Without question, Aquaman is the most maligned superhero in all of superhero comics. Sure, his comics feature astonishingly perfect action recaps like “Octopi disarm several of the pirates, while a swordfish relieves another of his pistol,” but the reality of the Justice League’s resident monarch is a bit more complex than “TL;DR – Talks to fish, played by dude from Entourage.”
I mean, truly, have you ever seen a better PSA on boating safety?
DC Comics has certainly targeted an Aquaman reclamation project in recent years, with Geoff John’s New 52 character getting his Green Lantern expansion treatment, and DC Rebirth Aquaman garnering critical acclaim.
What tends to fly under the radar, is that Aquaman comics can deal with monarchy, sorcery, and ancient civilizations in a way the likes of Batman and Superman rarely do (Wonder Woman… that’s a different story).
Below you’ll find a reading order for Aquaman comics from his origins to present day. The most recommended reads are next to the Comic Book Herald logo!
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Aquaman Comics Trade Reading Order
Aquaman, The – Archives, Volume 1
A very similar selection of early Aquaman comics are also included in Showcase Presents: Aquaman, Vol. 1
Collects: Adventure Comics #260-280 & 282 And Showcase #30-31
Showcase Presents: Aquaman, Vol. 2
Collects: Aquaman #7-23, World’s Finest #130-133, #135, #137 and #139 and The Brave and the Bold #51
Showcase Presents: Aquaman Vol. 3
Collects: Aquaman 24-39, Brave and the Bold 73 and Jimmy Olsen 115
Collects: Aquaman #40 to #48
Mark Waid and Barry Kitson’s JLA graphic novel explores the first year of the Justice League, with some particularly original ideas for what life would be like for Aquaman now out of water.
The formative showdown cementing Black Manta as Aquaman’s longtime archnemesis.
Collects: Adventure Comics #435-437, #441 to #452, Aquaman #57 to #61, Adventure Comics #453 to #455, Aquaman #62 to #63
Death of a Prince effectively ended Aquaman as a solo series. It took a decade for the title to come back for a short-lived 1986 miniseries by Neal Pozner and Craig Hamilton.
Collects: Aquaman #1 to #4, Aquaman Special #1
Aquaman: The Legend of Aquaman
Collects: Aquaman Special #1, Aquaman #1-5
Aquaman Comics in the 90’s
1990’s Aquaman comics are sadly underrepresented in collected editions by DC at the time of this publication (Feb 2017).
I expect that much like Mark Waid’s Flash
Aquaman vs. Aquaman (1991 series)
Collects: Aquaman #7 to #13 (1991 series)
Collects: Aquaman: Time and Tide #1 to #4
Collects: The Atlantis Chronicles #1 to #7
Aquaman 90’s Solo Series by Peter David (1994 to 2001)
Collects: Aquaman #1 to #48
Aquaman by Peter David Book One
Collects: Aquaman: Time And Tide #1-4 And Aquaman #0-8
Aquaman by Peter David Book Two
Collects: Aquaman #9 to #20, Annual #1
Aquaman by Peter David Book Three
Collects: Aquaman #21 to #34, Annual #2 – #3
JLA: The Deluxe Edition Vol. 1
JLA: The Deluxe Edition Vol. 2
JLA: The Deluxe Edition Vol. 3
JLA: The Deluxe Edition Vol. 4
Grant Morrison’s 90’s JLA features Aquaman as a primary member, and includes some memorable moments for the character. The four deluxe editions will take you through JLA #1 to #41.
Aquaman Comics Enter the 2000’s
Following the conclusion of the David era Aquaman (officially in 2001), Aquaman relaunched with a renumbered series beginning with Rick Veitch’s “The Waterbearer” story arc.
This time period will take you through the most well known “Sub Diego” arc to DC’s Universe-wide event Flashpoint.
Collects: Aquaman #1 to #4
JLA: The Obsidian Age – Book 01
JLA: The Obsidian Age – Book 02
Collects: JLA #66 to #76
Aquaman #5 to #14 (2003 to 2006 Series)
Currently uncollected, but available digitally.
Aquaman: Sub-Diego 
Collects: Aquaman #15 to #22
Collects: Aquaman #23 to #31
Collects: Aquaman #32 to #39
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis, Vol. 1: Once and Future
Collects: Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #40 to #45
52 Book 1
52 occurs in the wake of DC’s Infinite Crisis
There’s no doubt that Brightest Day will make the most sense within the context of Comic Book Herald’s Green Lantern reading order. Nonetheless, the series has major ramifications for Aquaman.
Flashpoint: The World of Wonder Woman
As you’d expect from the title, this isn’t core Aquaman, but the King of Atlantis plays a crucial role in Flashpoint, particularly in regards to his ongoing war with Wonder Woman!
Collects: Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #1 to #3
New 52 Aquaman Reading Order
You can see where all these New 52 Aquaman comics fit within the context of the larger DC Universe as part of Comic Book Herald’s complete New 52 reading order.
Aquaman by Geoff Johns Omnibus
Collects: Aquaman #0-25, #23.1, #23.2, Justice League #15-17
This omnibus will take you through the first four volumes of the trade paperback collections below!
Aquaman Vol. 3 Throne of Atlantis
Astonishingly, under the pen of Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis, Aquaman was granted rights to the New 52 Justice League’s first crossover event! You can find the full tie-in reading order for Throne of Atlantis below.
Aquaman Throne of Atlantis Reading Order:
Aquaman #14
Justice #15
Aquaman #15
Justice League #16
Aquaman #16
Justice League #17
Aquaman #17
Aquaman Vol. 4: Death of a King
Aquaman and the Others Vol. 1: Legacy of Gold
Aquaman and the Others Vol. 2: Alignment: Earth
You absolutely do not Convergence need to read DC’s 2015 event in order to enjoy the two issue Aquaman miniseries. In fact, I would recommend you don’t.
Collects: Convergence Aquaman #1 to #2
Aquaman Vol. 8: Out of Darkness
Collects: The eight collected editions of New 52 Aquaman will take you through Aquaman #1 to #52
Aquaman in DC Rebirth
You can see where Aquaman fits in the larger DC Universe as part of Comic Book Herald’s complete DC Rebirth reading order.
Collects: Aquaman: Rebirth #1, Aquaman #1 to #6
Aquaman Vol. 2: Black Manta Rising
Collects: Aquaman #7 to #15
Aquaman Vol. 3: Crown of Atlantis
Collects: Aquaman #16 to #24
Collects: Aquaman #25 to #30
Aquaman Vol. 5: The Crown Comes Down
Collects: Aquaman #31-33 And Crownspire Annual #1
Collects: Mera Queen of Atlantis #1 to #6
Collects: Aquaman #34 to #38, Annual #2
Aquaman/Suicide Squad: Sink Atlantis
Collects: Suicide Squad #45, Aquaman #39, Suicide Squad #46, Aquaman #40
Issues in the crossover are listed in order above.
Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth
Collects: Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth #1, Justice League #10-12, Aquaman #40-41, Titans #28 And Aquaman/Justice League: Drowned Earth #1
For the complete checklist and guide page, see Comic Book Herald’s Drowned Earth reading order.
Aquaman by Kelly Sue Deconnick Vol. 1: Unspoken Water
Writer Kelly Sue Deconnick picks up Aquaman from Dan Abnett in the wake of “The Drowned Earth.”
Collects: Aquaman #43-#47
Aquaman by Kelly Sue Deconnick Vol. 2: Amnesty
Collects: Aquaman #48-#52
Aquaman by Kelly Sue Deconnick Vol. 3: Manta vs. Machine
Collects: Aquaman #53-#57
Aquaman by Kelly Sue Deconnick Vol. 4: Echoes of a Life Lived Well
Collects: Aquaman #58 to #65
Collects: Aquaman: Deep Dives #1 to #9
Collects: Aquaman: Andromeda #1 to #3
Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target
Collects: Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target #1 to #7
Collects: Aquamen #1 to #6
Collects: Aquaman/Flash: Voidsong #1 to #3
Hi Dave. I pulled this info from Overstreet. I find this kind of info helpful in organizing the collection. Interested in what you think.
Dan
Aquaman (Series 1) 1962-1978 – Issues 1-63
Aquaman (Series 2) 1991-1992 – Issues 1-13
Aquaman (Series 3) 1994-2001 – Issues 1-75; Annuals 1-4 (See also Atlantis Chronicles)
Aquaman (Series 4) 2003-2007 – Issues 1-57 (Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis)
Aquaman (Series 5) 2011-2016 – Issues 1-52; Annuals 1-2 (DC New 52)
Aquaman (Series 6) 2016-2018 – Issues 1-39 (DC Rebirth)
Aquaman & the Others 2014-2015 – Issues 1-11
Aquaman (Limited Series 1) 1966 – Issues 1-4
Aquaman (Limited Series 2) 1989 – Issues 1-5
Aquaman: Time & Tide (Limited Series 3) 1993-1994 – Issues 1-4