Would like to get something cleared up

[trustyside-kick]

I have been wanting to get into the Aquaman series and I have a lot of the issues from the '03 series and the OYL ones (no surprise right? *looks at avy, profile, and sig*). However, when I start to collect a new series I am very picky and want to know a crapload of background information on the character(s).

I have been reading from several websites and other places for information except for these two:

- JLA: The Obsidian Age
- Our Worlds At War

1) I am aware that in OWAW, Aquaman and his city dissappeared but could someone give me some specific detail and information about how and why?
2) I know what the Obsidian Age is but I would also appreciate some specific detail and information about that story as well.
3) I read the Aquaman Secret Files and Origins '03 thing and am a bit confused with the story going on. We see Aquaman with the water hand and Vulko and his people enslaved? I know how to connect some dots but not all of them. Could someone explain to me? I know it has to do with the Obsidian Age from context clues but not enough to make me understand what is going on.

I would like to get this out of the way before I start reading the comics I have so far. I don't have all of them from the '03 and new series but I will soon.

 

[Arach Knight]

I know it is an often hated source but http://www.wikpedia.org is really the best way to catch up on past events, unless you have the cash for back issues.

 

[Anubis]

Well, in Our Worlds at War, The Earth was under attack by a Galactis like Force of the Universe called Imperix. He sent probes which were like miniature versions of himself out all over the world to get rid of anything that would give him problems in his destruction of Earth or whatever. So, one was sent to Atlantis. Before Orin went out to fight the probe, he told Garth to use an ancient Atlantean incantation should he fall in battle. Aquaman fought the probe, and destroyed it, but when these things die, they explode big time. So, it looked like Orin was dead, so, Tempest did the incantation and it teleported Atlantis and all of it's people about 3,000 years into the past. What was left was this massive trench in the middle of the ocean.
While in the past, the future Atlanteans were enslaved by the then ruler of Atlantis, a witch named Ganymede. She did it because she had risen Atlantis from it's depths and enabled the people to breath air. Seeing that Atlantis would be underwater again in the future made her want to take measures to ensure that her reign would last forever. She formed an alliance with other powerful beings from that time and told them of a future threat that would come and destroy their people. Manitou Raven and this Aztec guy were sent to the future to destroy them, they failed and came back using the trench were Atlantis once was, when they went back, in the trenches place was now a ruined Atlantis, with a massive carving in the palaces reflecting pool that said "JLA". It was a message from Aquaman. He had been turned into a Water Elemental by the witch and stuck into her pool. JLA went back in time to try and save them, leaving a Batman picked JLA to keep the peace while they were gone. They got there, found out what happened, fought the Bronze age JLA and got killed. Manitou Raven saw that these guys weren't as evil as the b***h said they were and helped them at the last minute by casting a spell that put the souls of the dead JLA into the heart of Kyle Rayner, which he ripped out of him. Then the Witch turned on her alies and devoured them and gained their power or something like that. Manitou had only one chance to stop her from taking over the world so he cast a spell that bonded her to Atlantis. Then he hid with Rayner and his heart and waited out the 3,000 years in hibernation until in the future, the replacement JLA fought a resurected Gaynemede who was attempting to bond herself with the rest of the world. They then put the souls of the JLA into their dead bodies and fought her as well. When she realized she couldn't kill them because they were already dead, she resurected them, bringing all the dead JLA back to life. Meanwhile, another group of JLA went back in time to free Aquaman and his people. Which they did. Once everybody was away, Aquaman, who as an elemental bonded himself with the sea, flooded the city, and sank Atlantis. (Which was a big crime and was why he was exiled later. Stupid, I know.) The JLA beat the witch in both era's and Aquaman was exiled by the Atlanteans. That leads up to the 03' series.

 

[The Question]

I wish we'd seen more with the Bronze Age super team. They seemed like pretty cool characters. They could have ended up being a sort of reverse Legion of Super Heroes for DC if they kept using them.

 

[Anubis]

Yeah, I woulda like to have seen more of them as well.

 

[The Question]

I especially liked the Golem. The concept of a Superman type hero actually looking like an alien and being a religious fanatic is rather intriguing.

 

[Anubis]

I kinda dug that Aztec guy. I mean, this dude was a hero, but he had this armor that ran on the blood of children. How freaky is that?

 

[The Question]

I actually thought that the blood of children thing was just a religious ritual. He didn't actually need it to power his armor. Still, it is a rather twisted character concept.

 

[yenaled]

Obsidian Age is still one of my favourite stories from the Big 7 era.

The Bronze Age Heroes were excellent, would love to see them again.

 

[BrianWilly]

Gamemnae, not Ganymede:meow:.

 

[Tropico]

Trusty, I don't know about OWAW, but if you have a chance to get the Obsidian age TPB I'd highly recommend it. It was great to me 'cause I'm a Firestorm fan and it was great to see him again plus we got to see Orin's return (another of my fave's).

 

[Anubis]

I thought OWAW was pretty good. A lot happened in it. Wonder Woman's mother died. Guy Gardner died but got better off panel. And of course, Sun Dipped Superman.

 

[yenaled]

I've never actually read OWAW. Couldn't be bothered to buy the issues when they were out and I've never found the want to read the trade. Maybe someday I will.

 

[BrianWilly]

Some of it was okay, some of it was...less okay. I thought the tie-in issues -- Wonder Woman, Young Justice, Supergirl -- were actually a bit more interesting the the general plot itself.

 

[trustyside-kick]

I went to the downtown comic place which is supposably one of Houston's oldest ones and I talked to some guys there and they also recommended The Obsidian Age. They also told me that even though it comes after OWAW, you can understand what happened in OWAW really in that book. They said that it was the better one over the two and that overall OWAW wasn't too great.

So I bought it. I really appreciate the replies though guys. I'm going to start reading The Obsidian Age asap.