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Tuesday, January 29, 2008


Ripples Through Time - 190

I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.

Adventure #267 Aquaman Splash Page
Adventure #267 (December 1959) - The Manhunt on Land!/The Underwater Archers!

Escaping prison, "Shark" Norton pledges to avoid the sea and Aquaman while "The Wizard" Kates pledges to avoid the land and Green Arrow.

Glove Color: Green.

Regular Supporting Cast: Topo. He's the star of both stories, in fact!

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman collapses into the water while being told about Shark Norton's new career on land, thanks to his one-hour limit. *sigh*

Quotefile: Coast Guard officer, "Yes! Everybody knows that if you're out of water for an hour, you gasp for water like a dying fish! But the police feel you alone have the know-how to catch "Shark"!"

Finny Friends Report: In the splash page (not in the story itself), Topo releases a number of fish from a railroad water tank to help Aquaman. Aquaman rides Topo at the beginning of the tale. Aquaman gathers a large group of fish in a tank-truck to help him on land. When the crooks shoot out the headlights on the truck, luminous fish spotlight them for a swordfish attack squad. Topo uses four bows and arrows to capture two crooks. A sea porcupine launches quills and punctures the escape balloon. Electric eels shock one bad guy, a seal gooses another, and a crab handcuffs a third in the aquarium. Shark Norton himself gets nabbed by a shark. In the Green Arrow story, Topo appears in time to rescue GA and Speedy from a fire-breathing sea monster.

This is one of those stories that's been reprinted a few times, but always with the Green Arrow story. If you have the Aquaman Archive and Showcase, you know that "The Underwater Archers" is reprinted in both. And, amusingly, Topo is seriously the hero in both stories. He's the hero in the Aquaman splash page and uses bow and arrows in the Aquaman tale, and Green Arrow would've been monster chow if Topo hadn't helped him out.

Aquaman's one-hour limit is now common knowledge. And he even falls over while a Coast Guard officer is talking to him... while he's IN the sea. He's gone from being able to survive out of water indefinitely to one-hour exactly. The writers clearly think it's a nifty plot device, but any reader will tell you it's a pretty stupid one.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

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Monday, January 28, 2008


Ripples Through Time - 189

I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.

Adventure #266 Aquaman Splash Page
Adventure #266 (November 1959) - Aquaman Meets Aquagirl!

Lisa Morel suddenly discovers she has all of Aquaman's powers, and is determined to join him in his sea patrols.

Glove Color: Yellow.

Regular Supporting Cast: Topo.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman starts the story trapped by a giant clam.

Quotefile: Lisa Morel, "Migosh! According to my waterproof wristwatch, I've been down here sixty minutes! And I feel as if I could last hours!"

Finny Friends Report: A giant clam apparently is holding a grudge against Aquaman, as it refuses to release him until Lisa burns it. Lisa orders seals to save her father's trophy. Aquaman rides on Topo. Topo plays "Happy Birthday" on a piano, drum set, bass, banjo, and xylophone. Lisa has whales destroy the top of an iceberg. Aquaman has luminous fish light up the remainder of the iceberg to save the ship.

Oh, where to start with this one? There's a lot happening in here. First off, we're given Aquaman's origin again, but it's been changed already. In it, Atlanna admits she's from Atlantis while still living and vibrant, not on her deathbed. Aquaman implies that his parents died at the same time. And he mentions his mother's diary, which he promises to read to Lisa.

Aquaman states "But now I must return to the Sea! I can only exist for an hour out of water!" This is the first time the one-hour limit has been described as such. And Lisa suffers from it as well, and had to sleep in the swimming pool!

Aquaman doesn't explain to Lisa why he thinks she's in danger. WHY?!??? I mean, seriously, that's a bit obnoxious of him. Can't he just say, "There's a possibility your powers may vanish as suddenly as they've come, so I'd rather you don't go out on patrol with me"??? Why be a jerk? He doesn't have to say that Lisa's father lied about her birth.

We later learn that Atlanna's diary explains it all. Children in Atlantis born with purple eyes are exiled to the surface world because they cannot survive underwater. This fact is to become important in a few more stories, as another character with purple eyes will be introduced.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

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Monday, December 17, 2007


Ripples Through Time - 179

I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.

Adventure #256 Aquaman Splash Page
Adventure #256 (January 1959) - The Ordeal of Aquaman

A gang of smugglers discovers Aquaman's weakness, and drop him in the desert to die.

Glove Color: Green.

Regular Supporting Cast: Topo.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is captured when he goes to free Topo and two octopus pals from a net.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman orders the octopi to milk cows so he can take a milk bath. The octopi hold the smugglers when Aquaman captures them. Aquaman rides Topo at the end of the story.

Quotefile: Smuggler, "Say! I got an idea! Look at Aquaman! He's gettin' weaker by the second! Know why? He can't say away from water for long!" This was after an hour out of the water.

This is it. This is the origin of the one-hour limit. At no time previous to this is a time limit put on Aquaman being out of water. He has been weaker out of water, and has indicated that he can't stay out of the water too long, but this is the first time he's had an actual time limit on him.

After one hour out of water, Aquaman starts to get weak. He survives a while longer after being tossed out of the plane into the desert (with a parachute). After a group of racers give him water from their radiators, he manages to walk five miles to the nearest town. It takes longer than an hour to walk five miles, especially if your pace isn't fast. While the story sort of implies that one hour is the magic amount of time after which Aquaman starts losing his strength, it's clear that he can survive well past a single hour, just in a much-weakened state.

Once in the town, he revives in melted skating rink water for an hour. It's not stated how far the reservoir is from the town, but Aquaman is already weak again before he gets there. This time he has a milk bath to revive, again, for an hour.

Now that we have a definitive origin for the one hour limit, it'll be interesting to see how it evolves. This was a lot later than I expected to see the limit established.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

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