At one point in my life I wanted to be an oceanographer and studying the oceans. It was all because of Aquaman, Namor and Stingray. These characters made the oceans and marine life so interesting to me. But I took an art class in school and all that changed. I’m still fascinated by the oceans and marine life.

Salvage

“SALVAGE, as if the junk we’re dredging up from down here is going to help me put my life back together.” - Stingray*

Brilliant scientist and oceanographer, Walter Newell, designed an incredible diving suit based on Manta Rays. This suit gives the wearer air for underwater breathing, enhanced swimming speed, limited flight, super strength, and electrical blasts. Taking the name Stingray, Dr. Newell becomes a superhero. His base of operations is the Hydro-Base. An artificial island that can be located anywhere. At one point the Hydro-Base was the home of the Avengers. Eventually the Hydro-Base was destroyed by Dr. Doom’s Doombots, robotic soldiers. Salvaging what he can Dr. Newell has become a member of Avengers, Defenders, and Heroes for Hire. Stingray protects the oceans with Namor, the Sub-Mariner and the Inhuman, Triton.

Humans often experience events that leave a mess in our lives that need to be cleaned up. Recovering alcoholics refer to these events as “Wreckage”. We all have wreckage we need to repair. There are parts of the wreckage that can be salvaged. When the hurricanes strike, people try their best to salvage their lives back together with the help of volunteering humanitarians. But what happens when a relationship ends can we salvage parts from that wreckage? The answer is a simple yes. We remember the good times. We remember the lessons learned from the experience. We collect new positive memories. When we find we must rebuild or repair damage we may cause we deal with our actions and only apologize for what we caused. In all events we make a strong effort to change and help in the salvaging and repairing the wreckage.

Stingray (Dr. Walter Newell)
First Appearance (as Dr. Newell): Tales to Astonish, #95 (September 1967), Marvel Comics

First Appearance (as Stingray): Sub-Mariner, #19 (November 1969), Marvel Comics

Creators: Roy Thomas (writer) Bill Everett (art)

* “Acts of Vengeance: Some Assembly Required”, Avengers Spotlight, #27, December 1989, Marvel Comics