All throughout November, guest writers will be weighing in on fandom, specifically guest writers who identify strongly with characters, teams, or franchises online. Each piece will feature a personal look at why a writer gravitates to a character, what keeps their interest, and — most importantly — a set of reading recommendations for folks looking to better understand that character.

Today, Ander Lilly @AquamAnder wrote about his favorite superhero, Aquaman…

In a world filled with popular superheroes such as Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Wonder Woman, etc., I always get asked the same question: why do I love Aquaman? What does Aquaman mean to me and how did I become a fan of Aquaman in the first place? Like many in our community, I grew up with the animated series about Batman and Superman. Naturally, I gravitated toward those two as a young child. It wasn’t until I was a bit older, around my early high school days, that I began to branch out and experience new comic book characters.

Now, this was just before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was born (2007/2008-ish) and so comic book characters weren’t quite as popular as they are today. Characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy or Swamp Thing weren’t really mainstream, so being an Aquaman fan like myself was quite rare. He didn’t have the popularity that he does now, nor did he have a solo movie starring Jason Momoa back then. I remember searching and searching to find a character that spoke to me in a way that no other character did, and I knew of Aquaman through random comics that I collected.

During these initial research days, I found myself engrossed in how unique he and his world was. Coming from a childhood of Gotham and Metropolis, I was introduced to a world of fantasy, of complete make-believe, of a kingdom under the sea. Being fascinated by the ocean already, I was excited to learn more about this aquatic hero and who his allies and his villains were. My reintroduction to the DC Universe came when Blackest Night hit the shelves, and I was immediately hooked into DC lore and the heroes. When the follow-up, Brightest Day, came out I was already engrossed with DC, having rediscovered my love for this universe and one of the brightest things that came out of that for me was discovering that hero I had been searching for: Aquaman.

From that day forward, Aquaman was my guy. He was the one I wanted to read about more than anyone else and any comic I could find about him, I would buy. I was too young to experience the highly regarded Peter David era in the late nineties and early 2000s, but I certainly made sure I went back to read those to get a full read of who Aquaman was. But that didn’t quite answer the question “why?” Why Aquaman? Of all the heroes in pop culture, why did I settle on a character that had been largely mocked for years? It’s because of who he is. He’s a hero who will stop at nothing to protect the innocent, no matter who they are. The similarities to Arthurian legends also drew me to the character as I am a fan of those tales and fantasy in general. He has a responsibility as king and a man of the surface and even when he’s despised or feared by both it doesn’t stop him. It was his sense of selflessness and nobility that drew me to him. So the next question that I am usually asked is: where should I start with Aquaman? You can find my reading recommendations below…

Aquaman Reading Recommendations

When the New 52 Aquaman series from Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis came out as part of DC’s rebooted universe, it had become my favorite comic series of all time, and to this day, it’s the Aquaman run that I recommend the most for new readers. It brings in the readers by presenting a definitive origin for Arthur Curry while expanding his world in exciting ways and reintroducing classic characters like Mera, Black Manta, and Ocean Master. Geoff Johns was also joined by an incredible art team such as Ivan Reis, Paul Pelletier, Joe Prado, and Rod Reis. Together, this team created some of the most exciting and memorable comic book action sequences in recent memory, many of which inspired the solo movie featuring Jason Momoa. There’s a complete omnibus that collects every issue of this run and I highly suggest picking it up if you have any interest in learning more about Aquaman and his world. I would also suggest continuing with Jeff Parker’s run which came immediately after Geoff Johns’. In my opinion, his run is severely underrated and it also produced one of my all-time favorite Aquaman stories: Maelstrom (which was also used as inspiration for the movie). So do yourself a favor and read that run as well!
When Kelly Sue DeConnick and Robson Rocha took over Aquaman, I was pretty intrigued to see what this team could do with Aquaman after the two year run on the title that Dan Abnett had. Taking him out of his element, this team gave us a tale of an Arthur Curry who had no memory of who he was and introduced a cast of interesting sea gods and goddesses. DeConnick masterfully weaves a tale that examines who Arthur Curry is while expands his world in a way not seen since Geoff Johns’ run. While the first arc felt like a great fantasy story, what comes after is a series about Arthur Curry and his relationships. This run made Arthur feel more human than he ever had before. DeConnick writes an Arthur who is noble, charismatic, serious, even goofy! She makes Arthur feel like a human being. Expect to be wowed, heartbroken, excited, and shocked by a run that is so good, it will go down as being an Aquaman classic and a must-read series for years to come.
Finally, the third run that I would highly recommend would be Peter David’s Aquaman from the late nineties to early-2000’s. This was the comic run that basically told people not to make a joke of Aquaman. DC gave Aquaman a distinctly new look by giving him a beard, long hair, and a harpoon hand! This Aquaman was quite grumpier than he had been portrayed in earlier runs, certainly a far cry from the way he was written in his silver age days. While elements of his run may be a bit dated now or feel a bit too “nineties” it’s a very captivating read and a run that really made people take Aquaman more seriously. David also wrote the history of Atlantis detailing the royal family, the various city-states of Atlantis, as well as the fall of Atlantis in a run called “The Atlantis Chronicles.” This run was filled with incredible world-building and exciting stories that really expanded the world of Atlantis and Aquaman’s cast of supporting characters.

These three runs are the series that I highly recommend the most to people who are interested in diving into the world of Aquaman. However there are some notable, honorable mentions such as: Aquaman: American Tidal/Subdiego, Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis, Aquaman: Rebirth (Dan Abnett’s run, issues #1-42). There you have it! I hope you enjoyed reading why Aquaman means so much to me and I hope that after reading some Aquaman stories yourself, you will also have an appreciation for this fascinating character. -Ander

You can find Ander on Twitter @AquamAnder

Check out the full Fandom Files Reading List!

Check our our past reading lists: The Quarantine Reading List and The Extra Eisners Reading List!