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"The Legend of Aquaman": Aquaman was born with no name, and abandoned upon the rocks of Mercy Reef when he was but an infant. Growing up alone, he learned to communicate telepathically with other sea life and used their methods to hunt for food.

Quote1 Who needs a damned fish boy making life difficult? Quote2
Arthur Curry, Sr.

The Legend of Aquaman #1 is a one-shot with a cover date of May, 1989.

Synopsis for "The Legend of Aquaman"

Aquaman was born with no name, and abandoned upon the rocks of Mercy Reef when he was but an infant. Growing up alone, he learned to communicate telepathically with other sea life and used their methods to hunt for food.

As a young man, he came upon a fisherman named Arthur Curry who lived in a lighthouse off the coast of Maine. After a startling encounter with one another, Arthur brought the boy into his home where he taught him to read and speak. He knew that the boy was not a normal human and suspected that he belonged to a race of merman. As the boy grew to adulthood, Arthur Curry grew old and sick. Those from the boy's native land of Atlantis found where he had been living and took Arthur Curry away in the dead of night, presumably to his doom. He left behind a journal, chronicling his life. The boy took his foster father's name as his own and became Arthur Curry.

Now a man, Arthur Curry explored the world, eventually finding his way back to Atlantis. The Atlanteans captured him and placed him into solitary confinement for three years at the Aquarium Prison. There he met an old scientist named Vulko and had a chance encounter with his aging mother Atlanna. Although he never met her, Arthur elected to remain in Aquarium just to be close her. When news of her passing reached his ears, he no longer felt the need to stay behind. He marshalled his super-strength and broke free of Aquarium, setting other inmates free as well.

Arthur decided to continue to wear his prison uniform as a reminder of where he had come from. He also made use of the cruel nickname that had been given to him in prison - Aquaman.

As Aquaman, Arthur Curry became a champion both above and below the sea. He became a founding member of the Justice League of America and claimed his birthright as the king of all Atlantis. Aquaman later took on a pupil in Aqualad, married a woman from an alien dimension named Mera and gave birth to a son named Arthur Curry III.

Appearing in "The Legend of Aquaman"

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Notes

  • Although the masthead reads Legend of Aquaman Special, the indicia identifies this series simply as Aquaman Special.
  • There are a couple of inconsistencies regarding proper names presented in this issue and information revealed in later issues. In this story, the lighthouse keeper is named Arthur Curry. Upon his deathbed, he bequeaths his name to Aquaman, thereby identifying him as Arthur Curry, Jr. By extension, Aquaman's son was named Arthur Curry III. In future comic issues, the lighthouse keeper's name is retroactively changed to Tom Curry (the original Golden Age name for the character). Aquaman, whose birth name, Orin, was not revealed yet, was given the name Arthur Curry and his son was named Arthur Curry, Jr. The codename "Aquaman" has also gone through a few permutations. In this issue, the inmates from Aquarium Prison give Arthur the name "Aquaman" intended as an insult. In Aquaman: Time and Tide, it is the Flash who gives Arthur the name Aquaman.



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