Save Martian Manhunter Update

This is a detail from Michael Netzer's in-progress super awesome drawing of Aquaman, the Martian Manhunter, and the Atom.

Michael's efforts to save the Manhunter have been nothing less than heroic(can honorary membership in the JLA be far behind?), and his original sketches featuring the oft-neglected heroes have been uniformily cool, and incredibly generous.

Can't wait to see--and post--the final!

DC Spotlight #1 - 1986

DC Spotlight was a giveaway comic they released in 1986 featuring previews of their upcoming titles. Why they didn't just continue with the DC Sampler series, I don't know.

The book is extraordinarily hard to find, and this cover scan is the closest I've been able to come. Inside apparently is a preview of Watchmen, the very first appearance of the characters, making this book go for very high prices($50 and up) whenever it does surface on eBay.

No one I know has a copy, so while I assume there's a preview for the 1986 Aquaman mini inside(since he's there on the cover, wearing his rarely-seen-outside-the-mini camo suit!), I don't know that for a fact. But I'd love to find out some day.

The cover is by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, which = awesome. The stars of the DC look so happy, including the normally stoic Martian Manhunter.
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Today's (Also) The Day! According to the self-same 1976 DC Comics Calendar that we talked about on Tuesday, today is Mera's birthday!

This artwork is from the issue where Aquaman and Mera wed, drawn by Nick Cardy, and, I gotta say--Nick got away with making Mera way hotter than the motherly women you normally saw in comics at the time.

Happy Birthday Mera!

Style Guide Intro by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez

I haven't posted any of the sweet, sweet Jose Luis Garcia Lopez stock art in a while, so this is long past due.

This is from the stock art book DC gives out, with a brief rundown of what a merchandiser is about to see.

I'm happy that Aquaman is included in this first group shot, and I have to say I find Dr. Fate, Firestorm, and Martian Manhunter surprising inclusions. I'm sure whoever composed this had to work with the stock poses already done, so that had something to do with it(poses needing to be facing left, etc.), but I really would've thought you'd see Supergirl, Batgirl, and/or especially Robin ahead of those other guys!

JLA WB Store Plate - 2000

This was originally a WB Store Collector's Plate, illustrated of course by Alex Ross. It's just beautiful.

That being said, I never bought the thing because it was pretty pricey at the time, and I find storing plates nearly impossible. It was later reprinted in an Alex Ross DC superhero postcard book, and that's where I got this image from.

Yeah, technically Superman should be at the top, but of course I wanted Aquaman front and center!
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Today's The Day! Yes, according to the 1976 DC Comics Calendar, today is Aquaman's birthday!

I hope Arthur, currently scattered amongst the world's oceans, is kicking back, taking a break, to prepare himself for a(fingers crossed) big return in 2008.

Happy Birthday Aquaman!

JLA Gallery Pin-Up by Jay Stephens - 1997

In honor of Michael Netzer's efforts to save the Martian Manhunter, this week on the Shrine I'll be posting all the stuff I can find that features both the Sea King and the Manhunter From Mars. It won't be easy--J'onn didn't make it onto too much merchandise pre-JLU--but I'll do my best, by H'ronmeer!

This awesome piece by Jay Stephens is from the 1997 JLA Gallery pin-up book. Its so good it would stand out in any collection, but it really does so here because this book was published in 1997, when not only was Aquaman in his pirate look, but Superman was going through his blue-and-white uniform "ice skater" phase--so that didn't leave room for many timeless, iconic JLA pin-ups.

I love how Arthur and Barry look tired, Ollie is playing, Supes and Bats are handling official business, and Hal and Ray are reveling in the victory.

Martian Manhunter, of course, retains his composure.
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Shameless Plug Department: It's also an all-Martian Manhunter week over at Coming Super-Attractions!, featuring nothing but ads concerning everyone's favorite endangered Martian! All you Manhunter fans check it out!

Batman Daily Newspaper Strip II, Part 11 - 1968

The next set of Batman newspaper dailies. No Aquaman this time around, but lots of Batman and Penny frolicking...this is getting weird.

Click here for Part 11!

Batman Daily Newspaper Strip II, Part 10 - 1968

The next set of Batman newspaper dailies. Aquaman and Batman almost connect up this time...so close!

Click here for Part 10!

Dan Didio on Aquaman - 1/25/07

AquaFan Jeff Baab alerted me to this piece with Dan Didio on Newsarama.com about the various fates of stars of the DCU. Here's the bit on Aquaman:

Aquaman
Last Seen: On a regular basis, with the cancellation of Sword of Aquaman late last year with #57. He was considered for membership in the Outsiders, but Batman shut him down. His story went in...interesting directions after Infinite Crisis, but we think he’s back to being Arthur Curry (and knowing who he is) with two (real) hands these days...

DiDio says: "Right now we’re giving Aquaman a little bit of a rest, but we expect to see him appearing in one of the team books in 2008. We’re seeing the version of Aquaman that appeared in Sword of Aquaman – the Arthur Curry Aquaman."

...I am now more confused about Aquaman then when I started.

First off, the book is/was Sword of Atlantis, not Sword of Aquaman. Secondly, Newsarama suggests that the new Aquaman now "knows" who he is, which makes it sound like he is actually the original Aquaman, which is not the case.

Finally, Didio's reference to "the Arthur Curry Aquaman" could mean either one, so now I have a headache.

My Favorite Martian

I've been ruminating over this whole rumored mishegoss about DC's supposed to plan to kill off Martian Manhunter and/or Aquaman for a little while now. I haven't seen fit to mention it yet, but then my pal Damian pointed out to me that my lack of comment has been mentioned by Michael Netzer, swell comic book artist and Manhunter fan, here on his page devoted to a campaign to save J'onn.

Michael surmises that maybe I have "been suspiciously silent about the rumor, perhaps knowing that Aquaman is not likely to be done away with anytime soon."

Actually, just the opposite. I'm sort of assuming that Aquaman has a good chance of being on the chopping block, but since the Aquaman I know, love, and obsess over has already been "killed off" in the pages of Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis, I'm assuming that if "Aquaman" is killed off, it'd be the new version, the Arthur Joseph one.

While it'd be a shame to kill the character off so soon after his debut, I think I'd find a way to go on living if it happened.

Take that with the classic Aquaman being a part of the upcoming toy tie-in book Super Friends, and the rumors going around that Geoff Johns just might be working on a new Aquaman book, I'm sort of assuming that killing AJ off sets the stage to bring the classic one back, with a new mega-popular writer with a jones(sorry) for the original version, to boot. So I don't necessarily think this is bad news for AquaFans.

Add all that to the fact that I think that internet petitions generally don't carry much weight with publishers, movie studios, etc., I just couldn't find a way to get all worked up.

But! I am a fan of lost causes(that's why I have an Obama '08 bumper sticker on my car), and I think killing off such a venerable character like Martian Mahunter is dumb. It doesn't get you much other than a limited-to-one-month sales spike, and you just keep some other hot writer who loves the character the chance to do something really cool with him.

Also, With Manhunter's enduring participation in Justice League Unlimited, more people outside of comics know about him than ever before. Can a Manhunter Super Friends figure be far behind? Why choose this moment to off him?

So, Mike, count me in--us Aquaman and Manhunter fans have to stick together. Let's Save our the Manhunter From Mars!

Adventure Comics #442 - Dec. 1975

I had such fun talking about Aquaman's lead feature debut in Adventure Comics for last week's Comic Friday that I thought I'd continue on with the series this week.

The cover is by Jim Aparo of course, and even though the image is fairly non-descript, it still manages to make Aquaman look bad-ass. Look at him--he's moving fast, evading a missle and several rounds of ammo. And that angry look on his face tells you he'd about to bust some Surface Dweller heads.

The story inside is titled "H For Holocaust", by Paul Levitz and Aparo. Like I mentioned last week, Aparo was exceptionally good at movie poster-like splash pages, so I thought we'd check out this issue's as well:

Hmm...not bad. Not as dynamic as last issue's, but still pretty good.

We open with a sleepy cargo ship being taken over by a gang of armed terrorists, Luckily one of the crew presses the emergency button, unbeknowst to his kidnappers.

We then cut to Aquaman, who is discussing with Mera about whether trying to be a superhero and King of Atlantis is too much strain. But no time for introspection, because General Horgan from NATO is on the line!

Horgan informs Aquaman of the kidnapping, and that the ship is headed for a terrorist training camp in Africa. Since the ship contains radioactive material, NATO has decided that the lesser of two evils is to blow up the ship before they allow the terrorists to get a hold of any of it. The missile will hit the ship in twenty-eight minutes...right when the ship will be over land that Atlantis controls and is filled with sea life!

Aquaman heads out to catch the missle, commanding two sea eagles to pull him into the sky, where he drops himself onto the missile! He hotwires it a bit, forcing it to land harmlessly into the water without exploding.

Meanwhile, we cut away to a subplot concerning some of the ruling council of Atlantis, who are quickly growing tired of the lack of respect the Surface World shows them...and they begin to wonder aloud if they need new leadership.

But back to the problem at hand--NATO isn't thrilled at what Aquaman did, and they decide that they can launch a second missile in an hour and a half--but they decide to give "that Fish-Man" some of that time to try and apprehend the terrorists himself.

It's here that Aparo brings out the "shot clock" and we get to see the minutes of the hour go by. I especially love this page, and the long panel where we see Aquaman both above and below the water:

Aquaman has some flying fish help him land aboard. He sneaks in, and starts taking on the bad guys, one by one. While wrestling one of them, another shoots at him, but Aquaman picks up a spare machine gun and hurls it at the guy, knocking him out(and probably a few teeth). With less than two minutes to spare, Aquaman informs NATO the ship is safe and secure!

Speaking of losing teeth, Mera informs Aquaman that the Plan B--to evacuate the people from the area in danger--had hardly begun, so thank Neptune Aquaman succeeded. He reponds "I'm going to go back to their headquarters with them, and give a certain hair-trigger general a piece of my mind--and maybe my fist!" Uh-oh!

So ends another briskly moving, exciting tale. Aquaman is dynamic, tough, and his abilities concerning his finny friends are used cleverly and effectively. Two for two!
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In other Aquaman comic news, Arthur Joseph (Aquaman II? III? I never have figured that out) makes an appearance in the newest issue of Superman/Batman(a tip o' the fin to Jon of All Things Fun, who pulled this issue for me, knowing I'd want it--thanks Jon!).

Basically, Supes and Bats are rounding up all the kryptonite in the world, the biggest chunk residing underwater. They go to retrieve it, but are stopped by AJ, for reasons we later find out are perfectly sensible (though I had problems with how we get there).

Gotta give the kid credit, though--he voluntarily gets in a scruff with Superman. He's got guts, if not a lot of brains!

Black Manta Trading Card - 1989

This nifty, very-80s trading card is courtesy Atom-riffic F.O.A.M. member Damian Maffei. The art is from Black Manta's Who's Who page by Bill Willingham and Romeo Tanghal. The background is courtesy a pair of Zubas.

(I used that same joke over at the Tiny Titan blog when Damian posted a similar card; those of you who visit his blog regularly try and laugh like you've never heard it before)

Bonus! I was recently alerted to the existence of Black Manta Rules, a blog featuring nothing but pics of everybody's favorite murderous undersea bad guy.

Some are goofy, some are insulting; all are funny. And the blog was nice enough to link to here under the title "Arch-Nemesis"!

Shelf Talker - 1997

This is a nifty die-cut promotional "shelf talker" that were made by or for someone called Dino Comics for international use that stands around 5" wide.

I don't remember much more about it than that, but I know the previous seven in the series were Superman, Batman, Superboy, Nightwing, Dark Claw, Super-Soldier, and Catwoman. It seems like there had to have been more, right? Wonder Woman, Flash at the very least.

This image is taken from an early issue of JLA, with solid art by Howard Porter and John Dell.

Mera Who's Who Entry - 1986

I posted a bunch of AquaFamily Who's Who pages but never got around to this one--shame on me!

Mera's entry is drawn by John Workman, more famous for his lettering, but I thought he did a nice job here. This was just before the era in comics when every superheroine had to look like a porn star on Spanish Fly, so here Mera gets to look beautiful but dignified, as befits a Queen.

DC occasionally let some cool art experimentation happen in Who's Who--in addition to John Workman drawing Mera here, Marv Wolfman penciled the Plasmus entry, and Mark Evanier did the honors on the Yellow Peri!

Super Heroes Invitaciones - 1982

Who wouldn't want to go to a party if these were the invites?

That top row of heroes is definitely a Kurt Schaffenberger drawing that's been traced over(poor Green Lantern, merchandisers seemed to have a lot of problems getting his costume colored right), but as to the awkwardly added Captain Marvel and Flash...

Bonus! If you A)have a party coming up, and B)want to teach your invitees some Spanish, click here where you can download a full-size version of the invitacion, along with the flip side with all the party info.

Batman Daily Newspaper Strip II, Part 9 - 1968

Here we have a complete run, as in the dailies plus the color Sunday!

These are the dailies that directly follow the Sunday I posted way back when, so I put it in place along with the rest of them for a smoother reading experience.

Click here for Part 9!

Batman Daily Newspaper Strip II, Part 8 - 1968

More of the Batman daily comic strips--Aquaman gets to talk to his finny friends, plus we have a very unusual spot for one of the Plastino/Ellsworth credit boxes!

Click here for Part 8!

Adventure Comics #441 - Oct. 1975

This was Aquaman's first run in Adventure Comics as the lead feature; for years he had been "the support act" for Superboy and then (just before getting promoted) as back-up to Michael Fleischer and Jim Aparo's superb Spectre run.

Even though it only lasted twelve issues, it obviously made quite an impact--not only did it lead to a return of Aquaman's solo book, but this series is frequently cited when you ask an Aquaman fan what are some of their favorite stories. It's hard to go wrong when you've got Jim Aparo drawing Aquaman.

This first story is "The Pirate Who Plundered Atlantis", by Paul Levitz, David Michelinie, and Aparo. Even though these stories were a mere eleven pages long, Aparo still had room for a series of superb, exciting splash pages, somewhat of a lost art in comics nowadays. And this first one was one of the best:

Great use of staging, color, and design; once again, it warrants stating--Jim Aparo Rules.

Anyway, the story opens with Aquaman attending to typical Ruler of Atlantis business when an old-time foe of the Sea King, Captain Demo, send a video message stating he will be converting Atlantis to a home for undersea criminals!

Aquaman silently takes off, and attacks Demo's shipful of silly-drenched henchmen. They focus their attention on him, paying too little on Aquaman's finny friends, who start grabbing the Arthur Treacher cast-offs left and right. That allows Aquaman to nab Demo, who rears his hook hand(rarr!) to fend him off.

We then, surprisingly, cut to a new scene, where Demo is the new King of Atlantis! Huh? What the?!?

As the citizens of Atlantis castigate Aquaman for betraying them, Mera and Vulko attempt to defend the royal compound from Demo. She goes after Demp directly, when Aquaman actually attacks Mera to get her to stop! (I know someone who's sleeping on the Royal Couch when all this is over)

Aquaman leads the line of people offering plunder to Captain Demo, enduring the taunts of his former subjects. He offers up to Demo a giant oyster, which snaps close on Demo's hooked hand! While Demo frees himself, Aquaman informs him he placed a jamming device inside the oyster, rendering bomb controls in Demo's hook inoperative. Good thinking, Arthur!

Aquaman tells Demo he gave in to him to stall long enough to come up with a plan:

...and, I don't know, maybe it's me, but I've always found this panel on the right comical yet horrifying--as Aquaman talks to the head bad guy, his henchmen are getting the kelp beaten out of them by Arthur's finny friends.

Unfortunately, while Aquaman is rounding up the other henchmen, Demo escapes on his schooner. Aquaman considers pursuing him, but chooses to stay behind to help clean up--both literally and figuratively--Atlantis.

A fine tale; it moves at a brisk pace and of course looking at Aparo's Aquaman is always a pleasure. A fine start to the series!


For Futher Reading, check out F.O.A.M. member Vicent Bartilucci's fine piece over at Hey Kids! Comics about this very issue!

Aquaman Starro Heroclix Figure - 2007

I love this Heroclix figure--Aquaman's pose is perfect, the build is perfect, and the coloring is spot-on(it's surprising how inconsistently Aquaman's orange shirt color is applied across all his various action figure incarnations).

Of course, I would love it if Heroclix could issue an alternate version, minus the starfish, but what the hey. Having a bunch of Starro-infected JLAers sounds like a fun basis for a game.

It is worth mentioning that Starro has taken on the entire JLA several times, yet Aquaman defeated him all by himself in Adventure Comics #451.

*A-hem*
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For tomorrow's Comic Friday: Aquaman becomes the star of Adventure Comics!

Clark Bar Contest Ad - 1978

Remember this ad? You couldn't pick up a DC comic in 1978 and not see this beauty filling up the center of the book. Not only does the piece feature a gorgeous group shot by Dick Giordano, but it features one and a half pages of mouth-watering superhero merchandise, like toys, stickers, and posters.

I am curious as to why Aquaman is drawn as part of the group, when he's barely represented in the merchandise, instead of Captain Marvel, who's all over the stuff--thankful, but curious.

One other thing I'm curious about, ever since I was a kid and saw the ad for the first time--if you read the Third Prize description (click here to see a bigger, readable version), you see that you can win a year's subscription to "your favorite DC or Marvel comic" like "The Incredible Hulk, Red Sonja, Thor, Green Lantern, Plastic Man, Captain America, Justice Society, Ms. Marvel, you name it. Even Little Lulu."
First up, those are curiously off-brand title selections from both companies. No mention of Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man...but Ms. Marvel? Justice Society?

And even more mysteriously, when the hell did Marvel or DC ever publish Little Lulu??

Super Amigos Sticker Album Part 2 - 1985

Another set of Super Amigos Sticker Album pages, courtesy F.O.A.M.er Ramiro, from the Amos Del Retro site.

I know that Kenner had their eye on a bunch of other DC characters as potential additions to the Super Powers line, so you have to figure they were at least considering some of the heroes that appear in these sticker sets--the little-boy collector in me practically drools at the idea of there being Super Powers Kid Flash, Manhunter, Zatanna, Hawkwoman, and (best of all!) Mera figures!

Oh, and whoever applied this stickers found a perfect use for the unusual Aquaman-swimming-away stock pose!

More Geoff Johns Quotage

I posted a quote from Geoff Johns about his affinity for Aquaman last Friday. Now he has another interview up at CBR, featuring this even more explicit(don't worry, its not NSFW!) quote regarding him and the Sea King:

"I would love to do Aquaman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, all those guys together. A real classic JLA lineup book would be sweet. I love Aquaman. I really, really love Aquaman. I’d love to work on Aquaman. I’ll just leave it at that."

Hmm...

And then we're left with this...

"Check back tomorrow for more from Johns on subjects ranging from bringing Action Comics and Superman more inline by the end of '08 to the two-years' worth of Iron Man stories he has plotted out should an opportunity ever present itself. All that and more Aquaman, too."

Again--hmm...

DC Super Heroes Dominoes - 1980

Hey kids! Rememer dominoes? Little thin blocks that you knock over--way better than a Wii! Hey, kids--where are you going? Kids?!?

This is one of those items that I'm surprised Aquaman made it onto, since all they had room for was a headshot. The manufacturer would've had a good reason to drop him for someone more obviously superhero-y, like Green Lantern, Hawkman, or Plastic Man even. But there he is, and boy am I glad!

The stock art is a mish-mash of styles--that's obviously the iconic Infantino Batman, and Robin looks Irv Novick-ish. I don't recognize Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, or Batgirl, but Aquaman...Murphy Anderson?

Two Simple Twists of Fate

Forgive me for interrupting the weekend Batman daily strips, but I wanted to run this post specifically today.

I want to talk about two separate instances, forty + years apart, and about how even the smallest choices can have major repercussions, the kind no one would ever expect. The two instances even have something in common, but I'll get to that in a moment.

First, at top are the opening paragraphs from Julius Schwartz's intro to the JLA/Avengers hardcover book published back in 2000. I've read Schwartz's comments regarding the Hows and Whys of who got to be included in the Justice League before, but the choice to include Aquaman--and not Green Arrow--never seemed as random as when he mentions it here.

Aquaman and Green Arrow had been filling up the backs of DC's anthology books all during the fifties; and even though they never headlined a book, they earned a special place in DC/superhero comics history simply by being, along with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, the only superhero characters to have been continually published since their creation in the Golden Age.

So Aquaman definitely deserved a slot in the JLA. But so did Green Arrow, and it's just because that Aquaman was on tap for Showcase around this time that he got slotted in instead of Ollie.

That relatively random choice by Schwartz placed Aquaman squarely in the center of a major event in the DC Comics firmament--the debut of the Justice League of America.

Sure, Green Arrow joined the team a mere four issues later, but it was Aquaman's place as a founding member that gave him just that little extra edge of legendary status--Gerry Conway used it as the way to disband the old League and create a new one in JLA Annual #2 in 1984, and when Grant Morrison was handed the assignment of returning the team to Iconic Status in JLA, it was initially done by returning the original seven to the book they founded back in 1960.

And to think, it so easily could've not happened...


The second instance of random happenstance is that, a year ago today, I did a Comic Friday post--my first--reviewing Aquaman(first series) #63, written by our pal Paul Kupperberg. The next morning, I found the first comment left on the post was by the author himself! I could not have been more excited.

Turns out that Paul's son, Max, googled his Dad's name the night before, saw my post, and alerted him to it. That led to Paul leaving a comment, which led to me to beg Paul for an interview--the first one I had ever done for the Shrine(I had done a couple of interviews previously for TreasuryComics.com, but they seemed like something I could only do occasionally, because of the lack of a strong connecting theme).

But after I had talked to Paul, and it had gone so well and I was so happy with the final result, that it gave me the confidence to try and track down more of the writers and artists who worked on Aquaman.

And that led me down a whole new path that I have enjoyed immensely--not only on a personal level, but also as a way to turn the Shrine from "just" a gushing fan's ramblings to an honest, thorough attempt at documenting a long-running character's publishing history. (Take a look at the names listed under the "Aquaman Interviews" graphic at right and know that all of that sprang from that tiny little moment when my review happened to be in the right place at the right time.)

So I'm issuing my first ever Honorary F.O.A.M. membership to Max Kupperberg, for his random google search and how it led to all this. Thanks Max!

At the beginning of this post I mentioned what the above two stories have in common--well, Aquaman of course, but something else. I read Aquaman #63 when it came out in 1978 and I was seven years old. I read it on one of our long car rides to the Poconos for vacation and it became one of my most beloved comics(I still have the same copy I had then).

Getting to talk to the guy who wrote it so many years later as an adult is kind of unbelievable, and I tried to convey that to Paul when I got a chance to meet him at DC's offices a few months ago. I wanted to get across that sense of amazement, but at the same time not sound like a total feeb. I'm not sure how well I did, but Paul related to me how he grew up reading comics worked on the great Julius Schwartz, and then getting to become friends with "Julie" was a similar experience. It all felt very connected.

I've always looked at my career as a professional illustrator as one tiny, tiny link in a very long chain of hardworking craftsmen and women who used their artistic abilities the best way they knew how, and I've had a number of art students contact me to tell me they like my work and are inspired by it, which is very rewarding. So who knows? Maybe someday someone will tell me they grew up with Aquaman as their hero because of the Shrine...

Batman Daily Newspaper Strip II, Part 7 - 1968

More of the Batman daily comic strips--this set featuring a lot of evil-guy mustache-twirling. Ah, they don't make bad guys like this anymore!

Click here for Part 7!

Aquaman (Vol.7) #13 - Feb. 2004

I thought since we went way back last week with More Fun Comics #73, I'd talk about a very recent Aquaman adventure for this week's Comic Friday!

This is the thirteenth issue of the most recent Aquaman series, featuring the stand-alone story "The Storm", written by John Ostrander, drawn by James Bosch and Ray Snyder.

This and the following issue were sandwiched between two longer runs on the book by other creative teams, so I assume these were purposely as fill-in stories, ones not connected to any major story arc. Fill-ins usually have a negative connotation for being, well, filler, but after I first read this issue I hoped that Ostrander would end up writing the book permanently.

It opens on a sailboat carrying a family of three, and focuses on a young girl named Jennifer, who is torn up at seeing her parents' endless fights. She wonders why her parents ever stayed together, and grimly guesses it was because they were stuck with a baby.

Miles and miles away from shore, suddenly the family finds themselves in the middle of a hurricane. Jennifer is tossed overboard, only to be plucked from the water by...Aquaman!

Aquaman straps the anchor cable to himself and starts pulling the ship through the hurricane to an area where the Coast Guard could potentially find them. He uses his new water hand to try and control the water and clear a path, which works for a while. Unfortunately, it turns out the storm has gotten worse and the Coast Guard can't get close enough to rescue them.

Aquaman decides the best way out is to swim out of the storm, while he passes oxygen to each of them under the water. He can only take two of them at a time, and asks whose going first.

Jen's parents decide she will go with Aquaman, alone, to have the greatest odds of her surviving. She argues but they tell her that despite their problems they love her and they want to give her every chance of making it.

Aquaman does indeed get Jen out, and then heads back for the parents. Sadly, when the finds them, their sailboat is smashed, floating in bits, and both of Jen's parents are dead. Nevertheless, Aquaman brings both of them back.

Aquaman and Jen have a talk on the beach, where he reveals that he lost a son. He also explains that not every parent would sacrifice themselves the way they did for Jen. She then asks him if he would spread their ashes in the sea, out by the boat they loved so much:

A very sweet story, and I love that it's a complete tale. Aquaman is heroic but not perfect, and it's interesting "seeing" him through the eyes of Jennifer. When he first shows up, he seems like a god, but by the end of the story they're almost friends.

The art isn't bad--I can't quite accept Aquaman's ridiculously beefy build, but the other characters are rendered well and full of emotion. The scenes during the hurricane are big and expansive, and the quieter moments are handled well, too.

I wish John Ostrander had been given more chances to write Aquaman; judging from this issue, he did it very well.
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AquaTip: Newest F.O.A.M. member Erik Brunbauer sent me this link to an interview on Comic Book Resources with Geoff Johns, and near the end there is this interesting little tidbit:

X-Boxing aside, DC's roster of heroes continue to inspire Johns. "There are still tons of characters to write. Aquaman is a big one. I have very specific ideas for him. Very specific. Justice League of America, Batman, and more Flash. And Firestorm."

Hmm...

"Then I Dumped Jim For Aquaman"

This is an excerpt from the book Other People's Love Letters, by Bill Shapiro. As the title suggests, it's a collection of different people's real life love letters.

I was leafing through the book and saw this, with the word "Aquaman" jumping out at me. I'm not sure what the author means--presumably there was some hunky guy in her life who she nicknamed Aquaman--or maybe the whole thing is made up. I guess we'll never know.

There's more to the letter, but I chose to only post the Aquaman-related part since, even though the letters are in a book, for Neptune's sake, it felt like I was invading this woman's privacy if I ran all of it.

I hope her "Aquaman" came back...

AquaSketch #2 by Neil Vokes - 2007

Usually I post these sketches in the order I get them, but this second sketch by Neil Vokes simply had to follow yesterday's Aquaman.

Like the Aquaman one, it was done at an appearance Neil made at All Things Fun, this time in December 2007. Unlike last time, though, I knew how awesome a piece I'd be getting from Neil, so I went to him immediately to give him as much time as possible.

I had originally thought to ask him for another Aquaman portrait, but then changed that to a member of the AquaFamily, since I thought it'd be more interesting for him to try someone else. So I asked for Mera, and once again Neil didn't disappoint, delivering this wonderful portrait of Aquaman's queen.

I thanked him for the awesome work--again--and said if I saw him next year at ATF, it'll either be Aqualad or Black Manta!

Tomorrow: Something completely different!

AquaSketch by Neil Vokes - 2006

I decided to run another sketch again today, since I got it immediately after yesterday's piece from Michael Avon Oeming!

After thanking Oeming, I walked over and handed my book to Neil Vokes, who was also making an appearance at All Things Fun in December 2006.

This was pretty late at night, so I was getting tired and every so often I would take a peek across the store at Neil and saw that he was still working on the piece. I wondered what the heck he was doing until near 1am I saw him put the book down and I sauntered over as casually as I could. He then opened the book and I was flabbergasted--I was completely stunned by how beautiful this thing is; the lights and the darks, the sense of movement, it was just gorgeous.

I asked Neil how much he wanted for it, and he said "Pay me what you think its worth", to which I replied "I don't have that kind of money on me, Neil!"

We finally settled up and I went home, bleary-eyed, but two sketches richer. It was indeed a Merry Christmas!

AquaSketch by Michael Avon Oeming - 2006

I thought we'd kick the week off with this totally awesome sketch, done for me by Michael Avon Oeming when he made an appearance at my totally awesome comics store, All Things Fun, back in December 2006.

I love how damn simple it is--this sketch probably features the fewest amount of actual lines than any other in the book--yet it has all the majesty and the power that befits Aquaman. That fist has Black Manta's name all over it!

I feel like this should be presentation art for Aquaman: The Animated Series or something.

Batman Daily Newspaper Strip II, Part 6 - 1968

More of the Batman daily comic strips--featuring one of the weirdest Aquaman panels, ever. See if you can spot it!

Click here for Part 6!

Batman Daily Newspaper Strip II, Part 5 - 1968

More of the Batman daily comic strips--Aquaman shows up!

Click here for Part 5!

Breaking Aquaman News!

***This just in! Exciting Aquaman News!***

This is from the letter column of Justice League Unlimited #41, the issue that came out today. As I read the letter by young Carson Kaashagen, I found myself agreeing with his assessment on Aquaman...

...but then I got to the answer from Johnny DC, and my heart skipped a beat--Aquaman? Original look?? New comic in 2008???

Of course, we don't know if this means a new Aquaman solo series, a special, a mini-series, etc. But this is undoubtedly good news for any AquaFan!

More Fun Comics #73 Millennium Edition - 2001

For the first Comic Friday of 2008, I thought I'd go back--way back, as far back in Aquaman's history as you can go-- to More Fun Comics #73, November 1941.

Of course, not being a millionaire, I don't own an actual copy of that book, which even when I was a kid was listing in Overstreet for like twenty grand(it was listed as "Rare", at the time--anybody know if that's changed over time?), so I went for the next best thing--DC's mostly faithful Millennium Edition, part of their series of reprints of important books in the company's history. They left out the ads, but everything else from 1941 is still in there!

The inside cover editorial mentions this book was "bursting with memorable heroes" and that's right--in just this issue alone, we've got Dr.Fate, Green Arrow, Radio Squad, Johnny Quick, Clip Carson, The Spectre, as well as Aquaman! Even more unusually, both the Sea King and the Emerald Archer make their comic book debuts in this issue, making this book sought after by more than one group of obsessed comics fans.

The untitled Aquaman story, by Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris, comes last:

The story opens with a passenger ship being sunk by a Nazi sub, who even decide to fire upon the lifeboats! Luckily, an arm suddenly appears out of the water to grab the lifeboat and drags it out of the way of an incoming Ratzi torpedo:

After getting the refugees to safety, this mysterious figure jumps aboard the Nazi ship, knocking various crewmembers overboard! The captain crawls back inside, ordering the ship to submerge. Our hero then jumps back into the water, commanding a school of porpoises to drag the boat to land!

The ship's captain asks who this "man of the sea" is and what land he hails from. He replies, "From no land. My name is--Aquaman!"

We then find out this "Aqua-Man"'s origin--turns out his father, an undersea explorer, managed to build a completely water-proof home under the sea, where he discovered some secrets from the lost city of Atlantis! Part of their miraculous science was a way to extract oxygen from water and turn the power of the sea into making one strong and swift, turning his son into a "true dweller of the deep."

After turning down a reward from the captain, Aquaman heads back into the water to find those Nazis, which he does. One of them manages to drop a sledgehammer on his head, knocking him out(beginning the first of many, many Aquaman stories that would turn on Aquaman being rendered unconscious by a hit on the head). The Nazis tie him up, weigh him down, and throw him into the ocean--big mistake!

Aquaman can't quite break the chains himself, so he commands his finny friends to help him. He then finishes the job he started, knocking those Nazis senseless. When one of them throws a grenade at him, he catches it and hurls it back, exploding an entire storehouse of their munitions, killing the Nazi commander!

Aquaman jumps back into the sea, ready for future adventures:

...could anyone have guessed from this modest tale that people would still be talking about this character sixty-seven years later?

I'm sure Mssrs. Weisinger and Norris were just trying to do their jobs as best they could, but they managed to lay the groundwork in these eight pages for something so enduring that the character would become a cornerstone of the DC universe. Thanks guys!

The World's Greatest Superheroes Article - 1978

This just in!

I was going to run something else today, when last night I got an email from F.O.A.M. member Jon Helfenstein.

It seems Jon was not aware of the existence of the World's Greatest Superheroes newspaper strip before seeing yesterday's post, and it took him all of a few minutes apparently to find and send me a super-cool piece of AquaObscura--a front-page article from the March 29, 1978 edition of The Chronicle Telegram newspaper(from Elryia, Ohio) announcing the debut of the strip, complete the with the above picture of DC's finest, as rendered by strip artist George Tuska!

Click here to read the article. Sure, it's not so much an "article" as an advertisement posing as one, but nevertheless it's cool to see so many DC heroes(including the King of the Seven Seas) get a mention in a newspaper!

I don't know how Jon manages to find all this cool stuff(he's the one who provided us with the complete Batman dailies running on the weekends), but I'm glad he does! Thanks--again--Jon!


(By the way, I'm running a comic book ad for the WGSH strip today over at my DC ad blog, Coming Super-Attractions!)