Happy Aqua-Birthday Craig Hamilton!

The Aquaman Shrine wishes artist Craig Hamilton a Happy Birthday!

Splash Page Saturday: Aquaman #4

Every splash page from the 1985 Aquaman mini-series is worthy of singling out for Splash Page Saturday, but I went with this one (from issue #4) because I think the design genius of Craig Hamilton is so fully on display.

I love how he separates the book's credits while also working them into the larger overall picture, and Joe Orlando's use of monochromatic colors (except for Orm's face) helps lead the eye perfectly, down, up, and then in. A real beauty.

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!)

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!

Happy Birthday Craig Hamilton!

The Shrine doesn't normally celebrate birthdays (I can never keep track of all them!), but I just had to mention that today is artist extraordinaire Craig Hamilton's!

Craig was one of the first comics pros to befriend me and the Shrine, and I'll always owe him for his generosity of time and spirit. On top of that, I'm lucky enough to own two Aquaman originals by Craig, and they are two of my most beloved items from my Aqua-Coillection.

Happy Birthday Craig!

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.

Aquaman (Vol.2) Ad - 1986

This image--from a 1986 DC house ad--is hardly new to the Shrine.

It was, of course, the cover to the first issue of the 1986 Aquaman mini-series, and it was used as the promo poster for the series. But its such an awesome piece of artwork by our pal Craig Hamilton that I never grow tired of posting it.

(Interesting difference: This version is monochromatic, instead of the multi-colored one used on the poster and the cover)

Back in 1986, I didn't read too many comic fanzines, so I remember this ad being the first time I ever saw anything from the mini-series that I had heard was coming soon. I was blown away when I saw it, and I still am.
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By the way, yesterday over at my pal (and F.O.A.M. member) Shag Matthews' blog, Once Upon A Geek, was the kick off to a whole week of posts devoted to the Sea King.

So anyone who actually comes by here should definitely head over there, so they can read about a second grown man's obsession with the King of the Seven Seas.

Vs. Card by Craig Hamilton - 2008

I had been waiting for what seems like forever for this Vs. card to come out!

For, as most of you know, this card features a jaw-droppingly gorgeous piece of art by master illustrator (and my pal) Craig Hamilton, who then turned around and graciously sold me (or, more accurately, sold Darlin' Tracy) the original art.

We had planned to get the piece framed, and then my pal Ed over at All Things Fun suggested I wait for the Vs. card to come out and have them framed together, which was a smashing idea. So as I write this, the original and the Vs. card are at the frame shop, hopefully under some sort of 24-hr. armed guard.

Once I get it back, it's going up over my art table, just to my left of where I'm typing this.

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.!
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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.

Original Illustration by Craig Hamilton - 2007

Now it can be told!

Back on my birthday, Darlin' Tracy had given me the single best present I ever got, an original Craig Hamilton drawing of Aquaman--this drawing.

Unfortunately, I couldn't post it at the time because Craig had done it for a future Vs. game card, and he asked me not to put it up on the Shrine until the art was officially released.

Well, the art(and other card art) is now up on an Upperdeck website, so I would say the sea horse is out of the bag! Yay!

As you can(now) see, this piece simply kicks all known ass. The colors are fantastic, the design is dynamic, and Aquaman looks about as regal and impressive as he ever has.

Craig generously offered me first crack at buying it, but I knew I had no way of affording it, even if Craig asked for half--a tenth--of what it's worth. That saddened me, but I saw no way around it.

Thankfully, my better half heard me talk about it, and went to Craig directly, and a week or two later this beauty was on my doorstep. One more time--thanks Craig and thanks newest F.O.A.M. member Trace!

Poster by Craig Hamilton - 1994

This was the one Aquaman item by Craig Hamilton that I've never been able to acquire--it shows up rarely on ebay; if ever--a full-size poster, featuring a very bad-ass looking Sea King with Craig doing his usual superb illustration job.

(Ever wonder where Atlantis gets the necessary loot to build all those palaces? Well, now you know!)

Anyway, then how did I get this, you ask? Well, this scan of the poster was sent to me by Craig himself, making him the first person to be a subject of the Shrine as well as a F.O.A.M. member for providing me an item to post!

Congratulations and thanks again, Craig!

Ocean Master Who's Who Entry - 1986

A few hours after I posted yesterday's Aquaman entry in Who's Who, I got an email from Craig Hamilton reminding me that he did the art for the Ocean Master one, and since he "loves getting mentioned on the Shrine" he's looking forward to its eventual inclusion.

Well, your wish is my command, Craig! I have all the Who's Who pages featuring members of the AquaFamily, and I had planned on running this later, but now's a good as time as any.

As is SOP for Craig, he really brought it with this illustration, cramming in an amazing amount of detail, atmosphere, and even characterization in a tiny space. He manages to make Ocean Master look badass, which is hard to do when you've got a silly face mask, purple leggings, and you call yourself Ocean Master.

Original Illustration by Craig Hamilton - 2007

Ok, where to start with this masterpiece by our pal Craig Hamilton?

I'm not going to get into how awesome it is--you can see that for yourself. The story I will tell is how I ended up with this in my possession.

Craig had done this piece for an upcoming gamecard set, and really, as they say, knocked it out of the park. Soon after he sent me a scan of it as a nice preview. After I raved about it, Craig let me know he was offering me first dibs on buying the original.

And as much as I wanted it(and I reeeeally did), I just couldn't justify spending that kind of money on any Aquaman stuff, no matter how awesome it was. Yeah, I'd love to have this piece on the wall of the new house Trace and I eventually plan to buy, but I think I should save up to get the house first.

Anyway, I showed the scan to Trace, who was as impressed as I was. I made a joke that, you know, she could get it for me as my birthday present. Y'know, if she was so inclined. After three or four hints of that subtle nature, I stopped because I didn't want Trace to feel bad about the real present she probably had bought me already. Within a couple of days I had forgotten all about it.

So I go out and get the mail on Monday morning, and, lo and behold, there's a package from Craig! I open it up and there it was--the masterpiece in my hands, faint pastel smell filling the air. Enclosed with it was a birthday card--from Tracy.

She had contacted Craig, arranged the purchase, then sent him my birthday card, which he packaged in with the piece, so it all arrived together. For a few moments, I was actually speechless(and as Trace will tell you, that doesn't happen much). I just sat there, staring at this thing, appreciating the beauty of it as a superb piece of illustration, as well as the fact its of my hero, looking as powerfully majestic as he ever has. And it was from Trace, for my birthday.

She was at work, so it took me a few minutes to get ahold of her, and gave her the chance to revel in her cleverness, accepting the million thank-yous I was now throwing her way. As I told her, its simply the best birthday present I've ever gotten, and the fact that she went to so much effort to get it...ah, words fail me. Thanks, Trace, your aces.

One final note: Craig asked me not to post the original scan he sent before the cards came out, a promise I intended to keep. But I wanted to post this so bad this week, since it's birthday-related. Then I figured if I scanned in the whole 14x16" piece, with the little color swatches Craig put on there(upper and lower right corners), then I was really just posting an item I actually own, not just a scan of a piece that will show up on a card down the line. Yeah, I know, a technicality, but can you blame me?


Update: Upon further reflection n the cold light of day, I've decided to obscure the above image in deference to Craig's wishes for it not to be seen before the gamecard comes out. I don't want to get him in trouble with DC or anything. Not being a gamer, I didn't realize how a big a deal it is for these new sets to come out. I just spoke to a friend who knows this stuff better than I and indicated that these sets are eagerly anticipated, so previewing the art ahead of time is a bigger deal than I first thought.

It'll go back up when the card set comes out, so at least for now we still have the awesome story!

Craig Hamilton Week, Post Script: AquaPetition

Ok, one last thing--as Craig mentioned in Thursday's interview, the 1986 Aquaman mini-series has yet to be collected in a trade paperback, which is a Crime Against Humanity on scale with the Stalinist Purges(I am only slightly exaggerating here).

So Craig suggested sending a letter to DC, asking--nay, demanding--that they rectify this four-color tragedy. So that's what I'm doing.

If you click here, you can download a form letter I have written out to DC Head Honcho Dan Didio, requesting the Aquaman TPB and giving the reasons why. If you would like to help out with this(and I know you would--why else would you be reading this?), simply print the letter out, sign it, and mail it in(too bad the stamps went up--you could've used an Aquaman stamp on the envelope!). There's also room on the top right to fill in your own name and address.

And if you really want to go the extra mile, you can click here and do the same for Anton Kawasaki, the collected editions editor at DC. That way he and Didio can see each other at lunch, and say to themselves, clutching their mail, "Gee, there's a lot of weirdo Aquaman fans out there."

The 1986 Aquaman mini-series absolutely deserves to be collected. Not to get maudlin here, but let's show our support for Craig and his artistry, and for the late Neal Pozner, who spun one of the best Aquaman tales ever told.
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Send to:
Dan Didio, Executive Editor, DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York NY 10019
Anton Kawasaki, Collected Editions Editor, DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York NY 10019

Craig Hamilton Week, Part 7: JLA Pin-Up - 1997

Our final installment proper of Craig Hamilton Week ends with his fun pin-up of the formative moments of the JLA in 1997's JLA Gallery pin-up book.

I think my favorite part of this piece is the white background--there's so much going on, what with five heroes fighting a giant starfish(funny how, to comic fans, this image is not at all strange), that the non-background helps the eye focus on the center of the piece, with Starro's tentacles pointing the same way.

I hope everyone enjoyed Craig Hamilton Week--I know I have, getting the chance to highlight Craig's excellent work, which has contributed so much to the history of Aquaman. He's an extraordinairily nice and generous guy, to boot.

And we do have one last thing for tomorrow...
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Remember: you can go to Craig's Comic Art Fans page and order a gorgeous commission piece, or go here and look up all the original comic pages Craig has for sale--some of them even from Aquaman!

Craig Hamilton Week, Part 6: Aquaman Annual #1

Craig's last(to date) official Aquaman piece was this grabber of a cover, for the then-Aquaman-series first Annual.

Unfortunately, Craig didn't do any of the art for the interior stories, so this cover--representing each of the stories therein--had to suffice. I'm not going to go into detail about the book itself, since this week is all about Craig!

As you can see, Craig's style was evolving--there's more modeling and heavier blacks than the work he did in the mini-series, and now you can see from examples like yesterday's sketch that the heavy blacks have receeded but the modeling remains, giving his work a more illustrative, classical-type style that completely makes sense, given Craig's admitted artistic influences.

Craig Hamilton Week, Part 5: Original Sketch

What, really, can I add to this? This is the gorgeous piece Craig did for my sketchbook.

When I opened up the package and saw this, I was flabbergasted. As good as this looks here, it looks even better in person--the colors are vibrant, and it has that faint smell of pastels that I remember so well. How Craig drew so far into the spine of the book is something I'll never know. He also drew some whales on the back of the left hand page, giving the thing a design-y, sequential feel.

As Craig said about it: "Since the sketchbook already had sketches by Nick Cardy, Ramona Fradon and Jim Aparo, I felt like I had to give it my best shot." And he did--this piece is so beautiful that I'm having a hard time picturing myself handing the book over to another artist at a con, I've become so protective of the thing. Now that the book has Cardy, Fradon, Aparo, and Hamilton, it's quite literally priceless.

For a bigger shot of the piece and Craig's other beautiful commission work, check out his Comic Art Fans page here!

I thank Craig so much for his fine work on the 1986 mini-series (and with it his incomparable contribution to the history of Aquaman), his taking time out for the interview, and last but not least the sketch. Hopefully our paths will cross at the next NYC Con, and if we do, the first beer's on me!
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Update! A little more research has uncovered some additional AquaItems drawn by the estimable Mr.Hamilton, so we will be able to extend our "Craig Hamilton Week" a few days more, culminating in an AquaPetition you can download, sign, and mail out to DC Comics to get them to reprint the 1986 mini-series!

Craig Hamilton Week, Part 4: Aquaman Shrine Interview

My love for the 1986 Aquaman mini-series by Neal Pozner and Craig Hamilton knows no bounds, so it was of course a huge thrill to get to talk to Craig for a phone interview. So let's get to it!

Aquaman Shrine: What comics did you read growing up?

Craig Hamilton: Oh, that's easy--anything that Mike Grell drew. I loved Mike Grell when I was a kid. And I recognized Neal Adams, but I was more into the funkier stuff that Mike Nasser was doing. I loved the "studio guys"--Kaluta, Barry Smith, Wrightson. All of the really great innovative stuff that was happening in the 70s, you know, as a kid I was lapping up. I bought the first issue of Micronauts, I had an issue of Detective Comics that Michael Golden did. Michael Golden changed everything when he showed up on the scene.

When I got into the studio guys, particularly Mike Kaluta, who pretty early on--I met him when I was nineteen--we were friends by the time I was twenty-one, and he really took me under his wing and gave me a lot of guidance. He's my guru. When I was in my late teens and early twenties, and I was just breaking in, doing Aquaman, I went on the convention circuit. And these people like Mike Kaluta and Klaus Janson--who was an integral part of me getting the Aquaman job. I met Klaus at a convention when I was eighteen or nineteen, setting my sights on breaking in, he was very friendly and nice to me.

They were looking for an artist[for Aquaman] when I met Klaus, he saw my work and said you'd be perfect for it. He promised to help me through it, and of course I had Joe Orlando, who was the colorist, who was helping me with my storytelling and was feeding me all this great Kubert to study. Which is great because its very simple and very basic, yet its got everything there--pure visual storytelling, which I needed, because I wanted to go off on a tangent and be more illustrative and all that, and if you're doing comics you need to be a storyteller.

AMS: How long did it take you to do Aquaman? When I first saw the book, I thought, "how long did it take this guy to do a page?" It was so intricate...

CH: It took eight or nine months to do all four issues. Hot on the heels of that first series, they wanted me to come back and do a second one, and two months in, I only had like four or five pages drawn. I was exhausted, I was empty. Great pages--the drawing was so much better, the storytelling was so much better--but I just couldn't pull it out, and they canned it.

AMS: I was so surprised that hey got Curt Swan to replace you on the next mini-series, since to anyone buying the book for your work was going to get whiplash from the major change in art style. And I thought, this might be something that helped kill this.

CH: Something very sharp and innovative to something very tried-and-traditional. But I'm part of the blame for that for not being able to follow through with a second series. But I was wiped out.

AMS: I know a lot of fans--like myself--tend to be very old-fashioned, but when I saw that new costume I thought, this thing's just gorgeous, and if that's what he's gonna look like from now on, fine. It seemed like the mini-series you and Neal were doing was taking the character, kind of rethinking him a little bit, we're not going to reinvent the wheel here, but, rethink it a little, make it look new, and kind propel him into the future. I remember hearing it sold very well, too.

CH: I think one of things that we did that was funny was take his biggest character flaw, or trait--which was his temper--and, you know, tempered it. And now he's back to being a hothead, so who knows how that fits into the current continuity, but they keep the other characters around, like Nuada, and some of the Atlantis mythology.

AMS: Did you design that costume?

CH: Neal Pozner did. Neal designed it, but I pride myself on being the only person who could draw it. That was one of my strong skills, and I think that's why Neal wanted me. I had very classical training, and I was taking life drawing classes at thirteen. That Aquaman costume is all tied around anatomy. Every point on it goes to a different reference point on the body, and you have to be able to draw the body moving in a natural way to naturally draw that costume.

I was influenced by Heavy Metal and some of the underground comics, and I absolutely loved the weirdness of them, and I thought how cool it would be if I could into mainstream comics and bring some of that weirdness with me. That mini-series starts out very normal looking but by issue four its got that astral battle and it starts looking off the hook. And that costume, even though it makes sense, is a little weird.

AMS: Its certainly a very atypical superhero uniform. Did you have a lot of interaction with Neal?

CH: Yeah; he had three issues written, it was a greenlight proposal at DC, as soon as he found an artist. We met socially at Klaus Janson's house, because he and Klaus were friends. He saw my portfolio and said come into the office, and there I got to meet Dick Giordano, which was just a thrill beyond measure. When I broke in I was so blessed to have people like Joe Orlando and Dick Giordano looking over my shoulder, teaching me as I worked.

AMS: Did you have any real familarity with Aquaman before you got the gig?

CH: I had two "flavors" of Underoos--Batman and Aquaman. I was already a fan. The "D" listers always appealed to me more than the "A" listers. The last round of game card illustrations I did--I did Vartox and The Outsiders. I mean how D List can you get? But I love 'em though.

AMS: What's some of the stuff you're working on now?

CH: I've talked with Don McGregor about doing another series of Detectives, Inc. You know, you asked me earlier about my influences--you can't think of 70s comics without thinking of Marshall Rogers. He's one of my top three influences--I pretty much have everything he ever drew. He was my first autograph. Even though I had met Klaus Janson, I never thought to ask him for an autograph. The first autograph I ever got was from Marshall Rogers.

I've been talking to Mike Mignola about doing a Hellboy gig, but he is so slammed right now and I'm not sure that's going to happen for a couple of years, so I'm going to go ahead and jump on Detectives, Inc. So I'm just thrilled--it's going to be my homage to Marshall Rogers.

AMS: When you mentioned Mike Mignola, it made think about how it seems that he has extraordinary amount of control over Hellboy. And one of the things I've heard over and over again about your Aquaman editor, Dick Giordano, was how he was very hands off[as an editor]. I talked to Steve Skeates, about when he wrote Aquaman, and he talked about how Giordano was very "Ok, I hired you guys to do this book, because you know what you're doing, go do it." And I get that feel from your mini-series, too. It seems to have a very specific point of view, from an artistic and writing point of view.

CH: Yeah, he was very helpful, and he helped do what we wanted to do. It's not like he was imposing anything of himself on there.

AMS: I still go on and on about the mini-series, and say it's still the finest Aquaman story of the last twenty years.

CH: You know issue three, that has the origin flashback? Yeah, Neal and I were most proud of how we did that. His origin should have this magical fairy tale quality to it--I think we nailed it. It has a very fairy tale quality to it, then it gets very humble and earth-bound, and I absolutely loved drawing those pages.

AMS: There's a moment in that I've always remembered, where you talk abut how Arthur's father never really loved his second son [Orm] as much as he loved Aquaman, because he had all these powers, and the second son had the sin of being ordinary. And you drew this panel of the mother, Aquaman's stepmother, looking down, with her hands folded, I think, and it spoke so much to the feelings of the characters. And I've always thought it was a shame that wasn't explored more, because, a lot of kids can relate to that--coming from broken homes, mixed familes...

CH: Yeah, she had that quality, of being married to a man who's in love with the sea. He could never look at her, he was always carving mermaids.


AMS: I can't believe that series has never been collected.

CH: It's one of their proposals, but they've just never gotten around to greenlighting it. I don't know if we need to do a petition, or what. Maybe once you finish "Craig Hamilton Week" you could follow up and barrage DC with letters if you want to see it collected.

I think there's a relatability, you know, with the kid market? In the summertime, going to a pool--you're Aquaman. You think about that character every time you go swimming, and he has that subliminal appeal. And I think that's one of the things we tapped into with the mini-series.

AMS: Is there anything in mainsteam comics that you still want to do, or do you feel like you've done everything that you wanted to do?

CH: Oh no, I've got a laundry list of characters they haven't let me play with yet. I'm working on a Dr.Strange commission piece that's Ditko-meets-Dali. I love Dr.Strange.

AMS: That's funny, because Marshall Rogers drew him, too. You would do a kickass Dr.Strange.

CH: Yeah, yeah, and Frank Brunner, who I've gotten to know in the past three years. That's another great thing about working in comics--to grow up admiring Frank Brunner's Dr.Strange, and then one day get to meet him. I did an art show with him once, and I'm like, "Hey, I'm showing with Frank Brunner, here!"

Later on, when Mike Kaluta was doing some covers for Aquaman, he called me a couple of times to pick my brain. And see, that's one of the great things about comics--the cycle of inspiration is two-fold. Someone who inspired you and it turns out and you've inspired them, and they take it in a whole other direction. And I don't know any other art form other than jazz music where that happens, because its such a collaborative process.

Craig was a true southern gentleman, giving me way more of his time than I could have asked for. Thanks so much Craig!

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!