Future State - Top Ten: #7. Aquaman

 

Writer: Brandon Thomas

Artist: Daniel Sampere

To be clear, the casting, and subsequent performance, of Jason Momoa, was the best thing to ever happen to Aquaman.

Aquaman is one of the oldest DC superheroes, and yet his modern reputation in pop culture is as a joke, the dude who “talks to fish.” Peter David’s feverish efforts in the ‘90s to transform him into a more gritty character (sans hand, added hook, beard, long hair) did little outside comic book circles to change this.

Geoff Johns elevated Aquaman as much as he could in the early New 52, writing him simultaneously in the pages of his own comic and Justice League, including the crossover saga “Throne of Atlantis.” Dan Abnett had a much-lauded run in the Rebirth era.

But in the effort to make him look more authentic, DC also pigeonholed him in underwater politics that only further isolated Aquaman.

Momoa’s Aquaman is the most approachable and fun presence of the DCEU. Brandon Thomas’s Future State version (starring a next-generation Aquaman) is the first time a comic book version of the character feels like that.

Simply put, it’s a fun read! Thomas is a new recruit best known for various Image projects, and he has a spectacular debut in these pages. Even if Aquaman still doesn’t command attention, the material is getting there. DC could do a lot worse than give Thomas a permanent assignment, or at least one of those follow-ups, with this version of Aquaman.