For decades, Aquaman was a joke, and to some folks, he still is. However, the New 52 stories have really revamped who this character is and proved to most people that Aquaman isn't someone to make fun of. Even if you're one of the few that still rag on Aquaman, we're here to let you know that the character actually has some really awesome stories you should check out. We put together this list of some of Aquaman's best stories, once you're done, you can actually check almost all of these iisues out of Comixology.
Everything Peter David Wrote (1990-1998)
THE ATLANTIS CHRONICLES #1-7, AQUAMAN TIME & TIDE #1-4, and AQUAMAN #0-46 (This is also the reading order)
Written by Peter David
Peter David really made Aquaman into the character he is today. He was the premiere writer for the king of Atlantis throughout the 90s. Before this, he was just another hero who would occasionally bang out some jazz tunes with his octopus buddy Topo. While all three of these stories are separate volumes, they also work together as one very large piece of work.
His work starts with ATLANTIS CHRONICLES, drawn by Esteban Maroto, which is the grand and quite epic tour through the vast history of Atlantis, which ends with the birth of Aquaman. Next comes AQUAMAN TIDE & TIDE, a four issue mini-series telling the tale of Aquaman during his early years. You can think of this more as an origin piece than anything else. This series features the art of Kirk Jarvinen, Brad Vancata, and the colors of Tom McCraw. Finally, there's David's 47 issue run of AQUAMAN, the 5th volume of the series. We got a rougher version of the character, and one that lost his hand. Remember the Aquaman from the Justice League Unlimited cartoon? This is where that design came from.
What makes it great: Peter David redefined the character here as well as spending a lot of time redefining all things Atlantis. David's run took Aquaman from the guy who could help out the Justice League if there was a problem at the Aquarium, to a full-fledged hero, with his own vast and deep mythos. We wouldn't have Aquaman the way he is today without Peter David.
American Tidal AKA Sub-Diego (2004)
AQUAMAN #15-20
Written by Wil Pfeifer
Pencils by Patrick Gleason
Inks by Christian Alamy
Colors by Nathan Eyring
"American Tidal," which many fans lovingly call "Sub Diego," is the longest arc in this volume, which does run a bit longer than issues #15-20, as the Sub Diego world does come back into play. Anton Geist sinks the city of San Diego and its inhabitants and Aquaman helps find a way for its residents to continue living underwater.
What makes it great: For me, this run really got me to be an Aquaman fan. Pfeifer makes Aquaman more than a hero. He becomes a savior here as he gives the residents of San Diego a reason to go on and gives them a new lease on life. In addition, you have the art of Patrick Gleason, moving this story forward, which makes this one killer arc that is a must read for Aquaman fans, especially in a pre-Flashpoint world.
Aquaman's New 52 Origin (2012)
AQUAMAN #0
Written by Geoff Johns
Colors by Rod Reis
We live in the world of the New 52, and things have been shaken up. Luckily, during a month back in 2012, DC gave readers a whole bunch of zero issues which told the origins for their heroes and villains of this new DC universe. Here, Johns retells Aquaman's voyage of leaving the human world to find Atlantis. Along the way, he meets Vulko, who helps him on his mission and tells Arthur about his past.
What makes it great: It is a nice one-off issue that gives a decent summation of Arthur's past without feeling like an information dump. We get a broad sense of who this character was and where he came from. We also see how Arthur evolved and how his personality changed, without the character feeling completely foreign. It may just be a single issue, but it's an essential read for fans of the New 52 version of the character.
The Trench (2011)
AQUAMAN #1-4
Written by Geoff Johns
Pencils by Ivan Reis
Inks by Joe Prado
Colors by Rod Reis
For the longest time, well, since the Super Friends cartoon back in 1973, Aquaman has been a bit of a joke. With the launch of the New 52, writer Geoff Johns seemingly made it his mission to reintroduce the world to an Aquaman folks could take a bit more seriously. He accomplished that in his first story line of the new series entitled "The Trench." In this story, Aquaman goes up against a new enemy from the depths of the ocean. They come to the surface looking for food and the outnumber Aquaman and his wife Mera by quite a bit.
What makes it great: It's a reintroduction to the character for a whole new generation. Geoff Johns does go over the idea that Aquaman is a joke, but he proves those folks wrong by taking on the Trench, which is more than your average villain. The finale of this story has Aquaman make a very difficult decision, which will gain the respect of the reader.
Throne of Atlantis (2013)
AQUAMAN #14-17, JUSTICE LEAGUE #15-17
Written by Geoff Johns
Pencils by Ivan Reis
Inks by Joe Prado
Colors by Rod Reis
Someone has attacked Atlantis and Aquaman's brother, Orm, blames the surface world. To retaliate, Orm sends his forces to the coastal cities and lays waste to them. Aquaman, along with the Justice League, team up to try and stop Orm from his destruction and killing and try to find out who attacked Atlantis.
What makes it great: This is the first time the reader gets a full scope of how large Atlantis' army is. It's not just a couple guys in SCUBA gear. This also feels like the first time, in a long time, that Orm AKA Ocean Master (a terribly named character) feels like an actual person and not just a villain of the week for Aquaman. Johns does a great job developing Arthur's brother. Also, this is just a pretty dang epic storyline for fans of the Justice League.
Bonus: MAELSTROM (2014)
AQUAMAN #35-
Written by Jeff Parker
Pencils by Paul Pelletier
Inks by Sean Parsons
Colors by Rain Beredo
Aquaman finds out that his mother never died. She's out there and still alive. He goes on the hunt to find her in hopes to get some answers about his past. We don't have all the answers yet, but the story is moving along smoothly.
What makes it great: Currently, we're about halfway through this arc, it seems. This has been Jeff Parker's best story during his run and what makes it so great is that he builds on the mythos and lore of Atlantis. Before it sunk, it had many connections to what they now call the "surface world," including Gorilla City. While other New 52 arcs have built on the characters and complementary Atlantis, Maelstrom builds on the history of Atlantis and will really get fans excited about Aquaman's world.
There you have it, some of Aquaman's best stories. What moments from Aquaman's past are some of your favorites? Let us know in the comment section below!
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