The End of Aquaman

Let's try and get this thing going again, shall we?

Try not to be too surprised by the title of this post. I don't mean the end of Aquaman. I mean the end of "Aquaman." The end of the popular conception of him as a dork, a loser, and a joke. Because that's what I think is coming.

You've probably already seen the first few pages of Aquaman #1. Say what you will about Geoff Johns, but he does a pretty good job in those four pages of dispensing with a number of the popular misconceptions about Aquaman.

From the very beginning it's set up that people don't take Aquaman seriously -- the cops and the criminals both treat him as a joke. He's a guy who talks to fish! What can he possibly do in land?

And we get to see what he can do. We see Aquaman quickly and efficiently deal with the bad guys and show everyone that he's not someone to be trifled with. We're shown that Aquaman is a force to be reckoned with. And I assume we're off to the races.

We'll have to wait for the actual full comic to find out if Geoff Johns does as good of a job of rehabilitating Aquaman's reputation as he has with Hal Jordan's. Personally, I think things are looking good.

A Rising Tide

My spring break is over (though it never felt like spring) and I've got to get back into the swing of things. There were a great many comic related news events that took place over the past week. I think I'll take a look at them bit by bit over the course of this week to give me something to talk about.

The biggest story as far as I'm concerned? Geoff Johns on Aquaman.

I think Aquaman fans (among which I count myself) have been holding their breath ever since the beginning of Brightest Day. It's been clear that Geoff Johns likes Aquaman and wants to try to build something around the character. But did that mean he was going to actually write a new solo Aquaman series? Clearly the answer is yes.

This is undeniably A Very Good Thing. Aquaman has been the butt of jokes for a long time, and having a creator who was the architect behind the explosion in popularity of the Green Lantern franchise as a writer can only be positive for the character.

As far as I'm concerned the only real question is this: will Ivan Reis (who played a big role in the rise of Green Lantern as a franchise) continue on penciling Aquaman for the upcoming series? If he does, that would be doubly good for Aquaman.

All things considered, 2011-2012 is looking to be one of the best times to be an Aquaman fan since... Well... A long time. Here's hoping the King of the Seas finally gets some of the respect he deserves.

Saving the Day

When I began to read through this week's Brightest Day I started to worry. I became concerned that this new Aqualad -- a boy by the name of Jackson Hyde -- was going to have his origin suffer in the way so many origins do.

As Jackson and his adopted father fled from the menace of Black Manta I was afraid that Jackson's father was going to die. It don't think it was an unreasonable worry. After all, Geoff Johns has killed Superman's father, Hal Jordan's dad, and Barry Allen's mom. Why wouldn't he give poor Jackson the same tragic origin?

My concerns seemed justified as I watched Black Manta fire a harpoon at Jackson's father with the chilling words: "He is not your father. He is nothing but another man I've killed." It was going to be the same story all over again.

But I was wrong.

When all hope seemed lost, Aquaman appeared. Maybe this is what Brightest Day is about. It's not about some pie in the sky brighter world where evil doesn't exist. It's about a world where -- when all seems lost -- a hero appears. And saves the day.

Stories like that are why I read superhero comics, after all...

Brightest Day #1 Cover

Well, I'm finally finished with classes for the semester. As a consequence, I am really wiped out. So don't expect a long (or coherent) post tonight. All the good comics come out tomorrow anyway.

Behold: the Aquaman cover for Brightest Day #1. Go take a look at it and come back here; I'm too tired to actually post a copy of it here on the blog.

That's a really nice cover, don't you think? Aquaman looks like he's supposed to (green gloves, orange shirt). There are sharks (which is always good when you're talking about Aquaman). Here's the problem, though: why are those apparently zombie sharks? The fact that they appear to be the swimming dead unnerves me.

Remember Aquaman gazing at his reflection in the water in Brightest Day #0? He saw an image of himself as a Black Lantern. I worry... Are these resurrections really as complete as they seem? Or are there lingering side effects?

Return of the King

There's a lot of speculation going on about Brightest Day. But one thing is very clear: Aquaman is coming back.

He's certainly not the only one who'll be coming back. Martian Manhunter and others will very likely be returning. But to my mind Aquaman's return is the most significant.

Why? I think it's because Aquaman is going to be Geoff Johns's new pet project. Whatever you think about Geoff Johns and his work, you can't deny that he's done a fantastic job of revitalizing floundering franchises. If someone had come to me in 2002 or 2003 and said that Green Lantern would be one of the hottest books in comics with a spin-off (and a third on the way) I would have said they were crazy.

But there you have it. And I imagine the new Flash book will be a big success as well (assuming all the Rebirth delays haven't crippled it before it even hits the starting line).

To me, all signs point to Geoff Johns taking on Aquaman next. Johns has already said that he has big plans for Mera in the coming year. Now, when he said that he clearly couldn't come out and also say that he had big plans for Aquaman. But with Aquaman pretty obviously returning in Brightest Day, how exactly could Johns work on Mera without touching on Aquaman as well.

Aquaman deserves a place of honor among the DC pantheon. He is one of the true "Big Seven." Hopefully by the time Geoff Johns is done with him everyone else will see that as clearly as I.

Re: Mera

Okay, I'm going to ask for some help here. I don't ask for help often, but I'm not usually at a loss as to how to interpret something in my comics for the week.

Anyway, this plea for aid goes out to everyone who read Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #3. Most of it was straightforward and I rarely come away from a Greg Rucka comic feeling anything but satisfied. But right now I'm kind of confused. So here's the question: what exactly is Mera's terrible secret that she's been bottling up or whatever it is?

It seems like a big deal is made out of something that Mera has kept secret for a long time. Something she didn't tell "him." I'm assuming that "he" is Aquaman, but who knows? The comic isn't very clear. What is it that she kept a secret? That she loved Aquaman? She married him so I thought that was self evident. That she hated him? Maybe it's that. Really, I don't know what the big reveal is supposed to be.

Maybe I'm being dense here, but I could really use an assist. Use your superior powers of observation to aid me, loyal readers!

Thursday Night Thinking #108

A blur of orange and green... A mighty "whoop!"... It must be... Thursday Night Thinking!

This week, a rare thought from Aquaman on the land.

Those are certainly some unique thoughts...

The Big Event

Tonight I will talk about the comic you've all been waiting for: Titans #15.

I kid, I kid. Not about what comic I'm going to talk about, but rather on its relative importance (though I do think it has some importance). Really, Blackest Night #1 was too big for me to talk about right away. I need to sleep on it, have some nightmares, and wake up screaming. I'll talk about it on Friday.

Now I'll talk about Titans #15. I don't subscribe to this book and I don't usually read it, but I'm a big Aquaman fan so I flipped through it to see if there was any Arthur Curry action.

I am actually pleasantly surprised. I think that making Tempest (a character I've never liked) the leader of Atlantis is brilliant. Not because I care about Atlantis or Tempest or any of those other idiots under the sea. No, it's a good idea because that means when Aquaman comes back (and he will) they won't have to make him the king of Atlantis again.

Because honestly, that's a really crappy thing to have him do. Aquaman isn't a king: he's a super-hero. He shouldn't be sitting on a crappy coral throne. He should be out travelling the sea righting wrongs on the back of a giant seahorse. He should also be front and center in the Justice League, of course.

Tempest as king of Atlantis makes that possible. Taking a character nobody wanted to use and putting him in a position nobody else wanted is a win/win for everyone. Especially fans of the real Aquaman.

Thursday Night Thinking XC

Whoo boy. Here we are again with Thursday Night Thinking. And the Roman numerals are starting to get tricky to decipher for those who haven't studied Latin.

God, I love Roman numerals. But I love Aquaman thinking even more:

Giant Aqualad rules.

Friday Night Fights: Aquaman vs. Un-Thing

The big man has spoken: it's time again for Friday Night Fights!

Tonight, in a ring beneath the sea... It's Aquaman versus the abominable Un-Thing!

Get up off the sand, Arthur! Are you going to let some guy with a name like Un-Thing take you down?

Requiescat in Pace

I read today that Paul Norris, co-creator of Aquaman, died on Tuesday. Mr. Norris was 93 years old.

With his passing, we have lost the last of the great DC Golden Age creators. We are all of us poorer for the loss.

Friday Night Fights!

As Bahlactus demands:

You don't wanna mess with the real Aquaman. You really don't.

Read, fools! Read!

Long has Polaris been absent from this place. But I return! As I always do.

I was exploring the nether regions of "comic book message-boards" wherein I stumbled upon an intriguing thread. I will not bore you with the details, other than to say that it consisted of questions directed toward one Tad Williams current scribe of Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis.

There was much of interest to be found there regarding that particular title. None of which was particularly interesting to me. But lo: Tad Williams was asked to share a proposal that he had once submitted to DC. And here is where Tad Williams' brilliance shines as bright as a thousand suns! I will share the only relevant portion:

Palmer and his grad student assistant, SIMON YEE, do not realize at first that the attack by the supercriminal (ICICLE, perhaps, or DOCTOR POLARIS or REVERSE-FLASH) is anything other than a standard attempt at technology-robbery by a super-villain.

Brilliance! Unmitigated brilliance! Tad Williams knows what the rest of the charlatans at DC do not: Polaris sells! So, it is with great pride -- and smug satisfaction -- that I name Tad Williams Doctor Polaris' Writer of the Month.

Support him by reading Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis or be crushed beneath my iron fist. So swears Polaris!

An Aquamanifesto (With Apologies)

Better men than I have said it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't warrant saying again: DC needs to bring back the real Aquaman.

I'll admit that I'm a bit of a latecomer to the character of Aquaman. I jumped on the bandwagon with the beginning of his most recent series. Luckily for me, I was out of the country and without access to comic books for the entire year of the Rick Veitch run. If I hadn't, I might have dropped the book.

As it was, I came back, slogged through those first twelve to fourteen issues, and then came upon something wonderful. For it was Will Pfeifer's run on Aquaman that really made me love the character.

Here was the man that so many had mocked over the years. But this was no man deserving of mockery. This was a hero in the truest sense. Valiant and self-sacrificing, the Aquaman of Will Pfeifer and John Arcudi was a sight to behold.

I think what drew me most to Aquaman was his passion. At first glance, Aquaman seemed angry all too often. But I came to realize that Aquaman wasn't angry like a Batman, or angry like a 90's "grim 'n' gritty" anti-hero. When Aquaman was angry it was a righteous anger. His anger was pure; it was driven by a love of justice and a hatred of evil. And it was impressive.

In reading more distant stories, I came to see another Aquaman. The Aquaman of the Justice League. I've always been a big believer in the centrality of the Martian Manhunter to the the Justice League. I still am. But I've also come to realize that Aquaman is just as important -- if not more important -- than Martian Manhunter is.

Of course, I'm not talking about "Orin," the bearded, shirtless guy with the swimming-impractical hair. I'm talking about Arthur Curry, the once and future king; the man who had the courage and drive to lead the Justice League again and again, in many incarnations. As Martian Manhunter holds the League together, so should Aquaman be at its forefront.

But Aquaman is gone. And though we know all to well that he won't be gone forever, he is not present in the here and now. And the DC Universe suffers for it. In a universe of legacy -- in a time when heroes of old are returning from the darkness -- how can we go on without one of original heroes of the Golden Age?

I echo the sentiments of others: the current author of Aquaman seems primed to return the original character to his rightful place. From there, it is just a short step back to a prime position in the Justice League of America, and the honor Aquaman deserves. These are things that will -- in time -- come to pass.

Now is that time.

Aquaman is Better Than You

This is a cold, irrefutable fact. Do you really think you're better than Aquaman? Are the following true for you?

• You can threaten ageless sea deities of unfathomable power -- with a smile!
  
• You nonchalantly brush off the fact that you're about to become "the vessel of power strange, ancient, and terrible."
• You don't just look good in orange and green -- you look damn good.
• You can handle the bones of you own severed hand without getting even a little squeamish.
• You are "Best Friends Forever" with the one and only Martian Manhunter.
• You routinely raise sunken cities from the depths of the sea through sheer force of will.
  
• You "will not... Fail."

Is all of that true? If not, Aquaman is better than you.

This is How It's Done

Okay, so I read Aquaman #50. Holy crap, that was awesome.

I don't know much about this Tad Williams guy, but he sure as hell can write. There's more stuff crammed into this one issue than most series get in their first fifty. New faces! Old faces! Villains! Mysteries! Deaths!

I could go on all day about how great this issue was. But I won't. I'll just ask that if you haven't picked it up, go give it a chance. If you aren't hooked, then, well...

You probably shouldn't be reading superhero comics...