Aquaman
| Aquaman | |
|---|---|
| File:Aquaman.jpg Aquaman as painted by Alex Ross | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | More Fun Comics #73 (November, 1941) |
| Created by | Paul Norris Mort Weisinger |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Orin, adopted as Arthur Curry |
| Team affiliations | Justice League, All-Star Squadron (Pre-Crisis Earth-Two continuity) |
| Notable aliases | The Sea King |
| Abilities | Physically adapted for breathing underwater and tolerating deep-sea-level pressure, ability to communicate with all marine life via telepathy, enhanced strength, stamina, durability and speed, and left hand composed of enchanted water with magical properties. |
Aquaman is a DC Comics superhero. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 (1941).
Like Marvel Comics' Namor, the Sub-Mariner, Aquaman is an undersea hero originating from the mythical kingdom of Atlantis. In the traditional version of his origin, he was Arthur Curry, the son of Tom Curry, a human lighthouse keeper, and Atlanna, an outcast from Atlantis. Recent comics, however, depict Aquaman as an orphan of purely underwater heritage who was briefly raised by a lighthouse keeper named Arthur Curry. In either case, Arthur eventually learned about his origins and powers, and vowed to defend the Earth's oceans and their aquatic inhabitants.
Aquaman's most noteworthy powers are his ability to breathe underwater, communicate (via telepathy) with and issue commands to all forms of sea life, and swim at fast speeds. In some depictions, Aquaman also possesses limited degrees of superstrength and invulnerability, sometimes said to derive from his ability to withstand the high pressures found in the depths of the ocean, and his telepathy has occasionally been depicted as working on land creatures including humans, albeit to a greatly reduced degree. He also has very good night vision, but it is unclear if this is in fact an actual power or if it is the by-product of living under the ocean where things are generally very dark and ill-lit.
Aquaman was a minor but durable hero during the Golden and Silver Ages of comic books, appearing in short adventures featuring other superheroes or in a supporting role to them. He eventually became a founding member of the Justice League of America.
Aquaman's personality was traditionally portrayed as very amiable and friendly. However, recent comics have often reimagined him as a surly and hot-headed anti-hero (similar to the Sub-Mariner).
A noteworthy aspect of the Silver Age Aquaman comics was that the primary artist for his adventures was Ramona Fradon, one of the few female comic artists of that period.
Aquaman is often criticized by comic aficionados for having limited superhuman abilities. In response to these criticisms, more emphasis is now being placed on his super strength and stamina, rather than on his ability to communicate telepathically with undersea life. However, Aquaman also has his fair share of defenders.
History
Golden Age Aquaman
In his Golden Age appearances, Aquaman was presented as the son of a human scientist who gave him the ability to breathe underwater, but had no other powers whatsoever.
This version of Aquaman was, in later years (following the establishment of DC Comics' multiverse), described as being the Aquaman of Earth-Two, an alternate Earth. The only appearances of the Golden Age/Earth-Two version of Aquaman after the Golden Age were in All-Star Squadron #59 and 60, just before he was retroactively eliminated from existence due to the changes wrought to DC's history by 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths.
In 1946, Aquaman's adventures moved from More Fun Comics to Adventure Comics, where he remained through the rest of the 1940s, the 1950s and early 1960s as a backup feature to the book's star, Superboy.
Most of Aquaman's adventures in the 1940s and 1950s had him dealing with various criminals, pirates, and so forth, as well as threats to aquatic life and sailors. The first recurring supporting character Aquaman gained was Topo, his pet octopus, in Adventure Comics #229 in October 1956.
Silver Age Aquaman
Starting in 1959, Aquaman saw the first major revisions to his mythos since the Golden Age, with various new supporting characters added and several adjustments made to the character.
In Adventure Comics #260 and subsequent Silver Age comics, it was revealed that Aquaman was Arthur Curry, the son of a human lighthouse keeper named Tom Curry and Atlanna, an outcast from the lost continent of Atlantis. Due to his heritage, Aquaman discovered as a youth that he possessed various abilities, including the power to survive underwater, communicate with sea life, and tremendous swimming prowess. Eventually, Arthur decided to use his talents to become the defender of the Earth's oceans, starting a career as "Aquaboy." As Aquaboy, he eventually met Superboy (Earth's only other superpowered hero at the time) on one occasion (Superboy (volume 1) #171). Eventually, Arthur grew up and changed his name to "Aquaman."
In 1960, Aquaman was included in the Justice League of America comic, appearing with the team in their very first adventure in The Brave and the Bold #28, and was later revealed to be a founding member (as shown in flashback in Justice League of America #9). Aquaman took part in most of the 1960s adventures of the superhero team.
Around this time, Aquaman also began gaining his familiar cast of allies and enemies, starting in Adventure Comics #269 (February 1960), which introduced Aqualad, an outcast, orphaned youth from Atlantis whom Aquaman takes in.
Aquaman gained his own comic for the first time in 1962, which saw further additions to Aquaman's mythos, including the introduction of Mera (in Aquaman (volume 1) #11, September-October 1963), the queen of an aquatic world in another dimension; eventually, Mera and Aquaman were wed (in Aquaman (volume 1) #18, November-December 1964), and the two later had a child together (named Arthur Jr. or "Aquababy").
The 1960s also saw the introduction of enemies such as Ocean Master and Black Manta, would-be conquerors of the sea.
A noteworthy story from this era unfolded in Adventure Comics #452 (July-August 1977), in which Black Manta (as part of a trap) killed Aquaman's infant son.
In the early 1980s, Aquaman disbanded the Justice League, then reformed the group with a roster of younger members, as well as relocating the team's headquarters to Detroit, Michigan; this new version of the team, however, proved short-lived, and was disbanded during the events of the 1986 Legends mini-series.
Modern Age Aquaman
In 1986, following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a four-issue Aquaman limited series was published, featuring Aquaman in a new (largely deep-sea blue) costume. The series failed to stir much interest, however, and was soon forgotten. In 1989, Aquaman received notice once again with that year's Legend of Aquaman special, which was soon followed by a five-issue limited series. The following year saw the publication of The Atlantis Chronicles, which successfully revived interest in the character. In 1991, a 13-issue Aquaman limited series was published.
In 1993, Aquaman was featured in yet another limited series, Aquaman: Time and Tide; the four-issue series delved into further details concerning Aquaman's origins.
In August 1994, Aquaman finally received his own comic again, initially scripted by Peter David, who had also penned Time and Tide. The series ran for 75 issues; David left after working on the series for nearly four years, and was replaced by Erik Larsen (with a brief stint by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning bridging the two). Larsen's work did not prove popular, however, and he was soon replaced by Dan Jurgens, who saw the series through to its cancellation with issue #75.
In 2002, a new Aquaman series started production, and is currently still being published by DC. Writers who have contibuted to the series thus far include Rick Veitch, John Ostrander, Will Pfeifer and John Arcudi.
Modern origin and background
After the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series, several short limited series in the late 1980s and early 1990s attempted to rewrite the Sea King's mythos and origin, though keeping most of his Silver Age history intact. The current version of Aquaman's origin and history is as follows:
Aquaman, born as Orin to Atlantean Queen Atlanna and the mysterious wizard Atlan, was abandoned on Mercy Reef as a baby because of his blonde hair, which was seen by the superstitious denizens of Atlantis as a sign of a curse they called "the Mark of Kordax." The only one who spoke up on Orin's behalf was Vulko, a scientist who had no patience for myth or superstition, and while his pleas were to no avail, Vulko would later become a close friend and advisor to the young Orin. As a child, Orin was found and taken in by a lighthouse keeper who gave him his human name, Arthur Curry. One day Orin returned home and found his adoptive father had disappeared, so he set off on his own. In his early teens, Orin ventured to the far north, where he met and fell in love with an Inupiat girl named Kako. He also first earned the hatred of Orm, the future Ocean Master, who would later be revealed to be Arthur's half-brother. He was driven away before he could learn that Kako had become pregnant with his son, Koryak.
Orin returned to the seas; he crossed paths with humans from time to time but for the most part stayed well out of sight of humanity, until a fateful day when Orin happened on the city of his birth, Atlantis. He was captured by the city's then-dictatorial government and placed in a prison camp. He was helped by Vulko, at the time also a prisoner of the state, who taught Orin the language and ways of the Atlanteans. While Orin was there he realized that his mother was also being held captive, but once she was killed he broke out and fled. Eventually, Orin made his way to the surface world, and became a hero named "Aquaman." From this point on, Aquaman's history mostly follows his Silver Age history as outlined above, with a few differences.
When Aquaman eventually returned to Atlantis, he found that it's citizens had been inspired to liberate themselves by his daring escape and that Atlantis was now a free city. Aquaman was recognized as the son of Queen Atlanna and so became the King of Atlantis. Aquaman began a policy of slowly reintroducing Atlantis to the surface world, though after being ousted by a villain named Shark, he decided to become a more traditional superhero, even though he could have taken the throne again following Shark's defeat. Around this time, Arthur met and married Mera, a queen from another dimension, and they had a son, Arthur Jr.
Eventually, Aquaman's foe Black Manta kidnapped and ultimately murdered Arthur Jr., causing a rift between Aquaman and his wife. Mera was driven insane by grief and was soon committed to an asylum in Poseidonis. Shortly afterwards, an alien force conquered Atlantis. Arthur was forced to save the day, and in the process was hampered by an escaped Mera who personally blamed Arthur for the death of their son. In a fit of rage, Mera left Aquaman's dimension. After Atlantis was freed, Arthur knew he had to remain in Atlantis, and thus he resigned from the Justice League. For a time, he served as Atlantis's representative to the United Nations, but always found himself thrust back into the superhero role. Becoming more and more of a workaholic and solitary figure, Aquaman eventually returned to the oceans. He soon became tangled up in Black Manta's latest attempt at destroying Atlantis by dragging it into a war with a surface nation. In the aftermath of the war, Arthur received the Atlantis Chronicles, thus learning all about the history of his people and discovering that Ocean Master was really his half-brother, Orm. With all the chaos in his life, Arthur fell into a bout of severe depression.
Around the time of the Zero Hour storyline, Arthur was forced to return to action, compelled by his longtime partner Aqualad. Shortly into his new adventures, Aquaman lost his left hand when the madman Charybdis stole his ability to communicate with sea life and stuck Arthur's hand into a piranha-infested pool. This caused Aquaman to become somewhat unhinged, and he soon began having prophetic dreams. Soon after, he attached a harpoon spearhead to his left arm in place of his missing hand. This was the start of an entirely new look: the classic orange shirt was discarded for a silvery piece of armor that only covered the upper right half of his chest and part of his right arm. Forsaking his formerly clean-cut appearance, Aquaman grew long hair and a scraggly beard. After the hook's destruction, Aquaman had it replaced with a cybernetic prosthetic from S.T.A.R. Labs. This new harpoon had a retractable reel that he could fully control.
Recent stories
Recently, Atlantis and its denizens were taken into the ancient past by a powerful sorceress, who imprisoned Aquaman in a pool of water for the fifteen year period (dubbed "the Obsidian Age") that Atlantis spent in the past. Eventually, the Justice League freed Aquaman, and returned Atlantis and its people to the present, though not before Aquaman was forced to sink ancient Atlantis. This caused displeasure among some of the city's denizens, and Arthur was once again driven out of Atlantis; he later spent some time in Ireland, where he met the Lady of the Lake, who gave him a new prosthetic hand composed of magical water. From there he returned to his more traditional look: orange shirt, clean shaven, and short hair.
Even more recently, Aquaman went to San Diego after a massive earthquake plunged half the city into the Pacific Ocean. He soon discovered that the survivors of the catastrophe were able to breathe underwater, and began helping them rebuild their submerged portion of the city (now called "Sub Diego"). During this time, Aquaman picked up a new sidekick named Lorena, who eventually became the new Aquagirl. There have been indications that Aquaman may reconcile with Mera, such as his efforts to take her, newly transformed into an air-breather, to the surface in order to save her from the Atlantis mages. Unfortunately, the final destruction of their former home has driven another wedge between them: while Mera is trying to adapt to her new life, Aquaman is fully committed to leading the surviving Atlanteans to freedom one more time, relocating them to Sub Diego, while also dealing with the crushing loss of his son, Koryak, his protegeè, Tempest, and his best friend and father figure Vulko. This seems to have unleashed a more anger-driven, ruthless aspect to his personality; in fact, during his latest confrontation with the Black Manta, he crossed the line (like Wonder Woman before him) by leaving his nemesis in a pool of carnivorous sea animals, thereby effectively breaking the no-kill rule, and then joking with Aquagirl about the possibility of the ultimate demise of his archenemy.
Crime Syndicate of America version
In the alternate universe of JLA: Earth 2 and its follow ups, the alternate Aquaman is called Barracuda. He was last seen attempting to lead the armies of Atlantis in an attack on the surface world.
OYL Aquaman
More recently, Aquaman's series has undergone several changes as part of DC's One Year Later event, being renamed Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis starting with issue 40. The new developments include swords and sorcery fantasy beneath the seas.
A young man named Arthur Joseph Curry comes to the remains of the undersea empire of Atlantis. This Arthur Curry, whose origin closely resembles that of the Golden Age Aquaman, is the son of oceanobiologist Phillip Curry, who was forced to use a mutagenic serum on his son when he was born three months premature. Arthur's mother, Elaine, died in childbirth. Arthur has lived his whole life in the main tank of his father's research facility at Avalon Cay, except for a few brief visits to the ocean. His only window to the outside world was television. While awaiting transport to Miami, a storm ruptured his tank and sent him into the sea. Mentally contacted by the mysterious Dweller in the Depths, a deformed humanoid with tentacles in place of hair and a beard, Arthur helps King Shark fend off a gang of marauders, and the pair meet the Dweller, who confuses Arthur for Aquaman and gives him an Aquaman-like costume. This enrages King Shark, who still bears scars from a previous battle with Aquaman during the Infinite Crisis.
The Dweller then recounts Aquaman's (Orin's) history, thinking them a prophecy about Arthur Joseph rather than the past of another person, ending with the note that Aquaman was "transform[ed] into one akin to a great and terrible enemy of your people - and become the vessel of power strange, ancient and terrible." After the new Aquaman calls him crazy, and King Shark tells him that it was Aquaman's history - but Aquaman had been around for years until his recent disappearance; the Dweller retreats to a private cavern to write a diary; reflecting that the events must be true - he sees them as clearly as if he had lived them himself - as he writes with a hard-water hand like Orin's, hinting Orin's transformation into a vessel of power might have been being turned into the dweller.
The fate of Atlantis in the One Year Later storyline is yet to be revealed...
Supporting characters
Aquaman's companions over the years have included:
- Mera: Aquaman's ex-wife. Mera possessed the power to form structures made of hard water.
- Aqualad: an outcast orphan from Atlantis whom Aquaman took in, and became for a time Aquaman's sidekick. Aqualad currently goes by the name Tempest.
- Topo: an octopus who was Aquaman's pet in various 1950s stories.
- Vulko: the chief scientific advisor of Atlantis. Also spelled Vulco in his first appearance.
- Cal Durham: An African American hero who befriended Aquaman. He once served as Black Manta's lieutenant and was given the ability to breathe underwater, Aquaman vol. 2 #57 1977.
- Tula: Also known as Aquagirl I; for a time, she was Aqualad's girlfriend. Died during the Crisis on Infinite Earths.
- Lorena: Also known as Aquagirl II, Lorena was a regular human from San Diego who was changed into a water-breather during the disaster that befell that city.
- Koryak: Aquaman's illegitimate son by Kako, an Inupiat woman. Koryak, who possessed powers similar to Aquaman's, plotted with Vulko to take over Atlantis and was exiled, but was pardoned after the events of the Obsidian Age storyline. He died during an attack by the Spectre.
- Nuada Silverarm: Queen of the Atlantean underwater city named Thierna Na Oge. Nuada Silverhand is a powerful sorceress and friend of Aquaman. Aquaman First Mini-Series #1 1986.
- Neptune Perkins: A golden age water breathing hero, US Senator. Died during Infinite Crisis, Aquaman vol. 5 #23 1997.
- Tsunami: Japanese heroine, ex-wife of neptune Perkins, Aquaman vol. 5 #23 1997.
- Deep Blue: Daughter of Neptune Perkins and Tsunami, Aquaman vol. 5 #39 1997.
- Iqula: The king of Tritonis, Aquaman vol. 4 #3 1992.
- Lady S'Ona: WIfe of Iqula the king of Tritonis, Aquaman vol. 4 #3 1992.
- Letifos: A shark finned mermaid, Aquaman vol. 5 #2 1994.
- Lagoon Boy: A green skinned aquatic teen, Aquaman vol. 5 #50 1998.
Aquaman villians
Enemies of Aquaman include:
- Black Manta: A would-be conqueror of Atlantis from the surface world; Black Manta is also noteworthy as the murderer of Aquaman's infant son, Arthur. Recently killed by Aquaman.
- Ocean Master: Another long-time foe of Aquaman. Ocean Master was revealed in the 1960s to be Aquaman's half-brother, an Atlantean named Orm.
- Charybdis: A villain who was responsible for the loss of Aquaman's left hand.
- Marine Marauder: A villainess with mental control over undersea life.
- The Shark: Originally one of Green Lantern's enemies, Aquaman fought this mutated tiger shark on various occasions.
- The Fisherman: A villain who uses fishing gimmicks to commit crimes.
- The Awesome Threesome: A trio of villains named Magneto, Torpedo Man, and Claw.
- Electric Man: A villain who is immune to electric shocks.
Adaptations in other media
- Aquaman's first media appearance was as the star of his own cartoon series from 1967 until 1968; the series failed to find a large audience. The series featured Mera, Aqualad, a pet walrus named Tusky, and Aquaman and Aqualad's large sea horses, Storm and Imp.
- Aquaman was also a major character in the long-running animated series Super Friends (1972-1985). During the Super Friends tenure, he was often paired with Wonder Woman, leading some fans to speculate on a possible romance between the Atlantean King and the Amazon Princess.
- Aquaman made an appearance in one episode of the 1990s cartoon Superman:The Animated Series; he was voiced by Miguel Ferrer. He was drawn in the "classic" Aquaman appearance as having an orange shirt, green gloves, green pants with green boots, a gold belt with gold "A" insignia belt buckle, short hair and a clean shaven face, but had a fairly intense personality.
- Aquaman has guest starred in several episodes of the cartoons Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, where he is voiced by Scott Rummell. This version was based very closely on his hot headed anti-hero persona, especially with the "Viking" appearance and hook, but some feel it gave him even more depth than his "Viking" phase had given him. Here, he sacrificed his hand to save his infant son from being killed in a plot against his life by his evil brother Orm. Though a founding member of the Justice League in the comic books, he was left out of the main line up for the animated series in favor of the tomboyish Hawkgirl/Shayera Hol so that the team could have another female character opposite Wonder Woman. While the Justice League series remains popular, a number of fans were genuinely disappointed that Aquaman was not included as a regular character. According to the website Television Without Pity, producers changed Black Manta's name to "Devil Ray" and removed Aquaman from the series before the episode "To Another Shore" because the rights to Aquaman were no longer available; see The Bat-Embargo for more.
- Aquaman appeared in the Justice League Task Force Super Nintendo video game as well as in the Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis game for Xbox, Gamecube and PlayStation 2.
- Arthur Curry appeared in an episode (titled "Aqua") of the television series Smallville which aired on October 20, 2005. The episode features Arthur investigating the devastating effects to marine life of a project Lex Luthor has been developing for the United States military. In this incarnation, Arthur is revealed to have the power to fire water-based energy balls at his opponents, as well as the ability to swim faster than Clark Kent. It is also revealed that Arthur wears his orange and green costume because he attends the University of Miami. Arthur was played by former American Idol contestant Alan Ritchson.
- The CW Television Network has announced plans for an Aquaman television series. The show will most likely launch in the fall of 2006, and stars Justin Hartley as 'A.C.' Curry (a younger version of Aquaman's traditional human alter ego), Ving Rhames as 'MacCaffery,' a lighthouse keeper and mentor to the young superhero, Denise Quinones as Rachel, Arthur's love interest, and Adrianne Palicki as an evil mermaid-like character called a 'siren.' The pilot is being produced by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, co-creators of Smallville, but is not a literal spin-off of that show's 'Aquaman' episode (though there are certainly various similarities between the two interpretations of the character). The show will apparently involve mysteries surrounding the Bermuda Triangle (which is somehow connected to Atlantis and Aquaman's origins), as well as a top-secret military organization of some kind. The working title at present is apparently Mercy Reef
Cultural references
- In MTV's sketch comedy show The State, Aquaman is belittled by the other members of the Super Friends for his comparably uninteresting powers. Superman assigns all of the other members difficult tasks, and then flippantly tells Aquaman to "go...talk to some fish."
- In HBO's series Entourage, the main character Vincent Chase is given an offer to do a superhero movie about Aquaman, directed by James Cameron.
- Thomas Farr and Jeff Klein also made a fan film entitled "Aquaman - Cast Of The Angler" in 1984. Running for 21 minutes, it was never released commercially.
- The song Arthur Curry by the band Ookla the Mok on their album less than art talks about the grimmer and grittier portrayal of Aquaman in the comics.
- In the animated series Spongebob Squarepants, the characters of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are parodies of Aquaman and Aqualad.
- In the 1990s sitcom Seinfeld episode "The Deal", George and Jerry debate Aquaman over lunch. "What's the deal with Aquaman?" asks George. "Can he go on land or is he restricted only to water?" Jerry replies, "No, I think I've seen him on land a couple times."
- In the animated series South Park, the episode "Super Best Friends" includes a character named "Sea-Man" (pronounced "semen" by the other Super Best Friends), who is a spoof of Aquaman.
- In an episode of Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist called "Electric Bike" (summarized here), Dave Chappelle discusses Aquaman with Dr. Katz, asking why anyone would want to be Aquaman. "What the hell would you want to say to a fish?" The episode of points out that a fish's lack of short-term memory would make Aquaman's conversations with them rather uninteresting.
- Aquaman has been referenced on two occasions in the animated series The Simpsons. In one episode, when Homer is drowning at the beach, he shouts out to his infant daughter, "Maggie, help! Call Aquaman!" In a Treehouse of Horror Halloween special, the Comic Book Guy is shown reading an Aquaman comic.
- In the Family Guy episode "The Father, the Son and the Holy Fonz", the opening scene shows the Griffin family watching Aquaman (on TV) abusing his powers to communicate with the fish.
- In the animated series The Fairly OddParents, Timmy Turner wishes for "the best friends ever," and receives spoofs of several superheroes, including an analog of Aquaman named "Wet Willy," who summons whales to crush things. He is continuously made fun of by the others for his useless powers.
- In the Futurama episode "Less Than Hero", after using Dr. Flim Flam's Miracle Cream, both Fry and Leela receive superhuman powers, the tube of cream lists off the powers it may cause, one of which is "commanding loyalty from sea creatures".
- A Cartoon Network promo had Aquaman and Wonder Woman captured by the Legion of Doom. Tied together, Aquaman tells Wonder Woman: "My ability to talk to fish is of no help, Wonder Woman!". She rolls her eyes in response. They are rescued by The PowerPuff Girls
Notes
According to DC Comics' current statistics, Aquaman stands at 6 foot 1 inches tall (1.85 meters) and weighs 325 pounds. His exact age is unknown, but he appears to be in his 30s.
External links
- The Unofficial Aquaman Site, including the Aquaman FAQ
- AquamanTV: Mercy Reef - Page with news, spoilers, and information about the CW's Aquaman series starring Justin Hartley
- JLResource.com entry for the animated Aquaman
- Index of Aquaman's Earth-1 adventures
- Seanbaby Aquaman Page - Parody site dedicated to the "uselessness" of Aquaman
- Toonopedia's entry on Aquaman
- An interview with Aquaman artist Ramona Fradon
- Alan Kistler's Profile On Aquaman - A retrospective by comic book historian Alan Kistler of www.MonitorDuty.com tracing Aquaman's history from 1941 all the way to the present day.
- The Aquaman Message Board at the Second String Sanctuary