Aqualad: FAIL

It seems that Aqualad just can't catch a break.  

First, there was the original Aqualad from the Teen Titans, Garth, that everyone seemed to make fun of and, basically, found useless.  In an attempt to recreate/reimagine himself, Garth became Tempest.  Unfortunately, Tempest never caught on in popularity either.  To put him (and his legion of non-fans) out of their misery, in the Blackest Night maxi-series, Garth is killed off.  

To revamp the Aqualad name and bring some diversity into the teenage superheroes of the DC Universe (besides the go-to Static), a new Aqualad appears in Brightest Day #10.  He's African-American; sports dreadlocks, a cooler costume, and tats; has better/expanded powers; and has a mystery surrounding him.  At this point, it seems like DC is really going to do something big with an Aqualad. 

Then comes DC's event series Flashpoint...and changes all DC history.  Where is Aqualad?  Is there an Aqualad?  Who knows.  He's not shown in any new issue of the new Aquaman series.  He also doesn't appear in the new Teen Titans series. 

Goodbye, Aqualad.  We hardly knew ye. 

The Lion Queen

Justice League of America #258

In the 1980s, when DC Comics changed the line-up for the Justice League of America to include fledglings Vixen, Gypsy, Commander Steel, and Vibe, I was not impressed.  These newcomers were JLA material?  A girl (Gypsy) running around in bare feet?  Methinks not.  In trying to add a bit of diversity to the DC Universe, it felt as though DC Comics was giving up on one of their most successful team titles.  They even assigned Luke McDonnell to the art chores, whose characters were all stiff-looking and unattractive.  Not surprisingly, this led to "The End of the Justice League of America" storyline which ran in issues Justice League of America #258-261.  I think everyone was thankful to see these new hated characters picked off, one by one. 

Present-day Gypsy

Cut to:  Today.  I have a very different opinion of the two newest members that have survived over the years.  Gypsy has (thankfully) donned shoes and a costume that's strikingly similar to Wonder Woman's new (and much talked about and reviled) costume.  She's also got some pretty formidable powers that make her one of the most underrated superheroes in the DC Universe.  In this regard, she reminds me of Marvel Comics' Invisible Woman.  Once Marvel recognized the extent to which the Invisible Woman's powers worked, she became the most powerful member of the Fantastic Four.  Same goes for Gypsy.  Of the four, she's probably the strongest member.

Vixen, however, has become the best of the bunch.  She's sexy and tough and deserves more recognition than she's currently given.  She was thankfully given her own mini-series titled Vixen: Return of the Lion in 2008, but we haven't seen her since.   The strength of this mini-series is in the solo adventures of Vixen as she returns to her homeland; the weakness is the inclusion of the Justice League.  Vixen can do just fine on her own.  She doesn't need other superheroes to help her carry a storyline, especially in her first solo self-titled mini-series.  Vixen: Return of the Lion was quality storytelling, and I recommend it to anyone who loves good writing (G. Willow Wilson) and exceptional artwork (Cafu).  Let's hope that one day Vixen gets her due.  She deserves a solo comic more than Static or Marvel Comics' new female Black Panther.