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Sunday, April 06, 2014

Adventure Comics #277 - Oct. 1960

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Comics Weekend "The Underwater Olympics" by Robert Bernstein and Ramona Fradon.

It's Adventure Sunday!

Before we move on to Aquaman, I want to mention the cover: I love how delighted those aliens look over thwarting Superboy and Krypto. Nice work, Curt Swan!

Okay--anyway, this month, Aquaman sets up his very own Olympics! Let's hope the hotels are better than they were in Sochi:
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Aqualad's team wins the Water Golo game, making it a tie. Next up is a race to see who can salvage a lead crate from the bottom of the sea. Aqualad goes first, but everyone expects Aquaman to win. But he and his team suddenly turn back--what's going on?
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...and so ends another adventure for Aquaman and Aqualad!


Okay--when I first read this story, I assumed writer Bernstein was tying into the story from Adventure #275, a mere two issues ago. I thought that's kinda fun, referencing a previous story. But upon further examination--and re-reading Aquaman's dialogue from the last page--it appears this is a completely different piece of Kryptonite that the Sea King has found at the bottom of the seven seas! When he finds it here, it comes as a surprise, which it wouldn't be if it had been the same piece he dumped at the end of "The Interplanetary Mission." Great Neptune, how much green K made it from Krypton to Earth?!?

Aside from that, this is one insane story of course. Dolphins carrying batons, walruses(?) wearing boxing gloves, Aquaman's Steve Martin-esque white hair on page six; it's all here!

Post Script: Between Adventure Comics #'s 276 and 277, Aquaman appeared in Justice League of America #1, which was covered in depth over on my JLA Satellite blog. Head over there to see where Aquaman was in the DC timeline, and then come back next week for another issue of Adventure Comics!

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3 comments:

Anthony said...

I liked this story, goofy premise and all---especially the walrus boxing an octopus. Wonder what a modern follow-up would be like (Aquaman vs. Putin? The sea creatures being tested for doping? And just what *are* those hotels like?). :-)

Judging from the Superman stories of this era, quite a bit of Green-K fell to Earth somehow, plus its occasional Red variant. Though nice that Arthur's helping take care of his pal's problem twice in several months' time!

Re: Superboy: To stave off an alien invasion, Superboy engages in a duel with said aliens.

Joseph Brian Scott said...

That bidness about the pressure being too great for Aquaman to endure I bet was a tip-off even to the readers of the time that he had something up his sleeve, and it wasn't just seawater.

Earth 2 Chris said...

That's two stories in a row where Aqualad's gloves are miscolored throughout the entire story!

Rob likes a Curt Swan cover! I'm slowly wearin' him down! ;-)

Chris