Chapter Seventeen: Outrageous!
Place: Offices of DC Comics, New York City
Year: 1986
"One of the reasons I quit writing Hulk over at Marvel," said David, "was the promise that I could write Aquaman. If he can take care of 75% of the world by himself when Superman needs the rest of the League to only take care of 25% that tells you something. Back in the early 60s he was DC's big leagues and I knew that if I could write him I could make him big leagues again.
"Like I said the origin is modified but the Silver Age it mostly the same from there on. Aquaman was still a Justice Leaguer and he still had a son, Arthur Junior, by his wife Mera. Garth, for his part was still with the Teen Titans. Arthur still fought Black Manta, and Ocean Master was still causing trouble, looking all the time for a way to breathe water. Though here," David mused, "it was because he wanted to do it again and before he was landsman jealous of his half brother's powers.
"The only major difference here is when Aquaman is eventually asked to give up the throne for spending too much time as a superhero. That happened only a few years ago so it's staying the same though now, he was never actually voted out of office ruling as he does by divine right and by blood in this new continuity instead of being voted in. In other times, he'd be asked to step down to let another member of the royal family take the crown but since he's the only surviving member of the Atlantean royal family—Orm's been disowned—he is king, now and perhaps forever. So when he leaves the palace and moves his family into the Aquacave he doesn't abdicate and make Vulko king. He renounces all power and makes Vulko regent with all the powers of king until Arthur Junior is of age."
David shook his head and sighed. "We of course know that will never happen. Why'd you do it Michilinie?"
David Michilinie raised an eyebrow. "You mean this?" He pulled out Aquaman #62 where, on the cover, a solemn Arthur placed his hand atop a gravestone. Behind him, tears running down her face as she trembled in rage, Mera was barely able to keep herself from attacking him. She screamed "Our son is dead Aquaman and its all your fault!"
"Of course, what else?!" demanded the other David.
Michilinie looked away furtively, hemming and hawing before answering. "Well… I just thought that that was what Paul Levitz was building up to when I took over the writing for the series." He shrugged his shoulders. "I thought it was going there and I wanted to give Aquaman some pathos. You know, he gave up the chance to save Junior in order to get Black Manta." A remorseful look came across the man's face. "I mean the point is that thought Junior was already dead.
"And that dear Kahn," said Peter David as he turned to his publisher, "is the point."
"What do you mean David?" asked Kahn.
The new writer smiled conspiratorially. "I plan on… sort of an identity crisis for Aquaman, for all the heroes in fact. Part of having a secret identity is that your enemies won't know who your loved ones are and will never be able to hurt them. One thing that didn't work about Michilinie's story as that it wasn't mentioned outside of the aqua-books. I plan on showing that when AJ was murdered that the League tore up the DCU looking for Manta before Aquaman finally cornered him.
"As to where this will go from here, yes Mera and Aquaman have moved in to New Venice and are living as a relatively normal couple in a sunken American city. The reason that Aquaman has been able to control himself is that he hasn't. The reason he lost the throne was that he was a superhero long before becoming king and didn't put his royal duties first, right? He's hanging on by burying himself in his work. The more criminals her catches, the more lives he saves, the less time he has to think about the one life he was unable to save.
"His becoming a workaholic alienates his wife. He's prompt and remembers all their anniversaries but he's always so… cold. As time passes, he stops taking care of his appearance; his hair grows long and he grows a beard. He walks around bare-chested. He slowly becomes sterner and even cruel. In the end Mera leaves and is even confined to an insane asylum. The pain of losing AJ was too much; she couldn't survive the loss of her husband too.
"Part of all this is his decision that he must become king. Like I said, here, he can't abdicate as he's Poseidon's only surviving heir but he can give his power to a prime minister. For a long time by that point, the Prime Minister was Vulko but after X attack leaves Atlantis in ruins, it's Aquaman who goes to the rescue. He helps the survivors, takes charge, and tells everyone what to do. Any characters who'd been tagging along wonder why is it that the Atlanteans act as if he'd never stopped being their king. The others say it's because he never had stopped being their king. There is no ceremony to mark his return to power because none is needed. Yes, Vulko continues his day-to-day work but King Arthur is back
"Aquaman is king in deed as well as in name for now he knows where his priorities must lie. He spent his early life as a superhero and thought to be both during his kingship. Both suffered because of it. He's made his choice now, however; he is king of Atlantis first and a super hero second. I plan on showing that in my second year of my run when Aquaman launches a campaign against all whalers."
Kahn and Schwartz traded looks even as Miller face palmed.
David sighed. "Listen up Mr. Right Wing, let's just suspend disbelief for the story, OK."
"Whatever," Miller muttered.
"Now, I'd been thinking of having Aquaman be raised by dolphins. We're sticking to old origins but that doesn't mean I can't give that origin to Garth/Aqualad. Dolphin the superheroine was also raised by the animals. When, let's say, Garth's or Dolphin's mother, Porm, is killed by a common fisherman, Garth (or Dolphin) goes insane with anger and tries to take revenge. When Aquaman confronts him, he refuses to listen. 'He murdered my mother,' he screams, 'how can you possibly understand?!'
"With that Garth realizes his mistakes and tries to apologize." David snorted. "Little creep dared to whine about the loss of his relationship when Aquaman fought him to save Arthur Junior! He tries to apologize, saying that he didn't mean to dredge up Arthur's old memories… still he won't stop. He's surprised when Arthur doesn't hit him. He's even more surprised when he says, 'I'm on your side for this one minnow.'
"Aquaman explains that he understands perfectly but that there's a difference. He was able to claim a measure of justice for AJ in that since that day no nation on land or in the sea will give Manta sanctuary. Compare that to the whalers who've killed countless cetaceans… Whalers, like the men who killed Garth's dolphin mother are, by Atlantean law, mass murderers and yet he's never even tried to stop them. If he's going to be King of Atlantis, he'll have to stop appeasing landsmen and bring the criminals to justice… and that includes Porm's killer.
"We've already established that he sympathizes with whales and would like nothing more than jailing the men who would hunt them. They are relatively intelligent; in one of our stories, at least, a mother whale beached herself in grief after her son died. Aquaman knew because she told him. Now he decides to finally do what he should have done a long time ago.
"After the UN asks the League to intervene, they catch him sinking a whaling ship and seemingly about to kill the crew. They had mostly given up hope of being rescued from sea horse riding mermen when Superman arrives. Among those cheering for their savior is the man who killed Porm.
"The Man of Steel and his League have caught Aquaman red handed, red from the blood of slaughtered whales seeping into the sea from the ruined ship. Wonder Woman, who has the power to speak with animals, gasps. Superman appeals to Arthur, saying that they've known each other since they were kids. Garth says that among the whalers is the man who killed his dolphin mother; he and Aquaman will have justice! Kal-El, who cherishes all life, looks at the mutilated bodies of innocent animals—of people, as they are sentient. He says that he sincerely sympathizes and wants to help him stop the cetacean holocaust but that 'this is not the way to do it! We don't have the power to do this.'
"Aquaman agrees to everyone's surprise. 'You're right Kal,' he says, 'you and the other Leaguers don't have the power to do this… but I do.' He looks at Superman and says, 'Let me ask you something. You have the power to change the world and end everyone's problems in an instant but you don't.' When Superman asks why he should answer, Arthur offers to let himself be bound in Diana's lasso as proof of sincerity. Not impressed by Arthur's grandiose posturing, Superman takes the bait and asks to be bound himself and says what he'd say with or without a lasso: it's not his place to decide morality and force people to be good.
"Aquaman nods. 'Yeah, you're a private citizen with no legal responsibilities to be the big hero. If you save lives or capture criminals, you're not trying to take the place of firefighters or policemen, you're just trying to help.' Superman nods. 'Isn't that also part of the reason you don't kill? An executioner might kill dozens of people but I've never seen you free criminals from death row. I mean, you have the moral responsibility to help people with your power but not the legal responsibility and thus lack the legal power to kill at will, right?' Again, Superman agrees that all that that is true and then it all dawns on where Arthur is taking this…
"Aquaman then smirks." And so did Peter David. "He says, 'Since I am head of state for all the confederated kingdoms and principalities of Atlantis and am the head of government for Poseidonis and my claiming these beasts as citizens is recognized by all surface nations, do you not then recognize that should these men kill my citizens in my kingdom I have the legal responsibility to protect these whales and these dolphins and that I, by your own admission, have the legal power to kill these men?'
"Everyone, Porm's killer most of all, looks at Superman and, having let himself be bound by the lasso, can do nothing but tell the truth. Yes, in that he's a king, Arthur does have that power and he, Kal, has no power to stop him. Powerless to do anything else Superman asks of the killer will be tried in a court of law and Aquaman nods. He says, 'At least let us take the crew.'
"Aquaman nods. 'Fine, then. Take the crew but their captain, the harpooners, and Porm's killer come with me.'
"With how Porm had been so well known as Prince Garth's mother and was the wisest and most kind of Father Neptune's dolphin children, her killer's trial takes center stage. He escapes the death penalty only on grounds that he didn't know his victims were sentient."
Publisher and all around boss Jenette Kahn saw the sour look on Miller's face. Now I know why he's silent. He knows he'd shoot his mouth off. "That's… interesting Peter but don't you think that might be a little distasteful. I mean you get to live your fantasies but whales will still be getting killed off in the real world."
David shook his head. "Nah, it'll be ok. Firstly, I plan to showing that whalers are just ordinary guys trying to do their jobs. Aquaman and Tempest—Aqualad's new name—will come off as a bullies for attacking otherwise innocent people." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I thought of having Porm's killer be just another supervillain but that would be too easy. Instead, he's just an ordinary guy; he's divorced, sees his kid every other weekend, he's trying to quit smoking, he's a third generation fisherman. When he gets prison time in an Atlantean jail cell, all he can do is whisper what I do?
"As for the other side, Arthur won't be able to save everyone and once I do that story, I plan on putting it in the background. Neither it nor Aquaman's efforts to educate people will be in the main thrust of the story. It's enough to know that it's happening for our guy's character development."
He saw the boss mull it over in her head before ultimately nodding. "Ok. We'll see how it goes."
David smiled. "Back to the main story then and that is Aquaman's kingship taking center stage. In the wake of all that will have happened, he's decided to be a king first and a superhero second. In terms of day to day politicking, however, he takes a page from surface world monarchies and makes Vulko his Prime Minister. Arthur's a great king but Vulko is more qualified to deal with the red tape.
"For example, it's Vulko that makes Arthur's playbook in how to deal with trespassing landsmen. For example, all surface men agree on the territorial limits of 12 miles from shore out to sea, right? After all, land dwellers argue, they can't breathe water and thus can't live establish any permanent settlements. The sea is therefore neutral territory.
"Vulko doesn't dispute it. In fact, he agrees with it… because by that logic if somebody makes or has made permanent settlements in the ocean that portion of the ocean would by that same law belong to them, right?" David smirked at that. "Vulko gives lawyers nightmare for years with that. Arthur's too smart to abuse that power of course, he allows fishing and travel. But anyone who endangers Atlantean lives, weather humanoid or other will be dealt with harshly.
"It won't just be politicking, though. We'll see him on adventures exploring the ocean, meeting the oceanic gods and monsters of various mythologies. Heck, years worth of stories might take place without ever coming up for air! I plan on a story where he will embark on a quest to unite all the lost cities of Atlantis, Tier Na Noge, Mu, Lemuria, and Hy Basil. Not only will we knit together all the previous underwater races, we will see Aquman become king of them all."
Kahn saw people nod but she was nonplussed. "Yes, I can just imagine Aquaman making poses and shouting 'outrageous!' in between speeches. But Pete unless there's some character development you know that all Aquaman's adventuring will get boring. Just saving the whole entire universe for the umpteenth time…"
"Don't worry about it boss. I plan on as much character development as anything else."
He pursed his lips. "I originally planned to save this for later but why not? The major turning point in all this will be an adventure where Aquaman saves an Atlantean boy from certain death. As to who the villain is, if there is one, it isn't important right now. What matters is that both Aquaman and the boy are chained to some Rube-Goldberg machine death trap and are being lowering into an underwater lava pit. The boy, who's been raised from birth with stories of the noble Aquaman who could do no wrong and would always be there, cries out for his king to save him. Arthur struggles mightily but it's no good."
Michilinie was on the edge of his seat. "How will Aquaman get out?"
David shook his head as Aqua-baby's true killer. "He won't. Our guy sees a child, a child who'd be the same age Arthur Junior would be if he hadn't died. Aquaman freaks out and goes back to that day he failed to save his son. He's bound by one hand to a length of chain and uses all his strength to try to break it. That fails! He pulls out a knife and desperately tries hacking at the chains but it's no use! He looks at his son and then he looks at his hand…"
"He can't let AJ die all over again so he raises a knife to do what must be done. He can't let it happen again, never again! Michilinie looked away. He wasn't the only one who flinched at the new writer's words.
"The next scene, we see Aquaman staggering back to friendly waters carrying the little boy in one arm. He makes his way to the nearest doctor, asking for help for the boy… and himself. The doctor is shocked to see his hand ends in a bloody stump. Aquaman cut off his own hand to save the boy, a boy whom he owned no loyalty and had never even met beforehand. He did it for no other reason than sheer goodness."
For a short time, everyone was quiet. It was Kahn who broke the silence. "David, I though you said piranha would eat Aquaman's hand." She saw the looks on people's faces and cleared her throat. "We talked earlier and gave me a sneak peek."
Fish attacking Aquaman? thought Denny O'Neil "That's stupid, he can talk to fish! All he'd have to do is say piranha stop eating my hand!"
David shrugged. "That really would be the point I was trying to make, that he talks to fish instead of controlling them and if they don't feel like listening to him too bad. Giving Aquaman such an epic fail might make for great comedy but done seriously it just makes him look rather useless. He is going to lose his hand, but he's not going to lose it so dumbly." A mollified O'Niel nodded. "Afterwards, we'll see a bearded, bare chested Aquaman gets a cybernetic hook that will double as a weapon. I think it'll make a nice image!"
It did and he wound up carrying that hook for the rest of the 90s.
"Now I already said that Aquaman and Mera had separated. She went insane and was sent to the madhouse; they never actually divorced though. She eventually gets better though in a story that finds her and Arthur trapped in another dimension where their son never died. The other AJ is now a young boy who wears a blue camouflage suit and idolizes his parents. He's a good boy who trains to be a good prince and, one day, to be a good man. Mera and Arthur are happily married and they have children on the way. It's a picture of family bliss.
"The other Aquaman, you see, chose not to go after Black Manta when he had the chance and instead took his son back to Atlantis hoping beyond hope that AJ could be saved. And indeed, though the baby was down to his last scrap of life and though it was touch and go for months, AJ ultimately did survive and make a full recovery. Here Arthur now deliberately tries to be a moral and upstanding citizen in hopes of giving his son a father whom he could be proud of. The other Mera is fine, healthy, happy, and very pregnant.
"After the inevitable misunderstandings between our Aquaman and his counterpart, our guy gets some time alone with his 'son.' The other AJ is shocked at the idea that his father would care more about getting revenge than saving him. Barely able to look at AJ after hearing those words, Aquaman—in all his bearded, hook shaking manliness—begins to cry. With that, all the macho façade he'd been building up to falls apart and all can do is say over and over that he's sorry.
"AJ hugs his 'father' and forgives him for everything. AJ looks at our Aquaman's hook hand and asks how many people have died by it and he's told too many. The boy tells his father's doppelganger that killing people isn't power. Anyone can do that. To give live, to save life that's real power, a power he once had, he still has. Aquaman is still in there, still alive, still sleeping, buried underneath all the angst, still waiting to come out and make the world a better place.
"As for Mera, part of the reason she went crazy in the first place was her hatred for Arthur, how he abandoned Junior to get revenge on Manta. On seeing all this, however, seeing at least one version of her son not only still alive but forgiving his father for what he had done, all that hatred melts away.
"She is quiet and utterly vulnerable at this moment. After seeing her husband's contrition for leaving his son in favor of vengeance, that 'son' turns around to face her. He tells her, 'Mom I don't want you to cry forever and I don't want you to stay mad at dad. If even I can forgive him, can't you forgive him too?'
"She then throws her arms around AJ and holds him tightly, not daring to let him go. Those are strong words that Mera needed to hear. She knows that she'll always miss her son but know she also knows that he'll always be with her as long as she remembers his love. With that, with her heart thus mended, she begins to heal and she returns to regular DC Universe.
"She and Arthur, who are still technically married, begin to repair their relationship. It's a hard road and one they would never have wished on anyone, but they have faced the most awful test any couple could have faced and they have made it. They court again, they fall in love again and so they learn 'that the evil eye can wither… that the heart's blessing can heal… and that love overcomes all odds.'"
Not a few writers there were drying some tears when David said that and not a few fans had to dry theirs when David wrote that last story in 1998.
The truth of it was established in Our Worlds at War, 2001's mega crossover. It saw the long awaited return of the Anti-Monitor who once again sought to destroy the universe and who this time was dealt a decisive blow by the Superman who failed to defeat him before in the Crisis. There were terrible casualties, however, and one of them was Atlantis. Anti-Monitor's plan involved hollowing out Earth and Poseidonis was ground zero for one of the probes. Aquaman took point and fought valiantly against the Anti-Monitor's forces there but the city was seemingly destroyed in a tremendous explosion. In its place was simply a huge rift in the water of the ocean.
It was eventually revealed that the Atlanteans were still alive; Aquaman had sent his people into the distant past as part of a last resort failsafe if the unthinkable should happen. When he was "killed," a spell he'd implanted in his trident activated and teleported them all to a time when Atlantis was still above the waves and when the Titans still ruled the world. It was unfortunately the last days when Zeus and his fellow Olympians made war against the Titans to take the world for themselves.
By then, it was taken for granted that the two groups of Atlanteans would fight and one would betray the other, especially with how grim superhero comics had become. That is in fact what happened the pre-flood Atlanteans found their descendants and made slaves of them. Those water breathing… freaks were not only on Olympus side, their leader was a blood relative to Poseidon!
Thought to be spies or at least sympathizers, the modern Atlanteans were placed in chains and made to suffer terrible humiliations but Aquaman ordered his people not to resist. He even refused the chance to escape when a few people who'd escaped earlier came back for their dehydrated countrymen. Arthur reasoned that even if they did escape them that they'd have nowhere to go. True he theoretically could lead an attack, steal back his trident, and use its power to get back home, but even aside from potential damage to the time stream, he wouldn't take force what he could gain by reason.
Instead, he used his telepathy to reach the better angels on his ancestors' nature. He showed them that, whatever he was, he and his modern Atlanteans were not there as enemies. He even warned them of the coming cataclysm as a token of good faith, though he also said that it could be inevitable. It was not a moment too soon because soon Poseidon came to destroy Atlantis and the old Atlanteans gave Aquaman back his trident so that he could save them from the sea god.
Arthur fought the earthshaker to a draw, mostly because Poseidon had rendered his Trident unable to harm any descendants he might have. (The reverse however was not true as Aquaman used his era's Trident to strike several blows against his ancestor.) The fact that "Orin" could not be harmed by his Trident forced the Earthshaker to declare a truce. Not only that but the fact that he could use the same Trident and not die meant that, regardless of being Atlantean and sharing the same name as the Atlantean King, Orin was his legitimate heir.
Throwing all caution to the winds, Arthur knelt to his forefather, to his god, and told him of the future that was to come. He warned the Earthshaker that were he ever to strike down Atlantis, he would strike down the only people who in time could worship him. Poseidon used his magic and saw that it was true.
The old Atlanteans saw for themselves the truth in Aquaman's words when the sea god—a more caring father than his brother Zeus— threw down his weapons and swore on the River Styx not to attack Atlantis for X many years. It was perhaps just delaying the inevitable but the King Orin of the past knew his people would have time to prepare for the worst. Maybe the future could be changed. He was also buoyed by the knowledge that even if it couldn't be, that his children and his children's children would survive.
The old Atlanteans asked Arthur to forgive their foolishness on seeing all this and asked for the chance to make reparations. King Arthur accepted their apology but said that the only reparations he sought was help for going home. The old Atlanteans gladly offered it.
Arthur and his people were sent back to the future where the hero king made contact with both world governments and the Justice league. The Tritonians, who had made their city the temporary capital after Poseidonis' disappearance, rushed to help the refugees when that happened. Soon enough the old capital was reestablished and Atlantis began the long, if now hopeful, process of rebuilding. There was only one who grew worried.
Aquaman swam to the temple of Poseidon and there knelt before the god's idol and asked forgiveness for having raised his hand against him while in the past. The Earthshaker appeared and said that if anything he should thank him. "Long ago," he said, "I asked forgiveness from the Atlanteans for having sunk their country beneath the waves and as proof, I took them under my protection and blessed the royal house. The reason I asked forgiveness was that even though I knew that no one, god or man, can defy the Moirai—the Fates—one need not embrace them. If I was able to spare anybody from the deluge with the reprieve it was because of what you showed me. Thank you Aquaman."
Aquaman was not, however, thankful in return. Soon after, he had to leave in a quest imparted on him Poseidon; Princess Diana was his traveling companion. (By that it was the mid 2000s and the Aquaman and Wonder Woman titles had begun to overlap considerably due to the shared focus on Greek myth.) They had to find X ancient relic lest its power be used by Y villain to take over the world.
By itself, it wouldn't have been anything special; it was a standard plot, the kind that had been used a hundred times before. No, the main hook was the fact that Mera was pregnant with their daughter MJ, Mera Junior, and Arthur had to choose between his duty and his family. In fact, Mera had hoped to tell her husband the news when he came in to say that he had been charged with a mission by their god.
Arthur pleaded for the chance to let someone else go, or at least to delay the mission until MJ was born but Poseidon was adamant. Readers went on to see that even though someone might believe in (a) god, that doesn't mean that he won't get angry at him. It was his playing superhero that indirectly led to Arthur Junior's death in the first place; memories of his son and of the other dimension were still fresh for him. Ultimately, it was only Wonder Woman (who was by then herself a goddess and the granddaughter of a goddess) who managed to keep him from committing outright apostasy against Poseidon.
It was Mera, however, who convinced him to go; he didn't want to, saying that his place was at her side. Although she cried, she shook her head and placed his hand on her womb. He had to go in order to make the world a better place for their child.
It was there that Aquaman gradually shifted back to his classic green and orange uniform and shaved though he still kept a close cropped beard. His hand was still gone though the hook was replaced a hard water hand give him by Poseidon, not that Arthur was appreciative. "I spend more time caring about perfect strangers than my own family!"
It ended with a double climax where Aquaman, and Wonder Woman, fought the villain and Mera went into labor. Arthur of course won and with that Poseidon appeared before his champion to congratulate him and, more importantly, give him what he knew what he most wanted and most deserved. When Mera finally give birth to her daughter, she was not alone; Arthur was there to hold MJ in his arms.
Poseidon saw this and smiled. His champion had walked a hard road and he would continue on it, but for now he would let him have the happiness he had earned. Aquaman now knew that, however much he would want it to be so, his life would never be easy. He'd be proven right with old villains threatening him over and over and new ones like Davy Jones, the half man, half crab, half octopus Captain of the Flying Dutchman whose ship of the damned is built of the blood and bones of the evil dead and who prowled the sea looking for lost souls to lock away in Davy Jones Locker.
Aquaman would stand firm; he had to when he had so much to protect. As of 2014, his little MJ had grown into a toddler and there was no sign of any imminent demise. Tempest was happily married to Dolphin and with a child of their own; that family mostly appeared in spin off titles like Sword of Atlantis and Aquaman and the Others. Glimpses of the future showed the future Aqualad and Aquagirl as each other's first crush.
There was also the current Aqualad, Kaldur'ahm. He was created by Greg Weisman for the Young Justice cartoon series before being incorporated into the regular comics. DC took advantage of its history to show that their Kalder'ahm was the boy whom Aquaman had cut off his hand to save. Kalder brought it up trying to apologize but Arthur stopped him; he did miss his old hand but it was nothing compared to a life. He smiled and said it was a price he'd been glad to pay in order to save the young fellow.
The king and his first apprentice proved good teachers to the boy. He needed one with his strange water manipulation he'd begun to develop. He also needed a home with his being an orphan. It wasn't just for altruism, however, that Aquaman kept an eye on the boy; by 2014, Kalder was the same age Arthur Junior would have been if he hadn't been killed.
It was thus the height of irony when he was revealed to be Black Manta's long lost son. The villain initially tried to claim the boy but after seeing Aqualad risk his life to save Aquaman from one of his own attacks, Manta knew he was beaten. He saw how happy and how loved the boy was Arthur and knew the life he'd be asking Kalder to live in becoming a fugitive. Manta and Aquaman ultimately met on neutral ground to discuss the boy's fate. For all his crimes, the villain did in fact love his son and for that love, renounced all claims on the boy. Kalder would stay with Aquaman, who agreed never to tell him of his true parentage.
Manta chuckled something to himself about how now he knew what it felt like before telling Arthur that while it would be to much to ever expect to be friends, that if they ever met again, that they not meet as enemies. Aquaman nodded. That they not be enemies was all he could promise.
"I took away your son by killing him and now you take away mine by saving him. A life for a life then. We're even."
As of summer 2014, Manta hasn't been seen since. As for Aquaman and his family, the future is yet unwritten.
Author's Notes: -_-; Sorry I took so long guys! Its just... I've been working on another series of fics over on the Godzilla section (strongly recommend them) and there's only one of me to write them. Hopefully you can forgive my delays. Its worth saying that Aquaman is officially over now and it will now be time for Martian Manhunter. And with that finished, it'll be time for... JUSTICE LEAGUE! At least, that's the idea. Would anyone prefer Captain Marvel before JLA to keep up the theme of myth and magic. If he comes after it would be part of a multiparter called "Legions of Superheroes" that will cover the DCU in general.
Now for the mailbag.
Lord Ultimas: Yeah, its Icthultu! I had the idea for the greatest sea monster and I used a Cthulu look-a-like early on to fill that role. When I remembered DC's official Cthulu parody it was only logical to use it. Thanks for the kind words and... I'll be writing my ideas for Manhunter soon enough buddy. ;-)
Wolvmbm: No specific plans for Mera sad to say though she would make a dandy Leaguer and I imagine that she at least has a working relationship the the team. As for Black Canary and Green Arrow, they'll likely be in "Justice League" or at least "Legions of Superheroes." Thank you for your kind words and... I hope you like Manta here. :-D
Everyone else: Thanks for reading and please drop a line. Love it, hate it, indifferent, just say so. :-)
That's all gang. See'ya in thirty!
(So to say, I don't literally mean thirty don't trust anything I say concerning when its going to come out. Its just a saying from the industry and I', trying to make a joke and... oh it'll be ready when its ready! -_-;)