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Garth meets Aquachick... er, Aquagirl in the
pages of AQUAMAN #33 [1967]. |
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Aquagirl dies in the pages of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #9 [1985];
She is pronounced dead in CRISIS #10. |
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Is she back? Tula seemingly returns in the TEMPEST mini series [1996]. |
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Artist Nick Cardy on Aquagirl [from The Titans Companion, 2005]: "You know, a lot of guys like her. Aquagirl? Oh yeah, I had a lot of comments on that. She was cute. She was a little on the naughty side. When you’re thirteen or fourteen, you’re just discovering what you have, and you’re all anxious and ready to go without knowing where the hell you’re going, [laughs] and so I wanted to show that she was influencing Aqualad to follow her, and he was feeling his oats. So they took off, and there again, I enjoyed working on the girls."
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Aquaman (first series) #33 [1967]: Aquagirl is introduced in a Bob Haney/Nick Cardy story in Aquaman #33,
in which she and Aqualad are hypnotized into aiding the evil Dr. Dorsal. First
appearance of Aquagirl.
Teen Titans #30 [1970]: Aqualad and Aquagirl come ashore to enjoy part
of an outdoor rock concert in a small coastal town. Meanwhile, a hospital
patient becomes a berserk marauder due to an injection of an experimental
synthetic hormone, escapes the hospital, and menaces the audience at the nearby
concert. Aqualad overcomes him, but not before Aquagirl is injured and wanders
inland in a daze. Aqualad barely manages to find her and return both of them
to the sea before they die, having been on land beyond their one-hour time
limit.
Tales of the Teen Titans #45-47 [1984]: After Aqualad and Aquagirl run afoul of the H.I.V.E. and their underwater
base, the pair - desperately in need of water - arrives at an empty Titans'
Tower.
Crisis on Infinite Earths #9-10 [1985]: Aquagirl joins all of earth's heroes during the so-called Crisis On Infinite
Earths. Tula drowns in a body of water poisoned by the toxic waste of the
mindless villain, Chemo. The Atlantean doctors try to save her life but fail.
Death of Tula [she is pronounced dead] in issue #10.
Tempest #1-4 [November 1996 to February 1997]:
Aqualad emerges from his training with the mage Atlan and assumes the identity
of Tempest. Soon after, Garth encounters his uncle, who had transformed himself
using dark magic and has become Slizzath. Slizzath was King Thar's brother,
who was forbidden the throne for practicing dark magics. Thar imprisoned his
brother in a mystical binding prison. Slizzath wanted to siphon Garth's mystical
energies for his own dark purposes. Slizzath creates a mystical a doppelganger
of Tula, who is created to dupe Garth. Garth sees through the plan and is
able to defeat Slizzath, and once and for all maintain a sense of closure
about Tula's death.
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Tula's Chronology
courtesy of Amazing Heroes CRISIS issue |
First appearance: Aquaman. #33 (May-June, 1967)
Death: Crisis on Infinite Earths #9 (Dec., 1985)
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A 2006 Aquagirl and Aqualad commission by
1960's Aquaman artist, Ramona Fradon. |
Aqualad's romantic interest is an Atlantean girl named Tula,
who also came to be known as Aquagirl. Aquagirl has been named an honorary
Teen Titan, although her adventures with the original team remain among the
many unpublished tales in the Titans' history.
Nick Cardy, on the introduction of Tula: "I think it stemmed
from the idea that the Aquaman character had Mera, while Aqualad was sort
of left out. So George and Bob wrote in a young girl character, Tula. Like
with Mera, I designed Tula's outfit and overall look. She was Aqualad's companion,
being of the same age, they could relate to one another, or oppose the elders.
We played up the fact that she was this wild, "hip" 1960s modern
girl and Aqualad was more reserved and introverted."
Aquagirl - known at first only as Tula, teenage Atlantean -
was Aqualad's girlfriend. She was introduced in a Bob Haney/Nick Cardy story
in Aquaman #33, in which she and Aqualad were hypnotized into aiding the evil
Dr. Dorsal. In later stories (Aquaman #42-49), Tula acquired the name Aquagirl
and helped Aquaman prevent the overthrow of Atlantis by Aquaman's deputy ruler
Narkran, who had taken over the underwater city while Aquaman was busy searching
for a kidnapped Mera. Afterwards, Aquagirl was a regular supporting cast member
in the Aquaman strip for several years. though generally doing little more
than babysitting Aquaman's son. Tula dropped out of sight in the mid-1970s.
Seven years later (Tales of the Teen Titans #45, Aug. 1984)
Aqualad and Aquagirl turned up on the doorstep of Titans Tower, near death
after having attempted to stop the invasion of Atlantis by the criminal organization
H.I.V.E. Accompanied by the Teen Titans, the youths infiltrated H.I.V.E. and
destroyed their operation.
Aquagirl was part of the group of super-heroes who traveled
to Earth-Four to battle Brainiac's battalion of super-villains. There, she
found herself in the wake of Chemo's acid pollution of the ocean as she battled
the Shark, and died a slow death as the poison infiltrated her system.
Years later, after Garth trained with the
ancient mage Atlan and received augmented powers, a woman claiming to be Tula
entered his life. In truth, it was a doppelganger created by the villainous
Slizzath - part of an elaborate plan to siphon Garth's mystical energies for
his own dark purposes. Garth saw through the ruse and was able to defeat Slizzath,
and once and for all gain a sense of closure about Tula's death. It was also
at this time that Garth adopted a new identity as Tempest. It all happened
in Tempest #1-4 (1996).
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