New "Facts Page" for this issue

SUMMARY:

A trio of scoundrels hijacks a very special ship containing examples of most land animals, but the ship belongs to Aquaman.

OVERVIEW:

Three mutineers set adrift come across a strange ship carrying exotic animals. They throw the crew overboard and take control of the ship. Even as greed overtakes them, they wonder what this ship is for. The readers learn in a flashback.

In ancient Atlantis, the scientist Milo realizes the danger to the city and prepares a giant bell jar. When the sinking happens, Milo and his family and friends are saved from the disaster, and their children live on in an underwater colony, cut off from the surface world. Aquaman discovers the city one day and agrees to satisfy the people's curiousity about the surface animals. Gathering an ark full of surface animals, the Atlanteans head back for Atlantis while Aquaman goes on patrol.

When Aquaman learns that the Atlanteans were attacked, he goes to the ark and captures the criminals. He takes them to Atlantis as an exhibit of the cruelty of man, before taking all the animals back to their homes and the criminals to the police.

COMMENTS:

Ancient Atlanteans in the Golden Age! A domed city of Atlantis, filled with air-breathing humans! Simply cool!

Ahem. If the giant bell jar is as small as the art makes it out to be, the Atlanteans wouldn't have survived very long. They'd be bound to get on one another's nerves. Taken this way, Aquaman insistence that the Atlanteans are better off on the ocean floor is somewhat mean. He warns them against going to the surface world because of the tyrants of the time (he mentions Hitler, Hirohito, and Mussolini by name), but couldn't their science have helped the Allies?

This makes the first origin of an underwater Atlantis. Milo the scientist built it to protect from a flood he believed would be coming. This jibes with the Silver Age origin of the dome, in which another scientist built the dome for the same reason, albeit a bit differently.

The three thugs are Vulture, Pegleg, and Runt. Vulture is bald and has a long face that looks somewhat vulturish. Pegleg has a peg leg and walks using a crutch (which he also uses as a weapon). Runt is short.

Aquaman is dropped overboard by the three thugs tied tightly in a bag. He cannot control or communicate with the first fish that comes along, a shark which tries to eat him. Nor can he communicate with the cuttlefish that battles the shark. But a swordfish has no problem understanding him and helping him out.

It's somewhat interesting that Aquaman has never run across the Atlanteans before this. His hideout is in Atlantis, you would think the domed city would be fairly close by. For that matter, it's a bit of a wonder that Aquaman's father didn't find them.

This review was made possible by the Microcolour microfiche reprint of this issue.

Notables in this issue: Superman's Secret Message: (Code Krypton No. 9) WXF RB CQN CRVN OXA NENAH KXH CX LXVN CX CQN JRM XO QRB LXDWCAH KH KDHRWP BCJVYB JWM KXWMB! *whew*, a message for the Junior Justice Society of America in the Spectre code, an upside down ad for Leading Comics #5, a short text story "A Kind of Hero" by Will Ludlow (very depressing), and two "What you buy with War Bonds" shorts that give descriptions of American weapons.

CONCLUSION:

Really neat addition to the Golden Age mythos.