If You Wrote Comics: Aquaman

[The Dying Detective]

In honour of his debut on the big screen I decided to pull the trigger and make so welcome to another If You Wrote Comics thread. And topic on hand is Aquaman, the King of the Seas. As always the standard rules apply just imagine DC Comics gave full reign of Aquaman, his rogues gallery, and supporting characters and maybe even find a new direction for him. So as always let loose and live. And I will be throwing my hat into this and by simply changing Jackson Hyde into the Kaldurahm version because quite frankly the main version is very underwhelming and I can just reorganise ti so that Jackson was a junior apprentice of Silent School who Aquaman took on after Garth left.

[Trey Strain]

Is the goal to make it sell better? I'm asking because the sales are disappointing now.

101 -- AQUAMAN #35 $3.99 DC 23,594

[The Dying Detective]

Is the goal to make it sell better? I'm asking because the sales are disappointing now.

101 -- AQUAMAN #35 $3.99 DC 23,594

Do whatever it is you want with Aquaman. New directions can lead to revitalised interest in a property and better sales.

[matt levin]

I would have him finally and fully lose his cool over ocean pollution and begin a campaign to let people know what's happening, and what to do about it.

[Flash Gordon]

I would embrace Aquaman's pulp action hero roots.

I have at least 32 issues outlined for an AQUAMAN run.

[godisawesome]

I'm afraid I don't have enough pure knowledge of Aquaman to really make this work as well as it should, but how's this for an idea?

The Atlantean Revolution (Compare to: The French Revolution)

Stage 1: Establish that Atlantis has numerous little subkingdoms and outlaw enclaves across the rest of the ocean, the general idea being that they were brought to heel a few generations ago by Arthur's ancestors. There's a Pacific Islander themed Pacific enclave (with a corresponding mythic characters to whom King Shark can belong), other ancient lost cities like Ys in Brittany (with the corresponding morgen mermaid sorceresses), Lyonesse in Cornwall (guarded by some surviving member of Arthur's court, like Sir Gareth), the ancient Indian city of Dvārakā, the Russian Kitezh, the Baltic city of Vineta, etc.

The general rule of thumb would be that these enclaves, the further they are from Atlantis proper, have very different cultures and beginnings. Atlantis itself still has the lion's share of the overall population, political, and magical power, and it turns out that the overall political structure of the empire is as complicated and contradictory as the Ancien Regime in France; the reason why their kings have generally been badasses is because it's the only way to make the thing work, as a kind of paralell even to how Ancien a Regime France needed highly capable kings approaching absolute monarchy-levels of power to remain stable. A few of the other kingdoms are autonomous (like Xebel), but most are under Atlantis's thumb

Stage 2: Ramp up the political intrigue under the throne and have Arthur banished to the craziest, most unstable, and unknown waters of Xebel. Since Arthur's a good guy, he was managing to run Atlantis well for the common people. But some of the old guard nobility who like Orm or Corum Rath better reject him (*again*), and imprison him in Xebel's wilderness, so he's occupied trying to survive monstrous waters and get out for about two years of real world time. Meanwhile, since Orm is still imprisoned, the Atlantean nobility tries to run things through a council. Mera manages to instigate a reaction against this that resembles the first phase of the French Revolution, taking a place as a "liberal noble" character like Phillipe d'Orleans, with a kind of provisional Democratic government that challenges the nobles.

Stage 3: Everything goes to hell. Black Manta, The Deluge, and Orm get involved, as does some new version of Haagen, and I'd add in some new characters to act as counterparts to the French Revolution's Robespierre and Napoleon, or rework some of the characters to fit those archetypes. Some surface world nations try and get involved, and in return, one of the many regimes that seizes power launches attacks on surface world cities, which Mera and co. manage to alleviate by making them like Sub Diego. Xebel invades Atlantis and actually takes some serious territory, Orm ends up reluctantly seeking Justice League help against Rath, the Trench is allied with a faction, the whole works. And I'd have a new Kordax appear as the Napoleon-like figure who will win and become the new Atlantean Emperor.

Arthur frees himself, and it's his and Orm's alliance with the new Kordax character that manages to stabilize the situation... But now Arthur and Orm are forbidden from returning to Atlantis and must operate in the Pacific Commonwealth, which they managed to get set up as a kind of Republic. Orm is still not friends with Arthur, and is clearly going to try and depose Kordax, Rath is dead but succeeded by someone else in his role as a terrorist leader in Atlantis, Arthur has picked up Lorena Marquez, Garth, and Kal'Duram as his new team trying to keep the peace in the Republic, and Kordax basically becomes a super-pragmatic and realistic despot who sometimes allies with the rest fit eh world while trying to become more powerful himself.

[9th.]

I'd have him lead a JLI team and I agree with your Aqualad point.

[The Dying Detective]

I'm afraid I don't have enough pure knowledge of Aquaman to really make this work as well as it should, but how's this for an idea?

The Atlantean Revolution (Compare to: The French Revolution)

Stage 1: Establish that Atlantis has numerous little subkingdoms and outlaw enclaves across the rest of the ocean, the general idea being that they were brought to heel a few generations ago by Arthur's ancestors. There's a Pacific Islander themed Pacific enclave (with a corresponding mythic characters to whom King Shark can belong), other ancient lost cities like Ys in Brittany (with the corresponding morgen mermaid sorceresses), Lyonesse in Cornwall (guarded by some surviving member of Arthur's court, like Sir Gareth), the ancient Indian city of Dvārakā, the Russian Kitezh, the Baltic city of Vineta, etc.

The general rule of thumb would be that these enclaves, the further they are from Atlantis proper, have very different cultures and beginnings. Atlantis itself still has the lion's share of the overall population, political, and magical power, and it turns out that the overall political structure of the empire is as complicated and contradictory as the Ancien Regime in France; the reason why their kings have generally been badasses is because it's the only way to make the thing work, as a kind of paralell even to how Ancien a Regime France needed highly capable kings approaching absolute monarchy-levels of power to remain stable. A few of the other kingdoms are autonomous (like Xebel), but most are under Atlantis's thumb

Stage 2: Ramp up the political intrigue under the throne and have Arthur banished to the craziest, most unstable, and unknown waters of Xebel. Since Arthur's a good guy, he was managing to run Atlantis well for the common people. But some of the old guard nobility who like Orm or Corum Rath better reject him (*again*), and imprison him in Xebel's wilderness, so he's occupied trying to survive monstrous waters and get out for about two years of real world time. Meanwhile, since Orm is still imprisoned, the Atlantean nobility tries to run things through a council. Mera manages to instigate a reaction against this that resembles the first phase of the French Revolution, taking a place as a "liberal noble" character like Phillipe d'Orleans, with a kind of provisional Democratic government that challenges the nobles.

Stage 3: Everything goes to hell. Black Manta, The Deluge, and Orm get involved, as does some new version of Haagen, and I'd add in some new characters to act as counterparts to the French Revolution's Robespierre and Napoleon, or rework some of the characters to fit those archetypes. Some surface world nations try and get involved, and in return, one of the many regimes that seizes power launches attacks on surface world cities, which Mera and co. manage to alleviate by making them like Sub Diego. Xebel invades Atlantis and actually takes some serious territory, Orm ends up reluctantly seeking Justice League help against Rath, the Trench is allied with a faction, the whole works. And I'd have a new Kordax appear as the Napoleon-like figure who will win and become the new Atlantean Emperor.

Arthur frees himself, and it's his and Orm's alliance with the new Kordax character that manages to stabilize the situation... But now Arthur and Orm are forbidden from returning to Atlantis and must operate in the Pacific Commonwealth, which they managed to get set up as a kind of Republic. Orm is still not friends with Arthur, and is clearly going to try and depose Kordax, Rath is dead but succeeded by someone else in his role as a terrorist leader in Atlantis, Arthur has picked up Lorena Marquez, Garth, and Kal'Duram as his new team trying to keep the peace in the Republic, and Kordax basically becomes a super-pragmatic and realistic despot who sometimes allies with the rest fit eh world while trying to become more powerful himself.

Interesting ideas all of which draw from history and also your first idea may or may not be similar to Geoff Johns' plans to expand Atlantis to include seven kingdoms as part of his RIse of the Seven Seas story event. Also nice choice to add Lorena Marqueza I would not mind pairing her and Kaldurahm it sound like a spicier dynamic.

[The Dying Detective]

I'd have him lead a JLI team and I agree with your Aqualad point.

I think both Aquaman and Wonder Woman could lead it and thank you

[Lee Stone]

I'd go pure Flash Gordon/Tarzan/Phantom/Prince Valiant on him and do a 'Sword of Atlantis'/'Atlantis Chronicles' take.
Maybe Eric Shanower or Michael Avon Oeming as the writer, and Russel Deuterman as the artist.
And it would be Vertigo. Not necessarily 'adult', but more 'sophisticated', with the classic full-page adventure strips as a model for the level of quality to strive for.

It might not set sales charts on fire, but it would aim to be award winning material.

[The Dying Detective]

I'd go pure Flash Gordon/Tarzan/Phantom/Prince Valiant on him and do a 'Sword of Atlantis'/'Atlantis Chronicles' take.
Maybe Eric Shanower or Michael Avon Oeming as the writer, and Russel Deuterman as the artist.
And it would be Vertigo. Not necessarily 'adult', but more 'sophisticated', with the classic full-page adventure strips as a model for the level of quality to strive for.

It might not set sales charts on fire, but it would aim to be award winning material.

When something is award winning shouldn't it set the sales charts on fire?

[Carabas]

I'd just get him framed for some horrible crime and have him banished from Atlantis, and that's the first arc. The rest would basically be Savage Sword Of Arthur.

When something is award winning shouldn't it set the sales charts on fire?

This very rarely happens. When's the last time Michael Bay won an Oscar for Best Director?

[Trey Strain]

This very rarely happens. When's the last time Michael Bay won an Oscar for Best Director?

He's not saying that something that sells tends to win awards. He's saying that something that wins awards tends to sell.

[The Dying Detective]

He's not saying that something that sells tends to win awards. He's saying that something that wins awards tends to sell.

Thank you very much.

[Carabas]

He's not saying that something that sells tends to win awards. He's saying that something that wins awards tends to sell.

Looks at the 2017 Eisners... Well gee, barely anything that has been anywhere near Diamond's top 10. or Top 100 for that matter.