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Doug Centers
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 February 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 5754
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| Posted: 18 March 2023 at 9:11pm | IP Logged | 1
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"...and plots about threats to this undersea kingdom that the reader does not connect with or care about. "
...
I can see that Peter. Yet Aquaman had a practically 40 year straight run with a strip or title. As Roy Thomas has shown time and again there were a plethora of characters that hung around for a while then vanished, they presumably didn't make that connection with readership. It must've been more than just padding, sure would love to hear what those readers from the '40's and '50's thought of him.
And, like you, Peter I'm a huge Aparo fan!
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Joe Smith
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Joined: 29 August 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 6726
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| Posted: 19 March 2023 at 2:58am | IP Logged | 2
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I got the mini-series where they made his suit blue like water.
I also think Mera is hotter than Mary Jane.
But, I’m a Pisces, so, I would think that….
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Bill Collins
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Joined: 26 May 2005
Location: England
Posts: 11458
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| Posted: 19 March 2023 at 7:59am | IP Logged | 3
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Being in the UK i only experienced the Super Friends comic
which i saw on a spinner rack on holiday, which seemed to
be aimed at younger readers so i only read one issue. His
costume was to my eyes a bit unappealing. I only really got
to like him in the 80's mini series with the Craig Hamilton
art and "wavy" blue costume which i liked, but i assume was
a bitch to draw. I liked the Peter David run and the recent
iteration on which some of the film was based. I didn't
like the mutilation either!
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Brennan Voboril
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Joined: 15 January 2011
Posts: 1735
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| Posted: 19 March 2023 at 1:30pm | IP Logged | 4
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For a kid, Aquaman was fun back in the 1960s (some great Nick Cardy art too).
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
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| Posted: 19 March 2023 at 1:58pm | IP Logged | 5
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I was introduced to Aquaman by Ramona Fradon who, in those pre-credits days, I’d managed to convince myself was Dick Sprang. The stories were short and often flawed, but my 10 year old self was mostly there for the art.
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Rebecca Jansen
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Joined: 12 February 2018
Location: Canada
Posts: 4560
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| Posted: 19 March 2023 at 6:19pm | IP Logged | 6
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There was a limited series titles Atlantis Chronicles that was a backstory for Aquaman and his Atlantis, it was pretty good.
I agree these royal family in a fantasy nation can be limiting, I think it showed weaknesses with The Inhumans... always recurring stories about regaining a throne from some nasty usurper which might not be all that captivating the third or fourth time around. As kid who watched Flipper I just loved a visual of someone riding around on Dolphins and Whales (and I think a giant Seahorse once?) He had at least two great visual nemesis as well. He's one of the characters they didn't overhaul alongside Flash, GL and The Atom in the silver age relaunch so he couldn't have been seen as too weak? Hawkman was the in-between guy keeping the visuals and eventually a Hawkgirl 2/too, but getting a better more sci-fi backstory.
Aquaman blowing into a shell was another strong visual, or weilding a trident ala Poseidon, and he could get a bit dark/angry as the protector/avenger of the oceans combined with that. His wife Mera worked well I thought, like the Lady Dorma with Sub-Mariner, but it seems there's no supporting character someone won't bump off (starting with Professor X way back?) so if she was also killed like Dorma it doesn't surprise me. Perhaps like Lois Lane these characters should have girlfriends/fiancees but not wives (ball and chain factor?) The death of the baby in the '70s comics seemed a little overly heavy yet not resulting in memorable drama... someone wanted to remove a string from the character I guess.
His (and Aqualad's) kryptonite was the usual weaker the longer out of water... most have something of this sort of recurring drama element. I remember the updated mini-series and new costume and thought 'well that's a bit fancy'... he had never seemed like a character that would go in for designer costumes and hair styles before, so it didn't work for me despite the gorgeous art.
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Doug Centers
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 February 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 5754
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| Posted: 19 March 2023 at 9:12pm | IP Logged | 7
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Re: Mera I give her a peg up on Dorma (when she was living), as she has "hard water" powers that allow her to be a teammate at times with Aquaman.
Ramona Fradon is a favorite and plan on getting some of her Aquaman work via collected books. I also have another commission from her in the que. She's still pumping them out at 96!
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Petter Myhr Ness
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Joined: 02 July 2009
Location: Norway
Posts: 4144
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| Posted: 20 March 2023 at 3:26pm | IP Logged | 8
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I once read Aquaman when Curt Swan did the book, but the character has never had much appeal to me. Like JB says, he lives too much in the shadow of Namor - who is a better character.
(And what a strange world we live in, where Jason Momoa ended up playing Aquaman when he could have been a great Namor.)
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
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| Posted: 20 March 2023 at 5:27pm | IP Logged | 9
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That was a major eye-roll moment when I saw Momoa.
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William Costello
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Joined: 30 August 2012
Location: United States
Posts: 782
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| Posted: 20 March 2023 at 6:10pm | IP Logged | 10
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I read the (relatively) recent run from Kelly Sue DeConnick (2019 through 2021) which was, IMO, a pretty good run.
Nothing since then, though.
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Mark Waldman
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Joined: 16 August 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 1266
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| Posted: 20 March 2023 at 8:14pm | IP Logged | 11
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For me it was equal parts Nick Cardy and Jim Aparo (grew up in 70s/early 80s and always looked back at 60s stuff). I also enjoyed all DC's characters on the Filmation shorts. Never followed whatever Aquaman morphed into later. Thank goodness.
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Daniel Gillotte
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| Posted: 20 March 2023 at 9:47pm | IP Logged | 12
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I think the Aquaman in DC Amination's Brave and the Bold is a pretty good take. It moves away from the overly serious and dour (which Namor owns) to a good natured and haughty king. (It probably smacks a little too much of our friend the Prince of Power in recent decades but I like it. There's no one like that in DC at the moment.)
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