Sometimes you eat the fish, sometimes the fish eats you.
I remembered this book had existed, and just a few days ago I thought to search for it on ebay. I found one for a good price, and the description mentions all the characters featured in it: "Beside Superman, there is Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batman, Robin, Superboy, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, Plastic Man, Woozy Winks, The Atom, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Aquaman, Zatanna, Joker, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Morgan Edge, Commissioner Gordon, Vegetable Robots" said the seller. Aquaman? Vegetable robots? Buy it Now, indeed!
So I get it, and when it arrives I eagerly open it up looking for the tasty Aquaman-hosted recipes I'll be scanning in for the Shrine. We start with Batman and Robin, then Superboy, then Hawkman and Hawkgirl. Ok, cool.
Then we've got Green Lantern fighting giant pieces of villainous toast, Batman again, the Flash, then the Joker. The Joker? I'm going to take cullinary advice from a mass murderer? Um, ok...
Then there's Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Lois Lane (um, ok--she did have her own comic for years), Superman and Supergirl, Green Lantern again, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White(!), Batman, WW, and Green Arrow again as well. Then we've got Plastic Man spaghetti and meatballs--sure, appropriate.
By the time I got to "Commissioner Gordon's Undercover Vegetables", I started to despair. Then we get Flash, the Atom, and Supergirl. Still no Aquaman. More Green Lantern, Atom, Wonder Woman, Batman and Robin, and Superman, and then we get this:
This represents the sum total of Aquaman's apperance in this book--a little walk-by during a JLA birthday party. Is this any way to treat a long-time staple of the DCU, I ask you!
I know that maybe having Aquaman present seafood recipes might come off a little creepy, but if Hawkman and Hawkgirl can have a scrambled-egg recipe (getting hungry yet, Sean?) then I think Aquaman could maybe give us some mahi-mahi or something.
And I know I'm reading way too much into this, but even in the group shot, he's not doing anything. Most everyone else is helping set up food, even the always-grumpy Batman (probably mentally noting what every one of the JLA likes to eat in case they go rogue). Aquaman's just sort of angrily striding by.
I'm not upset I bought this book, since it didn't cost much and it is a very cute item. But if Woozy Winks can appear with a recipe, then I don't think expecting the King of the Seven Seas to do more than a cameo is too much to ask.
7 comments:
There was a pull-out excerpt from this book in a woman's magazine when the book came out in the early 80s. My mom kept it for me, and everytime she made hamburgers for 3 or 4 years, I had to have a Superman S-shield made out of ketchup and cheese.
A few years ago, my wife found this book for me. I haven't made anything out of it yet, but just looking at it brings back fond memories.
Aquaman did get the shaft though.
Chris
Heck, if they didn't want to go the Aquaman-eating-fish route, they could have done something with his role as royalty. Ah well.
Well, I can understand why Aquaman didn't have any recipes included in the book- he's a KING! He has all his food made for him. He never has to lift a finger, even to help set up. He's content just to watch!
What's a Woozy Winks? LOL!
Shaft he may have gotten, but well drawn he was!
Maybe Aquaman didn't have a recipe because he didn't do the cooking in the house. He had his hands full defending Atlantis, the Seas and helping the JLA defend earth. You can't do everything.
Did this cookbook have a recipe for banana french toast? The title was something like "The Case of the Missing Bananas," or something like that, and I believe it was Batman related. If so, then I had this as a wee lad and actually made the toast. As I recall they t'weren't half bad for a recipe shared by a demented psychopath in a bat costume!
Wil Radcliffe
They could have at least given him a fun, bluish punch drink and slapped on some sea-worthy name.
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