Jackson Hyde, known to fans of Teen Titans and the animated Young Justice show as Aqualad, will apparently graduate to the mantle of Aquaman this fall, as he gets his own series titled Aquaman: The Becoming this September.
Written by Brandon Thomas with art from Diego Olortegui, Wade von Grawbadger, and Adriano Lucas, Aquaman: The Becoming will mark Jackson Hyde's first solo title, albeit a six-issue series..
It's unclear how Hyde will graduate into the mantle of Aquaman, and if he will replace the original (and only) Aquaman Arthur Curry.
DC ties the announcement of Aquaman: The Becoming, which premiered in The Hollywood Reporter, to the release of the LGBTQIA+ centric one-shot DC Pride as well as the current United States observation of Pride month, as Jackson Hyde is one of DC's most well-known openly gay heroes.
Like Aquaman/Arthur Curry, Jackson Hyde (also known by his ancestral name Kaldur'ahm) is part Atlantean as his mother is from the Atlantean kingdom of Xebel - the same place as Aquaman's wife Mera. This gives him powers similar to Mera's, including her ability to psionically manipulate water, aided by a pair of Atlantean gauntlets designed to channel his abilities.
Jackson Hyde's human father passes down even stronger connections to the Aquaman mythos - but with much more dire implications than his mother's home of Xebel. Hyde's father is none other than Black Manta, Aquaman's arch-enemy who was responsible for the death of Aquaman's son, Arthur Curry Jr.
Black Manta will also get a solo limited series starting in September.
Jackson Hyde/Kaldur'ahm debuted in 2010, with the comic book version of the character appearing in the limited series Brightest Day just a few months ahead of his inclusion in the debut season of the fan-favorite animated show Young Justice. Though the two versions of the character are similar, their origins vary slightly.
In comic books, Jackson Hyde was raised on land by his mother in hiding from his father until his inherited Atlantean abilities manifested. In the Young Justice animated show, he primarily goes by Kaldur'ahm and hails directly from Atlantis, taking some closer inspiration from his comic book predecessor as Aqualad, Garth (yeah, just Garth).
Though Aquaman: The Becoming will mark Jackson Hyde's first monthly title, he previously starred in the 2020 young adult original graphic novel You Brought Me The Ocean by Alex Sánchez and Jul Maroh, which received a GLAAD Media Award nomination for its portrayal of Hyde's sexuality and his struggles with adolescence.
Aquaman: The Becoming #1 is due out in September. Stay tuned to Newsarama for DC's full September 2021 solicitations, coming later this month.
Before Aquaman: The Becoming, catch up on the best Aquaman stories of all time.
