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A review by caterpie_reading
Aquaman Vol. 4: Death of a King by Geoff Johns
5.0
Well, this is my favorite volume so far. Death of a King exceeded my expectations, which I thought could not be possible. I can't help it, I am so in love with Geoff Johns Aquaman run and this was a worthy finale. I know that I said this about the previous three volumes as well, but it's the truth: I had so much fun reading this story, I loved every second of it.
The story was so complex and well thought out that it was like a movie that played in my head. While reading this, I was completely in my own world, sucked into the awesomeness that was this story. There were different plot lines that wove together perfectly in the end and I liked reading about all of them from the beginning which was great. So there never was a dull moment or a time where I wasn't interested in what was going on. I was so fascinated by the Dead King and what his history and motives may be and I really liked that he became such an important element of the story later on. The little twist in the story after Aquaman finds out more about the Dead King in Antarctica was one of my favorite things. The "secret of Atlantis" with its original 7 realms was such a cool plot element that gave the story much more depth. Also, the revelation regarding Aquamans heritage was also something that was very well done.
The newly introduced characters Murk and Tula were amazing. They felt very developed from the beginning and especially with Tula I fell in love with. I just really liked seeing a character that loves Orm but respects Arthur at the same time and seeing in what kind of a difficult situation that can bring someone. However, it was so fun seeing those two and Swatt (who is probably one of the most intriguing characters and I want to know eeeeeverything about him) on land, trying to rescue Orm.
One of the thing I loved most about Death of King was probably getting some background knowledge on Mera, which I was dying for. And finally we got to see some history on her. The time where Mera was in Xebel was just so great to read about, I loved seeing another city than Atlantis. Xebel itself is situated in the Bermuda triangle and there is only one way to enter it, which I thought was a really clever idea. Nereus was such an obnoxious character but he was something that the story needed to become even more perfect, so I was really glad that a character like him was introduced. The Scavenger brought about some nice little twists and turns in the plot and I think that he was good and necessary addition for the complexity of the story.
Overall, I really liked the pacing and the flow of the story, I never felt bored or lost while reading, but more so engaged and interested in what was happening. Geoff Johns is such a fantastic writing, he definitely knows how to write an intriguing story and beautiful, fleshed out characters. The previous three volumes helped this one to become the fantastic conclusion that it is. Moreover, I just loved the ending to pieces. It was so nice seeing Orm outside of a prison cell, living a somewhat normal life. And I was at the edge of my seat when Nereus showed up and dropped the bomb regarding the seven seas. God, I loved that. The ending with Mera and Arthur was especially adorable, I am so glad that those two are united again, even if it is in Atlantis. In general, I loved how their relationship and love was portrayed throughout the first 4 volumes. Their loyalty to each other, their honesty and the fact that Arthur would do absolutely anything for his queen melts my heart each time.
Two really nice additions were Topo (yeay for the giant octopus saving the day) and Urn. His loyalty to Arthur, to laws and justice and the way he acted in general touched my heart and his death broke it. I was so hoping for another supporter of Aquaman as king but oh well, what can you do.
I also feel like Aquaman itself gets even more complex in this volume, his character even more shaded. He evolved in such a strong character and I loved that Geoff Johns did this for him.
The art, of course, was stunning as always. Sometimes I stared at the panels for far longer than it was necessary, but they were just so damn beautiful.
I have nothing bad to say about this volume. It was just a treat reading it.
The story was so complex and well thought out that it was like a movie that played in my head. While reading this, I was completely in my own world, sucked into the awesomeness that was this story. There were different plot lines that wove together perfectly in the end and I liked reading about all of them from the beginning which was great. So there never was a dull moment or a time where I wasn't interested in what was going on. I was so fascinated by the Dead King and what his history and motives may be and I really liked that he became such an important element of the story later on. The little twist in the story after Aquaman finds out more about the Dead King in Antarctica was one of my favorite things. The "secret of Atlantis" with its original 7 realms was such a cool plot element that gave the story much more depth. Also, the revelation regarding Aquamans heritage was also something that was very well done.
The newly introduced characters Murk and Tula were amazing. They felt very developed from the beginning and especially with Tula I fell in love with. I just really liked seeing a character that loves Orm but respects Arthur at the same time and seeing in what kind of a difficult situation that can bring someone. However, it was so fun seeing those two and Swatt (who is probably one of the most intriguing characters and I want to know eeeeeverything about him) on land, trying to rescue Orm.
One of the thing I loved most about Death of King was probably getting some background knowledge on Mera, which I was dying for. And finally we got to see some history on her. The time where Mera was in Xebel was just so great to read about, I loved seeing another city than Atlantis. Xebel itself is situated in the Bermuda triangle and there is only one way to enter it, which I thought was a really clever idea. Nereus was such an obnoxious character but he was something that the story needed to become even more perfect, so I was really glad that a character like him was introduced. The Scavenger brought about some nice little twists and turns in the plot and I think that he was good and necessary addition for the complexity of the story.
Overall, I really liked the pacing and the flow of the story, I never felt bored or lost while reading, but more so engaged and interested in what was happening. Geoff Johns is such a fantastic writing, he definitely knows how to write an intriguing story and beautiful, fleshed out characters. The previous three volumes helped this one to become the fantastic conclusion that it is. Moreover, I just loved the ending to pieces. It was so nice seeing Orm outside of a prison cell, living a somewhat normal life. And I was at the edge of my seat when Nereus showed up and dropped the bomb regarding the seven seas. God, I loved that. The ending with Mera and Arthur was especially adorable, I am so glad that those two are united again, even if it is in Atlantis. In general, I loved how their relationship and love was portrayed throughout the first 4 volumes. Their loyalty to each other, their honesty and the fact that Arthur would do absolutely anything for his queen melts my heart each time.
Two really nice additions were Topo (yeay for the giant octopus saving the day) and Urn. His loyalty to Arthur, to laws and justice and the way he acted in general touched my heart and his death broke it. I was so hoping for another supporter of Aquaman as king but oh well, what can you do.
I also feel like Aquaman itself gets even more complex in this volume, his character even more shaded. He evolved in such a strong character and I loved that Geoff Johns did this for him.
The art, of course, was stunning as always. Sometimes I stared at the panels for far longer than it was necessary, but they were just so damn beautiful.
I have nothing bad to say about this volume. It was just a treat reading it.