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Saturday, January 31, 2009

Aquaman (Vol.6) #68 - June 2000

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Comics Weekend "Blood Realm"

Picking up here we left off last weekend, Garth is continuing his recollections of Atlantis' war with Cerdia to his granddaughter Donna.

After tussling with Ocean Master, Orm teleports Aquaman to Cerdia, where the angry and bloody citizens prepare to take their rage out on the man who they think attacked them
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The crowd begins to punch and kick Aquaman, but he refuses to fight back, concerned he might hurt them. After all, they believe Aquaman started the war (when it was really Ocean Master disguised as his brother), so their feelings are understandable.

He manages to get the mob's attention long enough to tell them it was really their queen, Charlanda, who is behind all this.

Initially they won't listen, but then Aquaman points out that, under Charlanda's rule, the people of Cerdia are poor, hungry, and uneducated, while their queen continues to live in luxury.

This gives the people pause, long enough for the JLA to arrive. Aquaman, with the assistance of the Martian Manhunter's telepathic powers, issues a message to his subjects, still currently attacking Cerdia.

The Atlantean war ships turn back, which convinces the Cerdians Aquaman is telling the truth:
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Meanwhile, under water, Tempest is waking up from being hit by falling rock, blasted loose by the war. He managed to survive it, but Queen Charlanda, who was with him, was not so lucky.

Tempest takes off, and finds Ocean Master in his undersea lair. They fight to a standstill, with Orm finally besting Garth with this magical scepter.

But the battle distracts him, giving Aquaman a chance to sneak in behind Orm, and deliver a solid right cross. They continue to fight as Tempest moves to rescue his kidnapped son, using his powers to teleport his son away. Orm notices this and is less than pleased:
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The whales smash open Orm's lair, flooding it, and carrying him off.

Tempest and Arthur find Tempest's son, who was teleported just outside, in a triumphant but also melancholy moment:

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...after this, we arrive back in the future, and Garth tells Donna how Aquaman, after the war, made a gesture towards the people of Cerdia to include them as part of Atlantis.

They board an Atlantean ship, so Donna can get a firsthand look at her ancestral homeland
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For once, a peaceful, happy ending to an Aquaman story line!

But I guess I shouldn't use the word ending, since next issue features a coda of sorts to the Atlantis vs. Cerdia story, so be here tomorrow to see how the King of Atlantis makes peace instead of war.

Friday, January 30, 2009

British Newspaper Strips, Part 3 - 1968

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For today, we've got another installment of comic strip selections from Smash!, a British weekly comic that reprinted--in order--the late 1960s Batman newspaper strip.

Generously sent to me by F.O.A.M. member
Phil Rushton, I like posting these (even though the strips themselves are the same as the American ones I posted back in 2007-2008) because of the additional little frills Smash! added to the strips, like the Batman TV show-esque purple prose kicking off the following installment:
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...now that's a cliffhanger!

More to come, and thanks again Phil!

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Aquaman, in addition to "his" cameo In Final Crisis #7, makes another appearance in a DC comic released this week. Here he is kicking off the new Brave and the Bold book:
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The book then moves onto the main story, a team-up between Bats and Power Girl, by writer Matt Wayne and artists Andy Suriano and Dan Davis.

Thankfully, the book is preserving one of my favorite elements of the show, starting off with a "teaser" team-up starring a different hero than the one who will appear in the main part of the show.


And don't forget! Aquaman makes a return appearance to Brave and the Bold tonight @ 8pm! (We will have a look at the episode on Monday, 2/2)

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Brave and The Bold Deluxe Action Figure - 2008

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This is one of the "deluxe" figures in the new Brave and the Bold line from Mattel. Luckily for us Aqua-Fans, Aquaman is one of the handful of characters who got the deluxe treatment.

It seems that, out of the many characters the show has to choose from, Aquaman will be playing a fairly substantial role in the show, in terms of being a character who makes multiple appearances.

Not only is that cool in and of itself, but I'm assuming this enlarged role is in turn being reflected in the merchandising, so we get more than one Aquaman figure. Yay!

Like so many items I post here, this was found for me by F.O.A.M.er Russell Burbage, freeing me from having to hunt for it at my local Target. Thanks Russell!
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sgToday's The Day! Yes, according to the
1976 DC Comics Calendar, today is Aquaman's birthday!

This was what I wrote last year for Arthur'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."

Well, unfortunately Aquaman didn't leap back into another solo book like I had hoped, but other than that he has had one of the best years of his checkered history--appearing in no less than four nationally-sold toy lines, being a regular in the monthly DC Super Friends book, as well as returning to TV as a recurring character on Brave and the Bold.

And thanks to that, he's now a big part of yet another toy line (see above!), so I'd say Arthur if off to a pretty good start.

Happy Birthday Aquaman!

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Speaking of Aquaman in current comics, the what I call Mystery Aquaman makes yet another appearance in Final Crisis--the above shot of Aquaman taking on Ocean Master (and riding a seahorse steed, too!) is from FC #7, out this week!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Weeki Wachee Aquaman

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Are these stills from a lost Aquaman movie, you might be wondering?

No, they are shots of our newest F.O.A.M. member, Dennis Doucette, who...well, let's let him explain what we're seeing:

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I work at Weeki Wachee Springs, which is one of the oldest roadside attractions in Florida. It features underwater shows featuring mermaids performing to Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid.

I work as an underwater performer there being the prince in the show. Now my job gives me the great opportunity to take amazing underwater photos of myself as Aquaman.

I don't play Aquaman in the actual shows we do. But every Halloween we do special shows and this past one I wrote the script for it and called it 'The Joker's Last Laugh: The End of Weeki Wachee'...and in this show I played Aquaman."


Amazing is right--not only are photos cool as hell, but the Aquaman costume is really spot-on, he's actually under water the whole time, and riding one of his finny friends, to boot! Great Neptune, how awesome is this?

Thanks so much Dennis!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Spanish Comic Poster - 1984

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This super-cool pull-out poster--featuring a classic stock art piece by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez--came inside an issue of Batman Spanish Novaro Comics, published in Mexico in 1984.

It was sent to me by F.O.A.M. member Ramiro Munoz, who has previously sent me all kinds of cool stuff that I would normally never get to see. Thanks Ramiro!
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Monday, January 26, 2009

AquaSketch by Patrick Gleason - 2008

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This commanding profile of the Sea King, by onetime regular Aquaman artist Patrick Gleason, is the last of the original pieces I managed to collect at the 2008 New York Comic Con.

Patrick was very nice to talk to, and I was thrilled when he told me he had heard of The Aquaman Shrine! He was so loaded down with commission requests by the time I got to him that he asked if it was okay that I came back the next day so he could work on the piece overnight.

Of course I said yes, and I was thrilled when he handed this back to me--his Aquaman definitely looks a tad different (more alien, almost Vulcan-ish to my eye) than how he's usually portrayed, but I like how tough and serious he looks.

If you were a supervillain, would you mess with a guy that looked like this?

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Aquaman (Vol.6) #67 - May 2000

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Comics Weekend "Clash of Kings"

By now, we've seen that Aquaman's half-brother Ocean Master is involved in the major attack
on Atlantis by Cerdia.

Garth continues to relate the story to his granddaughter Donna:

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(During this opening sequence, we get to see Garth has an underwater grotto under his palatial beachfront home, kind of like an AquaCave, plus he mentions a group called "The Titans of Justice", which would seem to indicate the two superteams merged at some point in the future)

Anyway, Aquaman and Tempest have just discovered Ocean Master waiting for them in Queen Charlanda's throne room, and of course it starts a fight :
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Orm blasts them both with his scepter, which is powered with some sort of neural blaster, temporarily paralyzing both our heroes.

Orm mentions he's been helping Cerdia in their plan, and when Aquaman stumbles to stand, he uses the scepter again to teleport all three of them to a dank cave.

He explains to his half-brother that his plan is to rule Atlantis, but since the city is currently cast in Aquaman's image, he wants it razed to the ground, to be rebuilt to his own twisted specifications. He also explains that he cares nothing for Cerdia, and he plans to destroy them, as well.

We see how he plans to do this--turns out Counselor Whynt isn't who he seems to be--he's merely a magical illusion, created by Ocean Master, and as Whynt he orders the Atlantean warships to show no mercy towards their attackers.

He reveals himself to Charlanda, and then teleports her to the same cave as Aquaman and Tempest. He is pretty confident of his victory:
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...I absolutely love that close-up of Aquaman on the bottom of page thirteen, with the octopus rising in the background. Spooky and yet very cool.

With the proper distance, Orm's neural hold on Aquaman and Tempest is broke, freeing them to attack
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Aquaman grabs Orm while Tempest demands to know from Queen Charlanda where his kidnapped son is.

As they try to escape Cerdia (as the Atlantean ships overhead continue to drop bombs), Aquaman takes Orm under water. They fight for a few moments, but then Orm plays his trump card: he has kidnapped Garth's son!

As he holds the child in his arms, Aquaman is momentarily stunned, giving Orm enough time to transport him to a place where no one wants to see Aquaman--the streets of Cerdia:
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Uh-oh! To be continued!


That middle sequence, where Aquaman frees himself and Garth from Ocean Master, is masterful. My lack of enthusiasm for Aquaman's "pirate look" is well known, but I have to admit, Epting made it look really cool and badass here. With his long hair and furrowed brow, Aquaman reminds me of Conan just before he went on the attack. Nice.

Next Comics Weekend: Aquaman versus the people of Cerdia!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Aquaman (Vol.6) #66 - April 2000

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Comics Weekend "Common Battleground"

Continuing our look at Dan Jurgens and Steve Epting's run (although this issue is guest-pencilled by Paul Ryan) on the sixth volume of Aquaman, we left off last weekend with Aquaman prepared to go to war with Cerdia, and finding that the Justice League has now chosen to step in.


Like the previous issues, the framing sequence is set in the future, with an aged Garth talking to his granddaughter Donna who is writing a report on Atlantis:

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While the ruler of Cerdia, Queen Charlanda, puts out a "cry for help" from the United Nations, claiming they are under attack by Aquaman, Arthur and Garth have a face-to-face with the JLA:
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With the counter-attack by Atlantis imminent, Superman and Wonder Woman convince their former teammate to ask his soldiers to stand down for the moment, so they can has this out.

With the sky filled with Atlantean warships, Aquaman is handed a communicator from his chief lieutenant, Rodunn, and he does just that.

He then informs the JLA what has happened, of Cerdia's sneak attack via the coral, and he tells Superman of the Atlantean school that was destroyed, along with all the kids inside it. Superman, using his telescopic vision, is horrified to see that what Arthur says is true.

Unfortunately, he doesn't agree that there's any evidence Cerdia was behind it, which Arthur and Garth don't take well (Rodunn, for his part, wants to arrest the JLA for daring to talk to his king so boldly!).

Meanwhile, we see further evidence of Cerdia's treachery, as Counselor Whynt uses some advanced technology to fool the Atlantean fleet into attacking:
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Arthur, Garth, and the JLA watch as the Atlanteans attack Cerdia, bombing its buildings!

This causes some of Cerdia's army to start firing at Aquaman and Tempest, and while the JLA fight them off, Arthur and Garth board an Atlantean hoverbike and head for Queen Charlanda's quarters.

While the JLA try to stop both sides from fighting, Arthur and Garth make their way into Charlanda's palace, where they get to kick a little Cerdian butt:
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They get inside the throne room, but the Queen isn't there. Instead, its someone much worse:
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...oh, great.

To be continued!



Having only a tiny handful of arch-villains, I wonder how frustrated Aquaman must get having to see that nearly every giant mess he finds himself in almost always ends up having Black Manta or Ocean Master behind it. At least Batman gets a little variety in his crime-fighting life.

Be here tomorrow for the continuing battle between Aquaman versus Cerdia and Ocean Master!
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Speaking of the Justice League, I recommend all you old-time comics fans pick up this week's issue of Justice League of America, #29.

While it is part of some bigger storyline (aren't all comics, nowadays?), I find you can read and enjoy this issue all on its own--its a retelling of sorts of Justice League of America #s 96 and 97, where the World's Greatest Super-Heroes take on the cosmic vampire known as The Starbreaker.

But the fun part is that this issue is written by classic JLA writer Len Wein, and that he has rewritten it to include all the members of the team. And, unlike in the original issues, Aquaman gets to be involved, and personally pound the snot out of Starbreaker:
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...yeah!

Dear DC: I'd like to see more of this--both Len Wein writing your comics again, and more Classic Aquaman. Get on it, please.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Who's Who En Espanol

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Have you ever wanted to read an Aquaman Who's Who entry entirely in Spanish? Of course you have!

Click the above image to see a custom-made, Who's Who-style Aquaman fact sheet, part of a massive site devoted to the denizens of the DCU. I always enjoy seeing how American-born superheroes are perceived in other countries, what elements of their personalities translate, which don't, etc.

All I know is, I wish I spoke Spanish.
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By the way, The Aquaman Shrine is now on Facebook!

I'm not sure what opening a Facebook page for the Shrine will do for me or it, but enough people have asked me about it that I figured it was time to create one.

So head on over and there and be the Shrine's friend!


Thursday, January 22, 2009

Mego Newspaper Ad - 1970s

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This...low-tech ad is from some anonymous 1970s newspaper, and was sent to me by F.O.A.M. member Brian Heiler because of its rare Aquaman content.

Its charming to think how humble an ad like this could be, not all that long ago.

Judging by the Megos listed, I'm assuming this ad is from around 1973 or so, when the World's Greatest Superheroes line consisted of just those eight characters.

Thanks Brian!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Amazing Heroes #120 - July 1987

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I really loved the Fantagraphics pro-zine Amazing Heroes during most of its lengthy run.

Around the time I first discovered it (in the mid-80s, right when I first started shopping at comic shops), I found its nice balance of articles about mainstream superhero stuff and independent comics to be really interesting, and for many years I never missed an issue.

One of the most unusual articles the magazine ever ran was in this issue, published right after DC's History of the DC Universe mini-series, that tried to give a year-by-year, set-in-stone chronology of the DC Universe, triphammering through its major events.

Aquaman got mentioned a bunch of times:
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At the time, I found this article fascinating, seeing definite years affixed to major events in the DCU.

Now, of course, I see the complete absurdity of such an effort (well-intentioned as it was), since As Time Marches On, you have to keep rewriting the dates so you don't have Batman be fifty years old.

Also, with the Justice Society being tied irrevocably to the 1940s, the gap between the first and second generation of heroes grows larger and larger, until it collapses under its own weight--what, there were superheroes in the 40s and 50s, and then none again for another three decades?

So, as entertaining as this piece was (and still is, to the uber-fanboy in me), I feel now that DC and Marvel should just stop worrying about it, and have a general continuity to use as the spine of their superhero titles, but ditch it when necessary.


One last thing about this article--the reason this piece stuck with me in my head for so many years (after most of the other articles in AH have disappeared into the ether of my memory) is that it gives actual locations of someone of DC's landmark cities.

I don't know whether this was writer Brian Hughes' invention or he got the official lowdown from DC, but it blew my 16-year-old mind to find out that Central City is in Ohio, Metropolis is in Delaware (no sales tax in Metropolis!), and Gotham City is in New Jersey. Wow.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009