AQUA

Power Rangers co-star Ludi Lin did an interview on Canadian radio Wednesday afternoon that revealed new information of interest to fans of both DC Comics and the Power Rangers franchise. After playing Zack, the Black Ranger, in the recent Power Rangers feature film, the Chinese-Canadian actor was cast as a comic character named Murk in Warner Bros.’ upcoming Aquaman film. Lin was in Vancouver on a break from filming Aquaman in Australia and stopped in on afternoon drive program The Ara Show before heading back. The host started with some light questions about Lin’s background, but the conversation quickly veered toward Aquaman. When asked about playing a general of the Atlantean army named Murk (introduced in DC Comics in 2013 by Geoff Johns and Paul Pelletier), Lin discussed the differences between the live-action and comic book versions. RELATED: Aquaman: Dafoe Compares Experience on DC Film to Raimi’s Spider-Man “Murk has gone through some changes… l

In Abandoned an’ Forsaked, we examine comic book stories and ideas that were not only abandoned, but also had the stories/plots specifically “overturned” by a later writer (as if they were a legal precedent). When Mera debuted in Aquaman #11 (by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy), she explained that she was a queen of a sea people from another dimension and that she had to go on the run when a bad guy committed a coup upon her kingdom. Aquaman helped Mera fight off the usurper and they even succeeded in winning Mera her kingdom back. After a little bit of time, however, she ended up returning to Aquaman’s dimension, determined to give up her kingdom for the chance to spend more time with the man that she had grown to love. They ultimately married and doon had a baby. The baby, Arthur Jr., was tragically murdered by Black Manta years later. Mera’s history went over a few revamps over the year, but the most significant one occurred in the maxiseries, Bright

Recently, Aquaman director James Wan responded to a Patrick Wilson tweet (Wilson plays the villainous Ocean Master in the upcoming film) where Wilson himself responded to actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Black Manta) sharing an image of Aquaman having his hand sliced off by Manta, saying, “Yes. Bad guys rule.” Wan’s response to Wilson was, “Whoa. Spoiler, dude.” This, of course, got the fan community buzzing about whether this was a hint by Wan that Aquaman might lose his hand in the film. The reason why that is a realistic possibility is because Aquaman famously lost his hand in the 1990s and went “hand-less” for over a decade after first losing it. Read on for the history of Aquaman’s missing hand and what kind of substitutes it had over the years. RELATED: Justice League: Zack Snyder Shares New Aquaman Image It all started when Peter David finally got a chance to take over Aquaman for DC Comics in 1994. David had previously done the critically acclaimed maxiseries Atlantis Chronicle

“Aquaman” #1 looked as though it was taking the title down a familiar, almost cliched path, at least so far as Aquaman and Black Manta are concerned. We’d seen this pattern before: just as the hero claims his victory, a longtime enemy arrives and tears it all down in some horrific way; vengeance is vowed, and the cycle starts all over again. But that’s why Dan Abnett, Scot Eaton and Wayne Faucher’s “Aquaman” #2 ultimately stands out: it takes the start of that trope, then points the story in a very different direction. RELATED: Abnett & Walker Talk “Aquaman: Rebirth’s” ‘Endless’ World, an Integrated DCU When “Aquaman” #1 wrapped up, Abnett left his protagonist in that tried and true situation. Black Manta had attacked the brand-new Atlantean embassy Spindrift Station, killed an Atlantean guard and wounded Mera and Aquaman. When issue #2 kicks off, we zoom down this traditional route as Aquaman and Black Manta fight while new arrival Lieutenant Joanna Stubbs witnesses it all, and

Aquaman is one of the few heroes in the DC Universe who is also the ruler of a sovereign nation. Dan Abnett, Brad Walker and Andrew Hennessy play up that aspect of the character in “Aquaman” #1, and it feels like a step in the right direction to try and provide a better focus for this aquatic hero. While the ideas here are good, though, the actual storytelling feels a little erratic. This isn’t, of course, the first time we’ve had a DC Comics publication featuring a hero opening an embassy. In previous continuities, multiple authors of the “Wonder Woman” title played up the fact that the character was Themyscira’s ambassador to the outside world, each with varying results. Abnett opens up the previously-mentioned Spindrift Station in “Aquaman” #1, and he’s right to treat it as much as a publicity junket as a diplomatic event. Having military liaisons show up alongside reporters feels smart, doubly so considering that Arthur and Mera have discussed a need to try and bridge the gap bet