Aquaman News

Wednesday, January 31, 2007


Ripples Through Time - 070

I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order, one per day. After I read each story I'm going to post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.

Adventure #137 Aquaman Splash Page
Adventure #137 (February 1949) - The Undersea Lost World!

Aquaman is commissioned by the United Nations Marine Bureau to help Professor Peabody find valuable mineral deposits on the ocean floor.

Great splash image of Aquaman shoving a rock down the throat of a prehistoric-snake-thing that has Prof Peabody wrapped in its coils, with the UN flag in the background! Very exciting.

Aquaman and Peabody are considered explorers and compare themselves to Amundsen, Perry, and Byrd. Aquaman gets a ticker-tape parade and a medal for his efforts.

Peabody's pressure suit contains a supply of liquid oxygen, and allows him to stay down for days. That's some pressure suit! It's clearly got some level of robotics, or Peabody wouldn't be able to move at all. But there's no worries about the bends... Aquaman drags Peabody up from the ocean floor to an island to fix the suit very rapidly, as the oxygen to Peabody had been cut off. This story requires a little extra suspension of disbelief.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman gets some porpoises to pull a giant shell chariot that he and Peabody ride in. Aquaman attempts to stop the prehistoric monster from attacking, but says, "No use, this species doesn't know me! I'm not King of the Sea here!" Aquaman gets a sawfish to free him from the giant clam that Black Jack puts him in, and then the fish fights off monsters while Aquaman escapes to the surface. A large seal deals with Black Jack's crew while Aquaman beats up Black Jack.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Peabody is knocked out by Black Jack while working on his diving suit, then Aquaman is knocked out by Black Jack (in the diving suit) while claiming the copper bed for the UN.

Quotefile: Peabody, "Ever been here before, Aquaman?" Aquaman, "I doubt it! The ocean is three times the land area! It would take me ten lifetimes to see all of it!"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

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