Geek-A-Long
2017 Geek-A-Long: Aquaman
Sep
Before Jason Momoa put on the Aquaman uniform and made millions of women and men suddenly thirst for the King of the Seven Seas, no one took him seriously.
Even though Aquaman is a founding member of the Justice League, he is the probably the most ridiculed superhero out there due to the nature of his powers, but I’m here to set you straight.
HE DOESN’T TALK TO FISH
At least, not anymore. When he debuted all the way back in November of 1941, Arthur Curry did talk to fish. Over time, DC Comics have tried to garner some respect for the King of the Seven Seas by changing his abilities into the power of telepathy to command the creatures of the sea instead of just being like, “Hey, school of tuna! Go catch that guy!” In Aquaman Vol. 1: The Trench (The New 52), he actually explains how it works:
Fish don’t talk. They’re brains are too primitive to carry on a conversation. I reach into their midbrains and telepathically push them to help me out. Squids, sharks, eels, it’s all the same.
The scene is powerful in the comic, since its almost as if he’s speaking to every person that’s talked shit about him as a superhero. He makes it clear that he’s not some underwater Doctor Doolittle with no real powers. People often forget that he has superhuman powers. Yes, most of them derive from the fact that he’s adapted to withstand the deepest and coldest depths of Earth’s oceans, but with that comes superhuman strength and the ability to resist machine gun fire as seen in JLA: Justice for All.
In recent years, DC has done a lot of work to morph Aquaman into a badass, so that he’ll stop being a punchline. They’ve punched up the drama and turned the constant battling for the control of Atlantis between Aquaman and his half-brother Black Manta into an underwater Game of Thrones.
As great as it is to see him being treated with respect in recent years, my favorite interpretation of Aquaman was in the cartoon, Batman: The Brave and the Bold. The show itself is a little campy, but mostly a light-hearted version of Batman. Heroes other than the big three (Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman) get screen time, Blue Beetle, The Question, Red Tornado, Plastic Man, and most importantly Aquaman. Sure, he was a big part of the older and wince-worthy Super Friends cartoon, but here he really shines. He’s a happy-go-lucky adventurer with a larger-than-life personality, who enjoys peppering his speech with sea-based references, which I think we can all agree is adorable. This YouTube video is a nice introduction to Aquaman, but I need you to watch the clip below instead.
This is the single greatest Aquaman episode ever, and it’s about him as a family man. He’s on a cross-country road trip in a Winnebago with his wife and son, and he’s bored out of his mind. They’re supposed to be enjoying a land-based vacation, acting as surface dwellers, but he keeps getting himself entwined in “heroics.” My favorite encounter is between him and Blue Beetle, who is super impressed by him. It’s adorable and you should go watch the whole episode.
Whether you’re knitting, crocheting, or cross stitching this square, you can download the Aquaman pattern here. Instructions and charts for both knit and crochet are listed in the pattern. When you’re finished making it, don’t forget to Instagram your squares at us @lattesandllamasyarn with the hashtag #geekalong!
If you’re having trouble with double-sided knitting, we have a how-to video here and a tutorial on crochet here. Want to hang out with other people making the blanket? You can find moral support in the Geek-A-Long group on Ravelry here.
~ Jac
I see people sharing this on tumblr all the time. No idea, who the original source is, but it’s my fav:
AT THE JUSTICE LEAGUE HEADQUARTERS
Batman: So, what do you do?
Aquaman: I fight all the villains of the sea.
Batman: I’ve never heard of any villains in the sea.
Aquaman: Yeah
Aquaman: Because I do my JOB.
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