The Good

Aquaman is still looking for Scavenger, who has been selling Atlantian weaponry to thugs on the surface, but Scavenger has much more planned. Mera bumps into her "husband" (not Aquaman) and they both face the wrath of the Dead King.

I love the reinvention of the Scavenger. He's not the toughest character, but he's incredibly smart. Aquaman has memorable villains that pose a physical threat, but I couldn't tell you one of his villains that is always one step ahead of him at all times, until now. Scavenger is one of those characters. He knows what he wants and he always has the jump on Aquaman. Their back and forth leads to one of my favorite reveal pages in recent memory. Seriously, I would buy the book just for those last two pages alone.

Paul Pelletier's art is great in this issue. He, along with Sean Parsons as inker and Rod Reis as colorist, put together a compelling piece, storytelling wise. Paul does a great job with facial expressions throughout the issue. He makes you feel a part of the moment, like you're right next to these characters. In addition, I love Rod Reis' color work here. I love his choices for his color palate. The colors all work with each other and nothing dominates the page. Coloring a book that takes place mainly underwater, in lower light situations is probably incredibly tricky, and Reis nails it here.

Although there's not a lot going on, I love this cover. It doesn't say too much about what's going on in this issue, but it does give us some insight into upcoming issues. I love how Aquaman isn't centered here and the movement of the snow.

There's a lot going on at the end of the issue, but we're left with one big question in our heads "what is the lie of Atlantis?" I'm pretty pumped to find this out in future issues, but on top of this, we have a another big reveal to deal with.

The Bad

This book gets a bit chaotic with everything going on. The Dead King has returned. Aquaman is trying to find Scavenger and the Atlantian weaponry, and Scavenger is looking for something himself. Vulko knows a secret about Atlantis. Mera has a husband. Swatt, Tula, and Murk plan on freeing Orm. This, and a couple other things, all happen in this issue. It gets to be a bit dizzying.

All of these stories are great, in their own right, but the after events of Throne of Atlantis seem to be just as crazy as the event itself. It keeps me wondering if Aquaman ever gets a break, and why are all of these events happening at the same exact time? While I really enjoy this series, I feel like this issue is desperately trying to grab the reader's attention.

The Verdict

It's a borderline 3/4 star issue for me. The book has hit a bit of a slump between the not-so-great fill-in issue previous to this one, and issue #19 being just an ok read. We're building to something great here though, and in hindsight, this is probably an issue I'll go back and read, 6 months down the road, and love because of everything Johns put into it which will come into play eventually.

As a stand-alone issue though, it's a tad aggravating to read because it's so chaotic and there is so much going on with every single character in the Aquaman world. He's doing the same thing here that he did with the Green Lantern world. He's taking a book that is a mish-mash of broken stories and continuity and making something special out of it. He's sewing the seeds for something that will truly blossom down the road, and I can't wait to be there when it happens.

Another good issue

Can't wait to pick this one up!

i respectably disagree on the bad i love how chaotic thing were getting for Aquaman him dealing with scavenger,murk betrayal ,and the return of the dead king o what a king to do

@battle_forum_junkie:

Yup. This book is beastly!

Love the cover!

What this gentleman said.

I disagree regarding the bad. The plot feels nice and thick, wih plenty going on and I really like that. I thought the chaotic nature matched what was going on perfectly. I loved this issue.

I have to say I loved this episode. I have really enjoyed the depth of the plot. Johns has created a rich and deep history and characters in his short time with Aquaman.

When I finish Aquaman compared to any other comic, I am hooked. That is what I want in a comic.

Paul's art is amazing--the page with Aquaman throwing the sub. I have to admit that at first I wasn't the biggest fan of his arts compared to Ivan, but his work is growing on me.

@jstndmnd: that was fracking sick the sub throw

This issue was great! I'm extremely excited to see where the plot goes from here... Can next month please come a little faster?

I have to say that this issue was really well written. However, the art kinda dragged it down for me. Paul's art is strong in certain places, weaker in others. I don't particularly care for the way he draws faces, either. It's a bit too....round for me. It makes the characters look a bit cartoonish when this is supposed to be a story with gravitas and seriousness.

However, I cannot wait to see the culmination of this arc. I bet it's gonna be great.

Another great issue, loved the bit in the infirmary with everyone turning to AC for answers which parallels the book with so many plot threads going around. Meanwhile the whole Bermuda Triangle thing was really cool to see (the dynamic of sinking ships and all). Mera and Aquaman are probably my favorite DC pair. :P

This is definitely one of the best issues of Aquaman yet. The complexity and chaos that is going on shows just how unstable things are in Atlantis, and why Arthur needs to spend time focusing on the problems in Atlantis and letting things on the surface slide. He is a King, but he is acting more of like a.... prince, if that makes sense?