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Sunday, August 18, 2013

Adventure Comics #248 - May 1958

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Comics Weekend "The Traitor of the Seven Seas" by Otto Binder(?) and Ramona Fradon.

It's Adventure Sunday!

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that Aquaman is not actually a traitor this month, but let's see for ourselves:
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Jim continues to watch Aquaman round up specimens for the aliens, dragging his finny friends onto their ship! Word gets out, and soon it's front page news (it's always front page news: Aquaman sells papers!).

A few days later, Jim asks Aquaman if he's done yet, and the Sea King says he has just one more fish to round up, a giant torpedo ray fish:
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...and so ends another adventure with Aquaman!

Geez, I don't even know what to make of this: of course, it's another example of the well-worn "Is Aquaman a bad guy?" bit, which we've seen dozens of times at this point. The alien angle is (still) a relatively new development.

But I had to chuckle when Aquaman says that "There's probably no harm" in telling Jim the big secret. This is Jim's one and only appearance in the strip, yet Aquaman confides in him instantly. It's been clearly established that Aquaman has lot of adventures we never get to see, but would it have killed the writer to dig up an older supporting character? (Note: I am probably over thinking this)

Also, Aquaman is way too casual about letting Lopo (related to Topo?) go with those aliens. He's "sure he'll be well taken care of", really? Based on what, exactly? I know this Golden Age Aquaman is an open, trusting fella, but come on. Does it make me cynical to guess that the aliens had the best calamari meal they've ever eaten just a few grokniks* later?

(*Grokniks: A measure of time similar to an Earth hour)

3 comments:

Anthony said...

"Calimari for an alien Red Lobster" is what I was thinking, as well. "Taken care of," indeed... after the aliens find out they've been tricked? *And* threatened they'd be willing to kill Aquaman?! Maybe Arthur could put in a word to Superman to check up on Topo's cousin there (and those aliens)...

Speaking of Superman, this month's Superboy story has crooks wagering that Superboy will use super-strength the most over the next day; Clark thus vows not to use strength at all, but other powers instead. And yes, it's still "the heat of his x-ray vision" at this point, thus the cover...

Unknown said...

Maybe Aquaman figured telling Jim the secret would be ok...after all he was never seen again, so maybe the aliens took Jim too?

Unknown said...

Viva Adventure Sunday!

Great Flying Catfish! Now I know how my old home-town Aquarium in Monterey stocked their tanks so fast. They probably hid their saucer in the Steinbeck house.

Why was Aquaman so trusting? He hadn't gotten around to translating that book the aliens gave him: How To Serve Octopus.

Re: Superboy-my money was on Clark getting caught by Lana using his X-ray vision one too many times. He is a teenager, isn't he?

James Chatterton