Aqua-Poll Results

Once again, F.O.A.M.er Joe Slab analyzes our most recent Aqua-Poll, "Who Is Your Favorite Member of the Aqua-Family?" Take it away, Joe!

All in the Aquafamily

When I approached rob! about doing a "Who's your favorite member of the Aquaman Family?" Aquaman Shrine Poll it was initially inspired by the beautiful Ivan Reis montage variant cover to Brightest Day #20 showcasing the new Aqua-4. rob! and I selected the characters that we felt most prominently figured into Aquaman's history, but so as to not leave anyone out, offered the option of writing in any favorites not listed in the poll by using the comments section of the post. Honorable mentions by Aqua-fans were limited to a nod to Vulko, Aquaman’s sometime ally/adversary and a tweet from Erik Larsen voting for his own personal contribution to the Aquaman family, Lagoon Boy.

I believe that one of the coolest components of Aquaman’s character is the many roles he strives to fulfill. He has been depicted as son, brother, mentor, husband, father, ruler and above all hero. It has been said that no other hero in the DCU wears this many hats, and as a natural result of this, Aquaman has developed a diverse and expansive "family" of supporting characters around him. There have been times of both great joy and tragedy for the Aquafamily as fans know well, and it is my humble assertion that the times when Aquaman has been most successful commercially (60’s & 70's, the 90's, and now!) correspond directly to creators effectively using the family elements of his history while simultaneously expanding upon them to build future stories. Peter David exploded the pages of Aquaman with new family members in his epic run, and it seems Geoff Johns is aiming to do the same with the recent additions of the new Aqualad, Siren and I hear there are more on the way...!

So without further rambling, let’s take a moment to celebrate the characters that have enriched our experience of Aquaman and look at the roles they have played in his stories. From those receiving the least to the most out of the 450 votes cast we have:

Koryak--7 votes. The illegitimate and disenfranchised son of Aquaman, conflicted in his allegiances and who became the mutated, murderous Narwhal.

Aquagirl (Tula)--12 votes. Rebel Atlantean royalty, the first love of Aqualad and one of many heroic victims of the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Arthur Jr.--17 votes. Son of Aquaman and Mera, the bright-eyed Prince of Atlantis was the victim of an unspeakable act of violence that ended his young life.

Dolphin--31 votes. Undersea ingénue who became heroine, lover, wife, and mother only to be lost in the destruction of Atlantis.

Aquagirl (Lorena)--38 votes. Courageous survivor of Sub Diego, became Aquaman's ally and confidant during American Tidal and has arrived again to fight in the Aquawar.

Aqualad (Jackson/Kaldur'ahm)--55 votes. Young upstart born of both land and sea, bearer of a dark heritage and who claimed his heroic mantle during Brightest Day.

Garth--124 votes. Aquaman's first protégé the original Aqualad, who came of age as the mystical powerhouse Tempest, suffered unbearable losses and yet endured to become King of Atlantis before perishing in the Blackest Night.

Mera--156 votes. Possessed of breathtaking beauty, tremendous power, and unmatched resilience, she is a force to be reckoned with, the Queen of the Oceans and the love of Aquaman's life.

Thanks to everyone who voted!