Written by: Jeremy Adams
Art by: John Timms
Colors by: Rex Lokus
Letters by: Dave Sharpe
Cover art by: John Timms
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: December 10, 2025
Aquaman #12, by DC Comics on 12/10/25, marks Round Two of DC K.O., DC's tournament arc, and delivers a battle that doesn't just if Aquaman can win, but what he's willing to become to do it.
First Impressions
The issue opens with sweeping narration promising that the battles ahead will be legendary, and then immediately proves it's not lying. Within the first few pages, you're thrust into the quiet 24 hours before the fight, watching Arthur doubt himself while Hawkman Katar Hol reminisces about ancient godly powers with an unsettling calm. There's a real sense that something cosmic is unfolding here, something beyond the typical hero slugfest, and that tension carries through every page.
Recap
Last issue, Mera raced to escape Atlantis's supernatural prison with only room for one to slip through, handing off her responsibilities to Jackson while the barrier threatened collapse. On the surface, Aquaman and Justice League Blue battled parademons attacking a cruise ship, their powers feeling dangerously unstable and raw. Meanwhile, Mera's return to Xebel introduced Nereus and Darkseid's Deep Six threat, with parademon-constructed volcanic furnaces threatening land and sea alike. The climax saw Aquaman unleash his avatar powers with bone-shaking force, but his control wavered as the world remained in peril, leaving readers hanging on the brink of something bigger. The ominous promise of DC K.O. set everything up for this tournament.
Plot Analysis
The issue opens with a framing device: legendary tales of battles and heroes will echo through generations, but one clash stands apart, a battle between men and gods. Cut to 24 hours before the tournament. Arthur sits with his allies, including Titanus and Andrina, wrestling with the absurdity of participating in a cosmic game while oceans go undefended. Despite his misgivings, he trusts the heroes who convinced him this is necessary. Andrina gifts him a good-luck charm before he leaves for the arena. Hawkman arrives to talk strategy with Arthur, revealing that he's fought wars across generations and won't underestimate his old friend, though he senses a new darkness in Arthur, like a roiling storm in the sea.
The battle begins in what appears to be an arid canyon or arena with no water in sight. Hawkman uses his height advantage, flying while mocking Arthur's aquatic abilities in a waterless environment. But Arthur proves his point: there's always water, controlling the moisture in the air itself, creating a disorienting wall that sends Hawkman spiraling. The fight escalates as Arthur's power becomes almost primordial, something Carter doesn't recognize. Trapped in water that fills every direction, Hawkman can't breathe or fly; he's completely helpless.
Between rounds, the onlookers confront Darkseid through a possessed Booster Gold, making quips while holding off the puppet. Back in the arena, Hawkman realizes Arthur has transformed into something elemental, something akin to a god. The mysterious entity Horus appears to Carter, revealing that in ancient times it called to his ancestors to claim Thanagar, and now offers to grant him godly power to save his people. This counterattack gives Hawkman divine strength, and he begins blasting away the water with force that rivals Aquaman's battle with Dagon. Arthur's momentary victory falters when Hawkman's godly wind blasts the water away. In desperation, Arthur changes strategy: he taps into his connection to all water in the galaxy, accessing the water that makes up 60 percent of Hawkman's body itself, freezing him solid like a stagnant pond. Arthur becomes the Dark Tide, and Hawkman collapses. The arena declares Aquaman the winner. As victory sets in, Arthur worries: he's unsure if he can stand against whatever's coming next, and his control over the chaotic energy coursing through him feels increasingly fragile.
Writing
Jeremy Adams crafts a script that moves with purpose and knows exactly where each beat lands. The opening narration feels appropriately mythic, setting the stage for something beyond a simple brawl. Dialogue between Arthur and his family before the fight sounds genuine, capturing his doubt and their faith in him. The conversation with Hawkman is sharp and weighted, with both fighters acknowledging the weight of facing someone you respect. During the fight itself, Adams keeps exchanges brief and punchy, letting the visuals do the heavy lifting while dialogue highlights character stakes. The strategic shift mid-fight, where Arthur realizes he must change tactics, flows logically and builds momentum. A minor weakness surfaces in the post-victory reflection, which feels slightly on-the-nose about Arthur's internal struggle with power, but it's a small stumble in otherwise tight writing. The pacing never drags, and the structure expertly weaves exposition about the broader K.O. tournament without breaking narrative focus.
Art
John Timms delivers compositions that work hard to convey the scale and impossibility of each fighter's advantages. The pre-fight scenes feel intimate and grounded, with strong character acting in close-ups of Arthur's face as doubt crosses his mind. The arena battle is where Timms excels: the perspective shifts from ground-level to Hawkman's aerial vantage, making readers feel the disadvantage Arthur faces. When water fills the air, Timms uses layered line work and spatial depth to sell the disorientation; you genuinely can't tell which way is up. The moment where Arthur pivots to draining Hawkman's internal water is visually stunning, with Carter's form becoming rigid and crystalline. Rex Lokus's coloring reinforces the battle's emotional temperature, shifting from warm arena tones to cool, threatening blues as water dominates the space. The Watchtower interlude is colored in sharper, colder tones, contrasting nicely with the main fight's warmer beginning. One area where clarity occasionally suffers: during the final exchange when both fighters wield godly powers, the visual noise picks up, making it slightly harder to track exactly what's happening in the moment, though the outcome remains clear enough.
Character Development
Arthur's arc here is all about internal conflict masking as external battle. His hesitation about the tournament feels earned; he'd rather defend oceans than play games for cosmic stakes. That choice to participate anyway, based purely on trust in his friends, makes him human despite his godly powers. When the fight forces him to tap into something darker, something he doesn't fully control, the stakes become personal. His worry at the end, sensing the chaotic energy taking control of him, opens a door to future story development while keeping him grounded. Hawkman's character works as an experienced warrior with respect for his opponent, and his acceptance of Horus's power offer shows he's willing to embrace desperation to protect his people. That parallel to Arthur's sacrifice of self through power creates thematic resonance. Andrina and the family moments add warmth without overshadowing the central conflict. The issue could have given secondary players like Titanus more to do, but the focus on Arthur and Hawkman is justified by the story's scope.
Originality & Concept Execution
Tournament-based storytelling is standard superhero fare, but Adams executes the concept by making the fight about who the hero is forced to become, not just who wins. Aquaman using his connection to water in creative, unexpected ways pushes past "guy throws water at bad guy" into something mythic and unsettling. The introduction of Horus offering divine power to Hawkman adds a layer of cosmic stakes that feels different from typical tournament setups. What could have been a straightforward power comparison becomes a meditation on sacrifice, control, and the cost of saving the world. The issue doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it drives forward with conviction and emotional weight that makes the formula feel purposeful rather than rote.
Positives
The fight sequence itself is a masterclass in how to make a battle between two heroes feel genuinely perilous and earned. Adams and Timms work in sync to shift the tactical landscape multiple times, ensuring neither fighter feels invincible until the final turn. Arthur's creative use of water, culminating in the stunning concept of controlling the water within Hawkman's body, is both visually striking and thematically perfect; it's not raw power winning, it's outsmarting your opponent. The emotional resonance of Arthur's uncertainty despite victory gives the win weight and keeps the character from feeling invulnerable. The mythic framing device elevates the issue beyond a simple slugfest into something that feels like it matters to the broader DC Universe. The color work by Lokus consistently enhances the mood, from warm arena confidence to cool, threatening water domination. The character moments with Arthur's family add genuine stakes to his participation, making the tournament feel like a sacrifice rather than a joyride.
Negatives
The one significant weak point is Arthur's final internal monologue, which spells out his anxiety about control and growing power a bit too plainly. Where the issue excels at showing through action and visuals, this moment tells rather than shows, and it reads as slightly redundant given that the story already demonstrated his struggle. The Watchtower interlude with Superman and Darkseid, while setting up broader story implications, feels disconnected from the main event and disrupts the fight's momentum rather than enhancing it. The comedy beats in that section clash tonally with the weight of the main battle. Additionally, while Timms's work is generally excellent, the very final panels where the godly energies clash could be clearer about what's happening in the moment; it's visually busy in a way that momentarily confuses rather than clarifies. These are minor nitpicks in an otherwise stellar issue.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TwitterThe Scorecard
Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): [3.5/4]
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): [3.75/4]
Value (Originality & Entertainment): [1.75/2]
Final Verdict
Aquaman #12 is a tournament issue that understands what makes those events compelling: not just the clash of powers, but the collision of philosophies and the internal cost of victory. Arthur and Carter fight, but you leave the issue wondering if the victor wins at the cost of his own humanity, and that's the kind of character-driven storytelling that separates solid superhero fare from genuinely memorable work. The fight itself is kinetic and beautifully rendered, with enough tactical shifts to stay engaging across multiple read-throughs. If you're following DC K.O. and want to see how Aquaman's story threads into the larger tournament, this absolutely earns its place in your pull list.
9/10
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