Aquaman Header Original Art by Craig Hamilton

A few weeks ago a wonderful surprise was waiting for me in my mailbox--this piece of original Aquaman art by Craig Hamilton! Wow!

This little Aquaman-and-wave combo was originally done for the new logo adorning the 1986 mini-series, but someone along the line must have decided to take Aquaman off it, keeping just the wave:

The Aquaman figure didn't completely go to waste, being used in issue #2's editorial column header, albeit partly obscured:

I'm not sure what I did to deserve such generosity (who has already been extremely generous with me, in both his time and talent), but nevertheless I'm overjoyed to own this little piece of Aqua-arcana. You can click the top image to get a better look at it, and see all the wonderful detail Craig put into even this tiny little drawing. Thanks Craig!


(Btw, check out Craig's newest project, a homegrown superhero starring in his own syndicated comic strip named Macon Man!)

Unpublished Aquaman Page by Jerome K Moore - 1986

This awesome, astounding unpublished page from the second Aquaman mini-series is by Jerome K Moore, who was hired to replace Craig Hamilton as the artist.

As Mr. Moore comments on his DeviantArt page, he was asked by DC to try and adapt his style to be similar to Craig's (a herculean--and dubious--task to ask of any artist, sheesh) and due to various complications the whole series was finally scrapped. As if we didn't know already, we can see from this piece what a tragedy that decision was.


A while back, I asked Mr. Moore for permission to post this piece on the Shrine, and he granted it. I also asked him to do an interview with the Shrine, which he (politely) turned down, so sadly this will probably be the only input from Mr. Moore we're going to get in regards to his brief-but-important association with Aquaman.

Amazing Heroes Preview Special #3 - 1986

In this, the third annual Amazing Heroes Preview Special, there was a tantalizing glimpse into the planned sequel to the surprise hit Aquaman mini-series by Neal Pozner and Craig Hamilton.

Here's the info that was had at the time:

Aquaman running into the nefarious Sunderland Corporation (the Halliburton of the DCU) sounds great to me, as do all the other details Pozner had planned.

For various reasons (some of which Craig himself discussed in our 2007 interview), the sequel mini never came off, and once again DC managed to snatch another defeat from the jaws of victory when it came to Aquaman.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I have to wipe the tears from my eyes. They are preventing me from seeing the keyboard...

Craig Hamilton Aquaman Sketch - 1984

Back in March, I posted Neal Pozner's first concept drawings of the new costume Aquaman would wear in the 1986 mini-series by Pozner and Craig Hamilton.

This piece is Craig's first Aquaman sketch to try land the job. Here's what he said about it on his CAF page: "This is the very first Aquaman drawing I did as an audition for the penciler job back in 1984. I cringe when I look at that poorly drawn foot; luckily the splashing water obscures it a bit."

I think Craig's being a bit hard on himself--I think this piece is fantastic, with its sense of movement and exuberance (something missing from the Sea King's adventures for a long time at that point). It must have really impressed DC, since of course Craig got the job.

DC has still not collected the 1986 Pozner/Hamilton mini in trade form, and its long overdue. At only four issues, its a little short of the usual TPB length, but if you added in the 1988 Aquaman Special that followed it and all this cool Pozner/Hamilton prep material, you'd have one hell of a collection. Get with it, DC!

Neal Pozner Blue Costume Sketch - 1984

A week or so ago I posted two sketches done by Neal Pozner detailing his idea for Aquaman's new costume that were sent to me by Craig Hamilton.

Craig also sent me this--the same two sketches but done in colored pencil by Neal to show how he saw the "camo" suit should be colored. Very cool stuff--this is the kind of material DC should include if they ever decide to do a TPB of the mini-series (as they should!).

Speaking of, with the "camo" suit back in vogue (having been used both on Batman: Brave and the Bold and on a DC Universe action figure), I think its long overdue that DC collect the 4-issue mini-series by Mr. Pozner and Craig--its a great series, and in any case Aquaman is woefully under-represented in the TPB front.

Thanks again Craig!

Neal Pozner Blue Costume Sketch - 1984

This amazing piece of Aqua-Arcana is Neal Pozner's original sketch for the new "camo" suit he imagined Aquaman would wear in the 1986 mini-series by him and Craig Hamilton.

Neal was an artist and graphic designer himself, so its not surprising that in this case, the writer had specific visual ideas. As you can see from his notes, he had ambitious ideas for this costume, and how it would look from panel to panel.

This great find was sent to me by Craig Hamilton (who is on both sides of the F.O.A.M. divide--he's one of the people whose work I slobber over here, and he's also a member of F.O.A.M.!), who had it among his papers and recently (re)discovered it. He posted it on his CAF page, along with some other Aqua-stuff which I'll get to shortly. Thanks Craig!

DC Universe Ocean Warrior Aquaman - 2009

One of the other items I picked up at All Things Fun on Free Comic Book Day was my very own Ocean Warrior Aquaman figure by Mattel! Whoo!

I'm really amazed this tiny, tiny part of Aquaman's 60+ year history has made into action figure form, and just by DC Direct for the specialty market--no, this is part of the DC Universe line, sold in stores like Target and Wal-Mart coast to coast!

There's no mention of this costume on the back of the package, so people not already familiar with the "Camo suit" will just have to guess why Aquaman looks so different here (although I guess the idea of the same figure repainted over and over is something most kids are used to by now).

Also, the mistake in the Statistics section--listing Aquaman's first appearance as More Fun Comics #72, not #73--has still not been corrected.

Oh well. Its still a handsome figure, and its cool that Aquaman is such a big part of this line!

Aquaman Special #1 - 1988

Comics Weekend "The Missing Peace" by Gary Cohn & Dan Mishkin, George Freeman, and Mark Pacella

Hard to believe I've never gotten around to the 1988 Aquaman Special before now, but somehow I hadn't. Seeing it on my "to do" shelf for the one millionth time finally got me to sit down and start scanning.

This was Aquaman's first solo story since the 1986 Pozner/Hamilton mini-series. For various reasons, a second mini by that same team was not to be, so this one-shot was put together to help bridge the end of that series and where DC ultimately wanted Aquaman to be--namely, back in his classic orange and green suit.

But before we get to that, we find ourselves on the moon. Yes, the moon:

Aquaman--with the help of Mera--rescues the crew of the ship and drops them safely off with the Coast Guard.

On their way home, Arthur expresses how "Good...free..brand-new!" he feels, and as any regular Aquaman reader knows, this is a big change for the man.

We get a brief recap of the earlier mini-series, and Aquaman's only regret is that his brother Orm had to die in the battle that caused Aquaman to experience this transformation.

Back in Atlantis, Arthur expresses interest in reclaiming the throne, but Vulko seems a little uncertain, leaving Aquaman frustrated:

...a bravura sequence, courtesy artists Freeman and Pacella.

We see this mysterious, "other" Aquaman still floating through this alternate reality, but this time, our Aquaman seems to feel it.

That feeling is interrupted by a telepathic distress call from a pod of porpoises in danger, and Aquaman and Mera head out to find them.

They are startled to find a massive, glowing, pink orb, which seems to pulse with life. As he begins to get closer, Aquaman is blasted in the back by a Russian mini-sub nearby.

Aquaman easily wrecks the sub, and forces it to the surface. Mera takes pains to surround the sub in a hardwater bubble, so the men inside don't die from the sudden decompression. Aquaman then lashes out at Mera, and she worries about his sudden unstable mood.

They then discover a typhoon-class nuclear sub that looks to be protecting the orb, and they climb inside it. There they meet a scientist named Yuri Popov, who explains he is the research assistant to Professor Vladmir Magus, who has been studying parapsychological phenomena under the sea.

Magus discovered four mystical artifacts buried in the seabed, and when he aligned them a certain way, a huge burst of power came forth, transforming Magus into the giant orb!

Aquaman thinks those might be the same mystic artifacts that Orm used against him, so he heads down to investigate:

Face to face with Magus, Aquaman is perplexed by Magus' talk of a "soul-self" with Magus claims was split asunder by his battle with his brother.

Aquaman vows to find the mystic artifacts and separate them, which will remove Magus' powers. But, Magus warns, doing so will kill Aquaman's other half, and himself!

Aquaman realizes that maybe what Magus says is true--there is some part of his personality missing. A conscience, for lack of a better word, that guides both his emotions and ego. But before he can worry about that too much, he must find the mystic artifacts.

They lie in his mind's eye, inside four structures representing various signs of the zodiac: Taurus, Capricorn, Gemini, and Leo.

Aquaman experiences another mood swing, rushing headlong into Taurus' palace. He is grabbed and thrown by the bull before he can retrieve it, and he has to force himself to remember that it was his impatience that caused him to fail.

He then heads into the palace of Capricorn, where he is met by a phalanx of beautiful woman, who try to seduce him. He sees in the distance, a statue of his queen Mera, holding the magic crystal!:

The old goat does what the bull did, and tosses Aquaman out of the palace. He has failed again.

He then battles the lion, but lets his thirst for a fight do him in--he fails a third time.

He is knocked out, and wakes to find himself in the presence of Magus, who has created an alternate world commensurate with his ego--Magus is now wearing a super-villain-like costume, perched upon a giant hammer and sickle.

Magus then shows Aquaman that his astral twin is near, but that doesn't stop him from trying to fight Magus directly.

Magus wonders if this quest--even if it means self-immolation--might be a form of suicide? Maybe all the guilt Aquaman has felt over the years is finally causing Aquaman to be so reckless, because he thinks, deep down, he'd be better off dead?

Magus uses this moment of doubt to attack, but its just the slap in the face Arthur needs to snap out of his funk. But instead of fighting Magus, Aquaman sidesteps him and goes after the fourth mystical artifact--the Gemini Seal!

Once removed, Magus' entire universe disappears into nothingness. The giant orb begins to disintegrate:

...between this, and the Pozner/Hamilton mini-series, Aquaman was well situated for a fresh start: writers wouldn't have to feel bogged down from all the grim back story that had built up over the years, and simply write a more fun-loving, adventure-driven character, with his beautiful queen at his side. And in his original costume, to boot!

But of course, that didn't happen.


Re-reading this special, I appreciate all over again how well it supports the mini-series' themes, but moves Aquaman back to his original set-up and look, something DC specifically wanted writers Cohn & Mishkin to do.

The art I find phenomenal--I've always liked George Freeman's work, but he renders a terrific, fluid Aquaman, and a absolutely stunning Mera. Freeman tended to do work just in specials or annuals (perhaps he was too slow for a monthly book?), which is too bad, he would've been a great choice as regular Aquaman artist.

Craig Hamilton's Aquaman - 2009

This is a new piece (done as a private commission) by our pal Craig Hamilton. As is usual with Craig when he puts pen to paper to draw Aquaman, he produces a masterpiece. (In particular, I love the white dolphins used as the framing device)

Craig has this and other pieces up on his Comic Art Fans gallery page, so if you'd like to own a Craig Hamilton original (of the Sea King or anyone else) head on over there and tell Craig The Aquaman Shrine sent you!


Back in 1986, when I first discovered Craig's stuff, I thought his work was genius. And now he's even better, which is amazing. And I get to call him my friend, which to me is even more amazing.

Who's Who Update - 1987

Aquaman got one last listing in the appendix to the 1987 Who's Who Update series, reflecting the events in the 1986 mini-series and of course his new costume.

Its a fine drawing by Steve Bove, but since Craig Hamilton did such a superb job on the Who's Who entries he had drawn, I really wish they had tapped him to do this one.

Inside DC Spotlight - 1986

Two weeks ago, during our informal Martian Manhunter Week, I posted the cover to the 1986 promo comic DC Spotlight. Not owning a copy, I wondered aloud(?) what Aquaman-centric material was inside.

Luckily, longtime Shrine reader and mastermind behind the Manhunter blog, The Idol-Head of Diabolu, Frank Lee Delano, posted the insides of the book for me to see soon after.

That bit of kindness is not only very much appreciated, but it makes Frank the newest member of F.O.A.M.!

Sadly, the feature on the 1986 Aquaman mini-series does not feature any exclusive-to-the-book material by Craig Hamilton, as I fervently hoped it did. Nevertheless, it's still neat to see Arthur get some promo love, so click here to see the full spread.

Thanks Frank, and welcome to F.O.A.M.!
__________________________________________________________

AquaSighting: Over at my pal(and F.O.A.M. member) Charles Howell's swell blog Eclectorama, he's doing an entire week of Aquaman-related posts, in honor of the year(and change) anniversary of the two of us first crossing paths--virtually, at least.

Charles has been enormously generous to me and the Shrine, and a good friend. I enjoy his blog immensely, and it'll be even more fun this week with all the orange and green stuff.

DC Spotlight #1 - 1986

DC Spotlight was a giveaway comic they released in 1986 featuring previews of their upcoming titles. Why they didn't just continue with the DC Sampler series, I don't know.

The book is extraordinarily hard to find, and this cover scan is the closest I've been able to come. Inside apparently is a preview of Watchmen, the very first appearance of the characters, making this book go for very high prices($50 and up) whenever it does surface on eBay.

No one I know has a copy, so while I assume there's a preview for the 1986 Aquaman mini inside(since he's there on the cover, wearing his rarely-seen-outside-the-mini camo suit!), I don't know that for a fact. But I'd love to find out some day.

The cover is by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, which = awesome. The stars of the DC look so happy, including the normally stoic Martian Manhunter.
__________________________________________________________

Today's (Also) The Day! According to the self-same 1976 DC Comics Calendar that we talked about on Tuesday, today is Mera's birthday!

This artwork is from the issue where Aquaman and Mera wed, drawn by Nick Cardy, and, I gotta say--Nick got away with making Mera way hotter than the motherly women you normally saw in comics at the time.

Happy Birthday Mera!

Craig Hamilton Week, Part 3: Aquaman (Vol.2) #4 - 1986

We've reached--as the cover says--the epic conclusion of the Aquaman mini-series by Neal Pozner and Craig Hamilton!

We pick up with Arthur and Nuada stuck in this weird temple-like place controlled by the now suddenly-powerful Ocean Master. Orm is using Aquaman's blind rage against him, which of course makes Arthur even madder. As Nuada explains, the role strong emotions play in releasing magic, so every confontation Orm has with Arthur only makes him more powerful.

While Orm is out trashing Atlantis, Aquaman is forced to confront who he is and what he's gone through, from his relationship with Orm, his marriage to Mera, the death of his son, his role as leader of the Justice League, until he finally breaks down and admits that he does love his brother, despite all that has happened.

This realization helps render Orm powerless, frees Arthur and Nuada, and they head for home. But this time Aquaman realizes who he is, and for the first time in long while, he's happy.

I hope from this description--what with all the psychological hugger-mugger--that I haven't made this final issue to anyone who hasn't read it sound dull. In fact, seeing Aquaman confront his main character flaw as a way to defeat Orm, instead of just pummeling him, standard-superhero-style, is thrilling, especially the way Craig Hamilton lays it out. His loose, flowing layouts wonderfully convey the idea of memories, the past events of a life, as they all move together intertwined.

The fact that some of these events are things we've read in previous Aquaman (and JLA) comics helps ground the series in the grand tradition of the character, one of DC's longest running and most famous. This final issue gives us a fresh view of Aquaman, and sets him out into the future.

This book ends with a one-page letter column, where Pozner admits this series is an attempt to "test the waters" for an ongoing series. *sigh*

While of course that never happened, at least we got this series, one of the best stories Aquaman has ever had!

Craig Hamilton Week, Part 2: Aquaman (Vol.2) #3 - 1986

Ok, welcome to Part 2 of Craig Hamilton week here at the Shrine! Today we're talking about the third issue of the 1986 mini-series by Neal Pozner and Craig.

Picking up where we left off, Aquaman and his traveling companion Nuada have been kidnapped by Ocean Master, who now seems to have inherited incredible new powers. Orm has convinced a whole society of underwater dwellers that he is a god!

The centerpiece of this issue is a retelling of Aquaman's origin. Like the approach Miller and Mazzucchelli took for Batman in Year One, the creators decided not to rewrite the classic origin, but to expand it and add details to make it even more powerful.

We all knew that Orm grew up in the shadow of his older brother, jealous of his powers, but this version deepens that tremendously. We see that Arthur Sr. married again mostly out of loneliness, and could never bring himself to fully engage his new wife and new son. You actually feel sorry for Orm, who desperately craves his father's love, but never receives it. It adds a whole other level of complexity to what was a simple good brother vs. evil brother dynamic, but without rewriting what was already good to begin with. Hamilton adds lots of touches to this sequence--body language, looks on faces--that makes it work even more.

Arthur and Nuada end up at a pseudo-temple that Orm has constructed, and he continues to taunt Aquaman so he'll engage him directly. Nuada tries to show Aquaman he's falling into Orm's trap, but of course hot-headed Aquaman is having none of it--he wants to kick some funny-helmeted butt. Pozner even lets Orm talk like a pissed-off younger brother, calling Arthur by such schoolyard taunts like jerkface and sweetcheeks, which of course makes Aquaman even madder. Oh, Arthur...

There's even a two-page letters column, a rarity for a mini-series, with answers written by Pozner himself! In response to one letter, Pozner states "I've never been a great fan of the science-fiction elements in Aquaman, since they made the strip too much like Adam Strange for my taste. Now, I love Adam Strange, but I'd much rather focus on the things that make Aquaman unique." Man, Neal got it.

Be back tomorrow for the exciting conclusion!

Aquaman (Vol.2) #2 - 1986

It's Comic Friday again, and this time we have part 2 of the excellent Aquaman mini-series by Neal Pozner and Craig Hamilton!

First off--the cover: great cover. Neat use of color, and a real promise of adventure--Aquaman fights a giant monster! What more do you want for seventy-five cents?

Anyway, the story picks up with Aquaman held captive in by the beings who reside in Thierna Na Oge (great magical spooky place name), and it features a typical Aquaman trait--he's told he can't break the chains that hold him, because they're magical, but he tries anyway, almost ripping his own arms off in the attempt. It was this bull-headedness, a less-than-endearing personality trait of Aquaman, that writer Pozner took on with this story, in an attempt to explain it and make it more palatable (it was always sort of charming and/or cool with Batman; with Aquaman it more frequently just came off like he was a big jerk).

While Aquaman is being interrogated, we cut back to Ocean Master, who, flush with new powers, is systematically destroying Aquaman's life around him. Hamilton actually managed to make Orm look sorta creepy, which is hard considering he has one of the goofiest costumes in comics.

For reasons too long to get into here (read the thing! they're very affordable to find on ebay), Aquman does indeed fight the giant scary sea-monster pictured on the cover, and it's a pretty good fight--Aquaman sheds some actual blood, something you rarely see in superhero battles. He escapes with the help of Nuada, a statuesque denizen of Thierna Na Oge, only to get apprehended by the now more-powerful Ocean Master!

Finally, there's a two-page bio of all the creators, written by Pozner (who also served as editor on the series), which is charming in its humbleness--it has a tone of we hope you like this series--and it reminds me of how much I miss the letters page of current DC books.

Aquaman (Vol.2) #1 - Feb. 1986

It's Comic Friday again, and this time we highlight the first issue of the Aquaman mini-series by Neal Pozner, Craig Hamilton, and Steve Montano.

This was part of an informal wave of new(ish) versions of older characters, where a member of the DC stable got a new costume, a new setting, or a new storyline, sometimes a combination of all three (like Tony Isabella's excellent Shadow War of the Hawkman, Jan Strnad's Sword of the Atom, Kurt Busiek's Red Tornado, etc.).

DC staffer Neal Pozner and newcomer Craig Hamilton got the chance to rework Aquaman, and in this fan's humble opinion, they did a superb job. Pozner didn't shy away from how much of a jerk Aquaman can be sometimes, but gave him plausible, relatable reasons for it, which helped humanize him greatly. Hamiton's work was a revelation--the sheer amount of detail and design put into each page was simply startling. For a character with such a spotty publishing history, Aquaman certainly has benefitted from some superb artistic draftsmanship. Even though it was only for four issues, I include Hamilton on the list of Great Aquaman Artists, along with masters like Cardy, Aparo, and Newton.

The big event of the book was of course Aquaman's new costume. And while I am a died-in-the-wool crusty-old comic-book fan who-hates-all-change (which is the term every bad writer uses when the fans don't like what they've done), I actually liked the costume--I thought it was sleek and elegant, and certainly didn't look like any other superhero uniform out there. I am glad that he eventually returned to his old togs, but if he hadn't, I would've been fine with this. Aquaman looks cooool.

Pozner set up a great series of events with this first issue, and he would see them all through the rest of the series. Apparently DC was shocked at how well this book sold (at least compared to their expectations), which proves just how well Aquaman can do when you do him well.
________________________________________________________

I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to mention Aquaman's second-ever live-action appearance on tonight's episode of Smallville, entitled "Justice."

I used to love that show, but I felt it pretty quickly ran out of steam. I get the sense they had maybe four years worth of stories but the show has gone on much longer than they planned. I check in with the show everytime they do a DC-hero-crosses-over episode, and it seems none of the characters have progressed since I saw them last. Clark is still hand-wringing about duty vs. truth, Lex and Lionel are still trading stock evil-guy dialogue, practically twirling their moustaches in the process (has Chloe been tied to railroad tracks yet?).

Anyway...Aquaman. Alan Ritchson's frat-boy delivery has grown on me. And even though he had maybe five lines the whole show, I think the idea of having him be essentially an eco-terrorist (as Lex would define him, at least) is a neat and topical turn for the character. If there was an actual Aquaman, would he be wasting his time fighting guys in funny helmets? Hell no, he'd be bombing Exxon drilling stations and handing out An Inconvenient Truth to schoolkids.

I can't grok Justin Hartley as Green Arrow. I find his delivery more wooden than the arrows he shoots, so I'm glad Ritchson got tapped again to play "A.C." (though Aquaman history has been made tonight--he was actually called Aquaman for the first time). I'd like to see Ritchson again, and I'm guessing we will.

Alan Davis Interview - 1986

This is from an interview with Alan Davis in an old issue of the now-defunct comics 'zine Amazing Heroes. For just a few paragraphs, it comes up that Davis was the original artist for the Aquaman mini-series (the one that Craig Hamilton ended up doing), but that Dick Giordano talked him out of continuing on it! Grrrr!!

And as you can see, it even has a nifty shot of Arthur by Mr.Davis! And while Craig Hamilton did an excellent job, it would've been really interesting to see how Davis would've handled it. Perhaps Davis, who was seemingly adept at handling a monthly book, might have been able to do a regular book, something presumably Hamilton was not going to be able to do. Aquaman never gets a break...

(Click here to see a bigger shot of the page)