect on some level. So I’ve focused the fact that he not only had a relatively normal upbringing in a small town, all of whom still know him because he doesn’t keep his identity a secret, but that he deals with the constant pulls of two worlds and different heritage. I think a lot of us can relate to that, having parents of different cultures or races. Trying to figure out where you belong, that’s pretty universal.

    CV: What can we expect in upcoming issues of the series?

    JP: The search for where his mother Atlanna went keeps turning up more discoveries, and gets dangerous fast.

    CV: What are your feelings on Topo and how soon until we get a one-shot Topo story?​

    JP: If there’s demand for a Topo short, I can happily oblige that. I’ll start planning it this week!

    CV: At NYCC, you mentioned Gorilla Grodd appearing in AQUAMAN. Were you serious or was that a joke?

    JP: Now you know it’s no joke! It’s maybe my favorite story of the run so far, it really came together. I’ve also wanted to push Grodd a little further into being a certain type of villain, and you’ll see that in 37.

    Thanks to Jeff Parker for answering our questions and make sure to check out his current run on AQUAMAN!

    Avatar image for fuzzylittlerodent
    FuzzyLittleRodent

    2087

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 4

    I've stoped reading when John's run ended. Should I give this run a shot?

    Avatar image for crystalmaster
    CrystalMaster

    272

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    @fuzzylittlerodent: yes, the first story arch was a bit long at 26-34 plus an annual (that's 10 issues), but it was more like 2 stroylines in one, plus his first arch in writing the characters

    Maelstrom has been great

    Avatar image for mixmastamicah5
    MixMastaMicah5

    248

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 0

    Damn Jeff Parker is the man and is criminally underrated on his work. Agents of Atlas was awesome along with his Thunderbolts run. I would LOVE for him to tackle one of the Superman titles or a WW2 Captain America book.

    Avatar image for jstndmnd
    jstndmnd

    1120

    Forum Posts

    45

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 37

    #4  Edited By jstndmnd

    @fuzzylittlerodent: Parker's run on Aquaman has been awesome. You should give his stories a try.

    Avatar image for hyperman
    hyperman

    570

    Forum Posts

    336

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 7

    #5  Edited By hyperman
    No Caption Provided

    I hope we'll have the chance to THIS Aquaman on his run.

    Avatar image for mak13131313
    mak13131313

    1601

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 7

    I've said it before and I'll say it again, I've been enjoying Parker's run just as much as I enjoyed John's run. Maelstrom has been extremely exciting and I can't wait to see what comes next!

    Avatar image for rustyroy
    RustyRoy

    16610

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    Parker isba great writer, loved his King's Watch mini and his Aquaman run is also awesome, I'd like to see him write a Batman series.

    Avatar image for fallschirmjager
    Fallschirmjager

    23432

    Forum Posts

    1162

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 32

    User Lists: 16

    I NEED A TOPO ONE SHOT IN MY LIFE

    Avatar image for captainmarvel4ever
    CaptainMarvel4Ever

    9999

    Forum Posts

    1337

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 2

    User Lists: 0

    Gotta love Jeff Parker, such a great guy/writer.

    Avatar image for apokos7
    apokos7

    749

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 5

    One has to be honest. I was very sad when Johns' run ended. The first two-three issues of Parker's run were disappointing to me. Maybe the inconsistency in art (the title had two artists on Parker's first issues) played a major role to that decision. But right now, I believe that this is one of my top pulls each month! I definately recommend Maelstrom!

    Avatar image for drf8
    DrF8

    3312

    Forum Posts

    127

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 2

    User Lists: 12

    Seems cool

    This edit will also create new pages on Comic Vine for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Comic Vine users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.