OVERVIEW:

Chapter 1: The Haunted Sea

Aquaman and Aqualad are searching for missing ships when they spot a ship being pulled underwater by a giant hand made of water. They follow, and are caught by the same hand. They are trapped in air bubbles, which they break against rocks. Aqualad is quickly caught in atrap, which Aquaman frees him from. They find the missing ships, and are attacked and captured by a strange man with a strange weapon. The strange man lets them guess where they are... and tells them they are wrong...

Chapter 2: The Deadly Trap in Coral Mountain

They learn that the strange man has been capturing people to help him on a quest to restore his people to full size. They are actually microscopic, made that way by an evil magician, and trying to reach an elixir that will make them air-breathers again. Aquaman, naturally, offers his help.

He and Aqualad easily retrieve the exilir and are captured again by the giant hand. But they learn that the microscopic men are really the bad guys, and were themselves trapped by a good magician. And Aquaman has just freed them...

Chapter 3: A Sorcerer Rules the Waves

Aquaman and Aqualad trick their way back to full size, then battle the evil magician, who is able to put the fish under a trance with his magic wand. Aquaman discovers that a mild electric shock delivered by a certain fish immunizes fish to the magician's control, and sends the evil magician back to his microscopic prison.

COMMENTS:

This cover is very striking, and has some of the best colors of the early Aquaman comics. One of my favorites from the early Aquaman comics.

Aquaman is very trusting, and ends up freeing a menace by being kind. But then, to be fair, the evil magician freed the other prisoners from the wrecked ships before even asking a favor of Aquaman.

Shorts in this issue: a one-page public service announcement cartoon about water safety and a one-page text piece entitled "Pioneers Under the Sea".

CONCLUSION:

Rating: 5

Despite the excellent cover, not a very exciting story.