Aquaman #4, by DC Comics on 4/9/25, finds Arthur at the mercy of Lori Lemoris and her mercenaries in service to Dagon when Arion and Vivienne arrive with the ultimate weapon.
When we last left the King of Atlantis in Aquaman #3, Arthur partnered with Arion and Vivienne to reach a magical plateau where the magic wielders could forge a weapon for Arthur to defeat Dagon. During the ceremony, Lori Lemoris arrived through a portal and kidnapped Arthur for her master - Dagon.
Plot Synopsis
In Aquaman #4, King Arthur receives his "Excalibur." The issue begins with a brief prologue depicting the moment Arthur first encountered Mera. It was love at first sight. Now, Arthur wakes up, bound in magical chains, aboard Dagon's ship. Lori Lemoris explains they are sailing through Dagon's domain and headed to their master. Try as he might, Arthur can't break Lori's chains, so she leaves him to make peace with his destiny.
Arthur uses his hydrokinetic powers to draw the moisture from the decking below his feet, making it dry and brittle. He crashes through the weakened wood, pulling his chains with him into the open ocean. Lori and her mercenaries give chase.
Elsewhere, Arion and Vivienne realize Arthur was taken through the Alpha portal, so they reactivate the portal and step through with the new weapon bound to Arhtur's soul - Thalassa the Trilance Saber. The magic wielders arrive in time to stop Arthur's re-capture. They break his chains and bestow the blade to Arthur.
The issue ends with Arthur giving his new weapon a test drive, laying waste to Dagon's ship, and sending a strong signal to Dagon that Aquaman is coming.
First Impressions
This is a superhero comic published by a Publisher known as one of the top two superhero comic publishers. Every comic should remind the reader, loud and clear, that the titular superhero is a certified badass. Jeremy Adams understands the homework assignment and goes for extra credit in Aquaman #4.
How’s the Art?
John Timms pulls out all the stops to show readers why Aquaman is a badass by putting his new hydrokinetic powers to clever use. Arthur puts up a heck of a fight once he escapes, and once he gets his new sword, Timms uses powerful, dramatic visuals, including a cool bit of silhouette work, to make the upgrade as impactful as possible.
What’s great about Aquaman #4?
Every superhero comic should be exciting, powerful, and full of moments that elevate the hero whenever possible. As short and sweet as this issue is, Jeremey Adams uses the available page space wisely to showcase Aquaman with his smarts, strength, and speed to show he's nobody's chump.
What’s not great about Aquaman #4?
To be fair, this issue reads very quickly because the entire issue could be summed up in three moments. Arthur escapes, Arion and Vivienne show up to give him his new sword, and Arthur kicks ass. Plotwise, there's not much meat to the story. For most people, this issue will still be satisfying under the "Rule of Cool," but the story effectively pauses.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Aquaman #4 leans on the "Rule of Cool" to show Arthur kicking ass and taking names when he escapes the clutches of Dagon's mercenaries. Jeremey Adams's script elevates Aquaman's badassery score by fifty points, and John Timms's artwork looks amazing. That said, the issue is more action than story, so the plot takes a pause.
8/10
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This whole series doesn't have enough plot and story for me and every issue is just three or so key info buried with "rule of cool" action scenes. That's why it continues to be extremely boring to me. If it was not written by adams, I wouldn't have given it this much chance ( Adams used to write more plot than action and still does occasionally but I feel like it definitely has taken a backseat in favor of more formulaic and predictable storytelling). In contrast The Atom Project is actually very underrated and has an interesting plot( if not a very good art sadly) and does something with the worldbuilding and the consequences of the events that most other writers keep pushing aside only for the next writer to come and push them aside as well and waste people's investment in arcs. In conclusion sure, this series might have cool looking scenes but it ultimately doesn't do much for Aquaman or attract new readers to invest in him longtime cause there isn't much hook but stories like Atom Project for example ( at least so far in that series that hasn't fallen off qualitywise), have made me more interested in characters like Captain Atom than I have been in ages.
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