Topo is the name of several characters appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

, notable as a loyal

sidekick A sidekick is a close companion or colleague who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to those whom they accompany. Origins The first recorded use of the term dates from 1896. It is believed to have originated in pickpocket slang of ...

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles ...

Publication history

Topo first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #229 (October 1956), and was created by

Ramona Fradon Ramona Dom Fradon (; October 2, 1926 – February 24, 2024) was an American comics artist known for her work illustrating Aquaman and ''Brenda Starr, Reporter'', and co-creating the superhero Metamorpho. Her career began in 1950 and lasted until ...

. As of current continuity, there have been three different versions of the character. The first version is an intelligent octopus who is usually seen babysitting Aquababy in the Pre-''Crisis'' continuity. The second is an anthropomorphic octopus and an ally of the second Aquaman. The third is a monstrous octopus-crab hybrid who Aquaman can summon using a special conch.

Fictional character history

Sentient octopus version

The original Topo is born in or near the undersea continent of

Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...

and is a favored companion of Aquaman. He is highly intelligent and can wield a bow and arrow and play several instruments simultaneously.

Humanoid octopus version

The second incarnation of Topo appears in ''Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis'', as part of ''

One Year Later "One Year Later" is a 2006 comic book storyline running through the books published by DC Comics. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Universe following the events of the "Infinite Crisi ...

''. This version is a humanoid octopus who aids Mera, Tempest, and

Cal Durham Beatriz Da Costa Reep Daggle Dagon Dan the Dyna-Mite Dan the Dyna-Mite is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Danny Dunbar was the star pupil of Thomas N. Thomas, a high school chemistry and phys ...

in returning to Sub Diego. However, the group leaves after learning that

Black Manta Black Manta (David Milton Hyde) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Bob Haney and artist Nick Cardy, the character first appeared in ''Aquaman'' #35 (September 1967). He has since endured a ...

has taken over the city.

Sea monster version

In ''

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

'', Topo is reintroduced as a

sea monster Sea monsters are beings from folklore believed to dwell in the sea and are often imagined to be of immense size. Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or tentacled beasts. They can be slimy and scaly and are of ...

, resembling an octopus-crab hybrid, who Aquaman can summon and control using a special conch.

Other versions

* An alternate universe variant of Topo appears in ''

Flashpoint Beyond ''Flashpoint Beyond'' is an American comic book published by DC Comics. The seven-issue limited series—written by Geoff Johns, Jeremy Adams and Tim Sheridan and illustrated by Eduardo Risso, Xermánico and Mikel Janín—began its monthly pub ...

''. This version is a member of the Atlantean army whose family was killed by

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

. * Topo appears in ''

DC Super Friends The Imaginext System is a brand of role-playing, adventure toys designed for kids 3 or older made by Mattel, under the label of Fisher-Price. History At the time of its introduction at the 1998 Toy Fair,

'', ''

Tiny Titans ''Tiny Titans'' is a comic book series by Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani.2009 Eisner Award winners< ...

'', and the ''

Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American media franchise owned by Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Entertainment and created in 1969 by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears through their animated series, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'', for Hanna-Barbera (which wa ...

'' comics.

In other media

* Topo appears in ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen T ...

'', voiced by

James Arnold Taylor James Arnold Taylor (born July 22, 1969), also known by his initials JAT, is an American voice and television actor. He is known for voicing Ratchet in the ''Ratchet & Clank'' franchise, the main character Tidus in '' Final Fantasy X'', Shuyin ...

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is a friend of

Aqualad Aqualad is the alias of several superheroes in American comic books published by DC Comics and appearing in media published by DC Entertainment. The character was originally created by writer Robert Bernstein and artist Ramona Fradon, serving as ...

and a student of the Conservatory of Sorcery who later becomes

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of the Atlantean city-state of Lemuria. * Topo (Tactical Observation and Pursuit Operative) appears in the

DC Extended Universe The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comic ...

films ''

'' and ''

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ''Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom'' is a 2023 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Aquaman. Directed by James Wan from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, it is the sequel to ''Aquaman (film), Aquaman'' (2018) and ...

''. This version is genetically engineered to possess enhanced intelligence and is skilled in espionage.

References

External links

Alan Kistler's Profile On Aquaman
{{Aquaman Animal superheroes Aquaman Characters created by Ramona Fradon Comics characters introduced in 1956 DC Comics animals DC Comics Atlanteans DC Comics sidekicks Fictional octopuses Anthropomorphic octopuses