AquaSpotting

This installment of AquaSpotting is courtesy F.O.A.M. member Andy Luckett, who sent me this photo of Aqua Man Pools, Spas, and Billiards, LLC.

Andy describes it as an "abandoned billiard and swimming pool store the next town over." Sounds like the perfect place for a Joker hideout to me--maybe Aquaman and Batman ought to look into it.

Thanks Andy!

Vs. Deck Box

This very handsome Vs. card deck box was sent to me by generous F.O.A.M. member John Lijewksi III.

Decorated with a nifty Alex Ross painting (you can see Aquaman there on the bottom left), the magnetized flap opens as one piece, and inside you can store a number of the smaller metal tins that you can keep the cards in. All in all, a very spiffy package.

Click the graphic to get a better glimpse at Ross' painting, and thanks Jon!

Aquaman Cubee

This is the schematic for an Aquaman Cubee, a little boxy paper doll edition of the Sea King, sent to me by our newest F.O.A.M. member Joshua Wolf. Thanks Joshua!

Joshua also sent me a pic of the whole JLA in Cubee form:

...I can see an animated series in this!

By the way--if you want to build your own Aquaman Cubee, click the graphic up top to download a full-size version.

Thanks Joshua, and welcome to F.O.A.M.!

DC House Ad - 1962

This sweet, friendly house ad ran in a bunch of DC's books in 1962, introducing their mascot, Johnny DC. As you can see, it features most of DC's then-stars, from Superman and Batman to Sugar and Spike to Tomahawk and Bob Hope!

I'm quite possibly reading too much into it, but its sort of amazing how buried Batman is, at least compared to Aquaman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman. This was a bad time, sales-wise, for the Caped Crusader, so maybe the ad's composition (accidentally or not) reflects this. Of course, less than three years later, DC would slap giant images of Bats on everything!

Anyone know who drew this?

JLA/Aquaman Sketch Cards - 2009

This is just a small sample of the (virtual)ton of scans of Aquaman-centric "sketch cards" sent to me by F.O.A.M. member Christopher Chance. Thanks Chris!

These are all from the Justice League of America trading card set, on sale now. I'm happy to see the Sea King represented so heavily; I can only imagine how many Batman and Superman cards there must be out there!

I've been fortunate enough to land one of the sketch cards, I guess the odds are against me I'll find another Aquaman-centric one. But I guess you never know...and that's partly what keeps me buying a couple packs of them every week.

Well played, DC, well played.

More Fun Comics #86 - Dec. 1942

Comics Weekend "Race Around The World" by Mort Weisinger and Louis Cazeneuve.

More fun with More Fun!

So now its time for Johnny Quick to get a cover--still no Aquaman. Sheesh. I can only assume the only way DC knew which features were selling the book was from the letters they got, so maybe Green Arrow, Dr. Fate, and Johnny Quick got most of the mail? I guess we'll probably never know.

Anyway, this story is bound to be a lot of fun because Aquaman's (then)#1 foe, Blackjack, returns!

As Aquaman walks down the street in Hollywood, he proves to be quite popular. One woman asks him for his autograph, another asks him for tips on how to be a better swimmer.

Then, he reaches his destination: the offices of Pariversal Pictures, where its President has a special offer for Aquaman. They want to swim around the world, being filmed the whole time by the studio. They'll turn the footage into a sure-fire hit movie, with all the profits going to the Navy Relief Fund!

Aquaman agrees (be careful of Hollywood contracts, Aquaman!), and a week later the race begins!

Unfortunately, that scurvy rat, Blackjack (looking kind of the worse for wear), hears about this and is determined to get involved:

Blackjack's word gets out to all his criminal compatriots, all over the world, who plan to stop Aquaman when he reaches their neck of the woods.

On the Pacific Coast, Aquaman senses the water is covered in oil. No, it's not Exxon, it's one of Blackjack's tricks!

A nearby ship sets the oil on fire, sparking a ring of flames around Aquaman. To escape the fire, Aquaman simply dives deep under the surface. Unfortunately for the crooks that started it, the fire gets so out of control it hits their ship, setting it on fire as well!

After swimming through the Panama Canal, he makes his way to the South Atlantic, having his path lit at night by the phosphorescence of tiny bacteria.

The next day, another one of Blackjack's henchmen is waiting for Aquaman, and they take a more direct approach: firing artillery at him!

Getting away, Aquaman makes around the coast of Africa, where a Japanese gunboat decides to go after him--but by more subtle means. Suddenly, Aquaman feels very sleepy, and notices that the fish around him are dozing off, too (what does a sleeping fish look like, exactly?).

Turns out the Japanese commander had the water drugged, and it makes Aquaman so woozy they easily scoop him out of the water and bring him aboard. But the fresh air starts to revive him, enabling Aquaman to start busting some Axis heads:

Turns out this race is a lot more difficult than Aquaman ever imagined--but its not all trouble! People around the world, having heard of Aquaman's race, are cheering him on:

But near Australia Aquaman finds himself chased by Japanese fighter planes, and they litter the ocean with bombs!

Luckily, an American fighter plane--"one of General MacArthur's aces"--shows up and takes care of them, even though the odds are six to one!

Not only that, but the plane helps drag Aquaman out of the mud, dropping him in more clear waters where he can resume his race.

Blackjack is furious that none of this has worked, so he tries another tack: attacking the camera men waiting on an island outside of Los Angeles and taking their place. With a gang of armed henchmen waiting in the hills, he implores Aquaman to get nice and close:

...Aquaman, the toast of Hollywood!

Not to question Aquaman's superheroing skills here, but I am little dismayed he let Blackjack get away just so he could finish the race, deadline or no.

I guess he could've gone back and rounded up that scurvy dog and his criminal gang between panels six and seven, but I doubt it. I guess all the better to have Blackjack come back and menace him another day!

Aquaman (Vol.1) #58 - Nov. 1977

Comics Weekend "Through A Past Darkly" by David Michelinie and Jim Aparo.

I thought we'd continue with the Shrine's look at the second, brief, and final run of the original Aquaman book, which started again with #57.

At the end of the last issue, Aquaman had his chance to exact "eye for an eye"-type revenge of the man who murdered his son, Black Manta. But in the end, he found he couldn't do it, instead turning Manta and his henchmen over to the authorities.

Little did Aquaman know, Manta wasn't his only foe currently causing trouble. The Fisherman was in the middle of a plot to find an experimental spy sub, lost somewhere in the Marianas Trench.

Aquaman makes his way home, looking for his wife Mera. But she isn't there, rather:

...I think The Fisherman chose the exact wrong moment to get in Aquaman's face.

Aquaman wallops The Fisherman one, but he uses one of Aquaman's own trophies against him, by dropping a giant metal net over the Sea King.

Normally that wouldn't stop Aquaman, but The Fisherman has re-wired the net so, upon the pressing of a button, the net creates a depressurized field and gives Aquaman a near-fatal case of the bends!

He then tosses a gas grenade, knocking Aquaman out. When he comes to, he finds himself trussed up, high in the air, onto a lighthouse:

...you know, The Fisherman may be kind of a dorky villain, but that hovercraft is one kickin' ride.

Anyway, after The Fisherman takes off (not before taking orders from a mysterious voice, via a radio communicator), Aquaman finds that his telepathic powers are so weakened he can barely communicate with any of the sea creatures just a mile or so away.

Feeling defeated, Aquaman begins to give up, and thinks this may be the very spot where he dies. But then he notices something--this isn't any old lighthouse, it's the lighthouse--the one his father manned, all those years ago!

We then get a re-cap of Aquaman's origin, as the lighthouse's beam makes it way around to Aquaman, where it will burn him to a crisp.

Aquaman thinks of the moment he buried his father, and something in him stirs: he realize he can't give up. He has an obligation, an honor to uphold, so he has...to...keep...trying!

Using all his might, he sends out a telepathic signal, which is picked up by some hermit crabs:

Jim Aparo, always at the top of my list of Aquaman artists, really pulls this sequence off: you feel the searing heat coming off of the lighthouse, just as Aquaman frees himself.

Even though this story is only eleven pages, a recap of Aquaman's origin makes it feel a little padded: did we really need to see that story again?

Although, on the other hand, one of the things I think superhero comics have lost over the decades is the accessibility of their stories to non-long time readers. Recapping an origin brings any potential new reader up to date, so maybe this story is fine the way it is. Plus, we get to see Aparo's take on the iconic moments from Aquaman's origin, and that's good, so...forget what I said in the previous paragraph!

But this issue isn't done yet! Starting with this issue was a solo Mera back-up strip, written by our pal Paul Kupperberg and drawn by Juan Ortiz and Vince Colletta.

This first installment kicks off with Mera desperate for any chance to save her son:

Their old friend Vulko says the only chance to save Arthur Jr. is from a man named Xebel, a scientist from Mera's home dimension that Vulko has been communicating with.

Xebel has spoken of "an amazing healing device" that can be built using some rare elements from Mera's dimension. Vulko points out, though, that it would take an enormous influx of energy to open the portal between the two dimensions, giving Mera the chance to get the necessary elements.

Mera doesn't care about the risk, or the remote chance it will even work--all she wants to know is where this portal is. Vulko tells her, and she takes off. Using her hard water powers, she forces open the portal:

Mera finds herself back in her home dimension, but in the throne room of the royal palace!

Two armed guards rush her, and one them blasts her with a laser, knocking her out. When she awakes, she finds things have changed back in her dimension, not for the better:

...to be continued!


Aside from Mera's debut as a solo star, this issue also features another Aquaman first, sort of: book editor Paul Levitz mentions a first ever Aquaman Annual:

...sadly, Aquaman was cancelled before any such annual could be put together. That sound you hear is me, sobbing.


Before we sign off, I just wanted to mention two things concerning this issue--first, these shots of the interior of Aquaman's headquarters:

Re: Panel 1--what's with the double beds? What is this, The Dick Van Dyke Show?

Re: Panel 2--I love Aquaman having his own Batman-esque trophy room, filled with mementos from previous adventures. I still say Mego could've made one hell of a playset based on this!

Secondly, we get to see Jim Aparo's take on the classic Aquaman origin story. It features a shot of Aquaman's mother looking out over the sea, a moment that seems most artists tackling the origin feel the need to replicate in their own way:

The top right panel is by Kurt Schaffenberger from a Pepsi-produced place mat, the one at the bottom right by Ramona Fradon, from Adventure Comics #260, and the bottom left by Don Heck, from Action Comics #519 (who went a slightly different way with it).

There must be a version by Nick Cardy around somewhere!

Aquaman Microfiche

Improbably, here's a whole bunch of Aquaman comics--namely, his adventures from Adventure Comics #103 and subsequent issues--in microfiche form.

Why was this done? I have no idea. How I did get this? Again, I have no idea--its been in my "To Post" folder for so long I've forgotten who sent this to me (if you're reading this, please email me to take credit).

Perhaps this was a way for DC to have reprintable film of some of their old comics? But then...that can't be right, because the files are in color, and you really can't do reprints from that. So why in Neptune's name would anyone take the time and effort to transfer mid-1940s Aquaman comics onto microfiche?

Microfiche as a technology seems so absurdly outdated from this vantage point that it makes me chuckle. What's next? Aquaman comics via your beeper?*

Hmm...maybe, in some circuitous way, these books being transferred to microfiche is how they ended up as digital files, which the Shrine is so benefiting from now? Mysteries never cease...


(*My apologies to those of you so young you have no idea what a "beeper" even is)

World's Finest #200 Ad - Dec. 1970

This nifty ad, which ran in World's Finest #199, was sent to me by F.O.A.M.er Andy Mangels.

For a brief time, DC toyed around with the decades-long World's Finest format, kicking Batman out of the book so it could feature Superman and rotating guest stars. Depending on how you look at it, its either ironic or perfectly logical that Supes' would quickly team with Robin, the Boy Wonder. C'mon, Clark, cut the cord!

As you can see, DC had the next couple of team-ups already lined up, including Aquaman, who would indeed appear in World's Finest #203. I love that classic Aquaman stock shot, glad to see it again here. Thanks Andy!

AquaMarketplace: Mego 8" Superheroes

As Christmas barrels down on us like the merciless beast it is, I thought I'd recommend another item perfect for the Aqua-Fan in your house (or to present as an idea to a person having to shop for an Aqua-Fan).

This is Mego 8" Super-Heroes: World's Greatest Toys, by our pal Ben Holcomb. Its a beautiful, hardcover book covering the Mego World's Greatest Superheroes line, all in glorious color:

I bought this book as soon as it came out in 2007, and have read it several times since. But last weekend, when I was sick as a dog and didn't want to move, I grabbed this off the shelf and enjoyed it all over again.

Not only does the book feature a section just on the Aquaman toys Mego produced, but it gives equal space to all the other dolls in the line: Batman, The Hulk, Thor, Green Arrow, The Joker, and many, many more! A true treat for any Mego fan.

If you want to find out more about Mego and the book, you can read the interview we did with Ben back upon the book's release!

Spiral Notebook - 2008

During my round-up of "DC Originals" notebooks a few months ago, I somehow forgot to post this one, probably my favorite of all of them--a very exciting collage of Aquaman, Batman, Flash, and Superman stock art poses by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez!

I especially like the white halftone effect behind all the heroes, it gives the whole piece an extra bit of oomph which I think looks really good.

And, of course, Aquaman is quite prominent, and that's always a good thing around here!

The Aquaman Shrine on Facebook

The Aquaman Shrine's Facebook Page just hit 250 fans, and is growing every day!

I really appreciate everyone there who became a fan, so I thought it'd be cool to whip up a little banner (or flair, if you will) for any of the Shrine's Facebook Fans that anyone can use and paste on their page!

The banner above is 410 pixels wide, and there are other sized versions available on the Shrine's Facebook page. Show your love!

Justice League Trading Cards, Pt. 2 - 2009

Okay, I admit it--I'm a sucker for a good trading card set.

I said last week that I was pretty sure I wasn't going to try and collect the entire set of Justice League of America trading cards, but for the second week in a row I found the little packages of them sitting on the counter of All Things Fun too hard to resist.

So I picked up two more packages, and I was pleased to see I didn't get any duplicates. I was even more pleased to find I got another one of the sub-set cards, again starring Aquaman!

What are the odds??

This card is part of a puzzle sub-set, with part of a Super Friends group shot on the back. Why there's a Super Friends sub-set as part of a JLA card set I don't know, but I was thrilled to land another Aquaman-centric card.

If DC's trying to get me to keep buying packs of cards, its working!

Aquaman Shrine Interview with James Tucker - 2009

Today we have a very special interview with Brave and the Bold Producer James Tucker!

As anyone who regularly visits the Shrine knows, I am a big fan of the Brave and the Bold show, and am particularly happy over their unique take on Aquaman. I am thrilled to see an engaging, fun take on the character, and Aquaman has quickly become one of the biggest stars of the show.

James was very generous with his time, answering my questions just before the Thanksgiving holiday when I'm sure he was very busy:

The Aquaman Shrine: One of the things I like the most about the Brave and the Bold Aquaman is how much of a contrast he is to Batman. In the comics Batman and Aquaman are very similar--they're both serious, serious guys, but on the show they couldn't be more different. At what point in the development of the show did you decide to portray Aquaman as the lighthearted "seeker of adventure" type?

James Tucker: Our take on Aquaman came about very early in Batman: The Brave and The Bold's development. It was Sam Register's (the development execuctive in charge of the show at the time and now the president of Warner Bros. Animation) idea to push Aquaman in a different direction.

We were trying to come up with a different way to view him that hadn't been done, but was still true to the character in general. He mentioned perhaps giving Aquaman a similar personality to a greek god ala Hercules or Vultan from the Flash Gordon movie.

TAS: I was going to say, Aquaman does remind me a lot of Prince Vultan.

JT: I immediately thought of Aquaman as a less obnoxious version of Miles Gloriosus, from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum musical. We wanted to play up the kingly aspect of who he was, but not make him the angry King Arthur under the sea type we had portrayed him as in Justice League.

I balked at first but once I started developing a visual for him, it just started clicking in my head. The final piece of the puzzle was casting John DiMaggio as Aquaman. Once I heard the voice, I knew we had something special. I based his design on Steve Reeves, the actor who played Hercules in the old movies. There was something about his big pompadour haircut that suggested ocean waves to me.

Although one could say that all those characters share similar influences. We just added the super hero angle on top of all that and we got our take on Aquaman.

TAS: Do you have a certain number of episodes you want each of the recurring guest-stars (Aquaman, Blue Beetle, Green Arrow, etc.) to appear in, or is it just a matter of how each episode's story develops?

JT: We (my co-producer, Michael Jelenic, and assistant story editor, Todd Casey, and myself) get together in a room and decide who's going to appear and how often then we write it all out on a big white pad and post it on the wall. We have a hierarchy of characters that we select based on our enjoyment of the character and sometimes on requests from Mattel, who produces the toyline for the show.

Some are re-occurring like Blue Beetle and Aquaman. For the second season we knew we wanted more of Aquaman but to also bring in others who weren't highlighted first season. Aquaman is one of those characters we've all fallen in love with and so we sometimes stick him in a story just because we like him so much. He'll have his own spotlight show early in second season where we see more of his family.

TAS: You're reading my mind! I was going to ask if we were ever going to see Aqualad, since he's been mentioned on the show, but never seen. Also, We haven't seen Mera or Ocean Master since Aquaman's debut. Any plans for them to return?

JT: Yes, Mera and another family member of Aquaman's will appear early in season 2. It's a totally off the wall episode, but I think it shows us a side of Aquaman we haven't seen on the show and be a favorite of longtime Aquaman fans.

TAS: Personally, I'd love to see a Batman/Mera episode. That's not a question, just a request!

JT: Well, you kind of will get your wish I think.

TAS: You mentioned Mattel and the B&B toy line. I've said many times on the Shrine that I think B&B will end up doing more for Aquaman's popularity than it will for Batman (how much more popular can Batman get, after all?), and I think a large part of that is because Aquaman is so prevalent in the B&B Mattel toy line. Kids see Aquaman on the show, and then there is on toy shelves!

Does Mattel give you specific comments as to what characters they like, in terms of becoming toys? Do you find yourself digging out an obscure DC character and then Mattel goes "Wow, we can do something with that!" (I imagine this conversation went on over B'Wana Beast!)

JT: The answer to that question is "both". We give Mattel our list of preferred characters who will be featured more than once. There's some give and take between us and them, for instance, if they have a toy promotion designed around Plastic Man, then we will try to make sure he's well represented over the course of the season.

Usually that means at least a teaser and then an episode devoted to him. Blue Beetle was treated that way and so will Metal Men in the second season. Other than those concessions, the toy company really gives us free reign to do our shows as we see fit. Using the more obscure characters comes from us but then the Brave and the Bold mini line takes advantage of that aspect of the show and runs with it.

Bill, the guy in charge of that line, loves the show and he's a huge DC fan too, so he knows all the obscure characters we put in the show and makes sure he fits them into the mini line. Since the minis are a lower price point, the toy company can put more of the B and C-listers in that line and not lose money. You may not see a Detective Chimp in the main B&B line, but you'll probably see it in the mini line.

TAS: Aquaman has appeared in a number of Brave and the Bold episodes, almost more than any other guest star. Did the show want to make a conscious effort build up Aquaman's rep a bit?

JT: We wanted to fight against the perception that Aquaman was a silly character people use as the butt of jokes but I also didn't want to retread him as the angry king, especially since we took that angle with him for the Justice League series.

I always liked him as a character but in the past he's not been given much of a personality, at least, much of a pleasant personality, IMHO. So the trick was finding a unique personality for him that would pop against Batman's and create some excitement but still be consistent with what he is as a character.

As with all the characters on our show, I wanted people to find him humorous but in an accessible way. Not by making fun of him, but by actually playing up all the things people have come to mock him over, i.e., talking to fish, etc. I hedged my bets by giving him Mera's hard water power, which I always thought was very cool.

The idea is that, yes, to some his powers are silly, but he doesn't think so. He's an optimist, he likes people, he loves being who he is: a king and a hero. I think that personality is consistent with who he has been portrayed as in the past but also gives people who had dismissed him as the butt of jokes him a new angle into his character. Whether his powers are silly or not (I don't think they are), he's a likable character that the audience can enjoy.

TAS: How much Aquaman backstory did you give John DiMaggio before he took on the role?

JT: Andrea Romano, our legendary voice director, described what we had in mind for the character to John. I may have also told John to channel Milos Gloriosus too. John, being well versed in musical theater, knew exactly how to do it from then on and had us on the floor laughing with each line reading.

The thing I love about what John does with Aquaman is he's able to get us to laugh at Aquaman's antics but not laugh at him. That's very hard to achieve with a character and if we had cast that part badly, Aquaman wouldn't have grown into the lovable character he has on the show. He's a character all the writers who work on the show want to write because he a breath of fresh air from the constipated heroes that currently seem in vogue.

TAS: Does each member of the staff have a particular favorite (or favorites) obscure DC character that they each want to work into the show?

JT: Oh sure. Ben Jones, one of our three directors, loves Red Tornado. Unfortunately, he never got to direct a Red Tornado focused episode in the first season, and Reddy doesn't appear as much in second season.

Michael Chang, another director, likes Dr. Fate a lot and he got to direct the season one finale, "Fate of Equinox" episode that featured Dr. Fate. Our newest director, Michael Goguen, loves Capt. Marvel and directed "Death Race to Oblivion" which featured the debut of Capt. Marvel in the teaser.

The great thing about working on this show is that a lot of the people on the crew are fans, and because the show itself is good-natured, I think people enjoy the vibe of working on it, even this type of show takes a lot of work because of all the brand new characters and locations we go to each episode.

TAS: You've mentioned in interviews before you're a fan of Aquaman. Were there any particular Aquaman comics you read growing up that you really loved?

JT: My first exposure to Aquaman was most likely the Filmation series and then the Superfriends after that. I didn't get to read the comics until he was being featured in Adventure Comics drawn by Jim Aparo. I'm pretty sure the first issue I read was the one where Aquababy is killed! I remember that issue making a big impression on me.

I have always liked his visual and think he's right up there with Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman as an iconic superhero. Everyone knows Aquaman on sight whether they've read his comic books or not.


Speaking for this Aquaman fan, James' answers were one good piece of news after another!

As all of us know, Aquaman doesn't get a whole lot of respect from DC Comics' itself, so its a huge relief to hear he has so many fans in the upper echelons of Warner Bros.' animation and merchandising arms. And, thanks to a fundamental belief in the strength of the character, we now have Aquaman regularly appearing on a nationwide, hit TV show, and appearing all over toy shelves.

I thank James so much for his time talking to the Shrine, and for all his great work. I didn't think this was possible, but I'm looking forward to future episodes of Brave and the Bold even more than I was before!

More Fun Comics #85 - Nov. 1942

Comics Weekend "The Unhappy Hunting Grounds!" by Mort Weisinger and Louis Cazeneuve.

More fun with More Fun!

I'm not sure about the physics of this issue's cover, but that's not for us to worry about--we're here to talk about Aquaman!:

Probably the goofiest--yet also grimmest--of all the More Fun splash pages.

This story opens with a bunch of cruel hunters, carelessly shooting their high-tech "electric guns" into seals. Of course, Aquaman is not going to stand for this:

The polar bear tries to sneak up on Aquaman, but he hears it when it gets too close. Aquaman grabs the polar bear, twirls it around, and hauls it onto land, right into the pile of hunters!

The hunters try and use the electric guns against the polar bear, but they're too weak to do much, and the angry bear chases the hunters back onto their ship. Aquaman watches nearby, promising "Those poachers have had one lesson! But they'll need another one before they learn that this island is unhealthy for them!"

The hunters, undeterred, plan to go back hunting seals the next day. But that night, Aquaman sends an army of seals marching up the ship's gangplank, where they chase the hunters into the drink!

Aquaman leaves a note for the hunters on their ship:

"Get off Seal Island before you have worse luck! If you think walruses are bad, you should see some of the whales I know--Aquaman."

The head hunter is not deterred by this threat, and his new plan is to get rid of Aquaman! And he devises a plan how to do it and not get caught...

That night, Aquaman sees one of the men fall off the hunting ship, and cry for help. Aquaman, showing a rare moment of compassion, rescues him and tries to bring him back aboard. But they drop a giant steel net over them both, trapping Aquaman!

The next morning, they drop him on a small tropical island, letting him broil in the hot sun, kept there at gunpoint. They leave him on the island, but promise to shoot him if he takes one step into the ocean.

Stuck, Aquaman does the Cast Away bit:

With the hunters still watching, Aquaman finds some soft sand near an oyster shell. He determines that, just a few feet under the ground, is a passageway to the sea!

One of the hunters sees him trying to escape, takes a shot at him, but misses--Aquaman is free!

Aquaman hops aboard a nearby swordfish, and makes a beeline for the hunters' ship:

I love the sweet last panel, with all the seals bidding Aquaman adieu.

Aquaman is less dynamic here than in previous stories--he's fairly easily captured (didn't he even try to escape while they pulled the other guy out of the net?) and the hunter's plan to wait Aquaman out and shoot at him seems like a lot of work just to be able to hunt some seals.

That said, I like the serious touch in what's a generally silly story concerning hunting. It helps underscore what makes Aquaman special, since he is the principal defender of all the creatures of the sea.

Aquaman Trailer

F.O.A.M. member Wil Radcliffe sent me this YouTube video of a fan-made (of course it's fan-made!) super-short "teaser trailer" for an Aquaman movie with Sean Bean as the Sea King:

...not much there, but still interesting. Thanks Wil!

Blackest Night #5 - Jan. 2010

Comics Weekend "Blackest Night" by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert, and Joe Prado.

Blackest Night continues, and I initially was going to skip writing about this issue because, after reading it, I saw how little Aqua-content there is. Zombie Aquaman doesn't appear at all, and Mera for only two pages.

But it seemed weird to me to skip an issue, for any reason, so here we are. It opens with the various colored Lanterns banding together, ready to fight the encroaching darkness:

This issue is mostly centered on The Flash (both of them!) and the addition of reinforcements to their fight, like Superman, Wonder Woman, Fire, Ice, Green Arrow, etc.

But over in Manhattan, the battle we saw last issue is still raging, and that's where we find Mera:

...and that's it for Mera and The Atom, as they disappear into one of the Black Lantern rings.

Later in this issue, Nekron and Black Hand reanimate the corpse of Bruce Wayne (gross!), which in turn helps all the heroes that have died and come back--and that's a long list--suddenly morph into Black Lanterns, too.

Which means, by the end of this issue, our heroes now have evil versions of Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Animal Man, and more to deal with. Not good!

To be continued!


I have to admit, Geoff Johns has sucked me in a bit here. I still don't enjoy all the grimness and gore, but the story is moving along at a good clip, and he's made Mera such a central figure that I find myself rooting for her to kick major zombie ass each issue!

Brave and The Bold: "Death Race to Oblivion!"

I just got around to watching last week's new episode of Brave and The Bold, and since Aquaman doesn't appear in it, I would normally not do a post about it here.

But it does feature Black Manta fairly substantially, so here's a quick rundown of what happened!

After a boffo introductory segment featuring Batman and Captain Marvel squaring off against Blockbuster, we find Bats as well as Green Arrow, The Huntress, Guy Gardner, Plastic Man (and Woozy Winks!) transported to some rocky planet by that Darkseid wannabe, Mongul!

But that's not all: he also has transported several super-villains, including Black Manta!

He tells all assembled that he has gathered them for a race, competing against each other plus one of his minions. Promising to destroy the home city of each losing contestant, Mongul has pitted everyone against each other!

Everyone goes to work on their own souped-up vehicle, and of all them its Black Manta's that stands out the most:

...note to Mattel: get on this!

Actually, all the vehicles are fun and unique: Green Arrow's Arrowcar, Woozy Winks drives a car made up of Plastic Man, etc. I particularly love The Gentleman Ghost's Groovy Ghoulies-inspired hearse/roadster.

One by one, everyone tries to take the lead, only to crash and then be teleported to Mongul's satellite of love to watch the end of the race. We get a couple shots of Black Manta (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) inside his giant ship:

Manta tries to knock Batman out of the race, which doesn't work, and then he gets double-crossed by The Joker and is sent packing.

Eventually, of course, its Batman who wins the race, since nobody is as committed to saving their hometown as Bats is to Gotham.

But also of course Batman has a plan--conspiring in secret with Green Arrow and Huntress to turn the tables on Mongul, leading to Batman using his Batmobile to do a sort of Transformers bit and punch Mongul's lights out, and destroying his satellite in the process.

Guy Gardner rescued everyone off of it before it blew, even the villains. The episode ends with The Joker offering to take his fellow baddies out for pizza:

...I wouldn't do it!

Like pretty much every episode of Brave and the Bold, this is a lot fun with some neat twists and turns and some good gags. And I dig that Manta ship big time!

DC Superheroes Custom Clock

These are shots of a custom-made clock, sent in by our newest F.O.A.M. member, known online as Saranga!

Saranga told me the clock is about 3-feet high, for sale in a Norwhich craft market. made up entirely of comic book panels clipped from various DC comics. She remarked: "At 65 pounds and with Christmas coming up I couldn't afford to buy it, but I do think it is immensely cool. Particularly as I could never bring myself to cut up comics that way!"

As you can see, Aquaman appears in several places, so maybe the industrious clockmaker is a fan. Or, since the clock looks like its made up mostly from the same couple of comics, maybe its just result of that.

In any case, its a pretty cool piece--thanks Saranga, and welcome to F.O.A.M.!

Ocean Master Paper Doll

I found this ginormous package (standing about knee high) on my doorstep last Saturday, sent to me by F.O.A.M. member Mac Schafer.

Inside was another of Mac's beautifully idiosyncratic paper dolls representing members of the AquaFamily. This time it was Mac's newest creation, Ocean Master!

I think I love Orm's oddly-shaped cape most of all; it gives the whole piece a kind of angular, Rankin-Bass type feel that I really like. I can just picture Mac's Aqua-Family dolls breaking into song.

Mac sent me a picture of it a week or two ago, and when I told him how much I liked it he generously decided to send it to me. But that's not at all! Inside the Box O'AquaFun was another of Mac's paper dolls--Aqualad!

I had previously done a post on the Aqualad paper doll, but I didn't have it in my collection until now. As you can see, despite their past differences, Garth and Orm are getting along:

It was exceedingly generous of Mac to send me these beauties, just, as he put it, "as a way so thanks for the Aquaman Shrine." The Shrine is such a labor of love for me, I feel like I don't deserve gifts for putting it together--its me who should be thanking all of you!

And that's why I decided to post this today, on Thanksgiving. Not to be all corny, but I am very thankful for all of you out there who come by and check out what I'm doing, and send me stuff to use or just something you think I'll find interesting. Its greatly appreciated, and I'm humbled by all the support the Shrine is shown on a regular basis.

And special thanks to Mac, I love 'em!



Related posts:
Aquaman Paper Doll
Mera Paper Doll
Aqualad Paper Doll

Lego/Mini-Mates Fight! Fight! Fight!

This elaborate Lego/Mini-Mates donnybrook diorama is courtesy our newest F.O.A.M. member Bill Kirsch. Thanks Bill!

Here's a close up of the Aquaman/Ocean Master throwdown:

I don't know which part I like more--the little sea creatures floating around Arthur and Orm as they work out their sibling rivalry issues, or the simulated flying effect Bill used for some of the characters. In any case, its a really fun display.

Click either graphic to get a better view of the individual fights, and Bill, welcome to F.O.A.M.!

Justice League Trading Cards - 2009

Originally scheduled for a summer release, the Justice League of America Archives trading card set finally hit comics stores last week. The above cards are three Aqua-related examples of the card fronts, which each feature a moment from the original Justice League of America comic.

The back of each card features the cover of the book that the front scene is taken from:

Overall, these are nice cards--sturdily made, and they make for an attractive package. I like the overall graphic design, and the lack of stuff gumming up the main image is cool--just the JLA logo, that's all you need!

That said, it might have been nice if each card could have had a little factoid about the particular issue, or even the JLA in general. Right now, they're just a series of pretty pictures. Not that that's a bad thing, but I think there could've been a little more.

Like the DC Legacy trading card set, some packs feature one-of-a-kind "sketch cards", and I managed to score one my first time out! Not only that, but I got an Aquaman!

I don't recognize the art style, or the signature, so I don't know who did this piece, but I'm jazzed that I got a one-of-a-kind Aquaman sketch!

I'll probably pick up a couple more packs of these cards at least, not sure I'm going to make the effort of trying to amass the whole set. If anyone else is buying them, let me know and if I end up with other sketch cards I'd always be up for a trade!

AquaMarketplace

Welcome to the opening of the AquaMarketplace!

Earlier in the month, I put up the Shrine's first ad, promoting the 2nd edition to the book The Physics of Superheroes by James Kakalios. The other day, I went back and checked my Amazon Associates page, and saw that the Shrine helped move a surprising (to me, at least) number of copies! Thanks to everyone that bought a book from Amazon via my link.

Since that was a success, I thought I'd open up an informal Aquaman Shrine store for Amazon.com, where I put up a web ad promoting some particular product that caught my eye and I think is pretty cool. Plus it helps defray the cost of running the Shrine--a little bit, at least.

Not everything will be Aquaman, or even comic book, related. Case in point, this book:

I haven't even finished reading Brad Matsen's Jacques Cousteau: The Sea King yet, but I can already recommend it to anyone with an interest in the world-famous explorer of the seas. Cousteau's commitment to caring for the world's oceans and all the life in them made him a real-life Aquaman.

A regular observation he made throughout his life was how little of the planet's vast oceans we have explored; which reminds me a lot of Aquaman's famous line from Kingdom Come about him ruling 70% of the world. After all, they are both known as The Sea King!

Its a highly addictive read, in that author Matsen lays out Cousteau's incredible life story in such vivid detail that I found myself going way past my "chapter a night" bedtime ritual and reading as much as I could before falling asleep. An amazing life, an excellent read.

Aqualad/Action Boy - 1966

Considering how important Ideal's Captain Action line is to Aquaman's history, I haven't given all that much attention to the CA line of toys. That's mostly because the Captain Action toys are now so damn expensive, that even the most beat-up examples of them still can cost you a fortune.

I don't own the Action Boy as Aqualad doll, in any condition, so I'm borrowing this nice, clean image of the doll in minty fresh from from Scoop, who ran an article on the whole Action Boy line last Friday. Man, do I love that little rubber octopus!

I would've missed the piece entirely if not for F.O.A.M. member Ed Catto, who pointed it out to me. Thanks Ed!


Speaking of Action, comma Captain, Ed is one of the guys behind the current revival of CA as a comic book star, as well as some other characters from that universe.

He told me that in the Lady Action Special one-shot, there's an accompanying three-page article on the uber-rare line of Super Queens dolls, which improbably featured Mera as part of the line (and are so expensive they make the Captain Action dolls look like items you'd find at a dollar store). Here's the first page of the piece:

The Lady Action Special comes out in January, so if you want a copy talk to your LCS (you can get a look at the book here). Thanks for the sneak peek, Ed!

More Fun Comics #84 - Oct. 1942

Comics Weekend "Raid on Atlantis!" by Mort Weisinger and Louis Cazeneuve.

More fun with More Fun!

Setting aside the cover (which will not be appearing at the Museum of Tolerance anytime soon), this issue's Aquaman adventure features a bit of a change of pace:

Aquaman swims to get a closer look at the schooner, but can see nothing amiss. But something still nags at him, even back at his undersea headquarters:

Considering how much of a jawbreaker Aquaman is, I think this Dr. Coburn guy should rethink his plan. But, of course, he trudges on...

After we learn that Coburn plans to double cross his partner Jerrod once he captures Aquaman, he has himself lowered into the sea (via a bathysphere), where he tries to lure Aquaman into coming close.

Despite Aquaman's earlier misgivings about men on the sea in general, he does get close, and through the bathysphere's porthole he sees a sign Dr. Coburn is holding: "Have important message--can you come nearer?"

Aquaman does, falling into Coburn's trap:

Aquaman is trussed up in the ship's hold. Dr. Coburn asks Aquaman to sign some papers, but Aquaman flatly refuses. So Coburn shoots him with a gas pellet gun, which makes Aquaman highly susceptible to Coburn's suggestions!

Later, Coburn falls prey to a double cross himself, courtesy Jerrod and his hulking henchman, Skol (who creepily reminds me of Dick Briefer's Frankenstein):

Jerrod and Skol dump Coburn into the sea, and soon after they have their own stunt show running, featuring Aquaman doing all kinds of amazing water tricks, including high-diving into a pool, speed swimming (where one female patron remarks, "He's my ideal man!"), and other events.

Two small kids seem to notice how sad Aquaman seems to be, but of course Jerrod and Skol don't care: they're too busy counting all the cash they're raking in.

But what they don't know is, after the repetitive doses of the drug, it starts to lose its effectiveness, to the point where Aquaman starts contemplating an escape!

The next day, Jerrod pulls another double cross, this time on Skol, dumping him into a tank of killer sea creatures! During the squabble though, they both fall in.

Aquaman sees this, and his devotion to saving human life overrides his drug-induced fog, and he jumps in to save both of them:

Despite this, Jerrod and Skol demand Aquaman go back to work! Aquaman refuses, so they call out their gang of henchmen to put Aquaman back in his place.

Aquaman, now totally free of the drug, starts punching guys left and right, knocking one of them into a glass tank, smashing it open and freeing his other finny friends.

Jerrod and Skol, their show ruined, start to argue, and what they did to Coburn comes out while Aquaman stands by:

...and with that, Aquaman sets sail for another adventure!


Like I said, this issue's story is a change of pace, in that Aquaman is dragged to land, away from the sea. Also, Blackjack is nowhere to be seen, for once!

Kind of amazing that the Dr. Coburn guy doesn't get saved by Aquaman somehow--nope, they throw him into the water, he's eaten by sharks, the end.


When Aquaman is held captive by Dr. Coburn, we get a glimpse of how the Sea King feels about not being a free man:

AQUAMAN: "LIVE FREE OR DIE."

DC Super Friends #21 - Jan. 2010

Comics Weekend "Happily Never After" by Sholly Fisch and Stewart McKenny.

Behind yet another spiffy cover by J.Bone comes a tale where the Super Friends meet The Queen of Fables!

It starts on the JLA Satellite, where the Super Friends crack open a mysterious book. With none of them claiming ownership, they wonder how it got there, so naturally they open it.

What they don't expect is that the book transports them all to another dimension:

This land seems to made up all of manner of mythical characters, from Sleeping Beauty to Paul Bunyan, unicorns and fairies.

They are met by The Queen of Fables, who says she has brought the Super Friends to this land since they, too, are legendary beings with amazing stories to tell. The Super Friends protest of course, but the Queen isn't offering them a choice.

Transporting them all into different scenarios, she sits back (with a box of popcorn, no less) and watches the heroes go through their paces: Wonder Woman is in some sort of enchanted forest, The Flash finds himself among a group of leprechauns, and Aquaman ends up in the South Pacific:

Superman runs into John Henry, Green Lantern is deposited in front of the Baobab Tree, and Batman encounters...Robin, the Boy Wonder? Or is it?

Each of the Super Friends finds their way out of their particular situations, some by helping, some by showing a better way. Aquaman, instead of fighting the giant shark, uses his wits to defeat it:

They all find their way back to the Queen of Fables, who is impressed at the Super Friends' ingenuity, saying they will be fine additions to this world.

When the Super Friends again insist they're not staying, she corrals all the mythical creatures of the land to force the Super Friends into staying.

But Wonder Woman gets the idea that since they all changed the legendary stories using their imaginations, they can do that here. Instead of creatures spoiling for a fight, she turns them all into party guests, assembling a cake, tea, and party hats, rendering all the menacing beasts into gentle party-goers.

Green Lantern figures out the way out of this realm is to utter the magic words "And they lived happily ever after", and he does just that, transporting all the Super Friends back home:

The story ends with a plug for your local library, featuring some of the Super Friends (but not Aquaman, darn it) hanging out and reading.

Nice art job by Stewart McKenny--his Super Friends look a little less blocky and a little more cartoony, which I think looks good. In particular, I like how the giant shark Aquaman encounters looks like Jabberjaw.

This issue also features a drawing of Aquaman (and Green Lantern) vs. Starro, courtesy Jacob Flynn, age 5:

...nice job, Jacob!