Super Redondas! - 1981

These are two sheets of little pog-like doodads featuring various members of the DCU, many in their famous stock art poses, including Aquaman by Murphy Anderson, Superman by Neal Adams, and The Joker by Carmine Infantino.

The inclusion of Mera, The Wonder Twins, and Bat-Mite (twice!) over, say, Hawkman, The Atom, or Supergirl are more surprising, as is the one missing pog--"Arana Negra" roughly translates to Black Spider, so I'm not sure what DC character that is supposed to be. Anyone have an idea?

I was sent these shots by F.O.A.M. member Ramiro. Thanks pal!

LCA Ad - 1974

This was a really unique ad (click to see a readable version) sent to me a while back by F.O.A.M. member Brian "Plaid Stallions" Heiler, who is the go-to guy for any kind of licensing bric-a-brac. Thanks Brian!

For a long time, pretty much any licensed product you bought was done through the Licensing Corporation of America. As you can see from the logos/trademarks on this ad, they had a lot of big clients!

The stock shots of the DC heroes are a real mixed bag--the Superman, Batman, and Shazam! poses are stock shots you've seen a thousand times, and Wonder Woman and Robin are from Alex Toth's Super Friends logo.

The Flash has an arm that looks like it drags on the ground, and the Aquaman pose was a stock shot that showed only every so often--it can be seen on the SuperAdventure Colorforms Set, for instance.

On an unrelated note, I wonder how much demand their was for "Weird Harold" merchandise?

Lois Lane's Guide To Life - 2007

This is a nifty little item given to me F.O.A.M. member George Rears--a little boxed set, measuring about 4 x 5", containing a book called Lois Lane's Dating Handbook as well as 16 magnets featuring classic covers from the Lois Lane series.

The book is presented as if was written by Lois (with a little more adult-oriented humor than you'd expect--some of it is genuinely funny), and features her answering letters from the lovelorn, like one asking Lois whether Superman has any "cute, available" super friends:

"You never know with those two."--well said Ms. Lane, well said.

The book also features some stock art shots by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, and the covers put on the magnets are well chosen. Overall, it makes for quite an attractive and fun package. Thanks George!

(Someday I have to get around to getting a copy of the above issue of Lois Lane. That cover is just too good!)

Justice League Monopoly - 1999

It's Justice League Monopoly!

I used to own a copy of this game way back when, and the five spot featuring our hero was one of the first things I ever posted on the Shrine.

But at some point I seemed to have misplaced it, so F.O.A.M. member Russell Burbage helpfully took a bunch of shots of the game and sent them in for all of us to enjoy:

...its certainly a very handsome product, well designed and featuring nice stock art by Eduardo Barreto. And you get to be Aquaman in the game! (Note: I never realized how Riddler-y Green Arrow looks)

My friend Chris and I used to play the game back in the day, and we would always grab the Superman and Aquaman pieces (respectively) like the obsessive little nerds we were.

Thanks Russell!

Justice League of America #218 - Sept. 1983

Comics Weekend "The Price of Humanity" by Cary Burkett, Chuck Patton, and Romeo Tanghal.

This issue opens on a light moment...Hawkman and the Elongated Man playing some video games aboard the JLA satellite! (No, not Grand Theft Auto.)

As Wonder Woman shows up for Monitor Duty, and Carter is embarrassed to be caught goofing off, something sinister is happening all over the world--mysterious, super-suited beings are kidnapping regular people, like a high school Baseball player, a ballet dancer, and a Hollywood stuntman!

One of them tries to kidnap a slightly harder target...the Black Canary!

As she tries to break free, she hits her JLA Signal Device, and Hawkman, Wonder Woman, and Elongated Man head out to rescue her.

They knock the being out long enough to see its a robot, but while they do this, two others sneak up on them, blasting them, and flying off with Canary in tow.

Later, up at the satellite, the rest of the JLA has met. While Green Arrow is rants and raves about what to do, Red Tornado offers a word of caution:

...I love that Red Tornado's peacemaking skills impress both Aquaman and Superman. And this is another instance where Aquaman's general lack of patience with Green Arrow is showcased, a nice character touch.

Elongated Man figures out the one thing all the hostages--hundreds more cases having been reported--have in common is that they are in all excellent physical shape. He bets that more kidnappings might occur at the Metropolis Marathon, taking place this very day!

The JLA agrees, and takes a moment to congratulate Ralph on his fine detective work:

Hawkman, meanwhile, having looked into the one robot they stopped, says he can trace its power source. He figures they might be able to stop all the robots if they can knock out their source of power, and Aquaman and Wonder Woman agree to go with him.

Meanwhile, we see where all the hostages went to: a secret base where a hooded figure tells Black Canary he is the longtime JLA foe Professor Ivo, and he has built a machine that will channel their life energies into him, reversing the horrible side effects he has suffered from by drinking a serum he created to make him immortal (way back in Brave the Bold #30!).

As Canary sees for herself, Ivo has been living all these years, horribly deformed:

...that is one nasty design. Congrats, Chuck Patton, for making the twelve year-old me almost throw up.

Anyway, the robots do appear at the marathon, but they are so powerful they managed to fight the JLA to standstill.

Meanwhile, Hawkman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman find the robots' power source is a remote island. They've barely set foot on the island when robots there blast them, knocking out Hawkman and Aquaman, leaving Wonder Woman barely hanging on.

Back in Metropolis, the robots are making off with runners left and right, but Green Arrow manages to get off a tracking arrow and hits one of them.

Back at the island, Wonder Woman commands her invisible plane to dive-bomb three of the robots, which gives her just enough time to grab Aquaman and try and hurl him into the ocean. She tries, but gets hit by the recovering robots, leaving Aquaman at the lip of shore.

In Ivo's mountain lab, he is none too happy to see the JLA has followed him there, where he sicks even more robots on them!

On the island, just enough water makes its way to Aquaman to wake him up. Here he hatches an ingenious plan:

...the end.


Like yesterday's fill-in issue of Justice League by Paul Kupperberg, Cary Burkett delivers a superb, self-contained story. Fast-paced and exciting, it also works as a nice sequel of sorts to the first Professor Ivo story, way back in Brave and the Bold #30!

Another nice touch is that Aquaman gets a great couple of moments here, and he saves the day due to a combo of his ingenuity and his particular powers, which means Aquaman got a lot to do two issues in a row. If #s 217 and 218 were typical of the quality JLA fill-ins would have, I was ready to say let's have nothing but fill-ins!

The reveal of Professor Ivo is truly disturbing, and Chuck Patton's EC-esque background gives it an extra punch.

This issue's cover by Howard Bender and Dick Giordano is unusual, in that it uses yesterday's cover by George Perez as a backdrop. I don't know what it means, exactly, but its unique, to be sure.

Justice League of America #217 - Aug. 1983

Comics Weekend "All the Elements of Disaster" by Paul Kupperberg, Chuck Patton, and Romeo Tanghal.

Since we talked JLA with Chuck Patton on Monday, I wanted to spend this Comics Weekend talking about some of my favorite issues of Justice League of America that he drew, which just happen to be the first two he ever drew.

This particular issue of Justice League opens up in my favorite possible way...with Aquaman!

He, Vulko, and the rest of Atlantis are rocked by violent sea quakes. Aquaman goes to investigate where they originate from, but he surprised when a giant beam of energy shoots out of the fissure, and into the sky!

As Aquaman sends out a JLA Distress Signal, we follow the beam of energy all the way to Metropolis, where it strikes a homeless woman and turns her into some sort of malevolent Earth Elemental! She--it--then blasts its way skyward.

The same thing happens on a yacht out at sea, where movie producer Marty Lasko is turned into a Sea Elemental, and then again in Midway City, when a construction worker is turned into an Air Elemental.

Up at the satellite, Aquaman informs his fellow JLAers what has happened:

...the JLA's monitors pick up giant water, air, and earth vortexes shooting into the sky at the very spots these elementals were created. Zatanna sense great magical powers at work.

There's a nice moment here, where Superman begins to head for Metropolis, but Zatanna stops him, reasoning he is more needed in Los Angeles. Elongated Man savors the chance to head there, instead.

Hawkman and Red Tornado head for Midway City where they take on--and prove no match for--the Air Elemental.

The same thing happens in Metropolis, where Firestorm, Zatanna, and Elongated Man take on the Earth Elemental, while Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman head to the Pacific Ocean to fight the Sea Elemental. All three battles end in defeat for our heroes.

Chuck Patton's work is top-notch, bringing a clean, dynamic look to our heroes:

Later, all the JLAers regroup back at the satellite, and Aquaman figures something troubling out:

The JLAers head there, and Aquaman leads them to the ruins of the original Atlantis, which sank thousands of years ago.

While fighting off some mutated sea creatures, they are attacked by an ancient wizard named Daanuth, who has been in a sort of suspended animation, waiting for the right mystical moment to resurrect his home, the original Atlantis.

While Daanuth's sea monsters attack some of the JLA, Superman, Firestorm, and Red Tornado see the three elementals up in the sky. Superman has figured out that Daanuth is using stellar energy to work their magic, and he has Firestorm create a giant prism, which dilutes and refracts the energy they need.

As Atlantis begins to crumble, Daanuth suddenly finds his powers ebbing! Superman's plan has worked!

Just as Aquaman is about paste Daanuth one, a stone column collapses on him, freeing himself from the Sea King's grasp.

They all make it out of the fissure, with the three elementals turned back to normal. The heroes celebrate their victory aboard one of Aquaman's finny friends, a giant whale:

After Gerry Conway's abrupt (but very temporary) departure in #216, the JLA was treated to a couple of fill-in issues, this first one being by our pal Paul Kupperberg.

Normally fill-in issues are a thing to dread, but I found this issue (and the next, by Cary Burkett) to be two of my all-time favorite JLA stores. Fun, fast-paced, and they tell an entire story in just 23 pages.

The villain, Garn Daanuth, was created by Paul and Jan Duursema, and used in his book, Arion, Lord of Atlantis. Arion isn't mentioned anywhere in this story, which I thought was a nice touch--if you were a regular Arion reader (which I was not at the time--I've since apologized to Paul about that) you got it instantly, and saw that the two universes were tied together. If not, it works fine all on its own.

Back in 2007, I had the good fortune to interview Paul for the Aquaman Shrine, and I asked him about writing this issue:

AMS: You wrote one of my favorite issues of JLA, #217, "All the Elements of Disaster!", which features Aquaman pretty prominently. Was this on purpose or just the natural effect of the story you wanted to write?

PK: Oh, that was another of my Atlantis stories. Between Arion and Power Girl, I got into this Atlantean rut and probably overused that stuff. But since I was doing an Arion-villain-brought-forward-in-time story, Atlantis was the natural location and Aquaman was the logical focal character.

Tomorrow we'll look at the very next issue of Justice League, which also features Aquaman in a significant role!

Scales N' Sequins

F.O.A.M. member Joe Mello sent me a link to the blog Charm Points, which posted this, as they put it, faaabulous Aquaman costume.

The starched white collar makes it look a little Chippendale Dancer-ish to me, as if Kingdom Come's Planet Krypton occasionally held "Ladies Night."

I didn't think I could feel worse about how I looked when I donned an Aquaman suit, but now I do.

Aquaman Patch

A while back, I ran a subscription flyer for a company that was producing a series of DC Superhero patches, one of them being of Aquaman.

Since you had to subscribe to the whole series, I passed up the offer, not wanting to spend all that money just to get one measly Aquaman patch.

Luckily for the rest of us, some members of F.O.A.M. were a little more patch-centric--Vince Bartilucci sent me these two giant scans (click to see readable versions), showing the entire package he received with the Aquaman patch.

Looking over this stuff, I have to say I'm impressed how much they put into it--the graphic design, the use of stock art, the "fun facts"--make for a nice presentation, to say nothing of the patch itself (drawn by Eduardo Baretto). All in all, pretty well done.

Thanks Vince!

Spiral Notebook - 2008

This handsome spiral notebook (made up of three separate pieces of Jose Luis Garcia Lopez stock art) was sent to me F.O.A.M. member John Lijewski III. Thanks John!

John said he picked it up at Target--my local store must get different stuff, because I never see any of these "DC Originals" products around. (I'd love to know the sales figures for stuff like this, and how well the Aquaman items sell in relation to the others)

Interesting to note--on the background image, it kinda looks like Batman is riding on Aquaman's back. Maybe they're under water.

Child World Ad - 1974

I shamelessly stole this ad from my friend Brian's blog Plaid Stallions--when I saw the appearance of Aquaman (albeit a tiny, tiny one!) I had to post it here.

I think if I had a time machine, I would go back in time to September 2, 1974, and while all the kids were mobbing Snoopy, I would scoop up ever MIB Mego Aquaman, Superman, Batman, and Robin I could.

Then I would return to this time, sell the impossible-to-find-in-mint Megos (keeping one Aquaman for myself), and Tracy and I could finally get that dream house we've always wanted (with a hammock out back for me).

Aquaman Shrine Interview with Chuck Patton - 2009

Being on the internets yields some amazing surprises sometimes.

Chuck Patton, who drew Justice League of America #s 217-239 (plus some more covers) was one of my all-time favorite artists. His clean, direct storytelling I thought was perfect for The World's Greatest Superheroes, and in particular I thought he rendered Aquaman especially well.

But after unceremoniously leaving the book, Chuck seemed to disappear from comics entirely. Every so often while working on the Shrine, I'd think to try and find him on the web, but to no avail.

Then one day, Frank Lee Delano of The Idol-Head of Diabolu and the Justice League Detroit blog, pointed me to the comments section of this post, which featured a comment from the man himself, Chuck Patton!

I quickly emailed Chuck, introducing myself and seeing if he wanted to do an interview with me for the Shrine, since his tenure with the JLA was also some of the most important moments in Aquaman's history.

Chuck, to my delight, had heard of the Shrine (as well as my JLA Satellite blog), and readily agreed to an interview. Awesome!

Chuck is an extraordinarily friendly guy, quick with a laugh and a great storyteller. During our long talk, he gave me all kinds of info I can't use here, but luckily we did spend some of that time talking Aquaman and the JLA:

Aquaman Shrine: So, Justice League of America was your first assignment? How did you end up with such a huge book as your first pro job?

Chuck Patton: When I got Justice League, I felt like the guy that knocked out Mike Tyson--Buster Douglas--I felt like I had knocked out the champ, or had gotten a home run, because that was a book I had always loved, one of my favorites from childhood to adulthood, so being told "You're going to take over", I was like "Wow."

AMS: Wow, indeed.

CP: I was with a bunch of guys [at DC], this was before we were officially called "New Talent", we were just a bunch of young guys and gals Dick Giordano brought in, twenty five of us picked to become the next generation.

He always had his eye on me, and he would look at my stuff, and say "Patton, you went out of your way here to be....really boring." Then he'd show me the correct drawing or proper storytelling technique I was missing (that's very important to me, cause to this day I use that line on my artists to light a fire under them just as Dick did to me). He had a great way of giving you harsh criticism, but gently. He was then and still is a real gentleman.

When I was picked for Justice League, I had done no professional work whatsoever. What I had done was what I had done in that class, and I was basically a kid in the woods--"Here's your flashlight, here's your compass, now go!"

Don Heck was leaving the book, he wanted to do something else, because, as he told me he "Got tired of having to draw 200 characters every month." And originally, Gerry [Conway] was leaving, and it was going to be a whole clean slate. But then a few months later, Gerry came back and said "I have some ideas" and that was a whole other chapter.

AMS: Oh yeah, it sure was. When you got JLA, did they indicate to you there was going to be such a big change in the book, relatively around the corner?

CP: There was a lot of talk [at the time] about the different characters going off somewhere--Aquaman might be going off somewhere, Batman might be going off somewhere, because it was felt that these characters were getting a little stale [in JLA].

So there was always this threat that [DC] was going to take out some of these characters, and for a guy like me who loved Justice League, "Oh, come on--you take the big guys out, who's the lynchpin? Who are you going to be left with?" That feeling was coming up stronger and stronger as I worked on the book [in the first few months].

Finally the word came down, "We're going to lose Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman." As the new kid coming on, I didn't know my place where to speak up, but I was thinking..."If it was up to me, I would've kept them."

Originally, [JLA editor] Len Wein thought about bringing in all new but established characters, a whole new team, but that seemed a little risky. But when Gerry said he wanted to bring in all-new, original characters, that sparked DC's interest to revamp the series, as long as we kept some core guys such as Aquaman, Elongated Man--which was fine with me, because they're Justice League, too.

Originally, my first story was going to be the one where the JLA fights the animal people ["Beasts", JLA #s 221-223], but that got pushed back, so the first one I drew ["All The Elements of Disaster", JLA #217, written by Paul Kupperberg], which was supposed to be a fill-in story down the line--ended up being first.

Then as now, I'm really proud of that book, it reminded me of the Justice Leagues that I wanted to draw.

AMS: Oh yeah--that first issue is great. Absolutely.

CP: I had fun with the ending, I had fun drawing Aquaman--that was when I think I had my first touch with Aquaman.

I always loved Aquaman, too--Aquaman drawn by Nick Cardy--that and Aparo's version of Aquaman I thought were the Aquaman, so I always tried to pay attention to that. I always loved Joe Kubert's Hawkman--I wanted to go in and make these guys iconic again.

AMS: The first book you drew, with the story by Paul Kupperberg, and the second, written by Cary Burkett--are some of the best single issues of JLA ever. The stories were great, your art for them was perfect--I really liked the way you drew Aquaman, each of their faces was distinctive. Aquaman wasn't just a blond Superman.

CP: [laughs] Thank you.

AMS: ...and I really thought, if this is what the JLA is going to be, I could read this for another ten years! And then a few months later, it took this strange diversion...

You mentioned drawing Aquaman, and I wanted to ask you, as a comic book artist who was also a fan, were you disappointed that you didn't get to draw the book featuring Superman, Batman, Flash? Were you happy having Aquaman and Martian Manhunter as your main characters? You said you liked Aquaman, so at the time you didn't feel like you were "stuck" with him as your main character?

CP: When I was drawing that "Beasts" three-parter, and I drew Aquaman fighting the whale guy, I realized this was an Aquaman who would take no prisoners. He's really a king.

AMS: That's a great sequence.

CP: I love that sequence, and at the time I tried to find a way to make a whale guy work, how it would look. I kept thinking of the whale in Pinocchio, and I was thinking he has to have a giant eye--a human eye, twisted. So we had to do something that made you go, "Whoa, Aquaman--respect."

So to me it worked because you focused more on Aquaman and less on the big goofy monster guy. And so when he leaves him with those bubbles, which I was really happy with, [JLA editor] Alan [Gold] says, "We have to make sure he doesn't die", and I said, "Who cares? We just watched Aquaman wipe this guy out--that's the kind of guy I want to see in the Justice League!"

AMS: That's one of my favorite Aquaman moments ever--the way you drew the whale guy looking completely like a vegetable. Because, as a kid, that was terrifying--"Aquaman's going to leave this guy, a bunch of sharks are going to come along and eat him, because he can't defend himself!"

Back in the early days of the Shrine, I did a series of posts about my top 5 favorite Aquaman moments, and that was one of the ones I picked.

CP: You know, I read that, and it really warmed my heart. Because, at the time I drew that, my roommate was Shawn McManus, who's had a wonderful comics career on his own, and Shawn was a heavy heavy [Bernie] Wrightson guy, and he would say "How would Wrightson do it?", so I was thinking about that eye--again, distracting you from the goofy little arms the whale guy had.

So, getting back to your question--I loved Aquaman, I wanted him in the group, and I was happy to have Aquaman. Also, I liked the idea that he knew he had big shoes to fill--he missed have Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman around, so there was no problem having him around. But it never came off.

I feel like we got a guy who became a complete ass-hole, and we never really got to show that kind of moment again--this is the guy whose running the group, this is why he's a founding member of the Justice League. And I never felt that way, and I didn't know how to assert it, because the scripts were telling me something different.

I drew in the Dale Gunn character because I wanted a guy--I wanted a guy like Batman, a guy who doesn't have powers, but can go toe-to-toe with the others in the group, and that's what helped make it work. You had a Green Arrow, a Batman, in there. So that's why I drew Dale Gunn in there--and yes, he did look like me [laughs]--I wanted a guy in there who was that human voice. But it never really worked out that well in the scripts.

Which is a shame, because Gerry was a good guy, very nice to me, and DC was playing games with the characters. They wanted to do something with Aquaman, so they told Gerry you have to set it up, but he was like "But then you're going to mess up my story line", so I could see Gerry being very frustrated with that. I was more than frustrated and powerless over the book as well, especially in the series' direction and the editing.

AMS: Yeah! When he told me that, it really drove me nuts--Gerry had taken Aquaman to a bad place, but he was doing something with it, going somewhere, and DC's like "No, no, no, we've got to pull him out for the mini-series." Gee, thanks--you've got him being an a-hole here, with no denouement.

CP: It's funny, because I would ask Alan straight-up how the book is doing. My biggest shock--we're coming back 20 years later, and you're telling me you and some other guys like what I was doing--at the time, and until the day I left DC, I thought I was the most despised guy at DC. I felt blamed for co-creating the characters that brought the book to its near demise.

AMS: Oh, wow--no, I always liked your work, and that was one of the things I thought was so odd at the time. As a kid, you pick up on things, and at the time the JLA book seemed very rickety, in that you had come on, been on for a while, done some really great work, and then--bang!--you were gone. And no one even mentioned it on the letters page--one month you had George Tuska filling in, and then a few months later, you had someone else as the new regular penciller, and as a kid, I was like "Well, what happened to Chuck Patton?!?"

The fact that Alan Gold never mentioned it, it felt very disjointed, very strange. And they even did the same thing with Gerry Conway, about a year later--in the middle of a story line, he was just gone.

CP: I got along with Alan, but I would ask him how the book was doing, are kids liking it, are the fans liking it, and he would tell me it was 50/50. And Nick Cuti was his assistant at the time, and he would give me another thing, something like "Well, its 50/50, but people like what you're doing, but not so much liking the characters." And I was like okay, that's telling me something.

AMS: So what finally happened?

CP: By this time, I felt more powerless and frustrated over the book from story direction to editing and it was time to go. I was living in Los Angeles by then so I called Alan and said, "I'd like to move on, I'd like to do another book", and he said, "Well, you've got Justice League, you can't 'move on'", and I said, "No, I'd really like to." And God bless Marv [Wolfman], he gave me a Teen Titans try-out, with the idea that maybe I'd come on as a regular penciller.

I followed the book [Justice League] afterwards to see if I got some sort of goodbye, and--nope.

I tried Titans, which kept going between different people, like Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, so I kept trying for a regular gig, and I almost got one on Vigilante, another Marv book. I did a Blue Beetle for Len, but it wasn't a regular book--it was Paris Cullins' book. I was getting the feeling that DC had nothing for me. By that time, I had made contact with Marvel, and did some fill-in stuff for them. I kept feeling that, whatever the "magic" was, I wasn't getting it. Whatever's going on in comics, I'm just missing it.

I was then doing the Nightwing story [for Action Comics Weekly], and at some point they got an inker on it who I really didn't like, didn't follow my pencils. I asked to do a color-hold, and DC told me they couldn't afford it. I said "George [Perez] is doing color-holds all the time!", but they still said no.

After that, I got an offer from DIC, who wanted someone to work in their development department. I worked on Ghostbusters, then COPS, becoming the 'go-to guy' for designing most of the superhero/action adventure properties in house at DIC.

From there I went from Art Director to Director to eventually Director/Producer for such shows as GI Joe, Double Dragon, Inspector Gadget, Kong and others. The high point of my animation career was winning the Emmy for my work on HBO's Spawn with Frank Paur. An accomplishment I'm also very proud of was revamping the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for 4 Kids and a slew of other properties down the line.

AMS: What are you working on now?

CP: Well, I'm waiting to hear if there's going to be a sequel to my movie, Dead Space Downfall. I'm also just starting to develop some personal projects as well as doing storyboard work to keep me busy. Right now I'm working on the Secret Saturdays show and having a blast.

When I'm not directing, I usually do storyboard work. Ironically, I've done boards for Teen Titans and Legion of Superheroes, two books I drew back in the day. Funny too cause in doing those, I missed out working on Justice League Unlimited where the JLA Detroiters appeared. Lucky me--lol.

A good friend of mine is creating a website for me, digging up stuff I've done and haven't seen in years.

AMS: I'm glad to hear that. Well, Chuck, thanks so much for talking to me for the Shrine. It was great to finally get talk to you, after enjoying your work for so long. I appreciate it, and let me know when your site is up and running!

CP: I'll do that. You know, I haven't ever really thought about blogs or websites until I saw what you guys have done. I have artists that work under me, and they said, "You never listened to us about getting a blog!" They were looking at your blog and going, "See? We told you!" I have to say, you guys really gave me a shot in the arm. I'm being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century.

I thank you and the fans for giving me the chance to talk about something I haven't talked about in years. This was great, and I really appreciate it.

Justice League of America Annual #2 - 1984

"The End of the Justice League!" by Gerry Conway, Chuck Patton, and Dave Hunt.

The biggest change to ever happen to the Justice League of America! New faces, new motivations, new leaders!

Following what transpired in the Earth/Mars war in JLA #s 228-230, the members of the League who were present take a space shuttle to go back and see what--if anything--is left of their beloved satellite headquarters.

The various members of the team fan out and start assessing the damage. Black Canary wonders if it can be rebuilt, and Firestorm jokes, "rebuild what?"

But Aquaman isn't in such a goofy mood. He takes one look at what has happened, and mutters to himself that this is the end of the Justice League:

(click to JLAify!)

Hawkgirl wonders if she heard Aquaman right. Hawkman, worriedly, says that she did.

After they return to Earth, Green Arrow suggests they start rebuilding immediately. Aquaman walks away, suggesting that even if it could be rebuilt, the team itself may not be able to be repaired. He says for everyone to meet him at the U.N. in one week.

He heads home, happy to finally see his wife, Mera. Unfortunately, she has left, leaving him a message saying that clearly his duty to the League is the most important thing in his life. She suggests he not try to find her...

One week later, at the U.N., Aquaman calls for a special audience, and makes a startling announcement:

...in just five pages, the JLA we all knew is gone.

The announcement is heard all over the world, like by an older man who seems to have massive wealth, and by fashion model Mari McCabe, who abruptly quits her job upon hearing what has happened.

At a high-rise apartment in New York, the JLA--such as it is--is deciding what to do next. They are met by a mysterious stranger, who seems to have fantastic powers!

She is revealed to be the super-heroine The Vixen, who says she is there to join up. Another new hero makes his introductions, as well, a man named Steel:

Steel comes with a new HQ, in Detroit. Its a fully-functioning base, complete with living quarters, a pool, training rooms, etc.

They are met an armed guard, who attacks them for breaking into this place. Steel busts the guy's head, and we learn that inside the suit is Dale Gunn, an old friend of Steel's grandfather, and sort of a surrogate father to the young man. Both Zatanna and Vixen like what they see.

Meanwhile, we are introduced to a young man, a street kid/graffiti artist named Paco, who goes by the name "Vibe." When he runs afoul of some gang members, he displays amazing powers that can be directed at people and shake them uncontrollably.

This little show is seen by Steel and Vixen, and Steel tries to talk Aquaman into letting the kid join. Aquaman says no, pissing off Steel in the process, but he reconsiders when Vibe walks up to their front door and Aquaman gets a first-hand lesson in what this kid can do.

The kid is full of himself, that's for sure:

On the way to meet Vibe's family, he and Steel meet another seemingly super-powered person, a young street thief that the people in the neighborhood call "Gypsy."

While Steel meets Vibe's family (and is immediately smitten by his sister, Rosita), Zatanna introduces herself to Dale Gunn, in about a forward a manner as possible:

While these two flirt, Gypsy breaks in to the HQ, setting off the security alarms!

The JLA all run to the sound, with Martian Manhunter using his shape-shifting powers to nab Gypsy. When they ask who she is, she gives them a long, implausible story. When pressed for the truth, she disappears.

Aquaman is worried none of this is going like he planned, but his doubts are interrupted by a neighborhood welcoming committee, who are throwing a block party to welcome their new neighbors:

Of course, to be continued!


Well, what to say? This turn of events absolutely floored me when I read it, way back in 1984. While I was *thrilled* that Aquaman was taking such a large role in the JLA, I was very unsure of these new characters.

And while I was happy to see action-hogs Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern depart, it was the removal of my other favorites, like Green Arrow and the Hawks that made me scratch my head.

I was even more confused by this passage in the annual's text page by editor Alan Gold:

...in retrospect, of course Gold was just trying to make sure comic fans didn't storm the DC offices like the mob in Frankenstein, but it left me confused. Were "The Big Ones" gone from the book, or not? And if not, what chance did these new characters have? Questions, questions!


Okay--those of you who regularly followed my JLA Satellite blog know this this post is pretty much the same one from that blog, when I got this point in the JLA's publishing history.

I'm posting it here now for a couple of different reasons: 1)Aquaman's role in the JLA was a hugely important part of the character's history, so I've always felt that it should be covered at some length here on the Shrine; 2)I feel I'm a better writer/synopser(?) than I was back when I started the JLA blog, so I'd like to take a second shot at some of the more Aquaman-centric issues of Justice League of America, and this post will be the first of those efforts.

Finally, and most excitingly, is I wanted something to tie in to tomorrow's post, where we'll have a brand-new interview with JLA artist Chuck Patton, who was half of the creative team on the book when Aquaman took center stage!

So be here tomorrow when we'll talk to Chuck!

Aquaman (Vol.6) #0 - Oct. 1994

"A Crash of Symbols" by Peter David, Martin Egeland, Brad Vancata, and Howard M. Shum.

A while back, I did a couple of posts talking about the first year's worth of Aquaman (Vol.6), which started in August 1994, picking up right where the Aquaman: Time and Tide mini-series left off.

When I looked at those issues, I had totally forgotten about that weird little moment when DC produced a bunch of "0" issues of many of their titles, part of yet another multi-book crossover event. Aquaman was one of the series that got an issue #0, and I finally got around to picking up a copy.

Aquaman #0 takes place in between Aquaman #s 2 and 3, after Aquaman has had his hand gnawed off by those nasty piranhas, under the control of bad guy Charybdis. Dolphin has grabbed Aquaman and Aqualad (who is also injured) and leads them back to Atlantis:

...yuck!

Later, we see what we think is Aquaman resting in bed. He is visited by Dolphin, who puts the moves on him, only to turn into some sort of horrible monster, digging her bloody claw into Arthur's chest!

Of course, this is a nightmare Aquaman is having, and all she and Vulko can do is wait while he recovers.

Aqualad recovers much quicker, motivated by the chance to spend some time with Dolphin. Meanwhile, Aquaman's nightmares get worse:

...I know its a dream, but that panel of Black Manta groping Mera looks so wrong. That's a nightmare if I ever saw one.

In this nightmare, Manta tosses Aquaman outside, where Atlantis is an empty husk of a city. He then finds him crucified by Manta, alongside Aqualad and Arthur, Jr.!

He then finds himself in the arms of his late mother, who cradles him like a baby, only to turn into Nuliajuk, mother of sea beasts, a snake-haired demon!

She is startled by Atlan, the great wizard, and they battle for Arthur's soul. Aquaman, wanting to be worthy of the great Atlan, struggles to free himself from Nuliajuk's grasp.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, Aqualad, Dolphin, and Vulko are shocked to see Aquaman's body surrounded by a giant school of fish, who swim around his body, not letting anyone get to him!

They carry Aquaman's body up out of bed, and right out of Atlantis. Aqualad and Dolphin take up the chase, and the trail ends at:

...and so begins a new chapter in the history of Aquaman!


While I admit now (and admitted back in that previous post), that these issues read a lot better than I thought they did at the time, I am still nonetheless very glad that the "Hook for a Hand" era of Aquaman is over. Maybe knowing that helps me enjoy these books more, I don't know.

That said, Peter David was really the only writer to make Aquaman a "hot" book and a consistent top seller, so obviously he was doing something the fans were responding to, in addition to drawing new readers to the character.

The only really frustrating part of this issue for me is on the letters page--in a tribute to the late Neal Pozner, editor Kevin Dooley admits that Pozner came to him and offered his services as Aquaman's new writer, having of course written the high-selling and well-received 1986 mini-series.

Dooley ended up not hiring Pozner. Knowing he had the chance and turned Pozner down made me groan, a feeling that got elevated into genuine anger when he seems to dismiss the series Pozner wrote, describing is thusly: "A nice story about the struggle between brothers. It seems, though, it's mostly remembered for Aquaman's 'camouflage' blue costume. It doesn't work, of course. The ocean is only blue on the surface."

Ah yes, of course--a blue costume doesn't work as camouflage underwater, that's true. Thank Neptune this new Aquaman series never relied on any logic-defying concepts, like cybernetic hook hands or anything like that.

Nnnh!