THE STORY OF TULA (AQUAGIRL)

The story of the star-crossed love affair between Garth (Aqualad / Tempest) and Tula is the stuff of legends, though it began in the style of a screwball comedy film of the 1930s. At the age of fifteen, poor Aqualad had just played a major role in a rescue, but his deeds went virtually unnoticed by the citizens of Poseidonis---except for the wide-open blue eyes of the coquettish Tula. A fellow resident of the royal palace, Tula was a ward of good King Juvor, whom Aquaman succeeded upon the king's death. Following the disheartened Garth as he sulked away from Aquaman's adoring crowds, Tula proclaimed her respect and infatuation for him and treated him to the first of many kisses to come (Aquaman 33, her debut).

Tula decided that the place for the two orphans to be was touring the great wide open, and before Aqualad had time to blink, his new rowdy friend had talked him into running away from home (though, being the well-mannered type, he advised Aquaman they were leaving). The adventure which followed turned the two runaway teens into criminals, unknowingly hypnotized into assisting in robberies! Upon their return to Poseidonis, Tula apologized for leading Garth astray and promised Aquaman she'd be better behaved. From this time on, Tula chose to take on the code name Aquagirl and joined Garth in adventures both below and above the waves, working in tandem with their friends in the Teen Titans.

A popular girl at home, Tula managed to balance her social life, school work and royal babysitting stints with her duties as an auxiliary member of the Teen Titans; she often joined Aqualad on his missions to aid the Titans when called upon to do so. While they made great partners in crime fighting, their intimate partnership seemed to suffer at times. Though it was obvious she had special feelings for Garth, Tula lamented that Garth seemed to treat her more like a buddy than like a girlfriend. During the political upheaval in Poseidonis as Aquaman searched for his abducted wife Mera, (Aquaman 40-48), Tula became friends with a young revolutionary named Mupo who wasn't at all shy about expressing his affections for her, even to the point of avenging an attack against her. Soon after this, Aqualad left the domed city to complete his education in Scotland. Little is known of Tula's life during this period.

Though the bulk of Aquagirl's adventures with the Teen Titans (Kid Flash confirmed her membership) remain largely untold, the most harrowing event known of was the battle to protect Atlantis from The H.I.V.E. (Tales of the Teen Titans 45-47). In an eerie precursor to her later demise, Aquagirl, along with Aqualad, was almost killed via a chemical released into the Atlantic which inhibited their bodies' absorption of oxygen. Garth, valiantly carrying the unconscious Tula, was able to get to Titans Tower, where he searched for uncontaminated water. Wally West and Frances Kane discovered the comatose bodies of the aquatic heroes; with the help of Dick Grayson and a battery of bio-scientific equipment, the pair were saved. Upon discovering The H.I.V.E.'s involvement in both the poisoning of the Atlantic and a plan to bomb Poseidonis, the Titans launched a major offensive against the evil organization's stronghold. Tula's expertise in hand-to-hand combat skills made her a formidable defense against the H.I.V.E. drones.

Following Aquaman and Mera's move to New Venice, Florida, Garth and Tula chose to stay in Poseidonis to assist King Vulko in the administration of the government and the protection of the city. Though they never formally announced their troth, the Sea King's young aid and the Maiden of Poseidonis remained devoted to each other until the fateful events of "The Crisis on Infinite Earths". While attempting to secure the waters off Manhattan, Aquagirl and Aqualad came under attack by The Shark, Chemo and Black Manta. Chemo poisoned the bay as Black Manta engaged Aqualad in combat. Meanwhile, Shark Wilson, another nemesis of Aquaman, strangled the life from Aquagirl. The devastated Garth rushed his lifeless love back home to receive medical attention, but the girl never regained consciousness. Aqualad's mourning was unending; he eventually became near-suicidal, easily leaving himself open to attack by Mento, who used the boy's memories of his lost love to torture him.

Aquagirl has become that most curious of comic book heroes, in that she has made numerous post-demise appearances. Several years following her death, she appeared to Garth as he lay close to death in a coma (New Titans 87). Her corpse was revived in the "War Of the Gods" mini-series (issue 3), in which she was used to attack Aquaman. In the mini-series "Tempest: Prophets and Kings" (1996), Tula again appears, this time as flesh and blood (in "War of the Gods" only her skeletal remains were depicted). Unfortunately, as in the previous mini-series, Tula was again being used by an enemy of her former comrade in an attempt to defeat him. Even though this incarnation of her was solely a shill, a vessel through which Garth's evil uncle Slizzath was able to rend the boy's magical abilities from his body, the heroism of this young woman came through. Tula and Garth acted out their most tragic love scene to date, as she begged her lover to destroy her, allowing him to regain his stolen powers. She was once again used for this purpose in the Aquaman annual of 1998.

Garth's beloved Tula rests in a grave along the ocean floor, with the love of her life now at peace with the loss of her. In the 1996 series "Kingdom Come", Tula's name and spirit are given life once again in the body of the teenage daughter of Aquaman 2, Garth's code name in later life. Tula is gone, but it is sure that she'll never be forgotten.