The New Official Aquaman Thread

[The BatDude]

Grant Morrison on Aquaman would be the ****!!!
He's even said that

Morrison: Yeah, I love Aquaman, and I definitely have a ton of ideas for him. I just don't know if I'll get to it. So don't hold your breath. Probably, Geoff will get there first. [laughs]

For the rest of the interview click here.

I would love to see Frank Quitely doing the art work

JH Williams II, J.G. Jones, Pascal Ferry and Frank Cho would be sweet as well
Chris Weston, Chris Sprouse, Cameron Stewart, Carlos Pachec, Kevin Maguire, Tony Harris and Paul Pope. Dude Pope could draw anything and it'll look cool as ****.
Mike Wieringo R.I.P

 

[hippie_hunter]

The green gloves aren't that bad depending on who's drawing them. Reis and Finch have done a good job in drawing them.

I do think that van Sciver would make them look silly. The way his art is, they would definitely look like dishwasher gloves.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'd like Arthur to be different than most kings we know, I want him to be more happy and light-hearted. We always see depictions of kings as gruff and weary, and it would be a breath of fresh air to see the king of 70% of Earth actually enjoying his job.

The water hand was cool, but isn't as iconic as the trident. Aquaman with a trident is more iconic and looks cooler than his water hand. The special abilities the water hand possessed can easily be transferred to the much more cooler and iconic looking trident. And with the cover art we have been seeing, DC realizes this also.

The reason most kings are gruff and weary is because being a king is a tough, often horrible job. The weight of the world is on your shoulders and you have to make life-and-death decisions that affect anywhere from dozens to thousands or, in Aquaman's case, millions.

Personally, I don't care about what's "iconic." That's debatable anyway, given that Aquaman hasn't regularly used a trident, like, ever. The water hand was a fantastic visual under the right artists, and I liked that he had that bit of magic that was a physical part of himself. Much more effective to me than just a trident that anyone could steal and turn against him or whatever.

I'd rather have both, or at the very least, lose the damn dish washing gloves.

Both the trident and the water hand, I could get behind.

The green gloves aren't that bad depending on who's drawing them. Reis and Finch have done a good job in drawing them.

I do think that van Sciver would make them look silly. The way his art is, they would definitely look like dishwasher gloves.

The gloves themselves don't really bother me (although sometimes artists do make them look like dishwashing gloves). It's more the fact that their return = no more water hand that really bugs me.

I really love that water hand, in case I haven't gotten that point across.

 

[trustyside-kick]

The water hand is just artistically beautiful. Love it and the powers that come with it. My favorite look was the Sub Diego look. Classic Aquaman design, with modernized changes. I loved the gold collar around the top of his orange scaled shirt, as well as around the wrists. Though the belt changed a few times. My favorite is how it is on him in BN 8 if I'm recalling that belt right.

 

[antonydelfini]

This is the Aquaman I want: Classic Aquaman! I hope this is the tone of a new Aquaman series: http://www.aquamanshrine.com/search/label/unpublished

This is what is written in the site:

I realize I'm coming a little late with this, but I wanted to make sure and say something about Mike Wieringo.

I always admired "Ringo"'s work, and when I saw these sample Aquaman pieces he did in conjunction with Mark Waid's pitch for a new Aquaman series, I got so angry and sad. Angry that DC passed on this idea--twice--and then sad knowing now that Mike is gone it will never, ever be, and us AquaFans fans will be denied it, not to mention all the other wonderful work Mike would've gone on to do.

I'm always searching the web looking to see what writers, artists, and editors I can contact for either an interview or maybe even an Aquaman sketch. Not that many of the people I pursue have their own website, but Mike did, and when I came across it I made a mental note to someday email him to commission a sketch. I would've loved to send him my book and get an original Mike Wieringo sketch of my hero. Seeing the above piece makes me mad at myself for not doing so immediately, it woulda been great, and I would've had the chance to tell him how much I liked his work.

Below is the text from Waid's proposal(which he posted at Newsarama's tribute to Mike). I know there's lots of variables in the world of comics that we as outsiders don't know about, but considering a lot of the stuff that does get published, I'm at a loss to explain how this idea, from two established talents like Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo, didn't get the immediate green light:
AQUAMAN: Title TBD
A One-Issue Prestige Format
Mark Waid/Mike Wieringo
Preliminary Pitch/August 3, 2003

I am so sick of people making fun of Aquaman that I'm beginning to take it personally. For the last ten years or so, the way we've been scrambling to combat Aquaman's "Dork of the Sea" image--and I've been guilty of trying this, too--is by making Aquaman increasingly darker, grittier, and tougher, the brooding, angry king beset with trouble. Each incarnation of the character seems grimmer than the last, to the point where all that's left for us to do is give him two hooks. And a peg-leg.

OR--here's ANOTHER thought. Yes, the seas can be turbulent and stormy, but y'know what? Far more often, the ocean is a universal symbol for peace and contentment. It's a calming influence. If it weren't, Bermuda would be deserted and Hawaii would be an industrial trade port. It is most people's "happy place." Yes, the ocean is the set piece for A Perfect Storm, but it's also the world of Finding Nemo and The Little Mermaid. I have never yet met anyone of any age who didn't come away from Sea World envying the guides who swim with the whales and porpoises. I propose we turn this "grim Aquaman" paradigm around for a one-shot and see what happens. "Test the waters," if you will. I know, I slay me. Anyway...

Our POV character in this story is a female marine biologist--and since Aquaman's turf covers the world, there's no need to make her American. (In fact, Russian is preferable--I've been doing a lot of reading about the culture of Russian courtship, and that could really play in nicely.) At any rate, our biologist--let's call her Yelena for now--may have heard the name "Aquaman" here and there, but to her, he's about as real and significant as, say, German football stars are to you and me.

Yelena's work is done with grungy old equipment and spit-and-bailing-wire technology, the best she has to work with. Her whole world has a gritty feel to it--

--so when this bright, blond, shining knight of a man pops out of the water and into her life, she's addled simply by the contrast.

Their paths cross, she's drawn into an adventure, and to Yelena, this "Aquaman" is, yes, mysterious like the sea--but in a warm, enticing way. To Yelena, he is otherworldly, like a fairy tale character come to life. He rarely speaks (though when he does, he's staggeringly charming), he lives in the water, and he smiles. Constantly. In fact, at first, Yelena has a nearly impossible time taking him seriously. He's like a walking cartoon.

And yet...the more she gets to know him, the further she’s drawn out of her world and into his, she'll come to realize that there's something going on behind those wide eyes of his. Looking in them, she sees peace and confidence; looking through them, she's gradually introduced to an underwater world of absolute wonder, a place that is far more colorful and in tune with nature than is her own gritty lifestyle. Once she surrenders to the implausibility of it all, she's rewarded a thousandfold, and so are we. Aquaman’s joy becomes her joy becomes OUR joy.

There will be no mocking. NO jokes about how "dumb" talking to fish is. Anyone with a keyboard can make cynical jokes. That’s easy. What’s harder is reminding you why, when you were a kid, you thought the idea of living underwater or commanding the creatures of the sea WAS cool. We can do that. We can remind you, and Yelena’s awed voice will be there to back us up.


Ah, what might have been...not only did/does Waid get it--what was wrong with DC's then-take on Aquaman as well as how to fix it, but as you can see it would've looked like gangbusters. Rest in Peace, Ringo.


- Isn't that cool?

 

[Hush]

That is cool, and Waid writing Aquaman would be nice but i like what we got before Aquanewb, give me that Aquaman back. Not so synical yet not so entirely too happy.

 

[Drz]

Sorta Want.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Meh. B&B Aquaman is funny, but he's not really Aquaman to me. Also, I would never wear an orange shirt.

 

[CConn]

B&B Aquaman is a much superior version of a camp '60s Aquaman.

Also, only squares don't wear orange shirts.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'm fat. Orange on me would make me look like a walking, talking, human-sized fruit. I avoid it for the benefit of anyone who might be unfortunate enough to see me.

 

[Hush]

this shirt would be cooler if it was just a cool Aquaman shirt like the ones Sheldon wears on The Big Bang Theory.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Or like Hank's pajamas in The Venture Bros.

 

[Hush]

I personally would wear a Orange Scaled t-shirt if they made one.

 

[antonydelfini]

Yey! In brightest day 0, it seems as if the ridiculous "death of Atlanteans after one hour away from water" has been forgotten! I hope Geoff uses brIghtest day to build up Aquaman's stature in the DCU.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

When did that happen? All I remember of Atlanteans in Brightest Day #0 is Aquaman standing in close proximity to water at his father's lighthouse.

 

[Mystirious]

Sorta Want.

Truly, Truly, Truly outrageous

 

[antonydelfini]

When did that happen? All I remember of Atlanteans in Brightest Day #0 is Aquaman standing in close proximity to water at his father's lighthouse.

In the panels you are referring to, Mera who had just woken up after a night of love making with Arthur approaches his husband and says that he hasn't been in the water since he came back from the dead. If he still has the weakness of dying after one hour of being away from water, he would have been dead by now and they would not have slept (which i assume took many hours including the sex) in the lighthouse. Did you actually read those panels or did you just look at the pics?

 

[BrianWilly]

Geez. Power down, Pink Ranger.

Mera could have found other ways to...get him wet.






Or he had a glass of water or something. That hydrates.

 

[NightBeetle]

he would have been dead by now and they would not have slept (which i assume took many seconds including the sex) in the lighthouse.

 

[antonydelfini]

It couldn't have been seconds. His "muscles" just came back from the dead. It needs more practice. I say it took at least 5 hours, hence Mera looking really wasted.

 

[NightBeetle]

Was just joking around.

 

[Drz]

Comic sex is very serious business. Shame on you Beetle.

 

[Scarecrow_King]

was the Sword of Atlantis series Busiek wrote any good? I picked up the Waterbearer trade at my LCS and saw it, thought about picking it up, and decided to ask you guys whether it was worth it.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

It had a cool atmosphere and there were some good stories, but ultimately it just piddled around for about 10 issues. Tad Williams came along and actually seemed to be building a coherent overarching story, but the comic got canceled like 7 or 8 issues into his run.

 

[Drz]