3.13.06
Volume 2, Issue 7
Namor is a poseur wuss.
The Comics Canon
Aquaman Love, Part 1: This Is Himself, Under Pressure
By Don Pizarro
I'm like Aqua man and Brown Hornet
I'm like Imhotep but don't flaunt it
-The Roots, "Thought @ Work"
Rapper Black Thought put Aquaman with some bad ass company and I think it's entirely appropriate. I'm not a particularly rabid Aquaman fan, but I've always hated seeing a good character dissed. Even today, it's still vogue to make fun of this dude in an orange shirt who plays Dr. Dolittle with minnows and rides sea horses. Hence, this three-part series of nominations for the Comics Canon devoted to correcting this injustice.
The character of Aquaman has had a solid decade of development unbeknownst to the general non-comic-reading public. This is due largely to his portrayal in Grant Morrison's run in Justice League of America. During this period, Morrison and others have explored just what it means to be the King of the Seven Seas. Wardrobe and limb changes notwithstanding, that status means powers and abilities that easily put him among the seven greatest heroes in the DC Universe, abilities that go beyond swimming and fish telepathy.
Case in point: In an interview with Wizard, Morrison made the point that you could drop Aquaman, unprotected, into the middle of Gotham City and he'd be fine. But imagine dropping an unequipped Batman into the middle of the Marianas Trench. The closed-minded Aquaman hater would utterly fail to see the implications. Writers Mark Waid and Fabian Nicieza saw them and used them to help the JLA save the day in the Big 7's modern-day debut Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare, #3.
Some of my favorite comic-book moments have to do with a combination of writing and art that takes me into a character's inner workings and shows me the relevance to the story at hand. In this case, the way this scene was executed gives you the impression that only one thing could've been done to prevent total defeat, that only Aquaman could've done it, and that Aquaman knew it.
I just know that in his mind, he really wanted to tell the evil Know Man, "Obviously...you've never been to the bottom of the sea...bitch!"
In the next installment: You will respect his authoritah!
I'm like Imhotep but don't flaunt it
-The Roots, "Thought @ Work"
Rapper Black Thought put Aquaman with some bad ass company and I think it's entirely appropriate. I'm not a particularly rabid Aquaman fan, but I've always hated seeing a good character dissed. Even today, it's still vogue to make fun of this dude in an orange shirt who plays Dr. Dolittle with minnows and rides sea horses. Hence, this three-part series of nominations for the Comics Canon devoted to correcting this injustice.
The character of Aquaman has had a solid decade of development unbeknownst to the general non-comic-reading public. This is due largely to his portrayal in Grant Morrison's run in Justice League of America. During this period, Morrison and others have explored just what it means to be the King of the Seven Seas. Wardrobe and limb changes notwithstanding, that status means powers and abilities that easily put him among the seven greatest heroes in the DC Universe, abilities that go beyond swimming and fish telepathy.
Case in point: In an interview with Wizard, Morrison made the point that you could drop Aquaman, unprotected, into the middle of Gotham City and he'd be fine. But imagine dropping an unequipped Batman into the middle of the Marianas Trench. The closed-minded Aquaman hater would utterly fail to see the implications. Writers Mark Waid and Fabian Nicieza saw them and used them to help the JLA save the day in the Big 7's modern-day debut Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare, #3.
Some of my favorite comic-book moments have to do with a combination of writing and art that takes me into a character's inner workings and shows me the relevance to the story at hand. In this case, the way this scene was executed gives you the impression that only one thing could've been done to prevent total defeat, that only Aquaman could've done it, and that Aquaman knew it.
I just know that in his mind, he really wanted to tell the evil Know Man, "Obviously...you've never been to the bottom of the sea...bitch!"
In the next installment: You will respect his authoritah!