OVERVIEW:

Chapter 1: Invasion of the Giant Reptiles

A giant undersea earthquake opens a rift in time, through which beasts from the past travel into our time. Aquaman uses an old German submarine to block the opening, but a plesiosaur bursts through and starts attacking modern fish.

Aquaman manages to distract it, and lead it back to the rift, where a Tylosaurus is emerging. Aquaman is knocked unconscious, and Aqualad treis to tow him safely away from the two beasts, which are now both attacking the pair.

Chapter 2: Queen Mera vs King Aquaman

Aqualad has no hope of protecting Aquaman from the two dinosaurs, but he doesn't have to, as water cages form around them. Mera felt the earthquake in her own dimension, and came to help out. They take Aquaman back to the Aquacave, where Mera nurses him until he awakens. Then all three go out to deal with the dinosaurs.

To their surprise, the dinosaurs have broken free of Mera's cages. They spot one attacking a ship, and rescue the crew. The follow the dinosaur, who takes the ship to an island, where it becomes apparent it is being controlled by people on the island.

Aquaman disguises himself as a sea turtle and spies on the men. They are from the future, and they have a mind control device. They barely escaped from the police of the future in time, but intend to go back to the future to aquire more weapons.

Aquaman and Mera attempt to attack the men, but they turn the thought control weapon on Mera, and she attacks Aquaman and Aqualad.

Chapter 3: Aquaman Strikes Back

Mera captures Aqualad in a giant shell, and Aquaman manages to break the shell to free him. Mera lassos both of them, but Aquaman distract her with a whale and they escape. She doesn't pursue them to the sea floor, presumably because the mind control device won't work that far from the island. Aquaman forms a plan to defeat the bad guys.

Aquaman drives the dinosaurs to the island with a black cloud, and the future criminals turn the mind control device on him. Now free, Mera beats the snot out of them. The black cloud Aquaman was riding was actually an iceberg painted black with squid ink. Aquaman drives the dinosaurs back through the rift, and the criminals too, and seals up the rift with the criminal's gun. Then he destroys the mind control device.

COMMENTS:

Fascinating cover, as Mera is using her powers to capture Aqualad in a giant clam as Aquaman looks on.

Lots and lots of vocabulary words in this issue. Apparently someone went dinosaur-happy and decided to draw every ancient sea beast he could find. Aquaman is very knowledgeable about dinosaurs, by the way.

Aquaman uses a Nazi submarine to block the time rift.

When Aqualad greets Mera, he says she is from the "fourth dimensional water world".

Mera, giving Aquaman her best "come hither" look, tells Aquaman she's disappointed he broke the mind control device: she would've used it on him to force him to like her... he replies that she doesn't need a mind control device to like her very much indeed. Aqualad is in the background smirking.

Shorts in this issue: half-page "Silly Dilly" cartoon, half-page "Doctor Rocket" cartoon, and a one-page text piece on "Underwater Treasure".

CONCLUSION:

Rating: 8

Another good story starring Mera.