Comics Crux

              

Dear Geoff Johns:

Being a relative newbie to comics, I was unfamiliar with the bulk of your work. Most of my information came from Wikipedia or the employees of my local comic shop. You’re the Chief Creative Officer for DC and known for Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman. You also visited my LCS for a signing or something, and I am told it was a pretty memorable night for everyone (details were intentionally kept vague so I’m not sure what that means, but I assume you were the life of the party.) Anyway, the intent for this letter is more personal than either of those. I give my gratitude to you, for reinventing Aquaman. You have saved him from being an eternal punchline to every superhero joke. You’ve turned him into one of my favorite superheroes, and I thank you.

Before the DC relaunch, all I knew of Aquaman was the neverending jokes from the likes of The Big Bang Theory and Family Guy. In a dire situation, he’s the last one to call on the Justice League network. Unless the situation involves fish or whatever (and even then, what’s he going to do with the fish? Throw them at your face?) He’s the character no one wants to cosplay as, even though I think having scale armor would be badass. He’s a character that briefly piqued my interest when Vincent Chase starred in the titular movie in Entourage; then I realized that in real life Adrien Grenier doesn’t look like Arthur Curry and I’m not a huge fan of James Cameron movies. Aquaman deserved better than that team on Entourage and certainly in real life as well.

But when I read Aquaman #1, I was blown away. He’s just as complex as other big-name heroes with a murky past. He’s torn between two worlds, two identities. And frankly, he’s sick of the jokes that are all the same; he’s heard them all before. Aquaman proved that he doesn’t “talk to fish,” he telepathically communicates with their midbrains, thank you very much. He doesn’t need to be immersed in water to unleash to kick criminal ass and put snarky policemen in their place. And don’t even get me started on Mera, who’s just as awesome as he.

Anyway Mr. Johns, you’ve made me sift through all the tired jokes and campy content to find the Aquaman entertainment I enjoy, apart from the relaunch. Like the cheerful, bearded Aquaman in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Or the stoic, aging king of Atlantis in Kingdom Come. And a part of the JLA’s war against the Legion of Doom in Justice, rendered beautifully by the talented Alex Ross. Thank you Mr. Johns, for making me realize that others can be just as emotionally tormented as Batman, as heroic as Superman, or have a sense of humor like Green Lantern. Aquaman is all that and more, and I’m grateful that your work showed me that.

P.S.
When is the real movie coming out? Please, cast anyone but Adrien Grenier.

Sincerely,

Jessica Tarnate
Newfound Aquaman Fangirl