Ivan Reis might have ushered Aquaman into the New 52, but Paul Pelletier has made the book his own. The art in this issue is fantastic. Pelletier brings the ocean to life with incredible detail, helping to heighten the scope of Johns' script. There are a few splash pages in this issue that have such a massive scale and technical detail that beg to be pored over. The smaller, close-up moments are great as well; the strain on Arthur when he's using his powers is palpable, as is the look of terror and despair on Mera's face towards the end of the issue. But Pelletier can't get all the credit; Sean Parson's inks are confident and clean, and Rod Reis' coloring is spot on, lacing a variety of blues that really help the panels pop. Also, as if the art in this issue wasn't amazing enough, we finally get to see the return of a bearded Aquaman, and that's something everyone should be excited for. Read Full Review

There are more than a couple standout moments in this issue. Artist Paul Pelletier delivers one breathtaking moment after another with his cinematic style that sucks you in like a rip current. The kiss, the monster, and that final page are all executed with finesse to deliver very different emotions that hit equally hard in their own way. Rod Reis absolutely kills it with his color work, creating a gloomy blue world that feels as expansive and mysterious as the depths of space. Read Full Review

Aquaman #23is an interesting issue. Full of action, there is a lot going on as the chaos encircles Aquaman and brings him to his knees. Whilst all the threads aren't quite woven together this issue, the ending certainly sets up an exciting next storyline following Villains Month, with a lot of questions be left to be answered in the following months. Read Full Review

This continues to be a stand-out series at DC, and the creative team is really re-establishing Aquaman as a top tier character. The stories in this series are worth reading and add a lot of depth to his mythos. This is a series you should be reading. Read Full Review

Geoff Johns continues to do for Aquaman what he did for Green Lantern, and I hope his impact is felt elsewhere. Aquaman is one of the best books at DC right now and everyone should be reading. It's action-packed, it stars several amazing characters and the drama is just through the roof. Read Full Review

Since this was supposed to be the original ending but is not anymore, this issue felt like a cross between a transitory-action piece and a climactic showdown. That cross ends up feeling a tad wonky but for the most part, the plot and the characters are good. The dialogue doesnt feel particularly forced or hammy, and theres some real high-stakes drama going on here. The low key drama has been very good for both Aquaman #23 and Johns writing as whole. Read Full Review

A few good thrills to be had, and as always, an enticing cliffhanger, although some of the storytelling choices leave something to be desired. Read Full Review

Overall, Aquaman #23 has some great moments, and it was a conclusion to a very good story. The conclusion needed time to really set in and allow the story to go one issue longer. We got an emotional scene with Mera and Aquaman which was nice to see. Also a shocking ending that will have the two month wait frustrating many readers. Read Full Review

All in all, this book flows nicely. I'm glad to get some closure to a few plot lines that started out strong but was starting to feel as if it were dragging a bit. The artwork was great, as usual. But as I said, the way the issue ended was really odd and I'm not sure how I feel about that. But overall, this is a solid series and this was another strong issue. Read Full Review

While I love what Geoff Johns has done with the character in general I am just not a fan of this arc or the art that accompanies it. The way this issue ended though does open up Aquaman for a whole new world which could be enjoyable. Read Full Review

"Aquaman" #23's not a bad conclusion to the second year's worth of stories for this title, but it's definitely one of the weaker issues to date. Johns normally writes a more powerful conclusion, and in the end I'm willing to wrap it up to the sudden need for a fill-in issue that shortened this story overall. (On the bright side, it was a fun fill-in.) With all that behind us now, I look forward to year three kicking off next month. We've been given a good launching point into that third year, and it should be fun to watch it play out. Not bad, but I wish it was better. Read Full Review

It is unbelievable how much momentum was built up before this issue, and how it was all wasted. The story is still interesting, and its hard to not be interested in the next issuebut it should have all exploded this issue. It feels like unnecessary stretching of material in order to guarantee another 2.99 next month. As a fan of Johns run on Aquaman so far, it is hard to say that this was the issue where he lost me the most, as it was the issue I was most excited about. Read Full Review

A wonderful ending to the 5 part story arch that'll have you wanting to know all the possible answers to the question it leaves you with.