Royals #6 – The Gift of Natural Order

In Royals, gamblers and telepathic twin brothers Paul and Castor Wahng played in the wrong game. In doing so, they discovered one of Seoul’s most terrible secrets. Father Park, believing it his calling, is searching for supernatural twins and killing one of them to make the remaining twin “normal”. Trying to save the superpowered twins Minah and Minee, Paul and Castor find themselves fighting for their life. Will they make it out of Seoul alive? Find out in this oversized finale.

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Shawn!

Creative Team

Writer: Derek Kirk Kim
Artist: Jacob Perez
Cover Artist: Jacob Perez

Writing

The Royals series has made me a Derek Kirk Kim fan for life. Everything about this series was perfect. Royals #6 really lets Derek Kirk Kim give us a glimpse of the special relationship between Minah and Paul, and it’s so satisfying to see it play out. Not only do we get to see Paul and Minah, but we also see just how much Paul and Castor have grown over six issues. Perhaps the best part of Royals #6 is what could be a cliche moment between Paul and Castor is turned into so much more from Derek Kirk Kim.

While this series has been fun and even at times silly, Royals #6 really carries some emotion, adding weight to the finale. From reunions and drama to the surprise twist near the end of the issue, the humor, while still present, gives way to some really impactful moments. The decision to make the finale a supersized issue clocking in at almost forty pages worked so well. It let this creative team wrap the story up in such a satisfying way. Derek Kirk Kim crafted an intriguing story where every issue felt like a runaway train adventure. Royals #6 wraps it all up with a nice bow that leaves me wanting to see more adventures of the Wahng brothers.

Art

Jacob Perez saved some of his absolute best work for this issue. It’s clear that we should expect to hear plenty more from Jacob Perez, given the quality of work put out in Royals. This issue maintains his signature style for the series. Not only are the lines crisp and clean in the issue, but you can genuinely tell that Perez is having fun with the SFX in this finale. This story is both emotional and action-packed. Perez manages to capture both moods through creative art and coloring. You truly feel yourself sucked into the story through the panels.

I can’t say enough about the decision to let the art sit on the page and make the panels without designated page lines. It’s a beautiful decision that really plays well with the style of art Perez gave us for this series. Royals #6, while being the same style, is so much more than we’ve gotten from Perez in this series that, while it’s been great so far, make this issue feel like a different level.

Final Thoughts

There’s not a single thing I would change about this story other than the fact that it ended. The series was fun, imaginative, well-drawn, and satisfying from beginning to end. Royals #6 bookends a story that started strong and never let up.

Overall Grade: 10 / 10

What do you think about the ending of Royals? Let me know in the comments