Throughout his time as the King of Atlantis, Arthur Curry has had many seafaring sidekicks. In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, one of Arthur's most beloved allies will finally make his live action debut. Storm the Seahorse debuted as an intelligent and thoughtful friend to the watery hero, and thanks to Aquaman's telekinetic powers, the pair could easily communicate as they rode together throughout the ocean. But his journey to becoming Arthur's most trusted steed was a long one as Aquaman artist Nick Cardy introduced multiple seahorses in different stories and forms—monstrous, alien, villainous—before Storm became the staple.
First, though, it was Aqualad, Aquaman's loyal sidekick, who received his own dedicated "ocean mount" named Sea Imp in Aquaman #20. That was the first time we got an Aqua-hero on a named seahorse during the Silver Age. However, in the same issue, we see Aquaman riding an unnamed "ocean mount" for the first time too. As best as I can tell, Storm was first named in Bob Haney and Howard Purcell’s, The Brave and the Bold #73. It's a complex first appearance, however, as this issue managed to hit stands a mere week before Storm's named debut in the mainline series in 1967's Aquaman #35 by Haney and Cardy. Narratively and chronologically, it seems like Aquaman #35 may have even been intended to be released first. Ah, the quirks of comic book publishing!
Both of those issues hit newsstands just a few months before the King of Atlantis' now iconic Aquaman Filmation animated series—the cartoon that launched 1,000 memes—debuted as part of The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure on Sept 9, 1967. The series brought Aquaman and his newly named steed Storm to a whole new audience and to the forefront of Aqua-lore. It was hugely influential not just because it was one of the first animated series to popularize the hourly programming block that would become a tradition for cartoons, but also because much of Aquaman's campy and comedic reputation came from it. And much of that vibe inarguably came from the sight of Aquaman riding Storm and their outrageous adventures with the rest of the Aquapets.
One quick caveat. I should point out that if we look at the timing of everything, it’s possible that Storm was perhaps first named during the production of the TV show and that his now iconic moniker was introduced in the comics first to keep things consistent. That sort of thing tended to happen back then.
When the beloved and instantly recognizable Super Friends series debuted in 1973, it introduced the DC heroes to an even larger audience of young fans. And while Storm was never a named character in the series, we mention it here because there was a mysterious unnamed seahorse that fans have always assumed was Arthur's well known noble steed.
Once Storm was established as Aquaman's trusted friend, the seahorse would go on to play a large and memorable part in some of Aquaman's most famous adventures on both page and screen. As is to be expected from the frantic and fun era of the Silver Age that he debuted in, Storm's comic book appearances are just about as wild as you'd expect from a telekinetic seahorse. However, the most interesting thing about Storm is his longevity. He began as a Silver Age sidekick who was there for Aquaman's stranger adventures, and he was also by his side throughout the hero's growth into a more grounded hero.
Like the rest of the New 52, when Storm was reintroduced after the line-wide relaunch, he was decidedly darker and more grounded than in the past. Even in the horror-drenched Dark Nights: Metal event, Storm and his super-powered swimming is there. We would also be remiss to not mention one of Storm's biggest and most influential modern fans, the masterful Alex Ross. The icon of painted comics never minces his love of classic Aquaman and isn't afraid to bring Storm into the mix.
Today it’s clear that Storm's impact on contemporary comics can be directly linked back to Nick Cardy's gorgeous work on the original Silver Age Aquaman books, where he often drew seahorses as menacing and monstrous, a scarier side to his usually fun and bright work. This rich visual history is something that has likely kept Storm as a vital and regularly revisited part of DC continuity.
Everything will come full circle as Storm makes his live action debut in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom this month, playing into the comedic history of Aquaman and his super pets while also reimagining this swimming Silver Age sensation for the fantastical world of James Wan's Aquaman films. This Aquapets super-fan couldn't be happier to see Storm—and Topo—headed to the big screen!
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, directed by James Wan and featuring Jason Momoa as Aquaman, hits theaters December 22nd. For news, trailers and other features on the King of Atlantis, visit our official Aquaman hub page.
Rosie Knight is an award-winning journalist and author who loves Swamp Thing, the DC Cosmic and writing the monthly gossip column here at DC.com. You can also listen to her waxing lyrical about comics, movies and more each week as she co-hosts Crooked Media's pop-culture podcast, X-Ray Vision.
