Geoff Johns wraps up his epic run on ‘Aquaman’ which managed to elevate the character’s popularity to perhaps its highest ever. Aquaman got seriously injured by the Dead King, Atlan the first king of Atlantis, but Arthur reveals that he possesses Atlan’s scepter and uses it to summon a startling new army with which to liberate Atlantis. Nereus is working for Atlan, against his will, but Mera is too defiant and has been imprisoned.
Arthur reaches the royal city and sets about freeing his allies, including Tula. Ultimately, of course the battle comes down to king versus king in a clash that pushes Aquaman to new limits.
Afterward, both Arthur and Mera must make a fateful choice.
There’s also an epilogue, where we catch up with Orm, which apparently leads into an upcoming ‘Justice League’ storyline.
Johns basically worked a miracle taking Aquaman from the butt of jokes to one of the best selling heroes on DC’s roster. He even turned Mera into one of their highest profile female heroes. Johns ramped up Aquaman’s powers, showing that he could do far more than “talk to fish.” He pushes the Sea King even further here, really putting him through the ringer and illustrating just how formidable he can be.
The art, by Paul Pelletier is suitably sweeping and he raises his work to another level here. There’s a certain Alan Davis-like fluidity to it, perfect for underwater sequences. The fight scenes are huge and loaded with details. His facial expressions are fantastic.
All in all, this was a great way to cap one of the best Aquaman runs in history. It nicely wove together a bunch of the extensive cast (another exceptional contribution from Johns), wrapped up a lot of plot lines while also setting up the future of the series. The art suited the story very well, quite grandiose and energetic. I’m sad to see Johns go, but he goes out with a bang!
AQUAMAN #25
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and Cover by Paul Pelletier
