9/25/10

Aquaman Speaks for the Sea

One of my favorite characters from children's literature is the Lorax, who is from the book of the same name by Dr. Seuss. This strange, wheezy creature expresses outrage at the depletion of the forest. "I speak for the trees!" he insists. The DC Comics character Aquaman reminds me of him.

I haven't read that many of Aquaman's adventures. I'm mostly familiar with him from the TV series "Smallville," which I regularly watch on direct tv, but I know that he has several comic books to himself, where he doesn't have to play second fiddle to Superman.

What's really appealing about this character is his dedication to the ecosystem of the ocean. When he witnesses an act of water pollution, it hurts him deeply, and he sometimes finds extreme ways of retaliating. Though he occasionally strays too far into vigilantism, I think it's inspiring to have a superhero so focused on the good of the environment.

Aquaman's remarkable aquatic abilities mean that he is nearly as impressive underwater as Superman is above water. Additionally, in many of his stories, he occupies the very important role of the King of Atlantis, so he a leader as well as a hero.

Aquaman, otherwise known as Arthur Joseph Curry, tends to get some ridicule because his abilities mostly involve swimming and talking to fish, but I love him.


Contribution by Saul Martin

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