Superman: The Man of Steel #48 (1991)
Title: Here Be Monsters
Cover Title: Devil in the Deep!
Cover Date: September 1995
Writer: Louise Simonson
Pencils: Jon Bogdanove
Inks: Dennis Janke
Colors: Glenn Whitmore
Lettering: Ken Lopez
Asst. Editor: Duffy and McAvennie
Editor: Carlin and Carlson
Cover: Bogdanove, Janke, and Strause
Cover Price: $1.95
Continuity: IN
Note: Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
OVERVIEW
On the coast near the ruins of Engine City, sea monsters have been attacking. Aquaman shows up on the news suggesting that the problem is Engine City, and the surface world should clean up its mess. Or he'll do it for them.
After eyewitnesses claim to see Aquaman guiding the sea monsters attacks, Superman goes to check it out. As he rescues people in a beach-front community, Aquaman shows up. Superman goes to confront him, and is eaten by one of the monsters.
Superman is rescued by Aquaman, but thinks he's being attacked and breaks free. They agree to get to the bottom of the problem, though Superman clearly doesn't trust Aquaman, due to the reports of Aquaman guiding the monsters and Aquaman's earlier statements which sounded like threats.
As they reach the monsters' lair, led by Porm, they are captured. Aquaman figures out that a powerful telepath is controlling them. They meet that telepath, Kosnor, who explains that he is sending the same message as Aquaman to the surface world, only more powerfully, by using the monsters spawned by Engine City's pollutants.
They escape and go to stop the next wave of monsters from attacking Los Angeles.
After taking care of the monsters, they go to capture Kosnor, only to find he has escaped. They then check out Engine City, and find, to their surprise, that it is clean. Superman figures they'll see the villain again.
COMMENTS
The cover is quite nice. The art inside is adequate, but not terribly inspiring.
If you haven't read the Death of Superman and Return of Superman arcs, you might not get the reference to Engine City.
Kosnor is a "tribute" to Kevin Cosner, and the wonderful film: Waterworld.
Aquaman comes to the erroneous conclusion that Engine City is the cause of the monsters, a conclusion that most people will come to. Kosnor is playing on that belief and has some other agenda that we don't learn about in this story.
Aquaman isn't worried when Superman is eaten, until Porm states that the monster knocked the air out of his lungs, so he might be in real danger.
There is a reference to Aquaman and Superman's first meeting, which is recounted in the first Aquaman annual.
This story can logically fit between issues #10 and #11 of the current Aquaman series, after Aquaman has dealt with Green Lantern and before he returns in the middle of King Thesily's funeral.
CONCLUSION
Rating: 7
Decent story, better treatment of Aquaman than we've seen in other crossovers. Worth picking up.