... and then you manage to ruin the whole thing when you get to the Larsen/Battle run. Not that you would even grace the creative team with a mention, would you? No, "Lagoon Boy? For Christ’s sake." is enough, I guess. Makes you sound like one of the morons always throwing "Fish-talking guy" jokes at Aquaman.

Not that this run was particularly memorable, but it's not the abominable piece of crap it's made out to be. Check out the parallel timelines story in #52, with art by Jim Aparo, for example. And for what it's worth, Larsen is as much entitled to the "on high mandate" excuse as some of the other creators you mentioned.

Makes me wonder if any of your other comments are worthy of consideration, or if it's just you going all nostalgic over your Aquaman big book or rubber ducky or whatever.

Screw that. I read comic books. Keep your graphic novels.

I too get frustrated with DC constantly giving third tier characters their own books and having them canceled due to the usual reasons.

1. Great series but poor sales -- Deadman (not the vertigo one)

2. Good series but offensive to die-hard fans -- Doom Patrol

3. Good series but die-hard fans refuse to give it a break because it does not conform -- Firestorm

4. Excellent series but loses readership undeservedly when original writer leaves -- Hawkman

5. Poorly thought out series you wonder why they even bothered -- Warlord, Shadowpact

The jaded attitude is understandable because anybody who has been reading comics for awhile knows the minute that a third tier character gets his/her own book that cancellation looms within 12 to 24 issues, if that long, unless Geoff Johns is writing it. Even then, if he leaves the book is going to go down eventually. I am worried that Teen Titans will eventually tank once Johns has been gone for awhile. The only thing with Titans, though, is that there is always a Titans book being published but as longtime readers know the long period between Wolfman and Johns was pretty embarrassing.

I think that a couple of things need to happen. One is that DC needs to have an official policy where they budget a certain amount of money for third tier series and then promise 2 to 4 years for a writer or writers to work on the book, allowing them free rein (within reason) to do what they want with the character(s). I really think that DC needs to take sales out of the equation on the the third tier books. DC is never going to make much money on third tier characters so the emphasis should be on the fans and on the creators that have a vision (right or wrong) for the characters. Another thing that needs to happen is for readers to cut creators a little slack. If you refuse to read a book or stay with a book because the writers won't conform to your limitations on a series, you end up dooming the book from the get go. I make it a point to follow characters. If I like a particular character then I buy the book. I try to keep an open mind because I figure if I do not buy it then there is a chance the character will not get another shot at his own book. Now I admit, if a series really stinks then I won't keep buying it (Richard Dragon and the Iron Fist before last come to mind), but by and large I like to stick with a character if I can.

Now as to what DC should do with Aquaman beyond what I have discussed above, I think that giving Aquaman a try over on the Vertigo line might be a good idea. Vertigo readers seem to have more patience with the Mystical/Fantasy stuff and DC usually tolerates lower sales figures when a book is featured there. I also think there needs to be better planning and solicitation of input from the fans (reader surveys, forums at conventions, etc.) and DC should require that a writer/artist team commit for at least 12 issues.

A combination of what I have illustrated above would have a better chance of success. One last idea would be to bring back some of the cheaper printing materials for use when trying a new third tier book. This way DC could lower the price to 1.50 or so in order to attract more readers. DC may not know it but for many readers, price is a factor when deciding to add another title to their list.

The fun quickly ends when the book gets canceled and Busiek makes a bid to play Frankenstein and "revive it as a fantasy story". I love Aquaman and found his run to be the hokiest ever. Busiek was awful at it. It took him two issues to show the introduction of the King Shark and was terribly limited on content. So Didio pulls him for another project, not even considering that Busiek could have been pulled off Superman and any old writer could make that title sell.

Bring out the ugly stick named Shawn McManus and beat poor Tad Williams hard with him it. Tad would have done great had he come in back on issue 37 or 38 when the series was still viable and salvageable. I feel sorry for Tad. I think he really had the cards stacked against him on this one. Neither Busiek nor Tad could breathe life into the New Arthur Joe. Shawn's "teen titan tv hour" art work left the book more wide open to criticism than ever. Eventually the fan base locked in their heals hard for the return of the real Aquaman, rightfully so in my opinion. The writers before Buseik laid down a ton of interesting seeds, which ended up completely getting dropped. Mera was last seen as an air breather for example. I read past the artwork, the bad lead action hero, and the holes to find the Tad could write one of the faster/better reads in the DCU. I think he should finish out the arch and leave us with the real Aquaman intact, maybe go on to another book.

I think the gimmick of allowing Busiek to unleash his debacle is the real problem here. Greg skipped the waterbearer series 1-39, and didn't get to see all the great things they set up, so I understand the blind acceptance of anything Busiek. I don't think Tad is being punished here, I think the sales went straight back to where they were on issues 1-39. The world is big enough anymore for underwater heroes. The problem is we are left with the dysfunctional Artie Joe in sit in with the Outsiders, JlA, and any guest appearances.

When Williams brought in the crawfish-headed girl is the point at which he lost me completely, if you're taking notes.

I too bought the latest Aquaman singles because I thought Busiek would do something interesting with the character. And it was. And I have to say that the change to Williams was not bad as I am still enjoying the book.

On a side note: I liked the way Aparo drew Aquaman.

Come to think of it, there's a fair chance that's what Busiek was doing.

The late 1960s and early 1970s are when the first reboots of characters came, and many historically significant stories were published between 1970-1978. So between the comics writers of that era, the comics historian writers and the nostalgic kids who remember that era and want to bring *that* sort of feeling back to comics... you get a lot of well-intentioned but ill-fated attempts.

If I was in charge of the character, I'd have the current Aquaman turn out to be Aquaman I and Mera's son. Not the dead one, but the one Mera had who was aged to adulthood and has sort of been forgotten, to the best of my knowledge. Aquaman I would return to his true form, reconcile with Mera and help his son become a great hero while ruling Atlantis.

Peter David’s Aquaman was not Aquaman. It was Namor with a harpoon for a hand. Meh.

I hear this a lot and I really have to disagree. I think Peter David's Aquaman was trying to be an extrapolation of character from the history we'd seen up to that point (divorced, ex-king, lots of dead family and friends, generally pissed-off guy) AND incorporate Atlantis Chronicles stuff, AND deal with DCU continuity issues while proving Arthur was a badass to take seriously. Most of that strikes me as wrongheaded... but it's not Namor, who I've never really liked and who is -- pardon the expression -- a lot shallower than Aquaman, for the most part.

I read the new Sword of Atlantis in trade, as I said before, and I suspect it reads better that way; though I think Busiek's enough of a craftsman to make single issues feel like you got some kind of complete reading experience. But I didn't notice anything terribly off-putting about the color.

I gave Sword of Atlantis 3 issues before dropping it, I thought the pace was dull and the color work was overly muddy (a pet peeve). That, and I'm not all that fond of the Aquaman as King Arthur or Conan take, partly because those are more Namor's archtype but mostly because it's all wrong. Aquaman is an underwater Tarzan, not Conan, at least not without some serious reworking (which is pretty much what was done to hammer the square peg into the round hole).

My favorite Aquaman material is pretty much the trippy Cardy/Aparo stuff from the sixties where the underwater world he inhabited seemed almost otherworldly. I actually liked bits of Larsen's run, such as the return of the lavamen, the Namor analog, and the super-intelligent whale inventor with the robotic body; those were fun (though most of the rest wasn't). Pfiefer's short run was a bit of a mixed bag, mostly because it featured these really nice Alan Davis covers that perfectly captured what I'd like to see with the character yet none of that was actually inside the comics.

Overall I think I'd lean towards the direction Bill has often described when he's written about the character, and in my dream world I'd get Alan Davis to draw it (covers and interiors).

Though someone should really consider adding those black boots from the Filmation cartoon to his look, those were snazzy.

Aquaman is one of my favorite comics characters, for probably no reason whatsoever. Regardless, though, I think he's awesome and terribly underrated. Haven't read every era of him or whatnot, but I've surveyed enough.

The McLaughlin run is probably my favorite Aqua-run-- certainly the best that I've seen. It was putting the pieces together properly and making Aquaman interesting and legitimate, so of course it was doomed. I'm missing a few issues, but I've read most of it, and it was great.

Peter David's Aquaman was not Aquaman. It was Namor with a harpoon for a hand. Meh.

I tried Pfeifer's, and was unimpressed. I tried Busiek's, and didn't like it... but then, I rarely enjoy Busiek's writing and I hate sword 'n sorcery. Tad Williams' run is good. It's not great, but it's good. Unfortunately, he's hampered by the presence of the "new Aquaman," who is not very interesting.

As I said before, back on the Blogspot incarnation of Comics Should Be Good, I'd write Aquaman for free. That offer still stands. Ha. Maybe I should repost it in some fashion.

I love the orange shirt. I love the talking to fish. I love Atlantis, and the undersea world that could house all sorts of monsters and races and mysteries. My Aquaman would be a strong leader (not necessarily the king, though) and a confident hero. He understands that a certain group of people think he's lame, but he knows he isn't, and that's all that matters.

Aquaman should be a modern Arthurian fantasy with some sci-fi elements. It should be big and mad and cool. I mean, it's not *that* hard to come up with good Aquaman ideas! The thing writes itself! C'mon, DC...

But I don't think he's as problematic in the League as you do. Not only Morrison (JLA) and Waid (JLAY1) but also Ross & co (Justice) and Davis (the Nail books) have made terrific use of Aquaman-as-Leaguer. (Though how telling is it that Ross' use of him got its emotional center from *not having the kid die*?)

One of my most striking memories of an Aquaman story is his dissolution of the Satellite Era League. Sure, it didn't work out too well-- he recruited the Detroit squad, moved to frickin' Detroit, and left the team to go mope after not too long. But for that moment Aquaman kicked ass. He was the responsible grown-up (comes of having been king!) reading *Superman* and *Batman* and *Wonder Woman* and *Green Lantern* the riot act.

They try to establish a bond between Arthur and Diana on grounds of being royalty from mythical-Greek civilizations, and that makes sense. But Diana's a princess; she was a child and then, not long after becoming an adult, she left. Arthur/Orin has been a *king* with real governing responsibility for a large part of his adult life. I think that, more than 'fish guy', can give Aquaman his distinctive place in the League. Sometimes, as in Morrison's hands, it means that he approaches the League as a relief-- the moment when he *doesn't* have everything resting on his shoulders alone. And sometimes, in moments of crisis, it means he's a leader even among heroes. (Morrison nodded at this, too-- the governing council that dissolved the League at the end of "Rock of Ages" was Superman, Batman, and Aquaman.)

There's one broader problem at work here that you don't mention. I'm as nostalgic for the Bronze Age as anyone. But I don't get why character development has so often gotten frozen in the mid-70s.

Every character has some almost-permanent stuff: last son of a dying planet, great metropolitan newspaper, cowardly superstitious lot, wonderful toys, etc. For the major DC characters that stuff got established before the heroes were given distinct personalities.

Then some of them got distinct personalities during the Bronze Age. Hawkman was a law-and-order conservative and Green Arrow was a socially conscious lefty who was nonetheless kind of a chauvanist. Speedy was a junkie. Aquaman was pissed off. OK; character development.

For some reason *that* round of character development has often gotten attached to the permanent character description. So then we get these cycles: a modern writer will build on the characater and move forward, and then someone else will go 'back to basics' in a way that means 'back to the mid-70s.' WTF?

Hawkman under Ostrander and Green Arrow under Grell had *really* interesting development of their political and moral worldviews. And both have been restored to 70s-era simplistic slogans, because that's what they were like during the Satellite Era. One way or another I think Hal Jordan is *constantly* getting rebooted back to where he was at the end of Hard-Travelling Heroes. Hell, J'onn wasn't even around during the Bronze Age, and *he* keeps getting great character work (e.g. the Ostrander series) undone.

I love my thirty-year old comics. But I've kept reading comics for the years in between, and I'm fond of a lot of them, too, so I'm not sure why DC thinks the way to please readers like me is to ignore them.

Both as a superhero, a king, and a guy with a family.

As far as this title I honestly feel the artwork hurt the sales more than anything else. There are some pages where you can't even tell who it is and the coloring isn't helping.

I don't know, I think he's the kind of character that I doubt I could ever get interested in. Of course, I said that about Captain America, and Brubaker's made me his bitch on that title.

I am a huge Aqua-fan and my favorite Aquaman stories are that run from Adventure #441 thru 452 and Aquaman #56 thru 63 that you call “crappy”. In those stories, Arthur was a super-hero. Old villains like The Scavenger and The Fisherman were rescued from obscurity, Ocean Master was a true threat, and Black Manta showed us what evil really is. Arthur encountered the Shark, Starro (both naturals), Kobra, and Weather Wizard. I’m not sure how old you were when Adventure #452 was published but “Sorry minnow, but that’s my son up there,” blew my 10 year old mind.

Call me a dinosaur who just wants more of the same but I'd love Aquaman's creative team to embrace the concept of Aquaman as super-hero - something that hasn't been done in years. Yes, we've had enough of the gritty Aquaman. But don't throw the baby out with the sea water. Return the fun elements of his background. Show him working with Naval and Coasr Guard forces. Don't isolate him from the DCU! Instead, pit him against existing super-villains with nefarious globe spanning plans. Let him be the super-hero he is in Alex Ross's Justice (another fan of that 70's run of stories).

Oh, and NEVER use the name Orin again. Ever.

I've been waiting 20+ YEARS for DC to come up with an Aquaman story as good as '86 mini-series. I'm still waiting.

THE ATLANTIS CHRONICLES gave Aquaman a richness and a wonderful history to exploit... which has hardly been used since by anyone, including Peter David, the guy who wrote THE ATLANTIS CHRONICLES in the first place!

I really wish I could retcon that whole dead Aquababy story away. It's been the main cause of awful Aquaman stories for the last 30 years.

As for who could do the Sea King justice, Alan Davis is a HUGE Aquaman fan (was originally supposed to draw the '86 series, in fact). DC should snap him up to do the book the second his Marvel contract expires. Phil Jimminez would be a great choice, as well. He was Neal Pozner's partner could give us something in a similiar vein to the '86 mini.

So many elements of Aquaman–notably those introduced in the Miller/Haney/Cardy run–are perfect for a younger audience, especially girls: the ruling family (heroic dad, beautiful mom, teen son, infant son, teen son’s girlfriend) of a hidden undersea kingdom riding around on giant seahorses saving the world.

'Zactly what I think about Aquaman, too.

Although I'd add that the setting is the most important and unique element of the book, t'me. Toss in elements of the Little Mermaid and Narnia style kid's exploratory fantasy and you got yourself an Aquaman story.

Although it is nice to know that G.H. found relatively recent Aquaman stories that he's liked. I've always assumed that the character pretty much died when Cardy left the book in the sixties.