Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Also, here's a panel where Wave, yells at a wave, I guess.

We did go back and find this concluding issue--I'm not sure I got it where I did the rest of the series, but okay--but we might be kind of hard on it. With dragons, conspiracies, multiple underwater societies, and a grab-bag of assorted superheroes; it was the human element that I don't buy here. From 2021, Atlantis Attacks #5, "Eye of the Storm" Written by Greg Pak, art by Robert Gill and Ario Anindito.
Previously, billionaire Mike Nguyen had taken over Amadeus Cho, and was going to use him to defend his city of Pan, by killing Namor. Nguyen tries to play this off as "no more kings," but the refugees-turned-citizens of Pan are starting to realize he maybe didn't have their best interests in mind. Nguyen denies that, saying money was only a means to an end, and promises to never abandon them; but mind-controlling a Hulk is real super-villain stuff, so...Back in Atlantis, after a bit of posturing and back-biting, everyone has started to realize, they all wanted peace; and maybe you can't blame an entire nation for the actions of one cranky dragon. Talks are interrupted by the incoming Totally Awesome Hulk, but Namor's scientists had discovered Pan's location, so he's able to have him, the Hulk, Shang-Chi, and Sword Master teleported back near Pan. There, Sword Master steps up, to get the mind-controlling crab off of Amadeus. Amadeus is apologetic, but Namor scoffs, he'll soon have something to cry about: the shockwave from the last Hulk punch, had created a tidal wave that would destroy Pan within minutes!
Low on confidence, Amadeus still rushes to try and stop the wave; while the combined Agents of Atlas struggle to get as many people as possible to shelter. And here's where my suspension of disbelief runs out: Nguyen gives his shelter, to a pair of refugees that had been POV characters through the series. I don't see any way a billionaire would've given his life for a kid, even their own kid, unless they had planted their brain inside of them or something. Anyway, the Hulk-slap reduces the effect of the wave, but Nguyen dies.
In the end, Pan is on the way to being recognized as an independent nation; but Amadeus is stinging, feeling used by both Nguyen and Jimmy Woo, and he takes his leave of the Agents. But Woo doesn't have time to dwell on that, since Knull was coming, and next would be King in Black: Namor.

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