I mean if i learn something with Batman was that your image could change in seconds, i mean Adam West tv show, the cartoons and Superfriends show Batman as a joke, people saw Batman more often that Aquaman, i mean they saw Batman as a fat guy on spandex. a crazy guy with Scooby Doo and thing like that.

Now everybody outside the comic book world see him as the only serious comic book character, i mean if you ask me his image is part of the problem.

I know I will be in the minority on this, but I say that it did not.

Most of his comics weren't that good.
Also; Christ Nolan.
BB

It took Batman a decade before he got his image back, and it was mainly due to the Tim Burton movies and The Dark Knight Returns, and lately of course, his current movies.......so in essence, Superfriends screwed the whole Justice League, although a lot of characters were allowed to get their credibility back

I would totally see a Christopher Nolan Aquaman film. It could be done really well with a Dark Knight feel to it.

In terms of public perception of the character... probably. The primary impact Super Friends had on the comics is that writer's felt compelled to figure out ways to make Aquaman seem "cool", when what they should have been focusing on was telling good stories. The character has endured for over 70 years. Despite the bad press, he still maintains a higher public profile then 95% of DC's other characters. His current series is consistently placing in the Top 10, so comic fans seem to be onboard with the character. There would need to be a decent film or television series, even a cartoon, to change public perception.

@cattlebattle said:

It took Batman a decade before he got his image back, and it was mainly due to the Tim Burton movies and The Dark Knight Returns, and lately of course, his current movies.......so in essence, Superfriends screwed the whole Justice League, although a lot of characters were allowed to get their credibility back

Still he is back on track, i mean Batman is more poular that any other super hero and Adam West was part of that, still people change the way to see him, also the fact this thing only happen with Aquman tells me that is something bigger that the cartoon.

Even the Wodner Twin in Smallville, show that Aquaman is the only one with that problem.

@chalkshark said:

In terms of public perception of the character... probably. The primary impact Super Friends had on the comics is that writer's felt compelled to figure out ways to make Aquaman seem "cool", when what they should have been focusing on was telling good stories. The character has endured for over 70 years. Despite the bad press, he still maintains a higher public profile then 95% of DC's other characters. His current series is consistently placing in the Top 10, so comic fans seem to be onboard with the character. There would need to be a decent film or television series, even a cartoon, to change public perception.

QFT!!!

Also they need to change his costume, to much damn orange.

@DeathpooltheT1000: I disagree. From a complimentary color standpoint, orange is the best color for the character. You have to remember that Aquaman's adventures are supposed to take place beneath the sea. This means that the background is, largely, going to be rendered in shades of blue. Short of switching his uniform to white... which might be interesting... orange is really the best color to facilitate Aquaman popping out on the page. I would be very surprised if this were not the primary consideration at work when the original Aquaman artist designed his uniform. Weirdly, in the 1940's his gloves were yellow, which I don't think works at all.

Screw him? Are you joking, it viciously beat him until he was unconscious, bent him over the table, and brought out the cold metal broom stick of injustice. Super Friends didn't screw Aquaman it raped his soal.

@BlackArmor said:

Screw him? Are you joking, it viciously beat him until he was unconscious, bent him over the table, and brought out the cold metal broom stick of injustice. Super Friends didn't screw Aquaman it raped his soal.

Not buying that.

I've read all three of the Aquaman Showcase volumes. Old sixties Aquaman comics featured a character much weaker than the one we have today. How do you make the case that Super Friends Aquaman was any different than the one that had appeared in the majority of Aquaman comics of the time?

@Hatutzeraze said:

@BlackArmor said:

Screw him? Are you joking, it viciously beat him until he was unconscious, bent him over the table, and brought out the cold metal broom stick of injustice. Super Friends didn't screw Aquaman it raped his soal.

Not buying that.

I've read all three of the Aquaman Showcase volumes. Old sixties Aquaman comics featured a character much weaker than the one we have today. How do you make the case that Super Friends Aquaman was any different than the one that had appeared in the majority of Aquaman comics of the time?

I should have specified that I was referring to his public image more than the character himself even though he was shortchanged to a degree in that area as well. I don't know anyone who doesn't read comics who can take Aquaman remotely seriously and Super Friends did that. That in turn caps the characters public popularity which has negative effect on the character all around.

@BlackArmor: If that was truth, the show did that with all the characters, still Aquaman is the only one with those problems.

@chalkshark: It should have orange, but not half of the suit, i mean big part of the reason why people see Batman they way they see him, is his suit, he means bissnesssss with that suit, ARHG!!!!

@DeathpooltheT1000: I like his orange costume... ;)

@BlackArmor said:

I should have specified that I was referring to his public image more than the character himself even though he was shortchanged to a degree in that area as well. I don't know anyone who doesn't read comics who can take Aquaman remotely seriously and Super Friends did that. That in turn caps the characters public popularity which has negative effect on the character all around.

But here's what I am getting at -- if the Super Friends cartoon more or less reflected the way Aquaman functioned in the comics, then I don't believe the fault lies with the Super Friends cartoon. If people decided that Aquaman wasn't to be taken seriously, then that's ultimately the fault of the DC comics that portrayed him as being too dependent on one or two powers.

That said, if these people don't read comics, then why are you taking their opinions of super-heroes seriously? They don't know what they are talking about, by definition.

@Hatutzeraze said:

@BlackArmor said:

I should have specified that I was referring to his public image more than the character himself even though he was shortchanged to a degree in that area as well. I don't know anyone who doesn't read comics who can take Aquaman remotely seriously and Super Friends did that. That in turn caps the characters public popularity which has negative effect on the character all around.

But here's what I am getting at -- if the Super Friends cartoon more or less reflected the way Aquaman functioned in the comics, then I don't believe the fault lies with the Super Friends cartoon. If people decided that Aquaman wasn't to be taken seriously, then that's ultimately the fault of the DC comics that portrayed him as being too dependent on one or two powers.

That said, if these people don't read comics, then why are you taking their opinions of super-heroes seriously? They don't know what they are talking about, by definition.

It wasn't Aquaman's powers that messed him up in Superfriends it was the campy story telling, shallow plots and, unimaginative writing that hit him hard, along with the land and team setting of the show. Like every other character Aquaman had some limits with his powers yeah but just like when Superman is it with Kryptonite every character has to find away to survive when removed from their element, it was Superfriends inability to display anything than the one aspect of Aquaman that forever cripples him in the public eye. That crippling is significant because even if every comic reader in the world loved Aquaman his inability to be marketed to non comic reading audiences bars him from taking front stage in anything meant to bring in new readers. And before you site brightest day it was a follow up meant more to hook new readers than to bring any in. DC will never put to much time into Aquaman because if he's limited to comic fans then hes limited in potential profits so they would rather put time into pumping up Batman who can bring in tons of money from non readers. Aquaman being black listed to casual consumers permanently limits how much can be done with him in comics

@Hatutzeraze said:

@BlackArmor said:

DC will never put to much time into Aquaman because if he's limited to comic fans then hes limited in potential profits so they would rather put time into pumping up Batman who can bring in tons of money from non readers. Aquaman being black listed to casual consumers permanently limits how much can be done with him in comics

@cattlebattle: Yeah but did those things work? It sounds like he picked up some redemption from Smallville but most people still see him as a joke, and Superfriends did that. I do hope they will turn his public image around but I expect them to try like 3 or 4 more times and if none of them bring mass awareness to the awesomeness that is a well written Aquaman, then they'll just focus on Batman or other characters that they know the public will back.

@cattlebattle: Yeah but did those things work? It sounds like he picked up some redemption from Smallville but most people still see him as a joke, and Superfriends did that. I do hope they will turn his public image around but I expect them to try like 3 or 4 more times and if none of them bring mass awareness to the awesomeness that is a well written Aquaman, then they'll just focus on Batman or other characters that they know the public will back.

@cattlebattle: I defiantly agree about the Justice League movie. Maybe Aquaman's reputation can be salvaged and maybe it mostly has been but I'll wait until I see it before I declare mission accomplished

@cattlebattle: @BlackArmor: To be honest all the evidence show one thing, Superfriend screw with every JLA memeber, still heisnt that popular for some reason, and isnt the cartoon or tv shows.

Also a JLA movie would need no Superman and no Batman, so the rest of the team could have screen time.

Yes, and I already made a thread like this.

@ArturoCalaKayVee said:

I would totally see a Christopher Nolan Aquaman film. It could be done really well with a Dark Knight feel to it.

i doubt it would it be would be good because nolan aims for a realistic feel and aquaman isn't a very realistic character

@Batmandemon23 said:

@ArturoCalaKayVee said:

I would totally see a Christopher Nolan Aquaman film. It could be done really well with a Dark Knight feel to it.

i doubt it would it be would be good because nolan aims for a realistic feel and aquaman isn't a very realistic character

I mean, he's producing and co-wrote Man of Steel and superman is just as unrealistic, if not more, than aquaman. If he can do superman, he can do Aquaman justice on the big screen like Geoff Johns is doing in comics.

@BlackArmor said:

DC will never put to much time into Aquaman because if he's limited to comic fans then hes limited in potential profits so they would rather put time into pumping up Batman who can bring in tons of money from non readers. Aquaman being black listed to casual consumers permanently limits how much can be done with him in comics

I haven't yet become that jaded about mainstream comics. I'd like to think that some of these people are making comics for the sake of comics and comics readers.

@Hatutzeraze: Eh, comics are an industry especially the big 2 while creators would prefer to tell good stories and probably do care more about their established customers than the masses on some level everything is geared towards finance. Even Johns and Bendis the top dogs of their respective company are mere employees to the bureaucrats ranking above them. It's a sad truth but if Marvel and DC could do something that would forever destroy the story quality of comics and make pre scool books better literature but would at the same time bring in almost every non comic reader in comic reading countries (of course at the cost of their current readers) they would do it even if every current writer and artist they had quit as well somebody would be willing to do it and that would be the industries choice

Yes.

He had his own show... a really crappy show but he had one. So I don't think the Superfriends hurt him. Aquaman isn't like other solo book characters if he isn't written very VERY well he instantly falls short, but when he is written well he is awesome.

@Primmaster64 said:

Yes, and I already made a thread like this.

That one was about his reputation, this is the bigger picture.