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 #218 (November 1955) - Aquaman, Outlaw of the Sea

The folks at a diving convention believe Aquaman has swallowed a chemical that makes him temporarily insane, and Aquaman's unorthodox life-saving techniques simply compound the problem.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman gets a group of eels to form a lasso to pull a diver away from a whirlpool. A whale diverts the knock-out darts so Aquaman can escape.

Glove Color: Green.

Quotefile: Guy at diver convention, "Looks like a big turnout this year! We'll be able to start the program at once!" Guy holding large wooden crate, "Yes, but not until we drop this packet of dangerous experimental drugs into the ocean, as we promised the government we would!"

I admit, I laughed out loud when I read the second panel of this story, the one with the quote up there in it. Back in 1955 people weren't nearly as conscious of environmental concerns yet, and the ocean seemed infinite. A lot of the current problems in the ocean spring from that attitude, which is thankfully mostly gone from the modern world. I wish it were completely gone.

Aquaman's rescues include sticking his head in a hole a log has poked in an inflatable rubber raft to block it until it can be fixed, lassoing a diver who has strayed too close to a whirlpool, and breaking a diving bell that cracked on a jagged rock to save the occupants. Each rescue was misconstrued by the rescued folks as attacks by Aquaman.

Aquaman's origin is recapped again in the opening text box of this story: "Many years ago, a scientist gave Aquaman the amazing power to live and breathe under water... and it was this remarkable gift that led to his becoming the ruler of all the beings that dwell in the sea, and the protector of all men who work on the sea!" A sign, perhaps, that readers were asking about how Aquaman came to be? He hadn't had an origin story in 14 years at this point, I'm sure the current readers had no idea how Aquaman came to be.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #217 (October 1955) - The Day Aquaman Couldn't See

Aquaman is blinded after being hit on the head by falling rocks.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman rides his trusty sea cow steed throughout this story. Aquaman has two whales propel him at the motorboat so he can take out one of the hijackers. He has a swordfish cut him free from the net. A sea eagle takes the club from the hijacker.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is hit on the head by rocks from a landslide, which knocks out his vision. He's captured in a net by the hijacker boss. Later, he slips on the wet deck of the hijackers' boat and hits his head again... restoring his vision.

Quotefile: Hijacker, "Hey-- look... Aquaman's lost his eyesight! This is our big chance... Elmo, hop into that small speedboat!" Elmo, "I get it, boss! I'll run him down so hard he'll never know what hit him!"

How the bad guys figure out that Aquaman has lost his eyesight simply by viewing him from a distance is never explained.

Aqua-Exclamations: "Great Catfish!"

Glove Color: Yellow.

Another in a long line of stories that take away Aquaman's abilities. Some examples: can't swim, can't touch water (twice), can't breathe air, attacked by fish (twice), and can't talk to fish.

The boss of the hijackers is never named, but his two companions are Elmo (who Aquaman gets rid of first) and Joe... or is it Charlie? The second hijacker is named twice, both times by the boss, and both different names. We could explain this by saying that the boss doesn't care about his hired help enough to even remember his name. So I get a no-prize?

You can tell which hijacker is the boss by his nifty hat, which is knocked off his head by the sea eagle. After that you have to look for just the stylish yellow tie and red jacket.

I'm kind of sad that Aquaman's sea cow is never named. He's been in lots of stories.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #216 (September 1955) - The Invasion of the Sea-Men

Aquaman witnesses a UFO arrive in the water, and learns that the occupants intend to conquer the oceans of Earth.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman is riding a sea cow at the beginning. Aquaman sends an octopus then a whale against the invaders. He then has a gold fish pose as the king of the sea. Electric eels protect the gold fish. A giant lobster poses as a subject of the king riding a giant sea horse (actually a coral shell shaped like a sea horse), while Aquaman lassos the invaders.

Quotefile: Invader, "L-look what's on the throne -- a gold fish! ... er -- Don't tell us you're the king?" Gold fish, "That's right! Down here, it's the little fish who rule -- not the big ones you handled so easily!"

Aqua-Exclamations: "Great Salmon" yeah, salmon is lovely, particularly when smoked.

Glove Color: Yellow.

Aquaman handles his first alien invasion. He's already visited an alien planet, but he thought that adventure was a dream. This one has no such escapes from the silliness. Aliens actually invade.

As usual, Aquaman uses his brains to get rid of the threat, not brawn. In fact, this story emphasizes that brawn isn't the right course by having the large fish easily defeated by the invaders. It also has Aquaman playing tricks on the aliens, by setting up the gold fish as the king.

This might be the first time that Aquaman refers to his own powers as telepathy. When the aliens land, he can hear them easily and realizes that they are using telepathy to talk. He then uses his own telepathy to speak for the gold fish: "They think the gold-fish is talking to them! Actually, what they hear are the telepathic thoughts I am projecting!"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #215 (August 1955) - The Aqua-Mailman

Some crooks learn that Aquaman is helping a postal carrier make ocean deliveries and decide to take advantage.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman has a whale carry the quonset hut out of the harbor under water. Aquaman has swordfish drill a hole in the iceberg so Aquaman can reach the bridge of the sunken ship.

Also, while not specifying what sea creatures he's referring to, Aquaman threatens to throw the bad guys to his finny friends if they don't talk.

Glove Color: Green.

Aqua-Exclamations: "There's more than one way to skin a catfish!"

Quotefile: Opening Text Box: "Neither wind, nor rain, not the dangers that teem within the seven seas can stay that new and unique service, the Marine Mail Delivery, from making its appointed rounds... especially when Aquaman, king of the waves, trades in his sea-crown for a postman's cap, to become... The Aqua-Mailman"

Aquaman last delivered mail in Adventure #131. That plot also involved a postal carrier attempting to win a franchise to deliver the mail, but the motives of the bad guys in this story were completely different.

Aquaman first becomes suspicious when the bad guys set up a weather station in an area surrounded by mountains. Then he figures out something is up when he notes the sunken ship that was supposed to be a two-master actually has a third mast that was knocked away and not easily visible to divers. It's a thin thread, and that makes the story a bit hard to buy.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Mail, Ripples Through Time

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 #214 (July 1955)- Station Neptune

A TV station starts broadcasting an underwater variety show from the entrance of a busy harbor, distracting Aquaman from a case of hijacked cargo.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman receives a message about a hijacking from a signal fish. To audition for the show, he juggles shellfish. Then he gets eels to create an underwater trapeze. Then he pretends to be a cowboy riding a sea cow and lassoing another sea cow. He then captures the bad guys by lassoing THEM with an octopus.

Glove Color: Yellow.

Quotefile: TV Announcer, "Corny! Swim away, sea man -- your act is all wet!"

Aqua-Exclamations: "I'll be a sea cow's uncle!"

Great images of the Coast Guard captain tearing out his hair when he sees Aquaman apparently ignoring the ongoing hijacking case to audition for a bad variety show. But, of course, Aquaman already had the case solved and just was trying to make sure the bad guys were caught in the act.

Some fish came out to do tricks on the show without any prompting from Aquaman. You have to wonder how the TV guys contacted the fish, and what other programming they had.

The TV crew, when trying to escape, consists of four guys. One of them, the announcer, has underwater gear on. The other three are swimming underwater without any gear at all. True, they were racing to a midget sub to escape, but there's no indication that they left an airtight base.

Nice symmetry in this tale. The bad guys are using the TV show as an excuse to hang around at the mouth of the harbor. Aquaman uses efforts to get onto the TV show as an excuse to hang around the TV show. Heh.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #213 (June 1955) - The Court-Martial of Moby Dick II

When a whale rams a ship and sinks it, Aquaman has to act to defend the whale in court.

Finny Friends Report: A swordfish brings up a stave from a barrel as evidence. When Aquaman goes to get the rest of the barrel, two other whales help lift the wreck off the barrel. A conga line of octopuses help Aquaman pull it out of the mud. A dolphin brings up a parka and helmet that the fish report to Aquaman came off the same ship. Aquaman gets a whole bunch of swordfish to clear the ice from the trapped ship so the icebreaker can come back to testify. In the end, Aquaman rides off on Moby Dick II.

Glove Color: Green.

Quotefile: Captain Broome, "How dare you save the life of a killer whale, Aquaman?" Yeah, Aquaman, how dare you save any sea life!

Wrong-doing whales are common in Aquaman tales, like the one in The First Undersea Jail and Black Beauty from another tale. Usually they aren't guilty, but whales do tend to get into trouble in the DCU.

This is a rare story that has a date. The whale rammed the ship on the afternoon of April 5th.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #212 (May 1955) - The Giant Tropical Fish!

Aquaman goes on a mission to an inland lake to destroy a secret shipment of rare chemicals.

Finny Friends Report: The giant fish pull Aquaman out of the whirlpool, then pull the packet into the whirlpool to get rid of it. Another fish helps Aquaman jump out of the lake.

Quotefile: Aquaman, "Great scott! Look at the size of that angel fish! But that's impossible -- angel fish never grow larger than four inches at the most!"

Aqua-Exclamations: "Holy Mackerel"

Glove Color: Yellow.

Deep inland, Aquaman has to jump from the plane because there aren't any landing fields nearby. You have to wonder how he gets back to the sea. The packet of chemicals was dropped because the plane was having engine trouble... but based on the size of the packet, that doesn't make a lot of sense unless it was dropped along with a lot of other stuff. Another issue is how Mr. Orwell is able to raise tropical fish in an inland lake somewhere in mid-America. But hey, let's not get too picky.

This is yet another story which ends with Aquaman wondering if he dreamed the whole thing. Aquaman doubts his fantastic reality an awful lot.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #211 (April 1955) - The Mystery of the Seven Sea Statues!

After a statue of Aquaman in Ocean Square is left unfinished due to lack of funds, Aquaman goes around planting statues of himself.

Finny Friends Report: On the splash page, Aquaman rides his sea cow and a turtle, octopus, and seal carry his other statues. Later he rides the sea cow. He also rides two whales and has them form a wave to reveal one of the statues. Aquaman rides to the treasure ship by holding ropes carried by two huge sea eagles.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is put on trial for being a public nuisance in this story.

Quotefile: Text box, "Is it possible that Aquaman's disappointment has brought out a secret side of his nature?"

Glove Color: Green. This is the first time Aquaman's gloves are shown as green instead of yellow.

The ultimate explanation of why Aquaman put up the statues isn't very convincing or satisfying. It does show that Aquaman doesn't really care about the public's opinion of him, which is a recurring theme among these older stories. In this story he allows the public to think that he's vain and upset about not being properly honored, all to allow the Navy to conduct some secret tests.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #210 (March 1955) - The First Undersea Newspaper

The Log, a newspaper for sea-faring folk, is attacked and Aquaman must get to the bottom of the mystery.

Finny Friends Report: To create his edition of The Log, Aquaman has a giant clam act as the press, while an octopus supplies the ink. Aquaman summons two sea cows to carry the Cooks to the island. A whale helps him into the air to attack the smuggler, while a porpoise takes out the final guy. An octopus holds them, and the porpoise brings up the cargo for the Cooks to rebuild their press with.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is temporarily stopped when approaching Bajorka Island by the threat of the Cooks being shot.

Quotefile: Aquaman, rescuing a couple, "Don't worry -- we'll reach the top safe and sound!" Man being rescued, "I can hardly wait! I want to write a first-hand account of this experience for The Log!"

A fairly basic story, with Aquaman involved in the media. With an obvious advantage, in that his newspaper is waterproof.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #209 (February 1955) - The Island That Vanished!

The Science Academy accuses George Rogers of stealing valuable scientific equipment which he insists he left on an island, but the island doesn't exist.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman has octopi become propellers when the ship's propellers are sheared off by an ice pack. To get the ship off an ice raft, Aquaman has swordfish cut holes which he threads ropes through, then whales rock the ship off the ice. Whales brought the island back so Rogers would find it.

Quotefile: Aquaman, "Rogers is an intelligent man, captain! I'm sure I can talk him out of going on that wild-goose chase!"

If you are thinking this story sounds slightly familiar, you're right, the premise of a disappearing island also showed up in Adventure #175, only three year ago. The situation is very different, but again legal action is involved in it. Unlike the earlier story, there is no "bad guy" but the elements themselves. And thanks to Aquaman, there is a happy ending.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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.

There was no Aquaman story in Adventure #207.

Adventure #208 (January 1955) - The Mystery of the Aqua-Dolls!

After being followed around by a strange photographer, Aquaman learns that an inventor has created an Aqua-doll toy that can duplicate his aqua-feats.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman rides his sea cow in one panel, but otherwise gets no help from finny friends.

Quotefile: Coast Guard Captain, "Hi, Aquaman! You've been a-sea so long, I'll bet you don't even know about the new craze that's sweeping the nation!" Aquaman, "Craze? What craze?"

Aquaman learns about the dolls from the Coast Guard Captain who shows him a figure and even finds the inventor's name and address (on the feet of the toy). Aquaman checks in with the inventor, who is donating 50% of the profits to found a home for sailors, so Aquaman is ok with it in the end.

The life-size Aqua-doll that robs ships has a fatal flaw that allows Aquaman to figure out the mystery. Or should we say, it doesn't have a fatal flaw that it should have?

On the splash page, the Aqua-dolls have wind-up keys in their backs, but in the story they are radio controlled.

Aqua-Exclamations: "Well, I'll be a sea cow's uncle!" "Holy catfish!"

I want one. Of the toys, really, not Aquaman. Though I wouldn't say "no" to my own Aquaman.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #206 (November 1954) - The Haunted Island!

A group of kids going to Fun Island get stuck on a reef, canceling their excursion, until Aquaman gets involved.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman rides to the rescue on his sea cow. He gathers turtles to serve as bases on the baseball diamond, and has sea eagles hold up a fishnet as a backstop. The children ride their own sea cows as they play. An octopus serves as the umpire, and whales serve as the walls of the "yard". To play basketball, eels mark the court and seals balance the baskets on their noses. The kids continue to ride sea cows, and an octopus serves as referee.

Quotefile: Aquaman, "Now, now, we all know there's no such thing as a sea monster! It must've been your imagination! Come on back and resume the game!"

This story could have held its own without any bad guys, and just been a tale of Aquaman saving the kids outing with his finny friends. But the sea monster angle is neat, and makes for a fun splash page (that's definitely not in the story). The plot is slight, but it's fun how Aquaman gets the kids involved in capturing the villains. All-in-all, a cute story.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #205 (October 1954) - The Emperor of the Sea!

Aquaman's supremacy of the oceans is challenged by the mysterious Mr. Neptune, who claims to have the powers of the ancient god.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman again rides his sea cow in this story. Aquaman calls in whales to get a ship off a reef, but Mr. Neptune pushes the ship off by himself. Aquaman brings a squad of fish to take out the criminals, but Mr. Neptune jumps into action and takes out the criminals instead. Aquaman's octopi jump in to hand the criminals to the police. A flying fish steals Mr. Neptune's trident, then an octopus manhandles him as Aquaman explains the whole story to the captain of the Marovian ship.

An oddity in the artwork, when Mr. Neptune describes his abilities (turtle shell to protect from bullets, electric eels to shock the criminals) the abilities are drawn on him. By the end of the story we learn that was artistic license, because he didn't actually use magic.

The manic look on Mr. Neptune's face when he finally shows his true colors is a thing of beauty. He really looks like a villain at that point. However, I could do without the scene of Aquaman holding the trident with Mr. Neptune in the background with a "if it weren't for those meddling kids" look on his face.

That trident would come in handy in Aquaman's line of work. If this story had shown up 20 years later, it would have become a major plot point and an ongoing item of power in the Aquaman stories.

Quotefile: Mr. Neptune, while flinging whales around on the splash page, "Begone, deposed monarch of the deep, and your silly subjects of the sea! I'm ruler of the deep now!"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #204 (September 1954) - The Lagoon of Doom!

Aquaman appeals to a group of men emptying a lagoon of water to stop before they kill the fish, but when they don't... he starts to help them.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman originally appears because he's heard that a lagoon was being emptied, endangering the fish living in the lagoon. He gets a number of fish in the lagoon to make a net and drag it along to the bottom to see if he can find what the men are looking for. He rides his sea cow in the lagoon, then gets whales (must be a big lagoon) to spout water out of the lagoon. Octopi holding paddle fish push water out of the lagoon. The whale line up and create a wave getting more water out of the lagoon. Swordfish and sawfish then break the dam when the men who own the lagoon say they need more water in the lagoon. An octopus and the sea cow rescue the men after their barge is swamped.

I'm not sure that Aquaman was entirely in the right in this adventure, as he interferes with the men's business and sinks their barge. True, if they'd simply told him what they were up to and worked with him to help the fish in the lagoon, they wouldn't have had a problem, especially as what they were doing was completely legal. But then there wouldn't have been a story.

Quotefile: Man on ocean liner, "Holy cat, look at that man go! He must be tied to a speedboat or something!" Captain of liner, "No, my friend-- that's Aquaman, the fastest thing on water... and he sure looks in a hurry to get some place!"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #203 (August 1954) - The Shark With The Human Brain!

When Shark Wilson escapes from prison, Aquaman is called in to help find him, but instead spends his time fighting a shark that looks a lot like Wilson.

Finny Friends Report: As usual, Aquaman rides his sea cow to the location. He has two octopi try to stop the shark, but it slips away. A swordfish fares no better. The shark calls in more sharks, which attack Aquaman. Aquaman escapes by riding a school of flying fish. He then dives deep and brings up giant boxing shrimp that battle the sharks. A giant blowfish then attacks the original shark, poisoning it.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is surrounded by sharks, but just escapes.

Quotefile: Guard, "Don't jump, shark! Remember, the sand on the beach is believed to have magic powers that'll turn you into a fish!" Shark, "Ha, ha -- don't make me laugh! That's just a superstitious story to prevent convicts from breaking out!"

This is another story that leaves the reader wondering if Aquaman experienced magic. It doesn't say outright that the shark was Shark Wilson, but it certainly leaves it as a possibility. I like the end, when Aquaman talks to the readers and asks what they think happened.

For a long time, this was the earliest Aquaman story I had read, because it was one of the rare Aquaman stories that had been reprinted. Of course, in the reprint the colors were incorrect, as Aquaman's gloves appeared as green instead of yellow.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #202 (July 1954) - Menace of the Freak Fish!

After the US Navy tests a bomb, sea creatures entering the area of the test mutate into hybrid monsters that ignore Aquaman's commands.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman rides his sea cow through the story. He warns fish out of the area when the bomb is tested, but allows them back in after the explosion. An octopus with electric tentacles attacks, but Aquaman can't command it and has horseshoe crabs subdue it. A whale that squirts ink link a squid attacks a ship. Aquaman battles a shark with a sawfish's beak. Three other mutant fish attack: An 8-foot sailfish with the daggers of the scallop, a 20-foot manta with the teeth of a sea urchin, and a pipefish with the pincers of a giant crab. When Aquaman gets the word, all the hybrid break apart. The whole thing was a ruse to keep ships out of the area of the test bomb until the contents of the bomb had dispersed enough in the water to prevent any foreign enemy from discovering the bomb's secret.

Aquaman has no problem whatsoever in tricking people, and many of his adventures involve him pulling fast ones on large audiences of the general public. Aquaman is constantly manipulating the media and fooling reporters.

I enjoyed seeing the various hybrid monsters. It had to have been fun to come up with some of those combinations, many of which aren't obvious. The octopus with electric tentacles is just great. I want a pet one.

Quotefile: Navy scientist to Aquaman, in front of reporters, "I'm afraid I have bad news for you, Aquaman! That bomb affected the water in such a way as to give certain fish the properties of other fish!"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #201 (June 1954) - The Stars Who Couldn't Swim!

When Aquaman recommends a down-on-his-luck swimmer to help out a movie producer, he doesn't quite get what he expects.

Plot-holes you could steer a freighter through on this one. Aquaman recommends "Channel Charlie" to the movie director to teach the stars how to swim, but a fake Charlie shows up instead. Fake Charlie's make-up is based on an old photo, but they kidnapped the real Charlie to make the switch, so why not just use the real thing instead? And Aquaman doesn't realize that Charlie is fake, which has to mean he never met the guy during his original English Channel swim. But he later figures out that Charlie should be 60 years old, and thus look completely different. Why did it take him so long? And the make-up on fake Charlie... how did it stay on when he was doing so much swimming?

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman has whales hold up the non-swimmers, while whales help propel them along.

Quotefile: Joe, "You doublecrosser! You actually taught them to swim!" Fake Charlie, "Take it easy, Joe! They think they can swim, but take my word for it, they can't! You'll see!"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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.

This review is dedicated to Polite Scott, who is a medical blogger as well as a comic book blogger. I kept thinking of him while reading this story with all its ridiculous medicine. Get well soon, Scott!

Adventure #200 (May 1954) - Aquaman, Microbe Hunter!

Aquaman is called on a mysterious mission inland: to rid a famous scientist of a dangerous virus by being shrunk and injected into the victim's blood.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman rides his sea cow in this one, but otherwise his finny friends don't help him. He does manage to communicate with Welky's white blood cells, though, and gets their help.

Quotefile: Aquaman, as he's shrinking, "T-this reminds me of Alice in Wonderland! I--I hope my story ends happily, too!"

Man, how many problems are there with this story? Aquaman is summoned because he can breathe liquid, but he's being shrunk to the size of cells. Um. When he gets into the body, he see (and describes for the curious young readers) "red corpuscles" and "white-celled phagocytes", but there's only one virus cell. A single virus cell caused sleeping sickness? To trap the virus cell, he closes a valve in the heart then sneaks up from behind by going through the entire circulatory system. Wouldn't that kill Welky? I mean, closing the heart valve can't be good for his health. How exactly does Aquaman communicate with the white blood cells? And seriously, what happened to the poor rabbit?!?

There's a strange sequence at the beginning in which Aquaman is setting up a "shell-speaker" that will allow him to listen for danger signals on the surface. No sooner does he have it set up than he hears cannon fire and learns that he's being summoned by the Navy for a secret mission.

I thought the plotline might be based on Fantastic Voyage, but this story came out over a decade earlier than the film.

Aqua-Exclamations: "Holy Herring", "Holy Catfish"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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.

Want to read these stories yourself? Write to DC: Dan Didio, Executive Editor, DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York NY 10019 and ask for a reprint of Aquaman's Golden Age tales.

Adventure #199 (April 1954) - The Fire-Fighter of the Seven Seas!

When Jim the fireman loses his nerve and runs off to sea to forget, it takes Aquaman's fire crew to snap him out of it.

Aquaman has his own nifty fireman's hat AND a fireman coat that he wears while performing his duties as firefighter of the sea. Aquaman has tons of roles in the DCU's oceans... so many that there's no way he could possibly fulfill them all. He's a banker, a cop, and now a firefighter. Each role has it's own bases (Aquaman tells Jim that he has firehouses strategically placed so that ship fires can be answered at once). Aquaman is either superfast or he's got a whole lot of clones. Or the DC oceans are really really small.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman firetruck is a whale carrying a platform, with a seal ringing the bell. He has swordfish cut into the hold to get at the fire in the ship, then whales spout water into it. Tortoises enter the hold and pass the burning bales to an octopus, who flings them into the water to put them out. Later, a group of seals catch the lighthouse keeper in a net to re-create Jim's failed rescue and make him remember that the man didn't die.

Quotefile: Jim, to Aquaman after the fire on the ship is out, "Yes, it was the most amazing exhibition I've ever seen-- and I ought to know-- I-- I used to be a fireman myself!"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #198 (March 1954) - The Daredevil of the Seven Seas!

Aquaman vouches for an ex-PT Boat captain who gets a job as master of a cargo boat, but then becomes dangerously reckless and requires Aquaman to rescue him.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman rides his sea cow again in this story! Yay! Aquaman has octopi replace the broken propellers on Alan's ship after he breaks them by racing into an ice field. When a waterspout threatens the ship, Aquaman has jellyfish seal the boat and whales drag it underwater to protect it from the storm.

Quotefile: Opening text box, "Alan Doktor had been the bravest and boldest PT Boat pilot in the service! That's why Aquaman King of the Seven Seas, personally recommended Alan to become the skipper of a cargo ship! But the sovereign of the deep was soon to regret his kindness, when the ex-hero became... "The Daredevil of the Seven Seas!""

As is often the case in these old tales, things are not what they seem. And when down-on-his-luck Alan mopes around the docks after being fired for recklessness... well, that's when the real story starts. Aquaman never worried about maintaining his reputation in the pursuit of justice, and it seems that Alan is cut from the same cloth.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

Sorry about the delay. I burned out a bit on the stories, and decided to take a break after the first "Aquaman on another planet" tale. I really hate the alien planet stories with Aquaman... anyway. As you recall, Aquaman visited a planet where the seas were like land, and the earth was ocean. He received a "compressed air" gun from the aliens, which he still possessed at the end of the story, despite being uncertain if the trip was real or just a dream. In this tale, we get back to more normal adventures... whalers and Aquaman in disguise.

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 #197 (February 1954) - Aquaman Walks The Plank!

Aquaman goes undercover to stop whalers from hunting endangered whales... but his identity is soon discovered.

Another story in which Aquaman goes undercover. He infiltrates the crew of Captain Samson to try to come up with a way to stop Samson from killing the camel-back whales. All of Aquaman's action scenes are in normal clothing, blue pants and a white shirt.

Captain Samson styles himself as a pirate captain, which his crew apparently puts up with. He has a magnificent moustache and wears an eyepatch on his right eye... which he apparently doesn't need because he has it raised in the final panel and his eyes are perfectly normal.

Finny Friends Report: A tortoise bumps a whaling boat to throw off the aim of the harpoon. A sea eagle snatches another harpoon from the sky. Giant clams snip off the ropes that tie Aquaman. Electric eels trap Captain Samson.

Captured/Knocked Out report: When Aquaman comes back on board after saving the whales, he's forced to walk the plank for deserting the vessel. When he jumps back aboard after being freed, he's chained up and forced to walk the plank again.

Quotefile: Captain Samson, "Did you say "Aquaman?" Listen to me, you lubber, I never saw that fish-man, and if he knows what's good for him, he'd better stay off my course!" Amusingly, he's making this comment to Aquaman, who is undercover.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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.

Want to read these stories yourself? Write to DC: Dan Didio, Executive Editor, DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York NY 10019 and ask for a reprint of Aquaman's Golden Age tales.

Adventure #196 (January 1954) - The Topsy-Turvy World!

Aquaman is sent to a planet where the oceans are made of earth, and the land is made of water.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman is riding his sea cow at the start of the story. Aquaman has the whales on Sea break up a tidal wave that threatens the city.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is captured and forced into a stolen Navy rocket, which is then launched. Aquaman blacks out during the launch.

Quotefile: Alien, "You're on the planet called "Sea!" We saw you being shot into space with our Super-Telescope, and attracted you her with our Super-Magnet!" Aquaman, thinking, "*Whew* I must be having a nightmare!"

Yay, Aquaman goes to outer-space! For the first time! But not the last! While Aquaman says he thinks the whole adventure is a dream, he has the gun the people of Sea give him, which he uses at the end of the tale. Which implies that the story actually happened.

While on Sea, Aquaman must wear chains to hold him down and a helmet so he can breathe. But at least he's able to talk with the local... um... earth life. While look identical to Earth sea life. Right down to the whales.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #195 (December 1953) - The River Gang!

Joe Moxie moves his crime operation to the water, including a protection racket, but didn't count on Aquaman.

Quotefile: Bix, "For a guy that's supposed to have brains, Joe, you surprise me! Our last 30 grand, and you spend it on a boat! What are we gonna do, go fishing?" Joe Moxie, "Could be! Got any better ideas on how to stay out of jail, Bix, with all the cops looking for you? C'mon down, before I shove off without you!"

Finny Friends Report: A swordfish tells Aquaman, riding his usual sea cow, that Yegar's tug is in trouble. Aquaman gets a cuttlefish to repair the cable while whales hold the barge steady. A hammernosed shark rivets plates while giant sea molluscs plug other holes. Going after Moxie, electric eels electrify the boat while dolphins leap across the boat until the crooks give up. A whale finishes the story by pushing the iceberg where Aquaman wants it to go.

Captured/Knocked Out report: When the crooks give up, they are actually luring Aquaman in to capture him with a net. They tie an anchor around his legs and dump him overboard.

Aquaman doesn't show up in the story until the third page, after the Moxie gang have already started their protection racket. Aquaman gets involved when he goes to rescue a ship in distress that also happens to be a target of the Moxie gang. He first saves Yegar's ship, then goes to find the gang. He's drawn to the sound of dynamite exploding, but then gets captured. Through a series of remarkable coincidences, Aquaman is saved and the bad guys are caught.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #194 (November 1953) - The Outlaw Navy!

"Admiral" Duko gathers a fleet of surplus war vessels and commits piracy on the high seas in force, until he meets with Aquaman.

The villains have an interesting slant in this story. I can think of a lot of reasons it wouldn't work in the real world... including the pain that would be inflicted on them by regular navies once word of their exploits spread. But in the DCU Aquaman takes care of it really quick.

Lots of downsides to bad guys creating a navy. They have to get the ships, outfit them properly, train men, then drill discipline into thugs. The costs far outweigh the benefits, especially once they are split between the entire fleet.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman rides his sea cow to the action. An octopus snags a member of the outlaw fleet for Aquaman to question. Aquaman gathers his finny friends into a navy. Whales form the ships of the fleet. Eels send messages. Octopi spread ink which the whales spout into the air to form a smoke screen. Pilot fish re-aim torpedoes back at the outlaw navy. Eels guide sea turtles painted as mines near the outlaws to scare them into giving up.

Quotefile: Ship captain, "Great scott, Aquaman... you can't fight a whole naval force by yourself! What are you going to do?" Aquaman, "I... er... was just asking myself that same question!"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #193 (October 1953) - Secret of the Sea Monster!

While freeing a ship from a field of icebergs, Aquaman discovers a giant sea monster and revives it, only to have it attack passing ships.

Ah, one of my all-time favorite splash pages. Who doesn't love a giant sea monster hand attacking the confident hero from behind?

Finny Friends Report: Whales pull the icebergs away from the stranded ship. Aquaman rides his usual sea cow during the story. A dozen octopi and 20 whales restrain the sea monster for a short time. Electric eels supply power so Aquaman can repair the break in the hull the sea monster caused. Whales pull a ship the sea monster has damaged.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is "captured" by the sea monster after it breaks free from the whales and octopi, but it only wants to be friends.

Quotefile: Aquaman, on spotting the sea monster in the iceberg, "WOW! This is a new one... Even on me! I---I wonder if it's alive? I'll try feeding it some seaweed!"

This is a fairly cute little tale with a happy ending for everyone involved. Modern Age Aquaman also runs up against sea monsters who bear a resemblance to this guy, so it's just not unusual for Aquaman to meet strange giant beasts in the sea. Even so, this story is slightly more fantastical than the ones that came before.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #192 (September 1953) - Murder in the Fish Preserve!

Aquaman puts off finding the Wheeler gang when a series of fish murders happens in Aquaman's Fish Preserve.

Remember how I was complaining about Aquaman's odd view of the world of fish? Here it is right from Aquaman's own mouth: "I want people to learn about all the wonderful things in the sea... and the realize that fish, like animals in the forests, are out friends, who should only be killed for food --- not just for sport!"

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman rides a whale at the beginning of the story, when the first group of tourists arrive at the Preserve. A giant Leatherback Turtle swims by for the tourists. An oarfish is seen "tugging" a sea cow to the infirmary. Lantern fish and electric eels provide lighting as the tour finishes up. The murdered fish are a sergeant fish, a tarpon, a rare angler fish, and a rose fish. The final victim is an opah fish, but Aquaman rescues it in time. At the end of the story, Aquaman rides off on his sea cow.

Aquaman figures out that the fish being murdered spell out the name of an island in the fish preserve, but the tricky bit is that opah fish, which has an alternate name. The Coast Guard folks with Aquaman point out that the fish names spell out STARO, but Aquaman says an alternate name for the opah is kingfish. I think STARO is more interesting, personally. Another name for opah fish is moonfish. Maybe STARM?

Quotefile: Opening text box,

You've all heard of Yellowstone National Park, where animals may roam freely for all to admire, safe from the menace of hunters' guns! Now you're about to see a similar haven for fish on the high seas, run by Aquaman, monarch of the deep!

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #191 (August 1953) - The Aqua-Cop of the Sea!

Aquaman makes a lot of people unhappy when he becomes a sea cop and starts handing out tickets for minor infractions.

Aquaman is originally called in after Sunday boaters start getting into accidents. But he's there for more than just the traffic problems, as we eventually learn. This is a case of Aquaman willing to destroy his public reputation to capture criminals, which becomes a bit of a habit with him. All the more reason to not worry about what folks think of Aquaman, as he never did. Well... ok, he did a little at the end of this tale: "I'm sure glad it's all over! I've made more enemies handing out phoney tickets than there are fishes in the sea!"

Finny Friends Report: On the splash page, Aquaman is riding what looks like a dolphin with teeth. Once Aquaman is called in, sea cows carry traffic signs and Aquaman rides a sea cow to write tickets. Mollusks attached to boat railings indicate the owners of the boats. To catch a speeder at the end of the story, he has a swordfish puncture the gas tank.

Quotefile: Female boater, "I think it's a shame, Aquaman! There've been 20 boat thefts this week, and all you're interested in is in issuing summonses for minor traffic violations!"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #190 (July 1953) - The Hunter of the Seven Seas!

Joseph Lundgren, a famous big-game hunter, has tired of the same old prey and decides to go bag some monsters of the deep.

Finny Friends Report: A whale is caught and shocked by Lundgren. A giant octopus is caught in a net. Aquaman is alerted by other finny friends, and approaches the ship on dolphin steeds. He has a turtle free itself by biting through a rope, then it smashes a tank with a sawfish in it who frees the whale by cutting through the electric cable. Aquaman asks the whale to not destroy the hunter's ship. When the typhoon hits, Aquaman's fish cut loose a lifeboat. Flying fish locate the crew members washed overboard. The whale frees Lundgren and his friend from their diving sphere tomb, and shelters them as they get into the lifeboat. A group of dolphins pulls the lifeboat to shore, while Aquaman and Lundgren ride on the whale.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is captured in a net with his dolphins as he approaches Lundgren's ship. He frees the dolphins easily, but chooses to stay captured to find out what's going on.

Quotefile: Aquaman, "Now-- Since the lives of these creatures are more important than any fun you get from catching them... you can let them go!" Lundgren, "Are you crazy? This voyage has cost me a fortune! If I return empty-handed, my reputation as a sportsman will be ruined!"

This is another story that illustrates Aquaman's fatal flaw in the Golden Age. He's a human. But he's friends with the fish. And he doesn't let people capture fish... except for aquariums and the like, which he supports. Oh, and he supported a whaler earlier, too. And obviously lets fishermen do fishing. So how does he justify stopping Lundgren and not stopping a fisherman? Are some fish his friends and other fish not? Does the Golden Age Aquaman have a double-standard?s

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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.

Want to read these stories yourself? Write to DC: Dan Didio, Executive Editor, DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York NY 10019 and ask for a reprint of Aquaman's Golden Age tales.

Adventure #189 (June 1953) - The Nautical Treasure Hunt!

A plane having engine trouble dumps all cargo, including a chest of diamonds, setting off a massive treasure hunt.

Finny Friends Report: Excellent splash page of Aquaman riding a swordfish. Aquaman rides his usual sea cow out to the location of the cargo dump. A dolphin helps him carry a diver to the surface. Three swordfish help him refill the chest.

Quotefile: Newsreporter, "...and the insurance company has offered exactly half the value of the diamonds to anyone who succeeds in salvaging the chest! Here's a chance for all you folks to go on a genuine treasure hunt!"

This is not a very intelligent plot on the part of the bad guys. They sabotage a plane while one of them is ON the plane, all in order to collect some insurance money? The treasure hunt, nicknamed "The Great Diamond Rush of '53", is a giant run of ill-equipped people that make the extremely nervous Coast Guard call in Aquaman to help monitor the crowd. Aquaman is badly needed, as people use homemade diving suits that get tangled in anchor lines, overbalance them out of control, and cause them to black out from going too deep without protection. He finally decides to stop the rush by offering to find the chest himself and split the proceeds with everyone in the crowd. And as it turns out, finding the chest isn't the problem. Finding the diamonds is.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #188 (May 1953) - Calling Dr. Aquaman!

Aquaman has to capture bad guys without violating a quarantine.

Finny Friends Report: A whale is hit by a ship, and Aquaman is summoned. He arrives on an ambulance pulled by swordfish, and tows the whale to his clinic. A finger-squid cares for the whale. When a swordfish has an anchor dropped on his sword, Aquaman gets an octopus to sharpen the sword. A sea-lion is ailing, and Aquaman is called in and arrives on his sea cow. The sea-lion is contagious, and so goes into quarantine at the clinic. Also at the clinic is a turtle with a patched shell. A carrier fish brings news of the gold smuggler. Two whales launch Aquaman onto the bad guys' boat. He reveals that a lantern fish lured the smuggler into the quarantine zone while cuttlefish and blowfish created a black spray that hid the real lantern.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is limited by the quarantine zone.

Speaking of the quarantine zone, Aquaman keeps it even after he's captured the smugglers... which means the prisoners are tied up for several days before they can be turned in to the Coast Guard at the end of the tale.

Quotefile: Ship captain, "I sent for you as soon as I spotted this ailing sea-lion, Aquaman! Is he badly hurt?" Aquaman, "From the glassy look of his eyes, I'd say he's contracted fish-scurvy! It's a disease that's contagious to other fish, so I'll have to keep him isolated!" Um, "fish-scurvy"?

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #187 (April 1953) - The Queen of the Sea

When Aquaman chooses another woman as winner of the Queen of the Sea contest, Ann Collins vows to make him regret it.

Lots of great lines in this one, enough to fill a quotefile... Ann first shows up Aquaman during a test of an "atom-powered torpedo" that veers off target. Ann catches the torpedo before Aquaman can, and aims it back at the target. She then challenges Aquaman to a test of who can stay under the water longer... The newspapers get the story of Ann's success and run with it: "Extra!" "Queen of Sea Beats King of Sea!" "Girl Dethrones Aquaman" "New Sea Monarch" "[Aquam]an Beaten By Girl".

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman notices that fish are avoiding a certain area and discovers a bell jar with an air compressor, which is how he figures out how Ann stayed under the water. When Ann races her mini-sub toward the surface, she slows down so she won't kill a school of fish, so Aquaman allows her to win the race.

Quotefile: Ann, "My heart's been set on winning that crown, Aquaman! Why didn't you select me?" Aquaman, "Since you ask, miss... I've seen snails that swam faster than you did!" PWNED!

Special Note: This story's script is later re-used in the Silver Age, one of two instances of re-used scripts I'm certain of in Aquaman's history. When I reach that story, I'll be sure to link back to this one.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #186 (March 1953)

Ambrose Weems is determined to destroy Captain Hoyle's Dive-In Theater using only legal means.

Weems is worried that Hoyle's theater will take away business from his Seaside theater. So he decides to take out the competition.

Weems claims that everything he's doing is legal, but I think most of it would fall under malicious mischief. First he throws bait into the water to attract sharks which go into a feeding frenzy in Hoyle's theater. He glues "inflated rubber baby swordfish" to the boats watching movies so adult swordfish will sink the boats. That's gotta be illegal. He deliberately cuts Hoyle's power cable with a propeller made of steel blades. Again, that must be illegal. Then Weems sets up a wind machine aimed at Hoyle's movie screen to knock it over.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman orders the sharks away after Weems lures them. When the swordfish won't listen to him, Aquaman has an octopus ink up the water so they can't see the fake baby swordfish. Aquaman rides his sea cow again, and uses electric eels to reconnect the power once Weems cuts the line. A number of Aquaman's friends scare off Weems and his hired help.

Quotefile: Customer watching a western at the Dive-In Theater, "This is a terrific idea! Imagine, we can enjoy a good movie and some cooling ocean breezes at the same time!"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #185 (February 1953) - The Five Lives of the Sea King

Aquaman goes undercover to find a treasure dropped by crooks, but the crooks learn he's after them and make other plans.

Aquaman undercover again! This time he's wearing a nice blue business suit with a red power tie. As a contestant in the swim meet, he wears red swim trunks. Apparently, the bad guys don't know that Aquaman has blond hair, as the other contestants all have brown hair. They decide to figure out who Aquaman is by dropping an eel in the water and claiming that the man who captures it will get the job.

Finny Friends Report: After the other contestants have tried for 15 minutes, Aquaman tells the eel to stop and grabs it, only to reconsider. Unfortunately, the other contestant then grabs the eel. In order to save his life, Aquaman has a sea cow rise up under one of the other contestants and tells Lansing that everyone knows Aquaman rides a sea cow. Then he has seals start pushing another contestant up and down out of the water, making it look like he's doing stunts. Then an octopus makes first one, then two, then three of the contestants swim incredibly fast. Then Aquaman rides his sea cow after retrieving the chest of gems. A whale holds the bad guy's boat long enough for the Coast Guard to capture them.

Quotefile: Lansing, "Get that engine started! A sea full of Aquamen! It's like a nightmare! Let's get out of here!"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #184 (January 1953) - At Sea in the Stone Age

Investigating a mysterious island, Aquaman sees a drawing of himself on a cave wall, then falls into a whirlpool that takes him to the past.

Another Time Travel story! Like the last one, this story leaves doubt as to whether or not it actually happened. Also like the last one, Aquaman falls into a whirlpool, which transports him back in time.

This time Aquaman is sent back to an island inhabited by cavemen. Oddly enough, the cavemen know his name and are depending on him to save them. The way he found the whirlpool in the first place was bizarre, as he found a cave on an island that he'd never seen before... and in the cave was a drawing of himself! This one is a twisty time travel story, and at the end Aquaman doubts that he really traveled in time, just like the last time travel tale.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman starts the story with his loyal Sea Cow mount. Aquaman believes he can control the sea monsters, but fails. He lassos and rides the sea horse monster and aims it at the giant sea lizard to get them to fight. Then, with the help of the cavemen, he ties up the octopus.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman falls into the whirlpool, twice, but isn't knocked out.

Quotefile: Aquaman, "Mmm... I-- I thought I had explored every remote spot in the seven seas-- but this island is brand-new to me! I-- wonder if it's inhabited?"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #183 (December 1952) - The First Undersea Jail!

Aquaman puts a number of his fish friends in jail for various acts of mischief, but a pirate decides to engineer a prison-break.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman starts the story riding his usual sea cow. Jumbo the whale likes to tip boats over, but he'd been warned the first two times, so when he does it again Aquaman makes him right the boat then takes him along to go to jail. Spying a ship going in circles, Aquaman finds another culprit: an octopus who likes to remove one propeller from a ship. Aquaman makes him fix the ship then takes him to jail. A third ship is suffering from a power outage. Aquaman discovers a swordfish and electric eel team that like to short-circuit power systems on ships. They also end up in jail. Aquaman is stunned when he sees them free, but they get up to their usual antics on the pirate's ship, stopping him cold. A very smart sea eagle spots Aquaman and frees him.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is captured by the pirates and tied up so he cannot communicate with the fish.

Lots of fun in this one. First off, the fish are just wonderful. The whale looks genuinely contrite as he's going to jail. The eyes of all the sea creatures are expressive. But the whale is just the best.

Captain Fleet, the pirate, has Aquaman gagged so he can't communicate with sea life. And it apparently works. No telepathy here. Aquaman is lucky that a sea eagle spots him bound and gagged and frees him.

Quotefile: Captain Fleet, "When we sprung those ''convicts'' of yours, I figured you'd be too busy rounding them up to notice what went on here! But it's just as well! Tape up his mouth, so he can't communicate with his finny friends!"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #182 (November 1952) - The Ocean Restaurant!

Bill and Jane Wallace have a successful restaurant until their greedy landlord kicks them out of their lease, but Aquaman is willing to help the Wallaces out.

The landlord, Silas Flint, kicks the Wallaces out of their location because he plans to open his own restaurant there and capitalize on the business the Wallaces have built up. When Bill Wallace decides to try to buy another property nearby, Flint sells them a piece of land that's underwater. They don't discover it until after the purchase, when they go to inspect the property. That's when Aquaman arrives, and decides to help them out.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman arrives riding a sea cow. Whales, seals, and octopus gather the lumber for the new restaurant from wrecks on the ocean floor. Swordfish and sea cows join in for the building phase the effort, with seals hamming it up. Electric eels supply power for shore. A gull gives the inspiration for the name of the new restaurant, The Golden Gull. Whales ferry customers to the restaurant. When the typhoon approaches, sponges seal the windows and blubber fish seal the seams of the vessel, with the assistance of octopus. Whales pull the restaurant/ship under the waves where it's safe from the typhoon.

Cosmic justice strikes in the form of the typhoon, which spares the Golden Gull thanks to Aquaman's help, but doesn't spare their old property. Leaving Silas and his nephew out in the cold.

Quotefile: Bill, to Aquaman, "Aquaman, look! Coming right at our new restaurant... a typhoon! Do something, or I'll be ruined!" Aquaman, to himself, "I sure appreciate his confidence in me... but how am I supposed to stop a typhoon?"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #181 (October 1952) - The Evil King of the Sea!

Jim Hall is a champion swimmer who isn't making much money winning meets, so he takes up a new profession.

This is a short, sweet story that is actually very slight in plot, but it's hardly noticeable. The artwork is fantastic, to the point where it's never difficult to tell Jim from Aquaman even though they are wearing the same uniform and have the same color hair.

The islanders of the South Pacific island are a bit stereotyped, but they are also smart. In the brief exposition we get about them, we learn they are being relocated to another island (willingly, apparently) by the Coast Guard and are awaiting Aquaman, whom they've never met, to assist them.

In a single very odd panel, all the islanders except one are dressed in loincloths or dresses, the one being an out-of-place man wearing a brown suit and green hat!

Finny Friends Report: In order to convince the islanders that he's the real Aquaman, Jim Hall has a shark do a somersault, and an octopus become a merry-go-round. Aquaman is unable to get his finny friends to help because of chemical pills that drive off fish. So Aquaman calls seagulls down to remove the pills, then challenges Jim again. Jim has a whale do a dance, but Aquaman's finny friends rip the fake whale to pieces to show the bad guys inside.

Quotefile: Islanders, to Jim, "Forgive us for doubting you, Aquaman! But we couldn't afford to take chances, for our collection of coral is the most valuable in the whole world!" Jim, to himself, "You're telling me!"

Aqua-Exclamations: "Well, I'll be a splintered whalebone!" (at seeing the shark do a somersault).

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #180 (September 1952) - The Bank Beneath The Sea!

After giving a tour of his underwater bank to a young fan, the boy accidently tells a member of a pirate crew about the tempting target, leading to an attempt to rob it.

Loose lips may not sink ships anymore, but they certainly give pirates ideas. Aquaman is confident that his bank is safe in part because only his friends know about it... until young Billy spills the beans. Still, all is well that ends well, and the bad guys would've learned about the bank eventually anyway. You'd think. Considering how they never seem to have any trouble finding out about Aquaman's health.

Finny Friends Report: A giant clam serves as Aquaman's main vault. An octopus helps stack new deposits. When Aquaman is away, a chain of electric eels acts as an early warning system, and rouse the octopus to throw up an ink screen. A school of phosphorescent fish alert a swordfish that attacks the pirates.

Quotefile: Aquaman, "I've installed a number of devices that would foil any burglary attempt! Besides, only my friends know of the existence of this undersea bank... so why worry?"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #179 (August 1952) - The Raft of Doom!

Five men, sailing on a primitive raft to prove a migration theory, are attacked by criminals intent on stopping their voyage.

Can you say Kon-Tiki? Thor Heyerdahl's famous journey took place in 1947, the documentary of the voyage was awarded an Academy Award for 1951... in early 1952. This story came out in August of 1952. Hmmmm... wonder if there's any relation?

I was fascinated by Kon-Tiki as a child, so this story hit a special spot in my heart. Sadly, the plot isn't terribly good. It's almost as if someone said, "Hey, let's do a story about those guys in the primitive boat!" then figured that would be enough. The bad guys seem partly tacked-on and pretty lame, and Aquaman figures out their whole motive without any hints in the story itself. Nice artwork, yes, but not the best Aquaman tale.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman attaches the raft to some porpoises to pull it into a mist so that the criminals cannot find them. When Aquaman decides to help them over the reef, a group of whales gather and create a giant wave that carries them across. After Aquaman learns they lost their sails going over the reef, he has two manta rays hook up to the mast to become improvised sails. When the raft is attacked by a submarine, Aquaman has whales create a "smoke screen" of spouted vapor to block the view, then as he covers their periscope he orders octopus to surround the sub and "emit an inky black substance". Whales, turtles, and a sea cow tow the submarine to land.

Quotefile: Daily Herald reports on the voyage:

Scientists plan 3,000 mile raft voyage! Hope to prove ancient migration theory!

Five plucky men will set out in a raft today and let the ocean currents carry them into the vast Pacific. Their object is to prove that certain natives from the mainland performed this same feat hundreds of years ago and thus settled on remote faraway islands...

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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.

Want to read these stories yourself? Write to DC: Dan Didio, Executive Editor, DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York NY 10019 and ask for a reprint of Aquaman's Golden Age tales.

Adventure #178 (July 1952) - The Return of Captain Flint!

As Aquaman is assisting with a movie production, the main actor is hit on the head and starts to believe he really is a notorious pirate.

If you were a boy in 1952, reading this story, odds are good that you would be familiar with Treasure Island, thus you would recognize the names "Captain Flint" and "Admiral Benbow". Captain Flint is the name of the pirate who collected the treasure that was hidden on Skeleton Island. Admiral Benbow is the name of the inn that Jim Hawkins' family owns. Perhaps the movie was a prequel to Treasure Island?

This is a "detective" tale for Aquaman, in which he figures out that things aren't what they seem using the small clues. The unnamed doctor's diagnosis and recommendation seem really odd... play along with the delusion? But the final clue that Aquaman figures it out from isn't so clever, as ships have booms as well as camera rigs.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman directs whales to position a ship for a scene in the movie. At the end of the movie, the bad guys are rounded up by an octopus and sea cow.

Captured/Knocked Out report: As "Admiral Benbow", Aquaman is chained with heavy weights and forced to walk the plank.

Quotefile: Wally, as Captain Flint, spotting Aquaman, "Aha! So it's my arch enemy, Admiral Benbow, who has sworn to capture me! By the living thunder, this day shall be your last!"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time

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 #177 (June 1952) - The Man Who Was Aquaman's Double!

Tommy Leeds looks and sounds like Aquaman, only he can't swim.

Aquaman discovers, entirely by accident, a man who looks exactly like him. But the man, Tommy Leeds, can't swim and is therefore in danger of losing his girl, Ginny, to a rival. Aquaman helps Leeds out, then gets Leeds help to capture Spanner and his gang of pearl thieves.

It's kind of funny to see Aquaman and Tommy Leeds switching outfits. Tommy is wearing a pair of blue swimming shorts and nothing else. And Aquaman has one of those all-time classic kinds of lines: "Leave that to me, Tommy! Just hurry and get that suit off, while I arrange with one of my finny friends to help us out!" Oh really, Aquaman?

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman rides a sea turtle again. A shark carries Leeds as he's impersonating Aquaman. Sea Eagles beat the air and drive away the smoke. Whales put out the fire around Leeds. At the end of the story, Aquaman leaves on the sea turtle.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is corralled by Ginny who covers him with kisses. I'd call that captured. Tommy Leeds, as Aquaman, is trapped by the "Sea-Carpet of Daggers".

Quotefile: Ginny, "Don't be ridiculous, Tommy! If Aquaman can't beat those crooks, what can you do?" Aquaman, pretending to be Tommy, "I'm sure glad I'm going to be too busy for awhile to answer that question, Ginny!"

Tally: 101 stories down, 405 (and counting) to go...

Have you read this story? What do you think?

Labels: Ripples Through Time