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Author	Topic: Aquaman has surfaced!!!
REKLEN Member	posted January 27, 2003 02:23 AM I believe Superman first met Aquaman sometime in the mid-fifties, either in SUPERMAN or even in Lois Lane. I remember that he helped Superman out a couple of times with Kryptonite or Lori Lemaris prior to JLA or any other formal teamups. However, I don't have access to the Superman Encyclopedia so I can't tell you what issues. He probably appeared because of the Wiesinger connection. Reklen IP: Logged
TommyYesterday Member	posted January 27, 2003 11:32 AM Between the Aquaman Archives with a new cover by Ramona Fradon and the Ramona Fradon-esque Metamporpho action figure in the lime box with the go-go checks, it was Silver Age Superhero heaven this weekend. Rereading these stories, I can see why they appealed to me so much as a kid -- part of the reason was Ramona's artwork, which somehow had more personality than the work of other artists at the time (love Curt Swan, George Papp, Al Plastino, but artists like Fradon and Schaffenberger had a richer style that drew me into the worlds they were drawing). The other part was the Aquaman character -- not a "strange being from another planet" like Superman, but a strange being from our planet, operating "magically" both above and under the sea, it made me wonder at the age of 5 or 6 what lurked beneath the waves in the real world. Now the hero in the gaudy orange and green costume that made him stand apart from all the red and blue heroes he shared books with has resurfaced, in a fine quality hardcover book -- thank you, DC, for this terrific Archive! Please, let's have another one next year, and give Nick Cardy's work time to shine in the spotlight. (A "Teen Titans" Archive could do that as well ...) IP: Logged
Mark Katzoff Member	posted January 27, 2003 12:48 PM The one that comes to mind for me is The Mermaid of Atlantis from Superman 138, although that's July 1960. IIRC' Aquaman also posed as Mental Man in an issue of Action Comics and turned up in the early Lois Lane story The Merwoman of Metropolis in Lois Lane 12 (OCt' 59). It's interesting that you mention the Weisinger connection. The JLA members who guest-starred in The Irrestible Lois Lane in Lois Lane 29 were frequent guest Batman and two characters with ties to Weisinger: Aquaman and Green Arrow. quote: Originally posted by REKLEN: I believe Superman first met Aquaman sometime in the mid-fifties, either in SUPERMAN or even in Lois Lane. I remember that he helped Superman out a couple of times with Kryptonite or Lori Lemaris prior to JLA or any other formal teamups. However, I don't have access to the Superman Encyclopedia so I can't tell you what issues. He probably appeared because of the Wiesinger connection. Reklen IP: Logged
Tegan Member	posted January 28, 2003 12:27 AM Best... archive... ever... Truly, the color reconstruction on this one was simply fantastic. As a rabid Aquaman fan, this is the best archive I've seen yet. Now, I just wish I could get a Golden Age archive. ------------------ Laura Gjovaag http://www.eskimo.com/~tegan/aqua/ http://realtegan.blogspot.com/ IP: Logged
Matthewwave Member	posted January 28, 2003 01:27 AM Thanx, folks, for the Arthur-meets-Clark info! Tegan -- I'm so glad you're enjoying this great book! What a treat it must be for you! Matthew ------------------ "Its no use trying to talk to Matthew. His arrogance is never ending." IP: Logged
Steven Utley Member	posted January 28, 2003 04:59 PM Starting in 1958 with, I think, a story in ADVENTURE COMICS in which Superboy met Robin, a surprising (in retrospect) number of links were established among characters appearing in DC books edited by Mort Weisinger and Jack Schiff. I don't know whether or not they were deliberate attempts on Weisinger's and Schiff's parts to prepare the ground for Julius Schwartz's updated Justice Society. Following the Superboy/Robin team-up -- this is strictly off the top of my head -- Superboy met young Oliver Queen, Aquaboy, and young Bruce Wayne, Supergirl met young Tommy Tomorrow, Jimmy Olsen met Congorilla, Lois Lane hung out with Aquaman and later smooched publicly with him, Batman, and The Green Arrow (as part of a byzantine plan to save Superman), Aquaman disposed of a kryptonite meteorite before it could fall into the hands of evil-doers, Batman wrote a fan letter to The Green Arrow and Speedy, who then met Superman, people showed up costumed as Batman, The Green Arrow, and even Wonder Woman at a couple of masquerade parties in the Superman titles, etc. One of you obsessive-compulsive types needs to catalogue these crossovers, cameos, and references. IP: Logged
James Friel Member	posted January 28, 2003 05:29 PM Just in Aquaman Archives vol.1, Aquaman disposes of two Kryptonite meteors and has his two part sort-of crossover with Green Arrow. IP: Logged
James Friel Member	posted January 28, 2003 05:31 PM There was also the Mental Man story in an issue of Superman or Action--Aquaman masquerading as a comic strip hero (drawn by Lois!--and her style was just like Curt Swan's...) to help her or Superman foil some nasty or other. IP: Logged
Leah Member	posted February 01, 2003 08:58 PM quote: Originally posted by Tegan: Best... archive... ever... Truly, the color reconstruction on this one was simply fantastic. As a rabid Aquaman fan, this is the best archive I've seen yet. Now, I just wish I could get a Golden Age archive. It's the only Archive I've ever purchased. (I refused to buy the Titans archive because it didn't start where it should have -- with B&B #54). I just got my copy today (our new shop isn't conveniently located... ). It's wonderful! The neat thing is that the color reconstruction is so good that there are errors in the original stories that were not corrected for the Archives.... (Hint -- look at the stories post-Adventure 269. How many panels are there where Aqualad's eyes are colored blue?) Sure, for accuracy's sake, that should have been corrected, but that's not how the stories were originally colored, so the errors stay. But what a great collection of stories. Yeah, I've got most of the original issues, but to have them all in one volume, so beautifully produced....well, I'm a happy camper! Leah IP: Logged
kid colt Member	posted February 01, 2003 10:46 PM This was easily one of the best Archives ever! Those Aquaman stories are great! A number of DC backups were awesome. I hope this encourages DC to do similar volumes on Green Arrow, Tommy Tomorrow and the Martian Manhunter to name a few. You know what stands out to me---I like Aquaman! He's a great guy in this book! Such a far cry from the bearded raging freak with the hook that Peter David wrote about in the 90's. Man, do you guys remember when heroes were heroic and likeable? Might this have something to do with the drops in comic sales? I mean, how many of these guys published today are the least bit likeable? IP: Logged
Matthewwave Member	posted February 01, 2003 11:01 PM James, "Just in Aquaman Archives vol.1, Aquaman disposes of two Kryptonite meteors" Hey -- I just said that!!! Matthew ------------------ "Its no use trying to talk to Matthew. His arrogance is never ending." IP: Logged
GreatBear Member	posted February 02, 2003 12:23 AM quote: Originally posted by Matthewwave: James, "There is a wealth of previously unreprinted Fradon Aquaman--three more volumes worth of it, I think. But because of the way the division was made, it'll have to come at the tail end of the Golden Age Aquaman Archives. Grrrrrrrrrrr...." But will the series even continue far into the Silver Age tales... much less ever spawn (so to speak) a Golden Age counterpart? God, I sure hope so, but not with confidence. They will just have to start working backwards. The next collection with be AQUAMAN Archives Volume #0, then Volume#-1.... IP: Logged
Dirk Member	posted February 02, 2003 04:19 AM I get my copy yesterday and I've read the first three stories so far. I love it! Of course I'm a Silver Age junkie...or to be more exactly Bronze Age (late 70's, early 80's), the time when I was a child. So it is quite amazing for me to see the beginning of this area in Archives like GL, Flash, JLA, Atom and now in Aquaman. These stories are all new to me, a whole new world to discover. [pathetic modus off] IP: Logged
Steven Utley Member	posted February 02, 2003 12:18 PM quote: Originally posted by kid colt: ... I like Aquaman! He's a great guy in this book! Such a far cry from the bearded raging freak with the hook that Peter David wrote about in the 90's.... What?! You mean THE AQUAMAN ARCHIVES isn't about the guy with the kewl giant can-opener on his arm? I'm canceling my order! IP: Logged
Leah Member	posted February 02, 2003 02:37 PM quote: Originally posted by kid colt: You know what stands out to me---I like Aquaman! He's a great guy in this book! Such a far cry from the bearded raging freak with the hook that Peter David wrote about in the 90's. Man, do you guys remember when heroes were heroic and likeable? Might this have something to do with the drops in comic sales? I mean, how many of these guys published today are the least bit likeable? The thing that really sticks out about Aquaman to me during this era is how kind he is. Look at how many of these stories deal with someone offering him money to do something....he ultimately accepts, but only if the money goes to charity (usually a retirement fund for old seamen). And in these stories, I defy anyone to say that his and Aqualad's relationship is anything other than a 'parent-child' one. (Though I do wonder why the editors never thought to give the poor boy a real name back then....certainly, in 'The Kid From Atlantis', there was the opportunity for Arthur to ask the child what his name was....) And can I just say what a delight it is to pour over these wonderful Ramona panels? There's such a sense of dynamic motion, especially in scenes where storms are happening. And her faces are so amazingly expressive. I'm just digging this Archive more and more by the minute. Leah IP: Logged
Matthewwave Member	posted February 02, 2003 02:59 PM Dirk, "These stories are all new to me, a whole new world to discover. [pathetic modus off]" Doesn't sound pathetic to me -- it sounds terribly exciting! Of course, a lot of these tales are new to me, too -- so I might be biased! Matthew ------------------ "Its no use trying to talk to Matthew. His arrogance is never ending." IP: Logged
BearPaws Member	posted February 05, 2003 12:56 PM This is probably going to sound real, real trivial but I'm hoping someone can shed some insight on this. One of the mildly entertaining things about Archives is playing "Where's Waldo?" with the cover art. Many times, the cover art appears somewhere in the book, lifted right off an original cover or splash page (sometimes one of the smaller inside panels). Aquaman Av1 now has me thoroughly confused. The cover art is attributed to Ramona Fradon, but only his head seems to come directly from interior art (panel 5, p.186). Usually, some tough-up has to be done because the character is partially obscured by rocks or action lines, but here it looks like his head was "grafted" onto...what? Did Ramona Fradon draw the body too, perhaps in a separate piece? Did she draw the entire cover from scratch, using that head as a guide? Did she draw only the head, while someone else provided the body? Inquiring minds want to know. ------------------ "I knew I wasn't risking my secret identity with you! After all, ��if I can't trust the President of the United States, who can I trust?" � Superman to JFK, Action Comics #309, February 1964 IP: Logged
Silver Age Adam Member	posted February 05, 2003 04:01 PM quote: Originally posted by BearPaws: This is probably going to sound real, real trivial but I'm hoping someone can shed some insight on this. One of the mildly entertaining things about Archives is playing "Where's Waldo?" with the cover art. Many times, the cover art appears somewhere in the book, lifted right off an original cover or splash page (sometimes one of the smaller inside panels). Aquaman Av1 now has me thoroughly confused. The cover art is attributed to Ramona Fradon, but only his head seems to come directly from interior art (panel 5, p.186). Usually, some tough-up has to be done because the character is partially obscured by rocks or action lines, but here it looks like his head was "grafted" onto...what? Did Ramona Fradon draw the body too, perhaps in a separate piece? Did she draw the entire cover from scratch, using that head as a guide? Did she draw only the head, while someone else provided the body? Inquiring minds want to know. ...Turns out its a photograph. Aquaman's real. They're all real. You and I are the fictional characters. ------------------ I INVITE YOU TO SUPPORT OPERATION EMERALD STORM!! Send your extra comic books to our troops fighting in the Persian Gulf!! Emerald Storm c/o The American Red Cross 2700 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90057 Attn: Gwendolyn Parrish IP: Logged
Silver Age Adam Member	posted February 05, 2003 04:03 PM I've got to wait for a check to come in, but when it does, I'm buying this archive!! I own a couple of his early 60's run, and that's my favorite incarnation of this character. (Yeah, I'll pass on Mr. Hook Hand Long Hair "Gladiator" Shirt, thank you.) ------------------ I INVITE YOU TO SUPPORT OPERATION EMERALD STORM!! Send your extra comic books to our troops fighting in the Persian Gulf!! Emerald Storm c/o The American Red Cross 2700 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90057 Attn: Gwendolyn Parrish IP: Logged
Silver Age Adam Member	posted February 14, 2003 04:25 PM Well yesterday I took the hard earned cash and stormed down to Universal Comics and emerged with a brand new copy of the Aquaman Archive - (my first full price purchase of an archive - my others have been used or heavily discounted.) It's worth every penny. What a beautiful book. Last night I read my son the first story, the untold secret origin of Aquaman. Damn that's a beautiful little tale -- and it ends so eloquently with the (okay I won't spoil it)... Let's just say I loved the ending. Fradon's art is tops. Thanks to Bob and Co. for this top knotch effort!! ------------------ I INVITE YOU TO SUPPORT OPERATION EMERALD STORM!! Send your extra comic books to our troops fighting in the Persian Gulf!! Emerald Storm c/o The American Red Cross 2700 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90057 Attn: Gwendolyn Parrish IP: Logged
BearPaws Member	posted February 14, 2003 04:36 PM Here's a silly question... Since Aquaman is the child of a Terran father and an Atlantean mother, while Aqualad is purebred Atlantean, what is the difference (if any) between their powers? It seems like Aquaman would be less powerful than his freckled friend. (I won't ask why someone from Atlantis would have a skin condition commonly associated with sun-exposure.) ------------------ "I knew I wasn't risking my secret identity with you! After all, ��if I can't trust the President of the United States, who can I trust?" � Superman to JFK, Action Comics #309, February 1964 IP: Logged
Old Dude Member	posted February 14, 2003 09:42 PM Well, first off, it was the Silver Age. Back then, if it was a good dtory, reason was not essential. So, is Atlantis peopled with thousands of potential Aquamen? probably, since Aqualad, as you point out, is a full-blooded Atlantean and still has all Aquaman's powers. Or was Aquaman's cross-breeding the birth of his powers? Who knows? And in over 40 years, I never once considered the oddity of Aqualad's freckles! IP: Logged
Steven Utley Member	posted February 15, 2003 11:07 AM I love Ramona Fradon's work, so THE AQUAMAN ARCHIVES is a most welcome addition to my already over-burdened bookshelf. Now as before, I am not happy about never getting the three or four volumes' worth of Fradon-illustrated stories predating "How Aquaman Got His Powers," but I suppose I shall just have to learn to live with crushing disappointment. This volume has led me to speculate about a Green Arrow colleciton along similar lines. Some here, I know, want the MORE FUN COMICS material, and who am I to say them nay? But anyone be at least mildly satisfied were DC to start with the Jack Kirby-drawn stories (one of which, recall, is an origin tale), follow through with Lee Elias' early work on the feature (among which is the best of several contradictory Speedy origins), and, just for good measure, toss in "Superboy Meets the Young Green Arrow," drawn by George Papp? IP: Logged
Old Dude Member	posted February 19, 2003 12:55 AM This is putting me 'WAY into the minority, here, but not Jack Kirby, not Lee Elias, but George Papp � HE is my favorite Green Arrow artist. For that reason, I'd like to see the archives start with the first GA story. (The "GA" can be either "Green Arrow or Golden Age � take your pick). IP: Logged
James Friel Member	posted February 19, 2003 03:27 AM I also like George Papp's GA, Old Dude. I like it a whole lot better than Papp's Superboy, which suffered by comparison to Curt Swan's. I can't really clainm to prefer it to Kirby's, though. But it's far more important, of course. As for Elias, I like his GA now better than I did then, and I certainly hope to see it archived, but I still have to go with Papp's version as the definitive pre-Neal Adams Green Arrow. And although I think the Green Arrow Archives ideally should start in MORE FUN COMICS, I'd certainly accept splitting the line into two runs, one starting some time in the '50s. The beginning of the Kirby stuff would be the logical dividing point as far as content is concerned, though it falls only five or six years before the end of the feature. IP: Logged

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