Friday, April 1, 2016

A is for Aquaman

Happy 1st of April!
With the start of April, comes the start of the A to Z Challenge.
(As a quick reminder, I am going to be blogging and stitching an alphabet containing DC comic book characters.)

I do want to let everyone know that I am NOT a comic book expert in any form and I am researching the characters, so I will have some conversation starters with my son.
I've decided to keep my posts in the following format:
1) Character Facts
2) Origin Story (the best one I can find that is appropriate for a 12 year old)
3) Interesting Tidbits (just little notes that I find interesting)
4) My personal observations (this part will depend on the character)
More than likely, my posts will be short and sweet and hopefully a bit entertaining. (I'll do my best!)

Shall we start...
A is for Aquaman
Here he is, in all his x-stitched glory.
 
Character Facts (gathered from the DC comics official site):
Abilities/Powers - super strength, durability, control over sea life, exceptional swimming ability, ability to breathe underwater
Occupation - King of Atlantis
Real Name/Secret Identity - Arthur Curry

Origin Story:
 (There are a couple of origin stories for Aquaman, so I choose the one that made the most sense to me.)
Aquaman was the son of Atlanna (an Atlantean princess, who was banished from Altantis, because of her frequent visits to the surface world) and a human lighthouse keeper, named Tom Curry.
Tom knew there was more to Atlanna, then meets the eye, but he never asked her about her origins.  Once Arthur (Aquaman) was born, Tom cared even less about Atlanna's past.
It was around the age of two that Tom discovered Arthur's special ability to play underwater for extended periods of time, without coming up for air.  Several years later, both father and son learned the truth of Atlanna's origins.  On her death bed, she revealed that she came from the lost world of Atlantis and that Arthur possessed the ability to live and breathe underwater, as well as the power to communicate with and control all aquatic life.
After the death of Aquaman's mother, it was his father that helped to train him, both physically and mentally, so he would be able to control his powers.
When Tom passed away, Arthur left his lighthouse home and ventured into the ocean, to find his true destiny, as the King of Atlantis.
(Source: comicvine.gamespot.com)

Interesting Tidbits:
Aquaman made his first comic book appearance in November of 1941 (I was surprised to learn the character has been around that long) and is also a founding member of the Justice League.
He made his appearance on television in the 1960s and has somewhat of a clean-cut, wholesome persona, which made him the fodder for many jokes within pop culture.

My Observations:
Aquaman has certainly gone through a transformation in the episodes of the Justice League that I recently watched.  He was not part of the Justice League (at least not yet) and did not trust "surface" folks, not even Superman.  He was rather moody, demanding and a bit unreasonable at times, but he was fighting to preserve Atlantis and its people.  I was quite amazed at the lengths he went to, to protect not only Atlantis, but his family.  Aquaman did come to respect the other members of the Justice League and it seemed a tentative relationship was formed in that episode.

Anyway, I found researching Aquaman to be quite interesting, since I didn't realize the deep back story that he had.  He is definitely a much more complex character than I ever realized and I certainly will watch him with more respect.

Hope my first alphabet installment was enjoyable (trying to find a good balance with the information) and hope everyone will be back for the next letter...

15 comments:

  1. Having a blog catch up .. great Christmas ornament and 2 beautiful Syria squares you created. A is a super finish, well done.

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  2. Awesome stitching :) I didn't know anything about the characters when I designed the pattern either! I relied soley on advice from my brother and a good friend about which character should go for each letter. Hopefully your son agrees with my brother! :)

    Ros
    Fangirl Stitches
    Travel like a Geek

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    1. My son loves the characters you (and your helpers) chose! He knows way more of them, then I do, but I am having a lot of fun researching them.

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  3. What a fun way to include your son in the blogging challenge. I applaud you for your creativity. I'll be back to see more.
    @ScarlettBraden from
    Frankly Scarlett

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  4. Great post Carrie. I really enjoyed reading about him. I'm looking forward to learning more about the other characters. Lovely stitching and start.

    Linda

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  5. I am visiting from the a-z challenge. Great start on the challenge.

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  6. Great post Carrie! Superheroes have passed my household by so I doubt there will be many that I recognise. But I was very interested to read the (actually quite formulaic when you think about it) back story. It's a great piece of stitching, an informative piece of research and a brilliant theme for your challenge. I'll definitely be back for every letter! :)

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  7. Another informative post Carrie. I am really enjoying learning about these characters.

    Linda

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  8. You're off to a great start with this challenge, I like the format you're doing, so organized and informative, I'm not a superhero expert too, lol.

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  9. Very interesting. I'm not a comic book fan at all, but this was pretty cool to read about. Great stitching start! :D

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  10. Great post even though I much prefer Marvel than DC!
    I really enjoyed your stitching and the story about the character.
    Needless to say, I will be back for B. Hmmm wonder who might that be?

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