Atlantis Attacks is back after a near seven-month hiatus due to the pandemic, and since September we’ve known things may tie into King in Black in the final fifth issue. With the penultimate issue here, can the Agents of Atlas defeat Mike Nguyen and his plans around his Portal City of Pan? It’s not an easy task with a raging Namor ready to level entire cities!
This issue is yet another example of how good Greg Pak is at writing team books. Paired with Ario Anindito and Robert Gill on art, this book maximizes each moment for every character which is saying a lot since there are so many of them. Customary of books with lots of characters, there are handy captions detailing each character’s name which go a long way to catch us up on who’s who, especially with the seven-month delay. Much of this issue is about the team stopping Namor from doing too much damage. He’s seriously pissed off.
The beauty of this issue is how it weaves in interesting lore and exposition about the dragons that this series has revealed to have had a heavy hand in human history. Surprisingly, Nguyen has a point that throws into question what the heroes should do. Well, until the cliffhanger drops and things get very interesting. That said, it’s fun to consider what the heroes should do since the stakes are so high.
Cool wave Namor!
Credit: Marvel Comics
Pak has effectively put Nguyen in a position where he can tempt Namor and the team to join him or see his side of things. Considering he’s been a dirtbag corporate capitalist, it puts in perspective how evil entities can get their hooks in good people. Of course, you also have Namor opposing all sides too, which creates an effective conundrum for all those involved.
For a book filled with so many characters, the art must do a lot of work to keep things clear and understandable and Gil and Anindito do well in that department. Much of the narrative is a chase sequence that looks quite exciting, especially Namor’s control of waves. Nguyen appears mostly as a hologram and there’s a nice glow effect by color artist Rachelle Rosenberg. There are nice details in backgrounds throughout helping to put in perspective where characters stand from each other. That goes a long way in team books to keep things clear.
As far as penultimate stories with a superhero team go, Atlantis Attacks #4 is effective as it spreads the love across the characters and delivers key information. It’s entertaining to see so many characters involved with something to do or say. Atlantis Attacks is an exciting return that sets up a must-read final issue.
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