Justice League Sizzle Reel

The Shrine is a bit late on this (apologies), but here's the "sizzle reel" released by Warner Bros. last week promoting 2017's Justice League movie. Despite my feelings on BvS, it's still fun seeing live action versions of Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and the rest all in the same shot. It's certainly not anything I ever would have dreamed of seeing, not in a million nerd lifetimes.

Aquaman Approves!

Aquaman Speaks!

DC Films: Dawn of Justice

Here's the Aquaman segment from tonight's DC Films: Dawn of Justice TV special that aired on the CW. We (sort of) get our first glimpse of Jason Momoa in action!

Batman v Superman Trailer

Warner Bros. debuted the second and full trailer for Batman v Superman at the 2015 SDCC, giving us a better concept of the story not to mention our first real shots of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in action. Still no Aquaman, but I guess they are saving the best for last!

It's clear now that all the destruction wreaked at the end of Man of Steel will be addressed in this film, head on. That element of the previous film definitely left a bad taste in my mouth and I think it's a gutsy move for the filmmakers to have purposely laid that groundwork and willingly absorbing a couple of years(!) of fanboy brickbats.

I still have a lot of misgivings about the overall "dark" approach WB is taking with the DC films. But as I have said before, if this Dawn of Justice ends with the nascent Justice League being formed, having taken us down this dark path but ending up in the light, then I think there's a chance this could end up being a very powerful film, achieving an emotional resonance that the Marvel films have (IMO) only been able to pull off sparingly. I haven't seen a lot from Zack Snyder that makes me think he can do it, but I am remaining cautiously optimistic. Plus, you know, live action Aquaman!

What did everyone else think?

Batman v Superman Teaser Trailer

I've been pretty skeptical of Batman v Superman to this point, for a number of reasons. This teaser trailer--which I presume was released a little ahead of schedule because it leaked--is the first chance any of us reg'lar folk have had to see just what is going in this movie, and how.

I can't say I was disappointed that Aquaman doesn't appear in it, because as far as we've heard, Jason Momoa's role in the film is little more than a cameo. I was disappointed to see nothing of Wonder Woman, whose debut in this movie is, to me, the biggest drawing card WB has--after all, there have been a total of thirteen Superman and Batman films previously, so there's only so much surprise there, even if this is their first meeting.

What about what we did see? I have decided at this point to stop bemoaning the uber-dark approach Snyder and Co. are taking, because at this point it feels like going out in the rain, demanding it stop: this is the film we're getting, so let's just move on when it comes to What Could Have Been. 

Overall, I liked what I saw: the film looks and feels appropriately epic, befitting these two characters appearing together for the first time. The shot of Superman lifting that rocket or whatever over his head looks ripped right from the most iconic images of the Man of Steel from the comics. It made me smile. I don't mind a film or TV show being dark and heavy, if I get a sense of joy from the filmmakers in making it (I find P.T. Anderson's Boogie Nights to be a great example of this). That shot of Superman looking so...Superman-ish gave me that tingle that I had just a few hours earlier the same day when I saw the first new footage of Han Solo in thirty years.

So while I'm still a bit skeptical about this whole project, I can't say I'm not excited, even if there was no role for Aquaman. Knowing that in less than a year we'll all know just how good--or not--Batman v Superman is, is very exciting!

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis Sneak Preview

Take an extended look at the upcoming DC/WB animated film, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis!

Craig Ferguson vs. Aquaman!

This is priceless. At the 2014 SDCC, renowned Aquaman Hater Craig Ferguson gets schooled by someone with a deeply personal connection to the Sea King!

The Adventures of Aquaman & Robin

For those not in the know, the Hallowed Halls of F.O.A.M. has a genuine, real-life Aquaman in its midst! That man is Dennis Doucette, who portrays Aquaman at Weeki Wachee Springs, one of the oldest roadside attractions in Florida. Check out this video of Dennis as the Sea King, patrolling the seven seas with his junior partner...Robin The Boy Wonder??

Thanks Dennis!

Aquaman: The Teen Drama Exclusive Clip

The Aquaman Shrine has been derelict in mentioning that Aquaman: The Teen Drama kicked off earlier this week over on Bleeding Cool! Head on over there to get caught up with the story if you haven't already.

This clip is an exclusive, available only to certain chosen outlets; a big thanks to ATTD creator Patrick Willems for sharing it with the Shrine!

Aquaman on The Michael J. Fox Show

 

Michael J. Fox, Aquaman fan?

It's quite possible, for if you saw an episode of The Michael J. Fox Show from a few weeks ago (entitled "Neighbors"), there was not one, but two mentions of the Sea King! The first can be found at the :15 mark here (thanks NBC, for not allowing embedding of YouTube clips--and you wonder why network TV viewership is dying?), when Fox's character Mike Henry bemoans that the Parkinson's meds he's on don't come with cool side effects.

The second mention came a bit later, when after some trouble with an upstairs neighbor, Henry muses that "I bet this never happens to Aquaman."

As Comicbook.com points out here, there is a previous connection between Fox and Aquaman: Fox of course starred in Back to the Future, which featured a brief appearance by Norman Alden (playing the soda jerk who refuses to give Marty McFly a tab without ordering something!), who of course played Aquaman on the first few season of the Super Friends!

Is Fox a fan, or was the reference the work of one of the writers? I guess we'll never know...

Aquaman: The Teen Drama

This little video has taken the Aquaman fan community by...um, storm, ever since it debuted last week!

Aquaman The Teen Drama is a five-part web series that will be debuting in Bleeding Cool later this month. It features the Sea King, Mera, Ocean Master, King Shark, and Aqualad as if they were dropped into Gossip Girl, something no one knew was needed until now.

Fan reaction seems to be split down the middle...some people think it's making fun of Aquaman (and it is, a little), while others thing it's very funny. I tend to fall into the latter camp, at least based on what I've seen so far. I'm generally always happy when Aquaman breaks through in weird ways like this, and rest assured the Shrine will be covering all five episodes once they air!

As an added bonus, here's a brief chat the Shrine had with creator Patrick Willems about how Aquaman: The Teen Drama came to be:

Aquaman Shrin: Where did this idea come from?

Patrick Willems: I came up with this a year-and-a-half ago when I was trying to think of possible videos I could make about Aquaman. I felt that Aquaman had a lot of untapped potential for the kind of silly internet videos I make, since he has huge awareness - even non-comic readers have heard of him - but he doesn't get the exposure of the main DC trinity or the next tier down (Flash/Green Lantern). And in terms of humor, there's nothing but the old "Aquaman is lame/useless" jokes that are just beating a dead horse at this point.

So I was thinking about this while walking along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade at sunset (which probably factored into it) and the title Aquaman: The Teen Drama just popped into my head. Right away, the image of a CW show like Gossip Girl where one of the characters is just Aquaman, and everyone acts like this is totally normal, seemed hilarious to me. It wouldn't be making fun of Aquaman, but rather the humor would come from the irony of seeing this character in this genre.

And then it took me another year to actually get around to making it.

AMS: So Aquaman was part of it from the beginning?

PW: The idea started with Aquaman, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized he's a better fit than just about any other DC character. He's Atlantean royalty, which makes him an outside and gives him a reason to associate with rich Upper East Siders. Plus, he's got an evil brother who wants to take the Throne of Atlantis away from him! And like I mentioned before, everyone knows who Aquaman is, but he doesn't have the cultural saturation of Superman or Batman. Anyway, there was already a Superman teen drama anyway, but this one has way more spandex and ocean-themed puns.

AMS: How much of an influence are the comic books and how the Aquaman Family is portrayed there?

PW: The comics were a huge influence. I've been really enjoying what Geoff Johns has done with Aquaman, Mera and the rest of the cast over the past few years, and I pulled some stuff from that, namely Mera's arc through the series. A lot of characters from Aquaman mythos, particularly Orm Marius/Ocean Master, transition perfectly into teen drama characters. The goal was to make the whole cast actual characters from the comics and retain their core characteristics so that they'll be familiar to the audience even without their usual costumes. And, of course, we tried to fit in a bunch of smaller references to the comics that fans will enjoy.


Patrick will be appearing at the this week's NYCC giving out free Aquaman: The Teen Drama t-shirts and you can follow him on Twitter @Aquaman_TTD!


The Shrine wishes Patrick and his cast nothing but good luck with Aquaman: The Teen Drama!

The Duluth Aquaman

First Bob Dylan, now this!

This is footage of Duluth, Minnesota's very own Aquaman, who scours Lake Superior doing good deeds! From a 9/4/13 news report: "Many people in the Northland love Lake Superior, but one Duluthian is going the extra mile to protect it.

Jim Richardson, also known as Aquaman, can be spotted on the shores of Superior all summer long. He uses an underwater camera to film his swims, but his artwork is now also serving a purpose.

Last week, Richardson found broken glass bottles on the floor of the lake near Duluth's Lakewalk. 'I was able to return and pick up all the glass using my powers for good,' Richardson said. 'Clean up after the bad guys.'"

How cool is this? Check out the YouTube page for more videos of Duluth Aquaman doing his thing!


We also say welcome our newest F.O.A.M. member, Rob McLoone, for tipping the Shrine off to this. Thanks Rob, and welcome to F.O.A.M.!

Aquaman Theme Song

I don't know how the Shrine went this long before posting this...it's a bona-fide Aquaman theme song!

Despite the graphic used in the video, this theme song did not appear on the 1975 Songs and Stories About The Justice League of America LP, which I had and played over and over again until it warped. The material from that record was cribbed from an earlier 1968 release, with some material--like the Aquaman theme song--cut out.

As a kid, I was confused why other characters that got solo audio adventures (Plastic Man, Metamorpho, Wonder Woman) were bestowed with custom theme songs, but Aquaman didn't. As far as I can tell, there isn't any material on the 1975 release that doesn't appear on the 1968 one, so why anything had to be cut at all is a mystery (as are a lot of things concerning the Power Records).

In any case, it's two and a half minutes of goofy fun, so enjoy!

Injustice: Gods Among Us Promo

Injustice: Gods Among Us hits game-outlets tomorrow and with it the Sea King will be making a huge splash not just his hardcore fans, but with many who up until now have been members of the "He Talks to Fish Club." In the coming weeks, the Shrine will be posting game-play reviews submitted by fans and followers of the Shrine but today we are featuring two videos for your viewing pleasure.

The first is a TV spot that's gone viral online and Twitter featuring Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith (keep an eye out for the art of Reis/Prado/Reis as well as the great Jim Aparo in the background) and the second is the Official Injustice Cinematic Trailer which just touches on some of the amazing moments and dialogue that Aquaman has in the storyline. If you plan to play, be sure to let us know your thoughts too and if you're doing so on Twitter, use the tag #MadSharks to see who else is talking about Aquaman.

Superhero Speed Dating

I thought we'd kick off the week with something fun and silly...and this qualifies! Here's Aquaman and a bunch of other superheroes (plus one on-the-make creator) doing some Speed Dating. Some of the jokes in this midly-NSFW video are a little cliche, but I still laughed quite a bit, because the characterizations are pretty spot on...especially when poor Aquaman discovers a few of his pals have met a bad end.


(h/t: F.O.A.M.er Craig McGinnes)

The Super Force!

"Hanging teenagers is fun...if they've committed a crime."

Captain Action for Christmas!

I probably should have waited until December to post this, but when I found it on YouTube I just couldn't wait to share: check out this home movie shot in 1967 of a kid on Christmas morning, opening his presents. He gets a boatload of Captain Action stuff, including (around the 2:00 mark) an Aquaman set! Talk about a Christmas miracle!

Speaking of the good captain, it's overdue that we mention the fact that Captain Action is back in a big way, with comics, merch, and, of course, toys:

I love these new updated versions of the classic Captain Action outfits for various Marvel heroes, but you know who's missing, don't you? Yep, the DC heroes! If we can have new Captain Action Spider-Mans (Spider-Men?) and Captain Americas, there's no reason we can't have a Captain Action Superman, Batman, and (most importantly) Aquaman for the new century.

I'm not sure who would make such a thing possible--I assume it would be some combo of the Captain Action people and Warner Bros.--but let's let our voice be heard, Aqua-Fans! Demand the return of Captain Action Aquaman!

"Aquaman is Cooler Than You"

No argument here.

DC Universe Online: The Tides of War

While we are still waiting for an imminent announcement regarding Aquaman as a playable character in the soon to be released Injustice: Gods Among Us, this week did see the update to DC Universe Online with "The Tides of War" featuring the Sea King and his would-be usurper brother, Ocean Master!

Check out some of the screen shots below and watch the video to get the back-story on DCUO's latest update.

(click images to embiggen)

Promo for the update also teases involvement by the Fisherman and "new pets" for players to adopt. Are you playing DCUO? If so, be sure to let us know what you think of Aquaman and the Tides of War!