Aquaman #18 - "The Wife of Aquaman"

[lordultimus]

Comments

[alicemacher]

I suppose it'd be besides the point to ask why, if Aquaman had the authority to make Mera an honorary Atlantean, he didn't just do that in the first place.

[locuatico]

Silver Age silliness aside. If we go by the logic that Arthur was made King so there would not be a Civil War, his position is probably not a stable one and he can't just go decreeing that sort of stuff as he wishes. Chances are something like "the king abused his powers to marry an outsider" would probably make some people upset.
However, by Mera saving the day and be a hero to the people of Atlantis, Aquaman has more solid ground to justify having her be an honorary citizen of Atlantis.

That or Arthur is an idiot and did not know he could do that until Aqualad pointed it out.

[alschroeder3]

Well, up to now, he had NEVER been involved with ruling ---humans, at least--so I think his ignorance/failure to consider the possibility is understandable. Unlike Namor, who was raised as part of the Royal Family, Arthur was raised as a land-dweller, the son of a lighthouse keeper, and after his mother died (in the comic) didn't have any contact with Atlantean society, except a couple of issues before this, and that only minimal. We can surmise that Antlanna had SOME claim to the throne--maybe Juvor's sister, or his niece--and the other claimants were corrupt or insane or weak-minded.

[zylly]

I think it's fascinating how long it took Aquaman to get a real name. Even getting married, he's just called Aquaman.

[lordultimus]

I love how Aquaman and Mera took one look at their infant son and declared, "We'll name him... Aquababy!"

[lieut_kettch]

Looking at who in the JLA doesn't need any breathing apparatus or protective gear to function underwater: Diana, J'onn and Supes are no surprise, given that they can survive the vacuum of space and can tolerate extremes in pressure and temperature. I'm surprised Hawkman doesn't have any breathing gear. A function of his Nth metal harness I guess.

[locuatico]

Look closer. His is smaller.

[icon_uk]

IIRC (and I may well NOT) Diana can only do it because of some magic in her earrings, a gift from Poseidon or somesuch, and I don't think she can survive in space unaided.

And yes, Hawkman's helmet had a retractable breath mask, so I thought it would have managed to cope here.

Batman and Robin only needing only breathing gear seems the most weird, since they'd most likely be crushed like soda cans a that depth, and imploding guests can put the dampers on a wedding.

[lordultimus]

I don't think writers back then knew or cared about undersea pressure, which was why Aquaman didn't seem to be any stronger than Batman at the time (at the very least, not strong enough that your average gorilla wasn't seen as a legitimate threat to him on land).

[thenicochan]

This is so dramatic, I love it.

Mera is, like, the best queen ever. And has the most understanding subjects.

Mera: Mah man! I must go, goodbye subjects who rely on me to maintain our kingdom's infrastructure~

Subjects: OK BAI UR HIGHNESS HALF FUN WITH YO MAN <3

[icon_uk]

Though it does suffer form the whole American lack of understanding of how a monarchy actually operates. "Well, who shall we elect King now" is NOT how it usually works unless there are multiple claimants for the throne and a civil war's a brewin'.

[alicemacher]

Seriously, even today's constitutional monarchies, in which the head of state doesn't wield much actual power, don't elect monarchs. That would kind of defeat the whole purpose, wouldn't it?

[arilou_skiff]

Monarch just means "single ruler". The Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, the King of Bohemia, Kings of Poland Lithuania, Kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, early kings of the frankish kingdoms, and even England were often elected. It's not exactly unusual. (though there is often some kind of limited pool of candidates, either on a familial basis or some other means)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elective_monarchy

[arilou_skiff]

Eh, kinda? Elective monarchies are a thing, and in europe at least arguably more common and long-lasting than purely heridatery ones.

[icon_uk]

Are they? Which European countries have elective monarchies?

I'm not familiar with any, and the ones that wikipedia listed seem historical rather than current and don't seem to have been any more stable than hereditary.

[arilou_skiff]

I meant "more common across history".

[lieut_kettch]

Malaysia’s king is elected from among the sultans of each state, IIRC

[lordultimus]

I do question her decision to allow Oceanus to turn all of Atlantis into a slave labor camp (comics words, not mine).

Unless he kept it from her, in which case, how did he do so?

[locuatico]

Took her to see Mary Poppins while everyone was working?

[mastermahan]

So when the writers made Mera marry Aquaman, they also took away her kingdom and powers. Huh.

Also, Oceanus is clearly cosplaying as Space Dandy.

[lordultimus]

Actually, she got her powers back at the end of the issue. And she makes contact with her old kingdom next issue (though I think the throne went to her sister? I'll have to check sometime).

[mastermahan]

Oh, well that's good. I thought it might have been a long-term change to "fix" Mera being vastly more powerful than her husband.