Throne of Atlantis Event: Final Review

Creators: Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Pete Woods, Pere Perez, Paul Pelletier, Gary Frank

Issues: Aquaman 14-17 & Justice League 15-17

Spoiler alert! You have been warned!

So here we are, fish fans. The event is over. The status quo is altered. And there is a new Justice League operating (quite successfully) off the radar after Orm’s attack on the surface world. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s take one final look back at the Throne of Atlantis event as a whole. There were some great fight sequences, some epic and often-times almost Shakespearean dialogue, and of course, there was some great political posturing. All of this and more kept us entertained throughout the entire mini-event, and all of this was possible because of one man and his legion of talented creators that helped him along the way: Geoff Johns.

Johns teamed up with artists Ivan Reis, Pete Woods, Pere Perez, Paul Pelletier, and Gary Frank to tell a story that none of us actually knew we wanted to see: the New 52 origin of how Aquaman became the one and only true King of Atlantis. He did so with grace and expert pacing, and even planted several seeds for things to come along the way. There were never any dull moments, though there were a few missteps due to perhaps a crunched time frame or the fact that the issues weren’t necessarily written as Aquaman and Justice League comics per se, but rather, an entire event that just happened to have brief two week long breaks in-between each part. Honestly, my only complaint as a reader was that there was way too much development on the character of Cyborg, who is, in my opinion, quite a bore. But I can’t blame a writer for trying to make a character interesting. I mean, it is his job to make us care, and I do now, to a certain extent, but it just seemed strange and a little out of place when the robotic member of the world’s greatest superhero team takes center stage in an event that is supposed to be spotlighting Aquaman. But even though that particular part was something that I almost skipped over when I reread the whole story, I can at least admit that it did serve a purpose and it was well-done.

Perhaps the most impressive part of this crossover event wasn’t the actual depth of the story, but rather, the fact that it accomplished such an important task of not only telling a great tale, but also hooking the reader for the future of not one, not two, but three (or maybe even more) titles. We get a glimpse of things to come, but not just for Aquaman and Justice League, but also for Justice League of America, Justice League of America’s Vibe, and possibly even future issues of Suicide Squad and the impending Trinity War. Kudos to Johns for keeping me a true and constant DC supporter and always proving that the right combination of classic characters, good writing, great artwork, and editors who actually care can really do something special. And most importantly, thank you to DC for showing that this can happen every single month, not just when an event can grab some quick headlines and the company can cash in on a death. I didn’t just stop when the event was over. In fact, I’m still loving both Justice League and Aquaman, and it’s just an added bonus that I got two new titles I love out of this crossover with the creation of the soon-to-be classic Justice League of America and the sleeper hit that I wanted to hate, Justice League of America’s Vibe. I can’t wait for the next event, but I’ll be happy just reading the monthly stories of the characters that I have loved since childhood in the meantime.

My Final Overall Event Rating: 4.5/5