Aquaman Appreciation!

[Owl]

Do we know if Sejic stays after #30?

I think so. We went from 2 comics a month to one so that Sejic would have time to draw it. Plus his art is georgeous and when he published his character designes, there were many pictures of Arthur without beard. I thought those were for latter issues when this story arc is over.

[nj06]

It will be interesting seeing Mera and Dolphin interacting with one another. Garth meeting Dolphin should be fun too. Although I think I might prefer hm with Tula.

[Frontier]

I think so. We went from 2 comics a month to one so that Sejic would have time to draw it. Plus his art is georgeous and when he published his character designes, there were many pictures of Arthur without beard. I thought those were for latter issues when this story arc is over.

Not to mention he did designs for Black Manta and Ocean Master, who don't seem to be playing any role in the current storyline.

Either Sejic was thorough in his character designs by playing it safe in covering Aquaman's biggest villains or there are plans for the two in the future.

[Psycwave]

I'm rereading some old Aquaman runs and I really liked this costume on him (even if it was just a green Namor costume):





That little seashell headband is so adorable lol. I feel like a lot of redesigns tend to overdue it with Arthur; they either go super heavy with the barbarian king motif or super pretty/clean cut. I always felt this one was a nice mix. And the little golden webbed hand?! *swoons*

[Psycwave]

These poor confused fish lol.

[KoriandrJean]

These poor confused fish lol.

LOL! What a lovely scene. there!

[Bukdiah]

Ha, I always wondered how other animals view humans lol

[Owl]

I just found an interview with Abnett about his take on Aquaman and the current story arc. I like how he talks about Atlantis. He says he treats it like it is it´s own character, because - "You can only get by for a very short while on going: Well he´s the king of a city under the sea. There is it over there you can see it in the distance." He then talks about the mutations. Also, DC has a rule that Arthur should be in Atlantis as little as possible.
He starts talking about it at cca 19:55.
http://mikelaff.podbean.com/e/dan-ab...aptain-kronos/

[Owl]

Another thing that i don´t like that much is that Ocean master is off the table at the moment. It makes sense though it would be difficult to do good Ocean master (Orm) story, when you are not supposed to be in Atlantis.

[Johnny]

I just found an interview with Abnett about his take on Aquaman and the current story arc. I like how he talks about Atlantis. He says he treats it like it is it´s own character, because - "You can only get by for a very short while on going: Well he´s the king of a city under the sea. There is it over there you can see it in the distance." He then talks about the mutations. Also, DC has a rule that Arthur should be in Atlantis as little as possible.
He starts talking about it at cca 19:55.
http://mikelaff.podbean.com/e/dan-ab...aptain-kronos/

I actually like that a lot. I've always preferred Aquaman as a superhero on the surface, rather than the tired "heavy is the head that wears the crown" stories. Personally, I'd like to see him dealing with Atlantean politics as little as possible.

[Frontier]

I feel like DC is always making it an editorial mandate to keep Aquaman out of Atlantis as much as possible (except when they don't) .

[Owl]

I actually like that a lot. I've always preferred Aquaman as a superhero on the surface, rather than the tired "heavy is the head that wears the crown" stories. Personally, I'd like to see him dealing with Atlantean politics as little as possible.

Well, I feel that is a part of the problem. He spends so little time in Atlantis and characters in it are as a result so underdeveloped that it inevitebly end up in "heavy is the head that wears the crown" cliche. There is so much to do. I remember all the sub diego plot lines, they were great. With a little time i think we could have a lot of interesting stories set in Atlantis just as there are many interesting stories set in Gotham, Central City atd.

[Owl]

I feel like DC is always making it an editorial mandate to keep Aquaman out of Atlantis as much as possible (except when they don't) .

David Abnett said in the end that he intends to stay there until the editors kick him out. I hope we stay there for at least 10 issues.

[Blind Wedjat]

Hi guys. I've been getting into Aquaman by reading the New 52 and Rebirth runs simultaneously (not sure if that's a good idea but I've been enjoying both). I'll admit even though I'm pretty new to actually reading comics, I'm more of a Marvel guy but Aquaman might be my favourite superhero from DC. I'm really interested in his mythos and supporting cast. Plus I'm really excited about his upcoming 2018 movie (hoping Momoa changes my mind about him the same way Gal Gadot did, because he does look pretty cool regardless and the Polynesian touch on Atlantis aesthetic is nice). I just wanted to know a few things about the mythos.

First of all, how is Black Manta able to go toe to toe with Aquaman? I can understand that he's a really master strategist but does his suit enhance his physicals? Are his weapons specifically designed to hurt Atlanteans or even Aquaman himself? Does Arthur hold back whenever the fight, because he can send Supes flying with a punch but does seem to have some trouble fighting Manta? Is it something that's ever explained?

Also, I've wondered if Atlanteans get disoriented when they arrive on the surface world. It seems like they all float underwater so surely it must disorient them getting used to effects of gravity. I know Orm once said he dislikes the surface atmosphere during Throne of Atlantis but that's about it. I also wanted to know if Atlanteans developed different fighting techniques for land and water. I guess that's pretty obvious however. In addition, how fast does the average Atlantean move underwater, compared to a human on land, or an Atlantean on land? I don't mean how fast they swim because I know that's very fast. I mean how fast they can throw a punch or a kick for example, compared to a human underwater or on land? Is it about the same speed, slower or faster?

I'm also a bit confused about Mera. I know she's from Xebel, so does that mean she's not an Atlantean? Is Xebel outside of Atlantis and are they a different species? How come she has hydrokinetic abilities without studying at the Atlantean School of Magic (I think that's what it's called). I also have the same confusion about Garth, though I know nothing about him tbh other than his purple eyes which are significant. He seems like a cool character and I'm interested in him.

[Assam]

Glad to have another Aquafan around.

First of all, how is Black Manta able to go toe to toe with Aquaman? I can understand that he's a really master strategist but does his suit enhance his physicals? Are his weapons specifically designed to hurt Atlanteans or even Aquaman himself? Does Arthur hold back whenever the fight, because he can send Supes flying with a punch but does seem to have some trouble fighting Manta? Is it something that's ever explained?

Combination of two things. First, yeah, Manta has weapons designed to combat Arthur with his suit acting as armor. And second, Arthur's strength is VERY inconsistent depending on the writer.

Also, I've wondered if Atlanteans get disoriented when they arrive on the surface world. It seems like they all float underwater so surely it must disorient them getting used to effects of gravity. I know Orm once said he dislikes the surface atmosphere during Throne of Atlantis but that's about it. I also wanted to know if Atlanteans developed different fighting techniques for land and water. I guess that's pretty obvious however. In addition, how fast does the average Atlantean move underwater, compared to a human on land, or an Atlantean on land? I don't mean how fast they swim because I know that's very fast. I mean how fast they can throw a punch or a kick for example, compared to a human underwater or on land? Is it about the same speed, slower or faster?

They're generally weirded out and confused, but gravity never seems to be an issue. Also, yes, because Atlanteans bodies are used to living under thousands of tons of pressure, they are far stronger and faster than humans.

I'm also a bit confused about Mera. I know she's from Xebel, so does that mean she's not an Atlantean? Is Xebel outside of Atlantis and are they a different species? How come she has hydrokinetic abilities without studying at the Atlantean School of Magic (I think that's what it's called). I also have the same confusion about Garth, though I know nothing about him tbh other than his purple eyes which are significant. He seems like a cool character and I'm interested in him.

No, Mera is not Atlantean. There are multiple undersea kingdoms. Xebel IS outside Atlantis (Pre-Flashpoint it was in another dimension; I forget right now if that's still the case) and they are a different species.(Although Xebel was briefly retconned to be formed by casted out Atlanteans) Her hyrdokinetic powers are ones all from Xebel can develop, and, Post-Flashpoint, she is extra skilled from her life-long training to kill Arthur. There isn't any Atlantean School of Magic. That was made up for the YJ cartoon. The only Atlanteans who can use magic are those with purple eyes (Those with purple eyes are also hated by other Atlanteans) such as Garth.

Nu52/Rebirth and YJ animated, the things you seem to be familiar with, don't really have Garth.But you ARE right to be interested. Pre-Flashpoint, he's one of the kindest and most good hearted heroes there is, being a loving husband and father and loyal friend, also being an immensely powerful sorcerer (With some help, his magic once harmed the Spectre) and he's one of the most skilled diplomats in the superhero community. I LOVE Garth and if you want to read about him, I recommend the Tempest mini from the 90's, Titans Vol 1 by Devin Grayson, and Peter David's Aquaman run.