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Saturday, May 15, 2010

Adventure Comics #465 - Oct. 1979

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Comics Weekend "Ice Pact" by Bob Rozakis, Don Newton, and Dan Adkins.

Adventure Comics' dollar, no-ads-format got downgraded as of this issue--one of the features got dropped (Wonder Woman) and was replaced with ads. Luckily for us Aqua-Fans, that meant each of the remaining strips got a couple extra pages to work with.

This issue's Aquaman feature hits the ground running...er, swimming:
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Aquaman wakes up inside a strange place, and is greeted by two people: an older man named Professor Graen, and an admiring woman named Helga. Helga calls Aquaman "a fine specimen", something Aquaman doesn't take too kindly to.

Aquaman wants to get back to rescuing the sub, but Helga tells him its been saved, as well. She insists on showing him around their facilities, which are located "miles beneath the Antarctic Ice."

Aquaman can scarcely believe an entire eco-culture could be built in such a place, but Helga tells him their scientists have developed a device that translates cold into heat. She also tells him they've been there for almost 35 years...and was approved and financed by The Third Reich!

Aquaman is stunned, but Helga continues her explanation of their little pocket world:
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Aquaman brushes off Helga's advances, but she asks him to stay so they can study him, with the idea of pooling their knowledge and save the world. Tempted by the thought of scientific advancement, Aquaman says he'll ask Vulko and see what he thinks.

We learn that Aquaman isn't serious--he's merely going along with this madness until he can learn more about it. But Helga and her people aren't willing to wait: one of her henchmen hits Aquaman over the head, knocking him out.

Aquaman wakes up in yet another strange place:

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Mera follows "Aquaman" and Helga, while the real one tries to free himself from his bubble prison. With the help of a finny friend (in this case a giant octopus), he gets himself free and heads for Atlantis.

But, just at that moment, Helga's men are marching into Atlantis. As the real Aquamna arrives, Helga warns him that if he comes any closer, she will fire a torpedo into the city!

Aquaman doesn't believe she'll do it with her men there...but of course she's a Nazi, so she could care less. Helga fires the missile, and Aquaman chases after it, trying to change its course:

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...if it seems like Aquaman's being a bit careless here, letting an underground cabal of Nazis continue to live in their secret underground lair, rest assured he'll deal with them again next issue!


Once again, to my eyes Don Newton takes an okay story and makes the most out of it. I particularly love that panel of Helga planting one on Aquaman...I just love how well staged and how well drawn it is. Plus his use of silhouettes is really sharp--it really helps balance out the pages, especially since some panels are very busy.

Since we don't have an issue of More Fun Comics to recap on Sunday, we're going to wrap up this Aquaman run in Adventure Comics tomorrow! Be here!

3 comments:

Wings1295 said...

Fun stuff. These are the comics I loved, as a kid. More bang for your buck. :)

Randy said...

Yeah, if a book like this were to come out today, it would cost about $12.99 probably.

Luis said...

I believe I hace this issue and it's one of my favorites. Don Newton's art really elevates the story, a true master.