Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artist: Butch Guice
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 18, 2019

This book was once my favorite book in all the land and while it has fallen a bit in the latest polls, I still really like it. I think that those reading it would agree that once it was announced as ending at #12, things got a bit rushed. Well, here we are at the last issue and I am hoping that the rushed bits are over so we can sit back and enjoy the ending. Did it end in style? Let’s find out…

The issue opens with a scene that shows how deep Namor and Cap’s connection goes. It was a cool reminder that Namor has been with Steve even when he couldn’t remember and goes well with what’s going on in this series with Namor and what he chooses to forget.

We continue by finding out Machan’s plan for the world and it’s not a pretty one. It makes sense in an evil villain way, though, and even includes a machine based on Hydo-Man’s powers which is a nice call out to earlier in the series.

That’s when the arguments begin! Everyone is pointing there fingers at each other and blaming the other guy or gal. It is cut short a bit as they arrive at Machan’s rig and we get an awesome spread page of our heroes battling sea creatures galore with explosions and weapons firing all around them!

As the battle rages on, Namor steps up his game, but just as he is about to bring down Machan, he gets mind-controlled by the Serpent Crown and before you can say “Namor sells seashells by the seashore”, he attacks Cap and the two of them plunge into the ocean.

As Steve pleads with Namor to remember the good times, Machan is trying to end the now times until… Cap and Namor spring back into the fray. Yea, I get it, but it just kind of happens and sadly continues the feeling of being forced in.

That sad feeling continues as Namor punches Machan and everything starts calming down. After a kind of agreement about what to do with Machan, Namor flies off and that’s that. The issue ends with his former mates having different opinions about Namor, but it’s hard to know if that means anything to the King of Atlantis as we fade out with him sitting alone on his throne looking like he needs a little more fiber in his diet!

I liked this series overall, but this ending felt very forced and fell flat. Sure, we get all the pieces put back in place and the final bits of the resolutions were good, but it just felt like we skipped large gaps to get there. I blame everyone who isn’t me for not buying this book and letting it end eventually and naturally. I did like the art in this issue, but it wasn’t nearly as impressive as that at the beginning of the series. The difference between the current and flashback art in the first couple issues was so good, but here it just didn’t have that wow factor like it did.

Final Thoughts:

I wish this book wasn’t ending, but I also wish it got a little more time to end. A lot of this finale felt crammed in and forced to a rushed ending and that is a shame. When given the space and time, Chip Zdarsky had a special thing going, but unfortunatley, not enough people jumped on. I jumped on and am so glad I did, but that makes the way it ended that much harder.

6.0/10