Aquaman used to be king ... now he is a vigilante
Dan Abnett is sending Aquaman somewhere he’s never been: deep into the sea.
When in Atlantis sitting atop the throne, he’s just Arthur Curry, the half-Atlantean, half-human king of Atlantis. He was only the superhero Aquaman on dry land — until now.
In Abnett’s current Aquaman storyline Underworld (part 2, issue No. 26 is available now in print and digitally), Curry takes to being a hero in the shadows of Atlantis while trying to stay out of sight. When he is seen, the locals refer to him as The Aquaman.
He’s been usurped from his Atlantis throne by those who feel him being half human makes him too trusting of “the surface.”
That rebellion is led by Corum Rath, who becomes the new king of Atlantis and wants the mystical water world to be what it once was, completely separated from the rest of the planet.
Aquaman is presumed dead and has gone into hiding in the grim hopelessness of the Ninth Tride of Atlantis.
That’s when Aquaman vows to take on more of a vigilante approach, Abnett decided.
“I just thought it would be a really interesting version to actually acknowledge him as a superhero in the classic sense of the word, that is to say, someone who is masked and mysterious and worked in the shadows,” Abnett said.
“He’s got to work out whether he’s got the strength to go back to that (politics and royalty) role, even if he is being vilified for it.”
Abnett has been writing Aquaman for the entirety of the series’ current 26-issue run under DC Comics’ Rebirth relaunch, and enjoyed the chance to get political.
Perhaps standing out the most in Aquaman’s turn as a vigilante is a new look that includes a beard and long hair, reminiscent of his style in the ’90s Aquaman comics written by Peter David.
The hero’s orange and green Atlantean armour is now his “supersuit” and the long hair and beard (as well as the occasional assist from a school of fish) serves as his “mask.”
To many fans, this makeover is a nod to the look of Aquaman in the upcoming Justice League and Aquaman films as portrayed by actor Jason Momoa — but the new look that obscures his face also fits with his going into hiding from the public.
I just thought it would be a really interesting version to actually acknowledge him as a superhero in the classic sense of the word.