Every few years when I was in the military, we had what we called a “change of command.” This was when the commanding officer of a command transfers and a new commanding officer assumes control. This is what made most of us used to change and become quite adaptive. It continuously came down to how the old regime ran things an how the new regime would do things differently.

Within our political elections, the public faces changes every 4-8 years, depending on if the American public likes the current direction of the nation. We have seen and every country in the world has seen what happens when a despot takes control. Every transition of power possesses their unique struggles. In the fourth issue of Atlantis Chronicles, Oren steps down as ruler, transferring power to his daughter, Cora, which presents its own challenges.

We find weathered down version of King Oren, as he has outlived most of his contemporaries, his outlook becomes increasingly grim, as agitators, such as his nephew, Dardanus, are constantly looking for reasons to remove him. As the serum him and his brother created begins to show its side effects, even mutating some infants, making them fishlike which pushes Oren to find a new way for his people to survive leading them o eventually becoming part of the sea without the aid of the serum. This also gives Oren the clear state of mind to realize it is time to step down and let Cora be queen, but not everything goes as planned, as the fruit of Cora’s and Dardanius’s wild tryst has also came back to claim the throne. By issue’s end, the kingdom has barbarians of their own at the gate and more than blood will be spilled.

Overall, an exciting issue in this epic and elegant history that makes up what Aquaman knows of Atlantis. The story by Peter David is suspenseful, layered, and dramatic. The art by the creative team is beautiful. Altogether an excellent issue which shows the talent of David as a storyteller.

Story: Peter David
Art: Esteban Maroto, Eric Kachelhofer, and Gaspar Saladino
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy