Warning: contains spoilers for Aquaman #66!

It’s not easy being the King of Atlantis. No superhero has been dumped on as much as Aquaman. It may feel outdated in a post-Jason Momoa world, but there existed a time when the pop cultural landscape was awash with Aquaman memes, visual gags, bits, and one-liners, some funnier than others. But no Aquaman gag has been more instantly effective at mocking the underwater hero than the image of Aqauman astride a giant seahorse. Now, in the also long-standing tradition of pushing back against said jokes, Aquaman #66 shows how cool this image can actually be.

The golden age of Aquaman jokes delivered some gems, even for his most ardent defenders. Much of the ridicule developed from the minds of Gen X’ers, who grew up watching the oft-mocked but classic Super Friends cartoon. Believe it or not, the first Aquaman bit on Family Guy aired in 1999. SpongeBob SquarePants, South Park, and Robot Chicken soon followed. Thereafter, in social media’s infancy, came the memes, and Aquaman riding his purple sea horse was soon an instantly recognizable joke. The seahorse gag eventually made it to living rooms via Big Bang Theory in 2010, with Raj dressing as Aquaman - complete with seahorse - when the group of friends recreated the Justice League.

Related: Jason Momoa Sends Life-Size Aquaman Trident To Young Fan Battling Cancer

But the pendulum of the pop culture zeitgeist is always in motion. When the New 52 relaunch hit in 2011, DC Comics was determined to make Arthur Curry cool again. They tapped Justice League writer and DC architect Geoff Johns to pen the book. Then, in the fallout of the controversial but nonetheless successful Man of Steel, rumblings of a cinematic Justice League emerged. Casting rumors and reports indicated Jason Momoa - who’d become known for playing ultra tough guys like Conan the Barbarian and Kahl Drago in Game of Thrones - would saddle up as the Protector of the Deep. And he did, culminating in a celebrated solo movie which included Aquaman riding a mighty seahorse. Enter Miguel Mendonca’s penultimate splash page in Aquaman #66..

The ferociousness of the sea beasts is palpable, they almost look hungry for flesh (they might be; seahorses are carnivorous). Colorist Ivan Plascencia contrasts purple scales against the army of lava giants at Aquaman's back, allowing the seahorse mounts to jump off the page at the reader. Andy Lanning and Ron Marz's script creates a triumphant moment for Aquaman and Mera, taking a feature of the character that many remember as a gag and treating it as an opportunity to explore the world of the DC hero who affords the most natural world building.

While the days of Aquaman being seen as a joke character are passing - and characters with water-based powers are moving into the limelight - this moment is a perfect example of why Aquaman has always been able to work in the comics where films and television are only now catching up. Aquaman offers the opportunity to draw some of the wildest scenes in comics, but when that imagery is scaled up. it's an all-or-nothing challenge as to whether or not it works. Thankfully, fans of the comics get another chance to enjoy DC's wild undersea world in this issue.

Next: Young Justice's Aqualad Becomes The New Aquaman in DC's Future