The Good
With the conclusion of Death of a King, enemies have to come together in order to defeat the Dead King.
If you want a good fight this week, you'll need to check out AQUAMAN #25 as Aquaman fights the Dead King in one epic battle. It takes Aquaman, Mera, Vulko, Tula, Swatt, and even the Trench to try and take down the Dead King. If anyone has ever questioned just how powerful Aquaman truly is, then this is a battle to check out. Undoubtedly, these are the two the most powerful beings under the water, so this powerful battle is pretty dang epic. Writer Geoff Johns really makes this concluding issue an action packed one.
The art team of Paul Pelletier (pencils), Sean Parsons (inks), and Rod Reis (colors) do some dynamite work on this issue. Aside from the fantastic action sequences, this art team does a stellar job with some two page spreads and splash pages here, especially once instance after the battle. The color work, in particular here, is amazing. There's a great mixture of blues and oranges which really reflect the lighting and what is going on in the scene. The art here is very pleasing to the eye, especially when Aquaman has a beard.
There's a lot of really great moments within this issue, but there's one that really struck a chord with me. Spoilers: Aquaman wants to lead Atlantis again, but Mera wants to stay in the surface world. There's one page, later on, with Aquaman sitting on his throne, alone, that is one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in recent comics. You really feel for the character because he thinks he's doing the right thing: what's right for his people, but he lost the woman he love. It is a fantastic scene.
While everything wraps up pretty nicely here, the epilogue is what will really get readers pump for when Jeff Parker takes over. Johns leaves one of the stories a bit open, and he sets up what could be one amazing story featuring Orm, who is still in the same place after the events of his Villains Month issue. This will lead the reader to another large event which will take place in JUSTICE LEAGUE, so while fans of Johns may be sad that he's leaving AQUAMAN, he won't be completely stepping away from all things Atlantis.
The Bad
It's a bit of a spoiler but Aquaman shaves off his beard. The moment I've been waiting for in this series is destroyed in a matter of seconds. I am crying on the inside.
The Verdict
It's the end of writer Geoff Johns' run on AQUAMAN, and as an Aquaman fan, I can say he really made a difference with his reboot of the character. He may still be the butt of the jokes to some people, but Johns proved that Arthur Curry can be pretty awesome. This particular issue wraps up everything very nicely and leaves the reader with an upcoming event that will take place in JUSTICE LEAGUE. This is a really satisfying ending to the story, and I, for one, can't wait to see the direction Jeff Parker takes the series next. Overall, I highly recommend this issue.
