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Sunday, October 13, 2013

Adventure Comics #256 - Jan. 1959

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Comics Weekend "The Ordeal of Aquaman" by Jack Miller(?) and Ramona Fradon.

It's Adventure Sunday!

Man, do I love that Superboy cover! Great staging and beautifully colored.

A few pages deeper into the issue, the Golden Age Aquaman starts his final year of publication with a trek through the desert:
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The crooks, watching from above, are worried Aquaman might find some more water and make it out. So they land their plane in the nearby reservoir with a plan to turn off every valve and water main going to the nearby town--so even if Aquaman makes it there, he'll find no water to drink!

The Sea King does in fact make it to town, but gets no relief. Luckily he gets an idea, asking to be carried to the town ice rink. The building's roof is rolled back, and the hot sun starts to melt the ice, saving Aquaman's life! Meanwhile, back at the reservoir:
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...and so ends another adventure with Aquaman!

I thought this story was enormously fun--sure, Aquaman stranded in the desert is hardly a new story hook, but...well, actually here it was, for this was the first time the Sea King had been placed in this particular pickle (though not the last). Funny to thing that, in this whole town, there wasn't one family with a pitcher of water or a supermarket with jugs of aqua for sale? What kind of one-horse town is this?

But the art is great (of course--it's Fradon), and we do get to see Topo milk a horse, so there's that. And I like to think Aquaman left those crooks in the giant fish tank.



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Today is The Aquaman Shrine's Seventh Anniversary! Every year I hope to make a big deal on October 13th, but time always gets away from me, so this little graphic will have to do. Thanks to everyone who helps keep the Shrine a thriving, fun place, and let's get going on Year Eight!


2 comments:

Anthony said...

Happy anniversary!

I'm guessing from this story stemmed the later Silver Age weakness that Aquaman can only survive an hour or so without water...

And yeah, what kind of town doesn't have a pitcher of water (or something)?

Re: Superboy: a criminal poses as Smallville's police chief (apparently not Chief Parker, for some reason), and attempts to frame Superboy for crimes. If curious, the cover's by classic Superman artist Curt Swan.

Darrin and Ruth said...

Happy anniversary to the whole team and thanks for creating such a great site for our hero!