O-kay...(takes a deep breath)... Tula was introduced in Aquaman #33. The plot went like this:
Arthur and Garth rescue a bunch of surfies whose airplane crashed. Garth was instrumental in rescuing passengers and keeping them calm until help arrived. Upon returning home, word of the rescue has gotten around Poseidonis, so the population comes out to welcome -- Arthur! Mera and Arthur, Jr. give him hugs and the citizens cheer -- and Garth is virtually ignored. A little later, we see him wandering around the palace gardens, feeling unappreciated and unloved. Hands snake out from behind a bush, and Garth's spun around into a great big kiss square on the lips! His initial protest turns into appreciation, and when he catches his breath, he sees the kisser -- a young brunette with big blue eyes. He doesn't recognize her at first, then remembers (via an Impulse-like pictogram thought balloon) a scrawny girl with long braids and makes the connection.
Tula is sympathetic to his plight (implying that she was witness to the homecoming) and feels the same way. She tells him that he's old enough not to play second fiddle to Arthur anymore and that he should strike out on his own -- with her at his side. Well, when a guy is smitten, he's smitten...and Garth is definitely smitten! He agrees with her, and with her in tow, immediately sets out to tell Arthur and Mera that they're hitting the road, so to speak. Mera will have nothing to do with his scheme -- he's far too young for all this nonsense and tells Arthur he should put his foot down. Arthur, for some reason, is less certain (perhaps not wanting to alienate Garth, or perhaps because he thinks it's better to learn from potential mistakes), and tells Mera that if Garth really wants to go, he's not going to force him to stay. So, Garth and Tula leave, though it's obvious that Garth's having second thoughts. Tula's bold outgoing ways cause him to push those thoughts down, however, and off they go.
Now, here's where the plot gets silly. You have to remember that this was 1967, when the DC teen characters were just too groovy and gear for words. During their travels, Garth and Tula come across an underwater disco, where surface teens get into scuba gear and boogie 'neath the waves. Well, Tula's a dancing fool and just *has* to get down! She and Garth are observed by the owner of the disco, a slimy lookin' dude named Dr. Dorsal, who is fascinated by the fact that two water breathing teens have made the scene.
After the surface kids head topside, Dorsal (who has been in scuba gear) shows Garth and Tula his living quarters and reveals himself to also be a water breather (the scuba gear is so that the surfies don't get frightened by him). At this point, Dorsal reveals his true nature (and has also recognized Garth, but says nothing)...taking out a mystical two headed serpent with hypnotic eyes and uses it on Garth and Tula. Garth is a bit resistant to the spell, but eventually succumbs.
Dorsal uses the bespelled pair to bully the surface kids into committing crimes. They rob a yacht and an amusement park, amongst others. They all think it's 'for kicks' and nothing serious is stolen (and in the yacht sequence, we get to see Garth all dressed up in a white dinner jacket and black tie -- nice! *grin*)
Around this time, the kids, who are hanging out on a beach, find an old man who they think is spying on them. He protests, calling himself the Old Shellpicker. The kids are suspicious and take him to Dorsal. Dorsal is also suspicious, but tells the teens that the old man can be used as a lookout. At one point, Dorsal catches the old man placing a message in a buoy, reads it and tears the bottom half of the note off. He takes the top half to Garth, revealing that the old man is, indeed a spy. He then tells Garth and Tula that their next mission is to infiltrate a nuclear site. Garth resists that suggestion and gets another dose of the snake's spell.
The group of teens go off, but in the process of cutting security netting, they're caught...Tula, believing the old man is a spy, pushes him into a land mine, exploding it. The unconscious man's face 'slides', as a mask loosens, revealing the Old Shellpicker to be Arthur (who, apparently, has been keeping tabs on the kids). This revelation shocks Garth out of his spell (and he shakes Tula out of hers) and he vows vengance of Dorsal, for he believes Arthur to be dead. At the same time, the surface kids are caught, but Garth and Tula, being much faster, manage to escape. Dorsal, during their confrontation, escapes into a dimensional portal and Arthur shows up, having just been stunned by the explosion. He takes the lovebirds back home to Poseidonis, with Garth and Tula having learned the lesson that perhaps they're not quite old enough to be on their own after all.
Tula apparently had some adventures with the Titans (most 'unrevealed'), and basicallly dropped out of sight after Adventure #450. She was again seen in Tales of the Teen Titans #45-47 (a great storyline, btw) and again at Donna Troy's wedding in ToTT #50. Crisis occurred shortly after that, with her appearing in issues #9-10, with her death occurring in #10.
Whew!
-Tula History by Leah Adezio