The Great Aquaman Debate

So I recently read Brave and the Bold #32. This issues stars a team-up between Aquaman and The Demon (Etrigan). Overall a great issue nice art and good story, pick it up for a good solid standalone issue. However while reading an Aquaman tale I was reminded of a very common conversation and topic among the comicbook circle elites. And that is Aquaman bashing in conjunction with how to finally make Aquaman a cool some might argue “useful” character of the DCU.
Now some may take offense and say that Aquaman is just fine the way he is, and get off his back cause he can talk to fish and you can’t. For as long as I have been a fan and collector of our wonderful hobby comicbooks, I can remember this conversation of how to make Aquaman cool. Truly I think it is one of the most overlooked more deeper philosophical conversations and debates to have occurred in the 20th century. We’ve all had this conversation at one point or another among our comicbook brethren. So….here is my 2 cents into the debate for what they’re worth.
Now to be honest I am not a huge Aquaman fan and have read some modern and silver age stories involving Arthur Curry, King of Atlantis. I don’t know his character history detail through and through as I might say Green Lantern or others. But I know the basics from being a long time DCU reader.
First of course there was our original Super Friends Aquaman whom most people know and picture when thinking of Aquaman. Talks to fish, swims, always smiles for some reason, and King of Atlantis. Also Aqualad and hot redheaded wife Mera.
Then for some reason in the 80’s after Crisis on Infinite Earths he ran around in a sea-camo suit. I don’t know I never read this short-lived series. But Since it was short-lived I guess it didn’t make such a big splash with readers. (Pun intended).
Thereafter in the 1990’s we see the scruffy harpoon hand Aquaman. Some piranha ate his hand and he can no longer talk to sea creatures at this time. DC left the clean-cut all American look of Aquaman here, and traded him in for what reminds me of the scruffy angry homeless guy that yells at himself or inanimate objects out in the streets. I suppose they felt we needed a crazy tough Aquaman with a spear hand, to like this character more. But note this was the image taken in by many for years with Grant Morrison‘s run on JLA, and with the introduction of the JLU cartoon, and merchandising franchise.
After that there was a lady of the lake story line which gave him some sort of mystical water hand in place of the giant harpoon hand. Not sure what mystical powers were involved, but needless to say we currently have no monthly Aquaman title in publication.

Our recent incarnation of Aquaman has been in the Blackest Night storyline where King Arthur comes back as a black lantern. This was pretty awesome and I enjoyed it very much, but we can’t have a hero be a zombie bad-guy for too long. We will have to wait and see what role Aquaman and Mera play in the currently running Brightest Day.
Had I the magic wand, in order to elevate the Aquaman Character, I would give him power and control over all water. Not just the oceans. This to me would make Aquaman a powerhouse that could rival some of the bigger and badder heroes.

I liken this power to the X-Men’s long running mutant character Magneto, “Master of Magnetism”. I mean just about everything out there contains water, be it in large amounts such as the human body (80% water) to plants, animals etc. Even everyday inanimate products have water in them be it at the molecular level. Our cars, food, chemicals, have water in them. Just imagine what a being with the mastery over all water in all its forms could do. Imagine what he could do to a human body. Aquaman were he so inclined could cause such similar damage as Magneto did to Wolverine when he pulled out all of the adamantium metal from his skeleton. Gruesome, and I would not want to be the person with all the water being sucked out from all of his or her pores by a pissed off Aquaman. To me this would give the old King of Atlantis some god like powers. Make fro some memorable story lines, moments, and get us thinking twice about the character of Aquaman.
Let us know your opinion and ideas to make Aquaman a cooler perhaps more accepted character. -Victory

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