More foreign edition comics, this time an issue of Superman (?) that features a real smorgasbord (if I may mix my cultural references) of stories. And like last issue, the logo manages to make it look as though Superman is participating in the action.
Or, in this case, not, since as Aquaman is about to get reeled in by The Fisherman, Superman is flying by without stopping to help--maybe he was busy ("I don't have time for the friggin' Fisherman, for Rao's Sake! I have to go stop Darkseid!").
The comic measures about 7 and 1/2" high, and features stories reprinted from American DCs of all different time periods, as you can see from the diverse splash pages:
"Flecha Verde"--I think I like that more than "Green Arrow."
The inside cover to this comic also features an ad for...Archie Comics! What the heck is going around here?
These are covers to some German and Austrailian-edition DC Comics, as sent to me by F.O.A.M. member George Rears.
I love the cover to Wonder Comic Monthly, where the logo, combined with Nick Cardy's art from Aquaman #45, makes it sorta look like Superman is coming to help! What fun!
George spent some of his formative years in Germany, and he writes about the German books specifically in a post today over at Hey Kids, Comics! (George has written so many pieces for Hey Kids! I'm thinking of changing the blog's title to Hey George, Comics!)
The Superman Tasenbuch cover--an intriguing one--is by Bob Oksner, and the Justice League of America cover is by Dick Dillin. And as you can see, Aquaman is in trouble on all three! Location: Germany and Australia!
Welcome to our first theme week in a while, Aquaman Around the World Week!
For the next five days, we'll be presenting Aqua-Merchandise and Aqua-Comics that originated from outside his country of origin.
Speaking as an All-American Boy, the thing I find the most charming is how foreign merchandisers take a character like Aquaman and, often as not, plant him in the middle of more locally-recognizable context. To me, it makes the characters more universal, with appeal that knows no geographic boundaries.
Plus, of course, a lot of it can end up looking really goofy, and that's always fun.
Anyway, today's subject is a small plastic sleeve (around 4" wide) that features two cardboard puzzles, one with the Aquaman Family as rendered by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, the other Batman and Robin as drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger (Batman, at least).
The puzzles only consist of six pieces each, so they aren't that mentally challenging. But they are sure are pretty to look at!
Shameless Plug Department: After a three week vacation, All in Black & White For 75 Cents returns! All the fun of classic black and white comic magazines without the inky smudges on your hands!
Comics Weekend The gripping conclusion to Aquaman: Time and Tide!
We open in the recent past, with the villainous Ocean Master having Aquaman and Aqualad in a typical super-villain death trap, facing certain doom!
At this point, Aquaman gets to chronicling about Orm, the angry grandson of the family that took Orin in so many years ago.
Aquaman flashes back to the Good Old Days, when he was King of Atlantis, with a beautiful queen, a son, a young sidekick, and a city of devoted subjects.
It's as he presents his new son to his subjects that this mysteriously-dressed man confronts Arthur, and demands to fight him for the kingship of Atlantis. Aquaman makes quick work of him, and this "Ocean Master" is proven to be nothing of the kind. Instead of putting him to death for the attempted assassination of the King, Arthur shows mercy and lets him leave, with his tail between his legs. Mera, Aqualad, and Vulko are none too certain of their King's decision.
Soon after, Atlantis is attacked by a wave of torpedoes, and when Aquaman and Aqualad find their way into the sub launching them, they see the culprit is in fact...the Ocean Master!
It's here we wind our way back to the beginning, where Orm tells them why he has it out for Aquaman so bad. He then mentions how his Mother would tell him that his Father wasn't really his Father, that she was seduced by some sort of "undersea wizard."
As Aquaman is relating this tale in his journal, it dawns on him here that this is the prophecy he has been told, that two brothers, born of different mothers, would struggle for Atlantis. And this will lead to either Atlantis rejoining the Surface World...or be forever destroyed!
Back to the past, where Aquaman frees himself, pastes Ocean Master one, and then his sub is wrecked by Mera:
...I love their chemistry here, in that last panel. I woulda skipped lots of JLA meetings, too.
They find that Ocean Master has escaped, but left his own henchmen to drown. Mera wonders what kind of monster is this man, which leads us back to the present, where Aquaman has to deal with the nightmarish reality that this murderous man is his brother. To be continued in the new, ongoing Aquaman series.
Probably my favorite issue of the four, since Peter David weaves in a lot of previous Aquaman history with his new, revised origin. I'm still not sold on redoing it all over like this, but it does have its virtues, and like many of the Aquaman comics of the time, it reads better to me now then it did before.
And obviously it was a hit with the readers, since the series sold well enough to right to a new ongoing book, which would eventually become the longest-running Aquaman solo title in the character's history.
The splash and opening few pages are lots of fun, where we get to see the Aquaman we all remember from the Haney/Cardy days:
I've never been a slavish devotee of continuity, but at the same time I don't think its right for a new writer and/or editor to just completely ignore all that has come before. That said, these pages with Aquaman and his colorful, happy family, makes me wish we could just have this Aquaman back again.
My episode of Planet Comic Book Radio--"Son of My 70s Show"--is now available as a podcast.
I had a lot of fun talking with pal Javier, and we mostly talk about my time at the Kubert School, treasury comics, Power Records, and black and white magazines, but other stuff finds its way into the conversation, as well.
It's broken up into three parts so you don't overload on my geeky ramblings:
Javier told me his highest rated episode was his first, when my pal Ben Holcomb was on the show. I'm hoping I at least match that, so Javier will be inspired to do another 70s-themed show (Beneath the Planet of the 70s Show, perhaps?), so please check it out!
Comics Weekend We were in the middle of talking about Aquaman: Time and Tide when we got interrupted by the New York Comic Con, so let's get back to it!
This third issue opens with the comely Inupiat girl Kako, as she's about to get mauled by an angry polar bear. Luckily, young Orin suddenly arrives and battles the bear to the death. Orin survives of course, but with severe, near-fatal wounds.
We then flash-forward to Aquaman in present day, recording the events of his life. He takes a gander at the deep scar under his hairline that has been there ever since the battle with the polar bear, a nice touch.
Back to the past, where we see Kako's grandfather encountering a rude, loud-mouthed example of the ever-encroaching White Man, and he doesn't like what he sees.
So he's none too thrilled when he comes home, and finds one in his home! Kako has taken the young blond man in to tend to his wounds. As Orin lay unconscious, he has a sort of dream where he finds himself in the ocean, face to face a with a mysterious, otherworldly woman, who offers him a choice to repent for killing the polar bear--either "pay with one dear to you, or take my hand and give yourself over to me."
Orin wakes up from this disturbing vision, and finds himself an uneasy guest in this Inupiat family's home. At the same time, that same loud-mouthed white man, Orm, is involved in bitter emotional turmoil with his mother and father, who are part of Kako's family.
Orin gets better, and as we see here, he and Kako get very close:
Orin wakes up to find Kako gone, and nearly cut to ribbons. As Orin waits by her bedside, he re-encounters this strange demonic woman, who wants to claim Kako's soul as her price.
But this is the eventual King of the Seven Seas we're talking about here, and he uses his developing powers to turn this Medusa-like evil horde of eels back on her, and he can then "rescue" Kako. This demon tells Orin that she will be following him the rest of his life, to make sure he pays for his effrontery.
Kako wakes up, and Orin tells her family about his dream. Kako's grandfather is stricken, and tells him that he has been tangling with Nuliajuk, the mother of sea beasts. Now that Orin has offended her, Grandfather believes, all their lives will be cursed! The stress causes him to have a massive heart attack, and he dies.
Kako's grandmother is tired of all the misery this white man has brought to their home, and drives him out. Six months later, when Orin returned...he found them gone, as if they were never there. To be continued!
I thought it was interesting that DC had enough faith in this series to have entire issue like this where, except for a handful of flash-forward panels, Aquaman doesn't appear in costume at all. Not that there isn't any action in this book (of several different kinds), but usually you don't see origin stories as "pure" as the way this one is told.
Yet another set of Super Amigos Sticker Album pages, courtesy F.O.A.M.er Ramiro, from the Amos Del Retro site. (Just last week, Ramiro sent me more cool stuff like this, and I haven't even gotten through all the stuff he sent the first time!) This seems to be some Asterix-like character in a Tintin-like adventure, until a Jose Luis Garcia Lopez Aquaman shows up. Other than that, I have absolutely no idea what's going on here.
As promised, today we present a brief chat with the genius behind the "Dear Aquaman" segment on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, writer/producer (and even sometimes actor!) Ben Stout:
Aquaman Shrine:The first question has to be, who the heck came up with the "Dear Aquaman" idea? Ben Stout: I originally had an idea for a different self-help piece called "Snorkeling with Tony Robbins." It was a complete failure. Mainly because no one believes Tony Robbins actually exists.
AMS:Why Aquaman? Why not "Dear Spider-Man" or "Dear Batman"?
BS: Well, I must admit I'm a Marvel guy from way back, but "Dear Sub-Mariner" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.
AMS:What was Craig's reaction to when you first proposed it?
BS: His first reaction was, "I love it, but I don't actually have mental telepathy, nor can I breath underwater." Once we convinced him that the audience would never know the difference, he agreed to it.
AMS:And Thank Neptune for that. Are there comic book fans on the writing staff?
BS: Yes, but I'm the only one who cops to it.
AMS: How do you decide to keep doing the bit? Do you go solely by audience reaction or do you get mail from viewers?
BS:Well, since Craig refuses to take off the costume when we're not shooting, he kind of forced our hand.
AMS:How much is Craig involved in the writing of the show?
BS: Craig is extremely active in all aspects of writing for the show. In fact, it was his decision to make Aquaman sound just like the MovieFone guy.
AMS:I think that's one of my favorites elements of it. How did you end up writing for the show?
BS: I first worked as an editor, cutting comedy pieces. I started writing more and more, so they eventually made me a writer. Also, I slept with anyone and everyone.
AMS:Think there's any chance you could ever talk some female guest on the show into "Dear Mera"?
BS: Doubtful. But keep your eyes peeled for a cameo by a middle-aged and woefully misshapen Aqualad.
I absolutely love "Dear Aquaman", it's goofy and affectionate at the same time. And if there's ever a new Aquaman animated series, I say get Craig to do the voice.
Thanks to Ben for his time, and special thanks to Tim Schlattmann for assistance with this interview!
Did you know that Aquaman appears on a nationwide TV show almost every week? No?
If not, then get thee to CBS' The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, where every so often the affable Mr. Ferguson dons the familiar orange and green tights and answers questions from viewers looking for help with their problems, in a segment called "Dear Aquaman" (it arrives at the :30 mark):
I had never seen The Late Late Show until a few years ago, when we first tuned in to see what, if anything, Craig had to say in tribute to the recent passing of Johnny Carson.
For my money, I thought Craig's tribute to the former King of Late Night was by far the most touching and well said, and after that we would make it a point to watch the show when we up that late.
But I had somehow never seen the "Dear Aquaman" segment until my pal and F.O.A.M.er Craig Wichman pointed it out its existence to me, and I loved it as soon as I saw it.
I was so intrigued at how this sketch came about that I got in contact with the Late Late Show writer behind "Dear Aquaman", Ben Stout, and he generously agreed to an interview with the Shrine, which we'll see here tomorrow!
"Remember Mera? Well she's back. In Pog form."--Milhouse Van Houten
Who knew they still/started again making Pogs? I certainly didn't, until All Things Fun staffer and F.O.A.M.er John McLaren handed this to me when I came in the store one day.
He has yet to come across an Aquaman or Aqualad Pog, which seems odd to me. But like I say, never look a gift Pog in the mouth!
Actually, I posted this mostly because I just like saying/typing/reading the phrase "Mera Pog." It could only get better if there was maybe a Kilowog Pog, or maybe a Magog Pog...or best of all, Walt Kelly's POGo.
Ok, I'll stop.
Yesterday we had Aqualad, today Mera. Tomorrow, the Sea King himself returns...sort of. ___________________________________________________________
Shameless Plug Department: It's a big day over at my JLA Satellite blog. Today we feature the first ever JLA Satellite Interview, with the legendary Steve Englehart!
This was the first sketch I got at the 2008 NY Comic Con, a wonderfully charming shot of Tiny Aqualad, from Tiny Titans writer/artist Art Baltazar.
When I saw that Art was at the con, I went right over to his table and told him how much I loved his work, both on Tiny Titans and Patrick The Wolf Boy. Art was super-friendly and after I told him who I was, told me he was a fan of the Shrine. Wow!
After purchasing a little doo-dad of Art's (that will probably show up at some point on Dispatches From The Arrowcave), I asked him for a sketch, and he drew this up in just a few minutes as we talked. It's adorable, and I thanked him profusely.
I'd kill to see this in plush toy form, wouldn't you?
I concluded my tour of the New York Comic Con Saturday, where I picked up the spoils of Friday's hard work--my sketches!
I made my way to the tables of Rich Buckler, Joe Staton, and Patrick Gleason, respectively, and each time I was thrilled with what I got--Aquaman, Aquaman, and more Aquaman! They will, of course, all show up here soon.
I saw that Peter David was at his table, and I wanted to stop by and thank him for doing an AquaShrine interview (which, like the sketches, will show up here soon). As I waited in line, I realized I should start a page in the sketchbook for the writers, too, so I decided to ask Peter to be the first:
..um, there will be more.
Anyway, the biggest difference between yesterday and today were the crowds. Today, the Javitz Center was packed, with some aisles impossible to pass through.
...I don't know if I'm partly claustrophobic or something, but something about crowds this big makes me a tad uneasy, so I decided I wasn't going to hang around forever. It all just feels too stressful.
I found my way over to longtime artist Frank McLaughlin's table. He was extremely friendly, and I told him, after like a billion issues together on JLA, the names "Dillin & McLaughlin" was like "Lennon & McCartney" to me. He worked on an Aquaman sketch as we talked, and not only did he do a fine job, but he agreed to do an interview with me for my JLA Satellite blog. What a pal! Just a few tables down was Jose Luis Garcia Lopez. And while I ruled out asking for a sketch, I did consider asking him for an autograph--in this case, I brought along a F.O.A.M. certificate, which I thought would be cool, since it has his work on it. But I also wondered how the hell I was going to explain what I was asking him to sign.
But before I could figure that out, another bullish fan stepped forth, and dropped what looked like a longbox full of comics on his table, "asking" him to sign. Jose, even more of a gentleman than I could've imagined, signed them all, even about ten copies of the same book. Criminy, did this guy have no shame?
The answer was "no", because he kept grabbing the books out from under JLGL and then fwapping down another one. I felt like Jose was a bit signed out at the moment, so I decided to wander off and come back later.
I then called my pal Paul Kupperberg, who I knew would be at the show. I met him and his son, honorary F.O.A.M. member Max, a few aisles away. As good as I thought my sketchbook was, Max's is truly a wonder to behold--a tiny, notebook-sized pad, with headshots by Adams, Byrne, Kubert, Staton, Adams again, and about a dozen more comics legends. Something about being eleven and his Dad having worked with all these guys helped Max secure a wondrous group of artists. Gee, my Dad sold insurance.
Anyway, Paul and I talked for a bit, and I decided I would make one more visit to Jose and then split. (Paul told me Neal Adams avoids the Obnoxious Signer problem by charging for the second autograph onwards, which seems like an eminently reasonable solution to the problem)
So I make my way to Jose's table and...you guessed it. He was gone. I sighed, decided to take one more tour around and come back. In the meantime, amid the few dozen women dressed in clothes enough for three of them, I met the original Green Lantern!:
Now that's dedication to a costume! Had I wanted to be a smartass, I would've lobbed a pencil at him, Lantern being unable to stop it.
One of the coolest surprises was when I was walking by and spotted this--comedic actor Scot Adsit, who is a regular on 30 Rock (which I love) and was a regular on the late, great HBO series Mr. Show. I normally don't bug famous people, even if I'm a fan, but I couldn't pass this up.
I introduced myself and told him I was a fan of his dating back to Mr. Show, my favorite sketch he was in being a brilliantly insane one about how "Monster Party Songs" are actually real. He played a psychiatrist who gets a little too into his work, and Scott said of the sketch "Yeah, I had no idea they were going to make me masturbate in that." Feeling there was no way to top that, I shook his hand again and moved on. Wow, cool!
I then went and visited my friends Ed and John at their All Things Fun booth, as well as stopping by the Abrams Publishing one to shake hands with Mark Evanier to thank him for all the help he's given me with these blogs(Mark was the first interview I did for TreasuryComics.com, and his promotion of the site really helped put it on the map).
I tried Jose one last time, but he was still gone. Ah, it seems like every year there's one pro I get so close to talking to/getting a sketch from but it somehow slips through my fingers. Let's hope Jose is there next year--I'm heading there first.
(Strangely, Craig Hamilton never showed--I hope nothing's wrong. I very much wanted to meet Craig in person and thank him for all he's done for me and the Shrine) As I walked back to the Port Authority, on a wonderfully sunny day, I came across this row of billboards:
...A Spirit movie and an IronMan movie?
It's a comic book world, and we're just living in it.
I decided to forgo my usual Comics Weekend posts this weekend, instead for the next two days I'll be sharing my experiences at the 2008 New York Comic Con. Since the con organizers were nice enough to let me in with a press badge, I figure the least I can do is give the show some attention here, especially since it was the Shrine that got me in in the first place.
After finding my way to the tiny Press Room (located somewhere beneath the Earth's crust--I swear, I had to make it past some Mole People to get to it), I hit the first speed-bump: they had no listing for me or the Shrine to receive a press badge. Luckily, I brought the email I received saying I was approved for one, so the con volunteer politely and quickly handed me a generic badge. I was a tad disappointed that I didn't get a badge saying "The Aquaman Shrine" over the "Press" banner, but what are you gonna do?
One of the pleasant surprises this time around is that the con organizers moved Artists' Alley from the tiny cramped room it occupied last year into the main room, giving it a lot more space. Nicely done. It seemed so odd to have 100x as much space devoted to the comics as the people who made the comics in the first place, so I'm glad they fixed that this year.
I had made an extra effort to get to the con right as it opened, 10am. I wanted to use the few "Professional Only" hours I had (10am-3pm) to maximum advantage by getting as many interviews and/or sketches lined up, before the massive throng of autograph seekers made it impossible to get to talk to someone for more than five seconds.
Unfortunately, I was a little too organized for my own good, since none--not one--of the artists/writers I wanted to see was at their tables at 10am! I walked from table to table, searching out my quarry, only to look up and see an empty chair. *sigh* Dang artistic types.
This continued for a better part of two hours, so I spent that time searching the dealers' aisles, looking for AquaStuff or comics I needed. I didn't find much of the former (except for some cool 1970's DC stickers, ghastly overpriced at $25.00), but I did find a bunch of fun b/w magazines for very good prices. An issue of Rampaging Hulk for two measly bucks? Sa-weet!
Anyway, I kept trolling through AA, until around noon I saw my pal Joe Staton, who since I first met him at the last NY Con, did an interview with me for TreasuryComics.com and hooked me up with his pal, writer/editor Nick Cuti, who has done two interviews with me. I shoved my sketchbook in Joe's face, barely before he had time to sit down, and finally my Sketchbook Sweepstakes were on!
The con at that point became a series of me walking by the tables of people I wanted to meet, then wandering out into the main area, but not for too long since I didn't want to miss one of my "targets" just having sat down. As you can see, the Jacob Javitz Center is a big space. Some of the Trophy Booth Babes hired to wear corsets and ten-inch fetish heels--I don't know they got around, having to walk so far to get to their booths.
In the meantime, I came across a guy named Geoff Grogan, who was selling his own treasury-sized(!) monster/collage comic, called Lookout!! Monsters. It's kind of like the Universal Pictures Frankenstein crossed with the work of Peter Kuper, if you can imagine that. Anyway, it was way cool, so I picked up a copy and Geoff agreed to do an interview with me for Treasury Comics about it. He was very friendly and a pleasant surprise at this year's show.
Soon after my pal Rich Buckler showed up at his AA table, and I soon Aqua-Commissioned him as well. Rich is someone I can always email with a question related to some comic I'm talking about on one of my blogs, and he always takes the time to answer. Even if I didn't hire him for a sketch, I just wanted to shake his hands to say thanks.
Someone I hadn't initially scoped out was Art Baltazar, the writer/artist behind Tiny Titans. Since I love that book, I went over and introduced myself to Art, who could not have been friendlier. We talked about TT, and when I told him about the Shrine, he told me was a fan! Great Neptune!
I then asked Art for a TT-inspired Aqualad sketch, which he whipped up before my eyes. It's adorable, and will show up here on Monday!
I took another walk around (Craig Hamilton, Patrick Gleason, Frank McLaughlin, Peter David, Jon Bogadanove, and Kevin Maguire still nowhere to be found) and came across this odd "Cartoon Car" exhibit thing they have on display. Its an old-timey roadster painted fender to bumper with comic/pop culture characters like Superman, Tarzan, Mickey Mouse, Homer Simpson, Snoopy, etc. It even featured the Golden Age Starman, so I figured the Sea King must be somewhere on there. Perhaps the section on the driver's side door, featuring all water-related characters?:
...nope. No Aquaman! What the frak?
Anyway, after that disappoinment, and one four-dollar Snapple later, I headed back to AA, and--aah! There was another one of my targets--former Aquaman artist Patrick Gleason. I introduced myself to Patrick, and, like Art, he could not have been nicer. I put myself on the list Patrick was compiling of Sketches To Do, since I really liked the square-jawed, chiseled profile Patrick gave Arthur.
And like Art, when I told Patrick about the Shrine, he said he was a fan, too! Wow! He said he read my recent posts talking about the issues he drew, and that he liked the blog a lot. Wow. He agreed to do an interview--yay! (I also rounded up another Most Wanted Interviewee, but I'll keep that a secret until I can conduct it and put it up here--cue cryptic laugh)
Then I made a brief stop at longtime Marvel cover painter Bob Larkin's table (who signed one of my b/w mags and agreed to an interview for All in Black & White For 75 Cents!). Like the other guys, he was extremely friendly and receptive to doing an interview with me. I think I may have misjudged people's responses to these things--I always feel like I'm being a bit of a pest, asking these people to take time out of their busy day to talk to me--for free--about their old work, but I was on a real roll here!
At that point, I had commissions going from Joe Staton, Rich Buckler, and Patrick Gleason, and I didn't want to burn through my two-day budget all in one afternoon, so I decided to take one last trip around and then head home (plus I had some freelance art obligations I needed to attend to). I came across the massive Mattel booth and snapped a pic of the (drooool) DC Super Friends Aqua-Sub:
Not only that, but here's a shot of the two new DC:SF figures, Hawkman and Cyborg:
Awesome!
I made one last trip to AA--still no Hamilton, McLaughlin, David, Bogdanove, or Maguire, so I went back to see if Joe Staton had finished his sketch for my book (the other commissions I decided to have done on separate pieces of paper, that way I could get more than one per show).
Unfortunately, I had told Joe I was going to be at the con until the early evening, so my earlier-than-planned 4pm departure meant he had not yet done the piece. So--*gulp*--I left the book in Joe's hands, and made plans to pick it up tomorrow. That gives Joe more than enough time to do the piece, and while I'm sure he will protect my book with his life, not having my baby in the same city with me means I'll sleep uneasily tonight.
On my way to leave, I made the rounds of my missing artists one last time, contemplating my own stage play, Waiting for Craig Hamilton. But then I saw someone I didn't expect--the master, the one, the only, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, whose work has graced this blog so many times it could be its own sister blog.
I knew he'd be at the show, but after talking with him last year, I knew he probably wasn't doing sketches (understandable, considering how meticulous his work is). And since I'm not a big autograph collector, I didn't have him on my "To Get" list. But...there he was, doing a sketch! Hmm...
So I wandered over to his table, and he was so involved in his piece (of Wonder Woman) that he never saw me, so I never had a moment to introduce myself and wonder, just maybe, was he doing sketches this year? Visions of an original Garcia-Lopez Aquaman danced--swam--in my head.
But since I'm very shy about bugging people, I continued to stand there, waiting for an opening. Then another con attendee, not nearly so patient or polite, stepped in front of me and all but demanded the master illustrator sign what looked like a pile of comics.
I've always found this extraordinarily rude, since its clear that no one needs ten comics with the same autograph--most likely, nine of them will show up on eBay. And since artists don't charge for autographs, it seems the height of rudeness to demand multiple John Hancocks from them.
But JLGL, being a gentlemen, uncomplainingly signed them, and then went back to his drawing, me still standing there like a broomstick. I considered being more bullish, but then I realized--I had spent a good portion of my con budget already. What if JLGL said yes to a sketch, and then quoted me a price I couldn't afford?
I hate saying no in that situation, since it makes it seem like I'm saying "Your art isn't worth that much to me", when of course a Jose Luis Garcia Lopez original is worth whatever damn price he wants for it! So I reluctantly walked away. Maybe next year.
*Whew*! So that was today. I'll be back in the Big Apple tomorrow for more hi-jinx and adventures at the 2008 NY Comic Con!
This is another selection from the mini-hardcover book The Comic Book Guy's Guide to Life, just one small speck in the massive Simpsons global merchandising onslaught.
This page features a funny (and chillingly accurate) cross-section of the life-forms you see at a comic con, with a cute shot of Milhouse Van Houten in full Aquaman gear. Actually, I think Milhouse looks less nerdy this way.
This is one of three Aquaman "appearances" in the book, sent to me by F.O.A.M. member Brian "Plaid Stallions" Heiler. Thanks Brian! _____________________________________________________________
I'll be at the NY Comic Con today and tomorrow, so if you see someone babbling on about Aquaman...well, it might be me. A Comic Con is the only place where you might hear more than one person talking about Aquaman out loud. Heck, it oughta look a lot like the picture at the top of the post!
But chances are it is me, so if you are a fan of the Shrine and see me, please come over and say hi. In addition to tomorrow's Comics Weekend post I will try and blog about the day's events, if I don't come home too exhausted.
Warner Bros. Home Video must have sold approximately seventeen billion VHS cassettes of these 1960's Filmation cartoons, because you can still find them in plentiful supply on sale eBay. I even saw them on sale in a big box store, who unbelievably still bothered to carry any sort of VHS stock as recently as a year or two ago.
This ad (which ran in lots of DCs at the time) is colorful and dynamic, but of course that's what you get when you use Jose Luis Garcia Lopez stock art.
Having someone this good draw your stable of characters tends to bring the "lesser" characters up a notch, because everyone looks so cool. Hence, Aquaman doesn't seem out of place with Globally Recognized Icons Superman and Batman. Superboy's presence amid his future self, to the non-comic book fan, just seems odd.
Hard to remember a time when a VHS tape cost twenty-five bucks, isn't it?
Shameless Plug Department: I will be the guest on my pal Javier "El Muerto" Hernandez's swell online radio show Planet Comic Book Radio next Tuesday, April 22nd!
I will be the guest for the whole hour, and we will talk about my various blogging endeavors, and a certain Sea King is sure to come up.
The show airs every week live at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific Time, and of course available for Podcast afterwards. Please check it out and tell Javier The Aquaman Shrine sent you!
I had been waiting for what seems like forever for this Vs. card to come out!
For, as most of you know, this card features a jaw-droppingly gorgeous piece of art by master illustrator (and my pal) Craig Hamilton, who then turned around and graciously sold me (or, more accurately, sold Darlin' Tracy) the original art.
We had planned to get the piece framed, and then my pal Ed over at All Things Fun suggested I wait for the Vs. card to come out and have them framed together, which was a smashing idea. So as I write this, the original and the Vs. card are at the frame shop, hopefully under some sort of 24-hr. armed guard.
Once I get it back, it's going up over my art table, just to my left of where I'm typing this.
With the New York Comic Con only a few days away, I thought I'd put up one more sketch before I start adding to my collection again.
This beautiful, iconic shot is by Mike Manley, writer/artist of a whole bunch of comics plus the TwoMorrows mag Draw! I had talked to Mike online about his oversized MonsterMan comic, so when I saw him at the con and I made a beeline for his table. I dropped my book off and went about finding other ways to spend all the money in my pocket.
When I picked the book back up, I couldn't have been more happy--this is such a great piece; Aquaman looks dynamic and solid and I love all the extra backgrounds Mike threw in. Arthur has a classic heroic profile and it's one of my favorite pieces in the book.
I had been wanting to get to something like for a while.
I thought it would neat to have some sort of timeline for Aquaman, something that would hit the major moments in the character's history over the decades. For anyone not familiar with the character, this can quickly get them up to speed (though I doubt very many people like that would visit something called The Aquaman Shrine, but I digress).
So I worked up what I thought were the seminal moments for the Sea King, in and out of comics. I'm posting a permanent link to it on the right, so anyone who wants to refer to it can easily find it.
If any of you have an important moment you think I missed, please let me know and we'll see about adding it! ____________________________________________________
Nov. 1941 - More Fun Comics #73 - Aquaman debuts in an untitled story, written by Mort Weisinger and drawn by Paul Norris. ____________________________________________________
Apr. 1946 - Adventure Comics #103 - After thirty-four consecutive issues, Aquaman (and most of the cast of More Fun) is moved over to Adventure Comics.
The first story, "Footsteps in the Ocean", is by an unknown writer and artist Louis Cazeneuve. Aquaman would return to Adventure multiple times over the following decades. ____________________________________________________
Oct. 1956 - Adventure Comics #229 - Aquaman's undersea pal, Topo, is introduced in this story, written by unknown and drawn by Ramona Fradon.
Some comic sites (like the exhaustingly detailed Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics) list this as the first appearance of the "Earth-1" Aquaman. ____________________________________________________
May 1959 - Adventure Comics #260 - A new origin for Aquaman is revealed, in "How Aquaman Got His Powers" by Robert Bernstein and Ramona Fradon.
This story is more universally accepted as the beginning of the Aquaman we all know and love! _________________________________________________
Feb. 1960 - Adventure Comics #269 - Aqualad debuts in "The Kid From Atlantis" by Robert Berstein and Ramona Fradon. ____________________________________________________
Feb./March 1960 - Brave and the Bold #28 - Aquaman is a charter member in the debut appearance of the Justice League of America. This is the first comic book cover Aquaman has ever appeared on.
"Starro the Conqueror" is by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky.
Nov. 1960 - Justice League of America #1 - Aquaman is present for the debut issue of the JLA's solo title.
And until Superman and Batman started taking up the lion's share of the action, Aquaman and the other members (Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, The Martian Manhunter) were the stars of the book.
The first story, "The World of No Return" is by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky. ____________________________________________________
March 1961 - Showcase #30 - Aquaman headlines a comic book for the first time, in a three-issue tryout in Showcase.
"The Creatures from Atlantis!" is written by Jack Miller, with art by Ramona Fradon.
July 1961 - Detective Comics #293 - Stretching the title "Detective Comics" a tad, Aquaman begins appearing as a back-up feature.
Since this strip started immediately after his successful Showcase run, presumably it was done to have some place for Aquaman to appear before the debut of Aquaman #1.
The first story, "The Sensational Sea Scoops" is written by unknown (Jack Miller or Robert Bernstein, surely) and drawn by Nick Cardy. ____________________________________________________
Feb. 1962 - Aquaman #1 - Aquaman finally gets his own title!
"The Invasion of the Fire-Trolls!" is by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy.
May 1962 - World's Finest Comics #125 - Aquaman starts a back-up feature. It will run on and off (mostly alternating with a Green Arrow strip) for about twenty issues. This issue's story, "Aquaman's Super-Sidekick" is by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy.
At this point in time, for the three years the World's Finest back-ups ran, Aquaman was appearing regularly in three separate titles--Aquaman, World's Finest, and Justice League of America. ____________________________________________________
Oct. 1963 - Aquaman #11 - Aquaman's future wife, Mera, debuts in this issue.
"The Doom From Dimension Aqua" is by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy.
1966 - Aquaman is included as part of Ideal's Captain Action line of "action figures" (a new term coined just a few years earlier for Hasbro's G.I. Joe), along with fellow DC heroes Superman and Batman. This is the first Aquaman action figure. ____________________________________________________ Oct. 1966 - Aquaman #29 - The Ocean Master, Aquaman's half-brother and arch-villain, debuts.
"Aquaman, Coward-King of the Seas" is by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy.
Aug. 1968 - Aquaman #40 - The new creative team of Steve Skeates, Jim Aparo, and editor Dick Giordano--"SAG"--take over Aquaman with this issue. The first story is titled "Sorcerers of the Sea."
Under SAG, the book's sales spike. But when editor Dick Giordano leaves DC, the book is canceled (at issue #56) instead of being assigned to another editor.
For the next few years, Aquaman's only appearances are in Justice League of America. ___________________________________________________
1968 - The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure by Filmation Studios debuts Saturday Mornings on CBS.
Actor Marvin Miller provides the voice of Aquaman. Other rotating DC heroes fill the third slot in the show. The Aquaman portion of the show will be replaced by Batman the following year, with the Aquaman shows re-run separately. ____________________________________________________
1972 - Mego Toys debuts its World's Greatest Superheroes line of 8" action figures. The inaugural figures in the line are Superman, Batman, Robin, and Aquaman.
Even though Aquaman was never a huge seller, there was an Aquaman playset ("Aquaman vs. The Great White Shark"). Also, the Aquaman figure would be produced all during the line's existence into the early 1980s. ____________________________________________________
1973 - Hanna-Barbera's The Super Friends cartoon show debuts on Saturday Mornings.
The show would go through various iterations during its original broadcast run over twelve seasons. Every show's line-up would include Aquaman in some form.
He is voiced at first by Norman Alden, then William Callaway. ____________________________________________________
Oct. 1974 - Adventure Comics #435 - After years of not having a solo feature, Aquaman returns as a back-up in Adventure Comics. It lasts three issues.
"As the Undersea City Sleeps" is by Steve Skeates and Mike Grell.
Oct. 1975 - Adventure Comics #441 - Aquaman is promoted to the lead feature, starting off with the team of Paul Levitz and Jim Aparo, with the first story "The Pirate Who Plundered Atlantis."
Aug. 1977 - Adventure Comics #452 - Aquaman's son, Arthur Jr., is murdered by Black Manta in "Dark Destiny, Deadly Dreams" by David Michelinie and Jim Aparo.
This ends one of Aquaman's most successful Adventure runs, as it leads directly to the return of Aquaman's solo title. ____________________________________________________
Sept. 1977 - Aquaman #57 - Aquaman is given his own title again, picking up the numbering his old series left off with.
"A Life for A Life" is by David Michelinie and Jim Aparo. This second iteration would last until issue #63, a casualty of the "DC Implosion." ____________________________________________________
Dec. 1978 - Adventure Comics #460 - After Aquaman is canceled--for good--he returns to Adventure in stories by Paul Kupperberg and Don Newton, the same team that produced the final few issues of his solo series.
This issue's story is titled "The Hunt." This series lasts six issues, ending in December 1979 with issue #466. ____________________________________________________
May 1980 - World's Finest #262 - Aquaman is moved over to World's Finest again, in stories by Bob Rozakis and Don Newton. This feature only last for three issues, ending with #264.
This first story is titled "Siren of the Sargasso." ____________________________________________________
Sept. 1980 - Adventure Comics #475 - Aquaman is moved back again to Adventure, in an excellent series of stories by J.M. DeMatteis and Dick Giordano.
The first story is called "Scavenger Hunt." Sadly, this series only run four issues.
March 1981 - Action Comics #517 - Aquaman's run from Adventure moves directly to Action, with stories again by J.M. DeMatteis, this time with art by Don Heck.
This series would swap with back-ups starring The Atom and Air Wave, and last until Action #540. ____________________________________________________
Oct. 1982 - Adventure Comics #491 - Aquaman is a feature in Adventure--now in the digest format--one last time before the book is canceled.
Instead of new stories though, the Aquaman tales are all reprints from the classic Skeates/Aparo/Giordano issues of Aquaman. Unbelievably, these remain (to this writing) the only time these stories have been reprinted. They end with Adventure's final issue, #503. ____________________________________________________
Early/Mid 1980s - Aquaman is a major part of DC's newly-produced art style guides, featuring (for the most part) art by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez.
These shots of Aquaman and other DC heroes--dynamic, colorful, and iconic--would be used on various products for years, and many are still used on products to this day. ____________________________________________________
1984 - Justice League of America Annual #2 - Aquaman once again only has the JLA to call his home.
After leading the JLA fighting off a Martian invasion, he forms a new Justice League, consisting old and new heroes, and becomes its leader.
"The End of the Justice League" is by Gerry Conway and Chuck Patton, and the story continues in the regular Justice League title. __________________________________________________
1984 - Aquaman is part of the initial line of Super Powers action figures by Kenner.
The line only lasts a few years, but it spawns a mountain of tie-in merchandise, and releases a second wave of figures. ____________________________________________________
Oct. 1985 - Justice League of America #243 - Aquaman leaves the team he founded to be with his wife Mera. After a quarter of a century with the team, Aquaman is no longer involved with the Justice League.
"Storm Clouds" by Gerry Conway and George Tuska. ____________________________________________________
Feb. 1986 - Aquaman #1, Volume 2 - Aquaman gets his own title again, in this four-issue mini-series by Neal Pozner and Craig Hamilton.
Aquaman is given a new costume, some new supporting characters, and the series is open-ended, setting up for more stories. The series sells well, and plans are put in motion for a second series, but due to creative problems it never comes to pass. ____________________________________________________
Aug. 1986 - All-Star Squadron #60 - The Earth-2 Aquaman, not seen for decades, makes a brief return starting in All-Star Squadron #59.
It is this issue, however, where he and his fellow heroes Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, and Green Arrow are "erased" from revised continuity because of events in Crisis on Infinite Earths. From this point on in DC continuity, there never was an Earth-2 Aquaman.
"The End of the Beginning" is by Roy Thomas and Arvell Jones. ____________________________________________________
June 1989 - Aquaman #1, Volume 3 - After a one-shot special in 1988, Aquaman is given another mini-series, this time by Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming, and Curt Swan.
The first story is titled "Aquarium." The mini-series runs five issues, and following that another one-shot special is released. ____________________________________________________
Dec. 1991 - Aquaman #1, Volume 4 - Aquaman is given an ongoing solo series again, this time by Shaun McLaughlin and Ken Hooper. The series only lasts thirteen issues. ____________________________________________________
Dec. 1993 - Aquaman: Time and Tide #1 (Volume 5) - Aquaman gets another mini-series, this time by Peter David and Kirk Jarvinen.
This series, starting off with the story "Flash Back", is highly successful, and quickly leads to a regular series, written again by David. ____________________________________________________
Aug. 1994 - Aquaman #1, Volume 6 - What will be Aquaman's longest-running series starts here, with "Hitting Bottom", by Peter David and Martin Egeland.
This series lasts seventy-five issues, and five annuals. ____________________________________________________
Jan. 1995 - Aquaman #5, Volume 6 - After getting his hand bitten off by mad piranhas in the second issue, Aquaman, having grown a beard and long hair, chases his outfit along with getting a cybernetic hook for a hand.
This is the first major change in Aquaman's costume since his 1941 debut. ____________________________________________________
Jan. 1997 - JLA #1 - After being absent from the team during its second incarnation (as Justice League International), Aquaman returns to the team with his fellow founding members in a new JLA book, by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter.
The first story is titled "Them" and Aquaman remains a member of the team for several years. ____________________________________________________
1999 - Aquaman makes a guest-appearance in an episode of Superman: The Animated Series, titled "A Fish Story."
Aquaman is voiced by actor Miguel Ferrer. ____________________________________________________
2001 - Aquaman, Mera, and Arthur Jr. appear in the first season of the animated series Justice League. Aquaman is voiced by Scott Rummel.
When the series changes format and its title to Justice League Unlimited, Aquaman makes a few more appearances, none as central to the plot as this initial two-parter, titled "The Enemy Below." ____________________________________________________
Feb. 2003 - Aquaman #1, Volume 7 - Aquaman, having been seemingly killed off in JLA, returns and is given a new solo series, his seventh.
The first story is "Castaway!" by Rick Veitch and Yvel Guichet. After a few issues, Aquaman cuts his hair, loses the beard, and replaces his hook with a magical water hand. Soon after he will don a costume that is an updated version of his original one.
This series will last thirty-nine issues before the events of DC's 52 series cause major changes to many of their characters, including Aquaman. ____________________________________________________
2005 - Aquaman makes his live-action debut on the WB series Smallville, in an episode titled "Aqua."
He is played by Alan Ritchson, but he is never called Aquaman in the show. Instead, he goes by his initials, "A.C." It is one of highest-rated episodes of the series. ____________________________________________________
May 2006 - Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #40 - Aquaman's seventh series is retitled, with a new hero, Arthur Joseph, assuming the role of Aquaman. It takes place one year after issue #39.
The initial issues are by Kurt Busiek and Jackson Guice, and after a few issues, the original Aquaman, now known as The Dweller of the Depths, dies.
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis lasts seventeen issues, ending with #57 with the creative team of Tad Williams and Shawn McManus. It is (to date) the last Aquaman solo series. ____________________________________________________
Summer 2006 - The Post Office issues a new sheet of DC Super Hero stamps, starring ten different characters getting two stamps each.
One Aquaman stamp is by Jim Aparo, the other is by Curt Swan. ____________________________________________________
2006 - The producers of Smallville produce a pilot for an Aquaman spin-off, starring Justin Hartley as Arthur Curry.
Just as the pilot is produced, the WB and UPN Networks merge, leaving many shows--some old, some new--with no spot on the TV schedule. The new network, the CW, does not pick up the show(at times called Aquaman, other times Mercy Reef).
The pilot is eventually sold on iTunes, becoming one of their most popular downloads, and then put on DVD with Smallville boxed sets. ____________________________________________________
2007 - Aquaman/A.C. returns to Smallville, in an episode called "Justice", featuring other heroes from the DC Universe Impulse, Green Arrow, and Cyborg.
He is again played by Alan Ritchson, and at one point in the show he is called "Aquaman." ____________________________________________________
2007 - Mattel releases a new toy line, called DC Super Friends, aimed at very young kids, and Aquaman is part of the first wave, along with Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Lex Luthor.
There is also a tie-in comic of the same name, and Mattel will be releasing an Aquaman accessory, an AquaSub, in 2008. It will be the first Aquaman toy accessory released since Mego's "Aquaman vs. The Great White Shark" playset in 1978. ____________________________________________________
2008 - Mattel releases the Aqua Sub, a vehicle for Aquaman, as part of an expansion to their DC Super Friends toy line. It is the first time an Aquaman action figure has received any sort of playset or vehicle accompaniment since Mego's Aquaman Vs. The Great White Shark playset in 1977.
The line also inspires a DC comic book of the same name, featuring Aquaman in a large role.
Mattel also releases Aquaman and Black Manta figures as part of Wave 2 of their DC Universe action figure line. This means for 2008 there are two Classic Aquaman figures available on nationwide toy aisles. ____________________________________________________
Dec. 2008 - Aquaman makes a return to TV as a guest-star on Cartoon Network's new Brave and the Bold series. He teams-up with Batman in the third episode, "Evil Under The Sea!" He is voiced by actor John Di Maggio (Futurama).
Also appearing in the episode are Mera, Black Manta, and Ocean Master. ____________________________________________________ And that's it, so far! Like I said above, if there's any major item you think I've left out, let me know!
Until then, let's hope we can add Aquaman, Volume 8 here soon...
(For more fun AquaFacts, check out Laura's cool AquaWiki page!)
