 |
| He should use the trident more often. |
I’ve said it before, and I’ll
probably say it again, Aquaman gets a lot of unnecessary ragging. Maybe it’s the costume, maybe it’s the fact
that his power’s work best when in an ocean, maybe it’s the blonde hair. Who knows?
Let’s get Kraken... Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.
The young Aquaman was born Orin,
son of the queen of Atlantis (in this universe it's an undersea country, not just a city), Atlanna, and the local Atlantian Demi-God, Atlan…
Not all that creative names to be perfectly honest, but I’ll let it slide, he
was made in the 1940s. He was born with blonde hair and the ability to
telepathically control sea life, which is a big no-no in Atlantis. Apparently
that’s their equivalent to speaking in tongues or having a birthmark shaped
like 666 for Christians. How you know an infant can control fish, I’ll never
know. Furthermore, if his Father was Demi-God, shouldn’t the Atlantian’s expect
him to have weird powers? Seems like a no-brainer, but then again, the logic of
fiction is always a little weird. Orin was placed out on a reef to die.
Thankfully, some dolphins happened by and adopted the boy. Even more
thankfully, after spending a few years with the dolphins a lighthouse-keeper
named Arthur Curry saw it and was like, “Dolphins can’t raise a person,” an
also adopted the boy. Following the rules of Tarzan, because of his genetic
nobility or something, he quickly picked up the language and culture. Because
apparently Dolphins don’t really do the whole name thing, the boy once called
Orin took the name Arthur Curry and started traveling the world.
 |
| Don't call him useless. |
After bumming around a bit, Aquaman
found himself with Atlanian’s again. As a prisoner. He just can’t win with
these people. He escaped, keeping the prison garb of orange scaled shirt and
green pants. Costume explained. A short time later he crossed past with Barry
Allen, the second Flash. Being the smooth talker and overall nice guy he is,
Flash convinced Aquaman to come back to the US with him, where he finally was
given the name I’ve been using the entire time. As time passed he became a
founding member of the Justice League, discovered he was heir to Atlantis
throne, got married, made a bunch of enemies, and lost his hands left. Hardest
working Man in the Sea.
Aquaman has a number of abilities,
thanks to his Atlantian and Demi-God heritage. Let’s get the big one out first,
the “communicating with fish” thing. I’m not sure how it was done during the
40s, but in the modern age they’ve gone to great lengths to explain it. Telepathy
with “lower” animals doesn’t work the same way it does human to human. The
easiest way to explain it is that he can overwrite instinct. Normally fish,
squid, etc. swim away from people and our machines. Aquaman can send them
charging. He doesn’t “talk” with them, the way most parodies portray him. It's as silly as thinking a T-Rex won't see you if you don't move. His other
powers come from being from Atlantis. His body is adapted to undersea life, his
skin, muscles, and bones are denser, he can breathe underwater, swim at speeds
of about 100 miles per hour, and can use a minor form of sonar. Not Daredevil
level of seeing with his ears, but better than I could if I was underwater and
banging cymbals together. … That’s a really weird image. Oh, and his magic
water prosthetic hand has healing powers. Because.
 |
| A good way to not leave the trident at home. |
Aquaman is featured in a number of
DC expanded universe. He was demoted from a founding member of the JL in the
Animated Series, but he was a recurring character in later seasons. Instead of
a magic water hand he’s given a big old hook, much more intimidating. He was
also a major recurring character in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, where he
was played by John DiMaggio. Bender from Futurama or Jake from Adventure Time,
if you don’t recognize the name. I only saw a few episodes, but like the Silver
Age of comics that it was honoring, Aquaman in this incarnation was loud, boisterous,
and could get on my nerves in large doses. Still, a good interpretation.
In live action roles he’s been seen
on the TV series Smallville, played by Alan Ritchson. The crazy guy from Blue
Mountain State. He’s kind of a mix of the two extremes of personality, he could
be serious at times, but usually pretty laid back. His Fish control was
underplayed, and his Atlantian skills of swimming and breaking things were
showcased.
He’s going to be portrayed by Jason
Mamoa in the DC movie verse. This is the best idea in casting since they picked
Chris Pratt to be Star-Lord. A recent choice, but an awesome one at that. Mamoa
will most likely bring the savagery and strength he tends to bring to his
characters. Odds are they will be going with a relatively humorless character.
I won’t say you should expect to see a Khal Drogo of the Sea with him, just expect
to see a similarity or two.
Aquaman is an interesting
character. Sure his powers are a little odd, and the environmental messages he
preaches can get a little grating, but he has a good heart. He is one of a
handful of humans (sort of, Atlantian’s are people too,) that could take a
stronger than normal but still pretty light blow from Superman. Heck, he could
probably take a moderate blow and break a rib or two. He doesn’t let things
like being away from the seas that he loves and thrives stop him from fighting
for what is right. Next time, The Incredible Hulk review and doing it better.
 |
| From the...Ocean's heart he stab at thee! |
http://www.comicvine.com/aquaman/4005-2357/forums/whats-your-favorite-aquaman-design-753537/
http://imgur.com/gallery/Jx6rZ
http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/File:Aquaman.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaman
No comments:
Post a Comment