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Aquaman

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Aquaman
File:Aquaman.jpg
Aquaman as painted by Alex Ross
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceMore Fun Comics #73 (November, 1941)
Created byPaul Norris
Mort Weisinger
In-story information
Alter egoArthur Curry (pre-Crisis), Orin (post-Crisis)
Team affiliationsJustice League of America, All-Star Squadron (pre-Crisis)
Notable aliasesArthur Curry, Orin, the Sea King
AbilitiesPhysically adapted for underwater environment; command of all marine life via telepathic abilities; superhuman strength, stamina, durability and speed; left hand is composed of enchanted water which gives him some magical powers.

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’ 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, Reports vary from Arthur being a full Atlantean to only being half-Atlantean; recent comics however depict him as an orphan of purely underwater heritage who was raised for a brief period of time 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 its inhabitants.

Aquaman's most noteworthy powers are his ability to breathe underwater, communicate (via telepathy) with all forms of sea life, and swim at fast speeds.

Aquaman was a minor but durable hero during the Golden and Silver Ages of Comic Books 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 all-star Justice League of America.

Aquaman's personality was traditionally that of a fairly amiable and friendly person. However, recent comics have usually portrayed Aquaman as a surly and hot-headed anti-hero.

A noteworthy aspect of the 1950s and 1960s Aquaman comics was that the primary artist for his adventures was Ramona Fradon, one of the few women superhero comic artists of the period.

Aquaman is often criticized by some in comics fandom for having limited superhuman abilities. However, he also has his fair share of vehement fans.

History

Golden Age Aquaman

In his Golden Age appearances, as seen in his first appearance in More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941), Aquaman was presented as the son of a human scientist who gave him the ability to survive and breathe underwater, but had no other powers whatsoever.

This version of Aquaman was, in later years (after 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 consisted of Aquaman 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 his first major revisions to his mythos since the Golden Age, with various new supporting characters and adjustments made to 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 his mother Atlanna, an outcast from the lost continent of Atlantis. Due to this heritage, Aquaman soon discovered as a youth that he possessed various aquatic abilities, including the ability to survive underwater, communicate with sea life, and tremendous swimming abilities. Eventually, Arthur decided to use his talents to become the defender of the Earth's oceans and its inhabitants, starting a career as "Aquaboy." As Aquaboy, he eventually met Superboy (Earth's only other superpowered superhero at the time) on one occasion (Superboy (volume 1) #171). Eventually, Arthur grew up and changed his name to "Aquaman."

In 1960, Aquaman became included in the Justice League of America comic, appearing with the team in its very first appearance in Brave and the Bold #28, and 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 orphan 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 became wed (in Aquman (volume 1) #18, November-December 1964), with the two having 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 of this era is 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, and reformed the team with a group of younger members, as well as relocating the team to headquarters in Detroit, Michigan; this new version of the team, however, proved short-lived, and was disbanded soon following the events of the 1985 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Modern Age Aquaman

In 1986, following Crisis on Infinite Earths, a four-issue Aquaman miniseries was published, featuring Aquaman in a new costume. The series failed to stir much interest, however, and was soon forgotten. In 1989, Aquaman received notice again with that year's The Legend of Aquaman special, which was soon followed by a five-issue miniseries. The following year saw the publication of The Atlantis Chronicles, which revived interest in the character. In 1991, a 13-issue Aquaman comic was published.

In 1993, Aquaman received another miniseries, Aquaman: Time and Tide; the four-issue miniseries delved into further details about Aquaman's origins.

In August 1994, Aquaman finally received his own comic again, initially scripted by Peter David, who also penned Time and Tide. This series ran for 75 issues; David left the series after nearly four years as Aquaman writer, 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, though, and he was soon replaced by Dan Jurgens as scripter, who saw the series through to its cancellation with #75.

In 2002, a new Aquaman series began publication, 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 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths, several miniseries 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 Atlantis 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 Atlanteans as 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 time for myth or superstition, and while his pleas had no effect, Vulko would later become a close friend and advisor of Orin's. Orin was found on the reef by dolphins; one of the dolphins, named Porm, took Orin in and became his adopted mother. As a child, Orin was found and taken in by a lighthouse keeper who gave him his own name, Arthur Curry. One day Orin returned to the lighthouse and found Arthur gone, 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 named Kako. He also first earned the hatred of Orm, the future Ocean Master, who would prove to be his half-brother. He was driven away before he knew 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 he stayed well out of the reach of humanity, until a fateful day when Orin happened on the city of his birth, Atlantis. He was captured by the then-dictatorial government of the city 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 outlined above, though with a few differences.

When Aquaman eventually returned to Atlantis, he found that the citizens had been inspired to free themselves by his daring escape and that Atlantis was now a free city. Aquaman was recognized as the son of Queen Atlanna and so he 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 with Shark's defeat he could have ascended the throne again. 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 had been 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 hand when the madman Charybdis stole his ability to communicate with sea life and stuck Arthur's hand in a pool of water teeming with piranhas. This caused him to become somewhat unhinged, and Aquaman soon began having prophetic dreams. Aquaman soon after fitted a harpoon for his missing hand. At first, it was just a crude hook, but after the hook's destruction, Aquaman had it replaced with a cybernetic replacement 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 trapped Aquaman as a water-creature in a pool of water for the fifteen year period (dubbed "the Obsidian Age", as the storyline was also called) Atlantis spent in the past. Eventually, the Justice League freed Aquaman, and they returned Atlantis and its people to the present, though not before Aquaman was forced to sink ancient Atlantis. This caused displeasure among Atlantis' denizens, and they drove Aquaman out of Atlantis; Aquaman afterwards spent some time in Ireland, including meeting the Lady of the Lake, who gives him a new prosthetic hand composed of magical water.

Even more recently, Aquaman went to San Diego when the city suffered a massive earthquake that plunged half of it into the Pacific Ocean. Aquaman soon discovered that the survivors of the catastrophe were able to breathe underwater, and started to help the survivors rebuild their submerged portion of the city (now called "Sub Diego"). During this time, Aquaman picked up a new sidekick named Lorena, who makes herself into the new Aquagirl.

Crime Syndicate version

In the alternate universe of JLA: Earth 2 and its followups, the alternate Aquaman is called Barracuda. He is last seen attempting to lead the armies of Atlantis in an attack on the surface world.

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 Silver Age stories.
  • Vulko: the chief scientific advisor of Atlantis. Also spelled Vulco in his first appearance.
  • Tula: Also known as Aquagirl III; for a time, was Aqualad's girlfriend. Died in Crisis on Infinite Earths.
  • Lorena: Also known as Aquagirl IV, Lorena was a regular human from San Diego who was changed into a water-breather in the disaster that befell the city.
  • Koryak: Aquaman's illegitimate son by Kako, an Inupiat woman. Koryak, who also 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.

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.
  • Ocean Master: another long-time foe of Aquaman. Ocean Master was revealed in the 1990s to be Aquaman's half-brother, as well as his real name being Orm.
  • Charybdis: another one of Aquaman's enemies. Charybdis was responsible for the loss of Aquaman's left hand.

Adaptations in other media

  • Aquaman's first media appearance was as the star of his own cartoon series from 1967 until 1968, which 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 will make a guest appearance on an episode (entitled "Aqua") of the 2000s live-action series Smallville; the episode is scheduled to air on October 20, 2005.

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."
  • 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 Super Secret talks about the grimmer and grittier portrayal of Aquaman in the comics.
  • In the Seinfeld episode "The Deal", George and Jerry debate Aquaman over lunch. "What's the deal with Aquaman?" asks George. "Can he only in survive in water, or what?" Jerry replies, "No, I think I've seen him on land a few times."
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