Hoping for a 'heroic' Aquaman

The rather fearsome look of next year's big-screen Aquaman bears little resemblance to the affably chiseled blond dude beloved by fans of the DC Comics superhero.

A stark and stylized black-and-white image of a bearded, tattoed, dreadlocked Aquaman, as portrayed by actor Jason Momoa in the 2016 film Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, caused a stir when director Zack Snyder  released it Feb. 20.

But lifelong fan and graphic artist Rob Kelly of Marlton, NJ  -- the curator of an online  Aquaman Shrine since 2006 -- cautions against rushing to judgment based on appearances alone.

"I really do believe that if he's written as the hero I and so many people grew up with -- the protector of all life in the sea --  it won't matter if he's not blond," says Kelly, 43. "But if he's written like some Conan [the Barbarian] character, it won't matter what he looks like."

Kelly, the home entertainment acquisition coordinator at a Haddon Heights, NJ firm called Internet Video Archive (IVA), says fans like him "are just excited that Aquaman is going to be in a movie."

Adds Kelly, "this is the first time we're going to see Aquaman on the big screen. If we're not thrilled with the look, it's still Aquaman. In a movie."

--KEVIN RIORDAN