Aquaman (2003) is an Aquaman series from DC Comics that ran from 2003 to 2006. It was written by Rick Veitch, Will Pfeifer, John Ostrander, John Arcudi, and Marc Guggenheim.
Following up from the Obsidian Age crossover in the JLA books, Aquaman has been banished from Atlantis and left to die for his actions in re-sinking the continent. Instead, the Lady of the Lake of Arthurian legend gives him a magical hand made of water and selects him as her new champion. Armed with the power to heal, Arthur attempts to live up to her expectations, only to find his darker side has awakened the Thirst, an ancient shadow of the Lady that wishes to consume the water of life.
After those adventures, Aquaman found a new crisis when the city of San Diego was caught in an earthquake and sank into the sea, its people becoming water-breathers just like him. With a whole displaced population to take care of, Arthur became the protector of "Sub Diego" and deepened his connections with the surface world. The end of the run coincided with Infinite Crisis, where a maddened Spectre zeroed in on Atlantis' magic population and destroyed the entire city. In the end, an entirely new Aquaman's adventures came to light in Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis, while Arthur wouldn't be fully revisited until the events of Blackest Night and Brightest Day.
Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis was released in the same month this run began.
This comic book contains examples of:
- Affirmative-Action Legacy: The second Aquagirl is a teenage human Latina compared to the original who was an Atlantean and (appeared) Caucasian.
- Art Shift: Issue 14 has various art styles as different people tell their versions of Aquaman, with a standout being a child-drawn comic book that hearkens back to the 90's series.
- Card-Carrying Villain: In Rick Veitch's early-2000s run, the titular hero confronts his archnemesis (and murderer of his son), Black Manta, and, after defeating him, uses his new magic powers to re-wire his brain and cure him of his autism; the painful and incompetent treatment he received as a child was part of why he'd become such an insane monster. He appears to turn himself around, but the apparent Freudian Excuse and Heel–Face Turn are subverted when, at a critical moment, Manta stabs Aquaman in the back and explains: "Y'see, deep down, in my most secret heart of hearts, I'm still a totally depraved sonuvabitch whose main goal in life is to watch you die. Slowly and painfully. Just like your kid."
- City of Adventure: Sub Diego, which is just what the name implies: it's San Diego, but underwater.
- Doomed Hometown: A twofold example with Sub Diego, which used to be San Diego, and Atlantis, which is destroyed by the Spectre towards the end of the run. Subsequent runs have the survivors traumatized and scattered throughout the ocean.
- Enemy Without: This is the role which "The Thirst" plays to the Waterbearer. If a bearer uses their power to harm rather then heal then he will revive to drink life itself. His strength is based on the bearer's negative emotions and if they should wield their power against him as well, then the two will merge, leading to a particularly unusual Battle in the Center of the Mind. Giving in is the only way to truly defeat him.
- Enigmatic Empowering Entity: Aquaman underwent yet another retooling, which involved him being named 'The Waterbearer' by The Lady of the Lake herself. Rather than a magic sword, he was given a magic hand made of water.
- The Farmer and the Viper: Aquaman uses his healing hand to cure Black Manta of Neron's alterations and a case of Hollywood Autism in the hopes of redeeming his foe, only for Manta to backstab him at a crucial moment and cheerfully admit to being a totally depraved person whose main goal in life is to kill him.
- Friend in the Press: Aquaman meets science journalist Esther Maris, who reports on the Sub Diego crisis and investigates a company she feels is responsible for the sinking.
- Green-Eyed Monster: This is the motivation for the traitorous Captain Rodunn in Rick Veitch's 2003 run, but he repented after Aquaman saved his life.
- Heal It with Water: The Lady of the Lake gives Aquaman a magical hand made of water that can heal anything it touches (among many other powers).
- Hollywood Autism: Black Manta claims to have had a case of this as a child that explains his single-minded villainy, which Aquaman tries to cure with his healing powers to no avail. It's implied Manta made the whole thing up as a ploy.
- Mermanity Ensues: The Sub Diego storyline deals with an entire portion of San Diego, California sinking to the bottom of the ocean after an earthquake. In order for its denizens to survive, Anton Geist alters the populations physiology to make them able to breathe underwater. One of its denizens, Lorena Marquez, becomes the second Aquagirl.
- "Rashomon"-Style: Issue 14 has Aquaman described by several people in a different way: an even grittier version of the scraggy bearded barbarian of the '90s, the old, clean cut Aquaman of the '60s with an extended Aquafamily, a powerful humanoid composed of water, and as a perfect lover.
- Sunken City: Sub Diego is a portion of San Diego that was submerged in an attempt to convert humans into subaquatic beings. The population consisted of a mix of these altered humans and Atlantean refugees.
- Talking Down the Suicidal: Aquaman rescues a woman who's trying to commit suicide and helps talk her through her feelings, mentioning when his son was killed in a show of empathy.
- Torches and Pitchforks: After the Spectre razed Atlantis, robbing it of all its magic, the survivors blame any and all former conjurers who also lost their powers and vindictively assail them in lynch mobs.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: The Sub Diego arc involved an evil organization having stolen Aquaman's DNA for sinister reasons. Then Day of Vengeance happened and it was pretty much forgotten.
