I always liked superhero sidekicks and Aqualad might have been my favorite, even in spite of his dopey name. No wonder Aquaman called him by the nickname “Tadpole”. What was wrong with “Aquaboy”—too obvious? It’s a good thing Aqualad didn’t go to school because I’m sure the other kids would have tormented him over it.

His unfortunate handle didn’t seem to hold him back though. In the 60s he was featured in every issue of Aquaman as well as The Teen Titans, the sidekicks’ version of the Justice League. He even co-starred with Aquaman in their own Saturday morning cartoon in 1967. Being able to overcome obstacles like that is the kind of thing you want in a junior partner, don’t you think?

Illustrating one playing card a day using characters found between 1957-1967 in DC Comics. Another post tomorrow!