Aquaman (Volume 7) #0 is an issue of the series Aquaman (Volume 7) with a cover date of November, 2012. It was published on September 26, 2012.
Synopsis for "Underwater"
Six years ago, after an attack by Black Manta, Tom Curry was rushed to a hospital. There, on his deathbed, he asked his son Arthur one last favor. He wanted him to go to Atlantis and find his mother. He wanted him to tell her that Tom never stopped waiting for her.
On the day of his father's funeral, Arthur's lighthouse was surrounded by reporters, who wanted to know about the Atlanteans. Furious, Arthur leaves the lighthouse and jumps into the sea.
As he swims across the depth of the sea at nighttime, Arthur encounters a shark. At first, Arthur fights the shark, but suddenly, he uses his telepathy, making the shark leave peacefully. Swimming to the surface, Arthur finds a boat trapped in a storm. The boat, commanded by a man and his daughter Jayne, is about to crash into the rock, but Arthur saves them.
The next day, Jayne's father is recovering while she asks Arthur where did he come from. Arthur tells her about his mother and that he has been looking for Atlantis. Jayne's father says that a man who was pulled out of the water years ago claims to have been at Atlantis. The man's name is Vulko and he has been living on a fishing village on the coast of Norway.
Arriving at Norway, Arthur meets Vulko, who kneels before him. Vulko says that Arthur is Queen's son and the King of Atlantis. As they enter Vulko's house, Vulko tells Arthur that he was once the advisor to the Altantean throne, from his grandfather to his mother. Arthur's mother was named Atlanna. She died years ago.
Vulko tells Arthur the story of how Tom Curry and Atlanna met. She rescued Tom when his ship got caught in the Raging Eye, a mysterious storm that encompassed the entire mid-Atlantic. The two fell in love. When she discovered she was pregnant, Atlanna requested that she be released from her royal duties so that she could go to the surface world and raise her child with Tom. However, she was imprisoned. She escaped, almost at term, and Arthur was born just off the coast.
She left Arthur with his father so that she could return to Altantis, knowing that the Atlanteans would never stop searching for her as long as she remained on land. When she returned to Altantis, she was forced to marry a suitor chosen by the people: the captain of the Altantean Guard. She had a second son, Arthur's half-brother, Orm.
When Orm was twelve, his father was killed, and Atlanna saw this as a chance to leave Atlantis. She wanted to take Orm with her. Vulko helped arrange an escape route. But she was murdered the night before her escape. Vulko believes Orm killed her. Although Vulko accused him of the murder, Orm's loyalists tried to arrest him. He managed to escape and began a life on the surface world, hoping to find Arthur so that he can defeat Orm and reclaim his rightful place as king.
Vulko gives Arthur a map to the king's armory, where Atlantis' most powerful artifacts are kept, including the Dead King's Scepter. He also gives him the Atlantean stones that lied on the crown of the Dead King, the creator and first king of Altantis, before it was destroyed. Although Arthur does not believe he will be accepted, Vulko has faith that Arthur can save Atlantis.
As Arthur and Vulko travel deep across the sea, they finally reach Atlantis.
Appearing in "Underwater"
Featured Characters:
- Arthur Curry (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Black Manta (Mentioned only)
- Orm (First appearance) (Flashback only)
Other Characters:
- Atlanna (Arthur's mother) (Flashback only)
- The Dead King (Mentioned only)
- Stephen Shin (Mentioned only)
- Batman (Mentioned only)
- Superman (Mentioned only)
- Wonder Woman (Mentioned only)
Locations:
Items:
- Dead King's Scepter (Mentioned only)
Vehicles: