Super Heroes Vitamins Health Tips

I found this via a Google search the other day, and I'm confused because I can't figure out exactly where it came from.

There was a DC-specific World's Greatest Super Heroes Health Tips book, which the Shrine talked about way back in 2007. I have that book, and it doesn't feature this image at all--so what is it? The same book with a different cover? That seems unlikely, so where did this thing run? It's clearly the work of Neal Adams and Dick Giordano, which means it's gorgeous--and Aquaman is dead center!

Nabsico Super Heroes Cookies Display

F.O.A.M.er Ilke Hincer found this unique item over on eBay, a display header card for Nabisco's Super Heroes Cookies campaign from the early 1980s. Or is it?

AFAIK, Nabisco put these DC-themed cookies out around that time, but some of the poses seen here look more modern to me (click the image embiggen). Aquaman in particular looks like he was drawn by Curt Swan, which would suggest it's from 1989 or so. And what's with that odd shot of Batgirl, Joker, The Riddler, and The Penguin, which all seem to be existing in the same space?

The person selling this was asking around $250.00 for it. Good luck with that.

The Official DC Superhero Cookbook

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, now seems like the perfect time to talk about the new Official DC Superhero Cookbook. To do the honors, inaugural F.O.A.M.er Chris Franklin--who provided all the scans--will take us on a tour of the book and its Aqua-Munchies. Take it away, Earth-2 Chris!

In 1981 Warner Books released DC Super Heroes Super Healthy Cookbook. Full of super hero-inspired recipes, it caught my attention via an excerpt inserted in the July 14th 1981 issue of Woman’s Day, which my mother bought on occasion. Even though I never had the book proper, for years afterward, my mother would painstakingly make me Superman insignia burgers, with the yellow shield cut out of cheese, and the red "S" drawn with ketchup (using wax paper to squeeze it out, in the days before squeeze bottles).

Years later my wonderful wife gifted me a copy of the original book. It is chock-full of great, original art by comic veterans (and then DC staffers), Ross Andru and Dick Giordano. For the purposes of the Shrine, I'm said to report that Aquaman makes one token appearance in the volume, in a spread featuring most of the JLA in the finale of the book where Superman presents his team with a birthday cake. Poor Arthur didn’t even rate a dish to himself, when characters like Perry White and Commissioner Gordon did.

Flash-forward to the here and now, and the idea is revisited in The Official DC Super Hero Cookbook by Matthew Mead. This colorful tome features a bevy of classic style guide artwork by the ever-present Jose Luis Garcia Lopez (Praise Be His Name) and goes beyond the usual art offerings to showcase several pieces by Dick Giordano and even Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson! To the delight of toy enthusiasts like myself, recent DC action figures are displayed beside the dishes, most prominently, the Mego-like Retro-Action line by Mattel from a few years back.

And this time, the King of the Seven Seas get his due, with no less than five Aqua-related recipes! The bold and daring marine marvel starts his day off with Atlantis Cereal; stops by the Aquacave at noon for a Tuna Wrap (once again raising the question of whether or not he eats his finny friends); meets Mera at the palace for a dinner for two featuring Seven Seas Sauté; and finally, washes it all down with an Aquaman Ice Cream Float!

Amazingly, the secret to his archenemy’s never-ceasing energy is revealed by exposing the recipe to Black Manta Berry Blast! Manta manages to beat out nearly every other DC rogue, with the only other featured villain being the Joker himself!

Not to be left out, Aquaman’s Fire and Water companion, The Nuclear Man gets his own page showcasing Firestorm’s Roasted Corn Salad. Rob will be happy to know Captain Marvel only gets one recipe, a variation on a peanut-butter/banana sandwich. Coincidence, or a sly nod to the King’s supposed love of Captain Marvel, Jr.?

The back of the book features stencils and cut-outs to help decorate the dishes, and both the classic Aquaman and Firestorm logos are present.

This book is beautifully designed, and features the classic version of the characters, not a drop of angst in sight. To me, it’s worth it for the art alone, and some of the recipes look like a lot of fun to try with the kids. My treasured Superman burger is even included! I highly recommend picking this up to the diehard DC fan.

Justice League Gummy Snacks

Long time F.O.A.M.er Brent Almond sent in these pics of Justice League-branded Gummy Snacks, and it's awesome to see Aquaman on both front and back of the packages (it says "Collect Both Boxes", so Brent assumes there's a second box featuring Superman, Flash, and Wonder Woman). He also appears on the pouches inside the box:

So far, so good, right? Well, once you open the pouch to gnaw on the rubbery little treats, you see there's...

 

Batman, Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and...an orange Justice League logo! Aaaauuuugggghhhhh!! What the hell, Betty Crocker?!?

Thanks Brent...I think.

DC Superheroes Cake

Shrine Correspondent Russell Burbage sent in these pics of a cake he bought for his office, on the occasion of the arrival of Spring. While Superman gets the plastic molded-action figure treatment, it's awesome to see Aquaman on there, too, alongside some of his JLA pals. Looks yummy!

Thanks Russell!

Aqua-Tot by Sonic

Never in the history of the Shrine has one Aquaman-related item generated more emails than Sonic's line of Justice League "Tots"--small, stuffed tater-tot shaped representations of DC characters.

Sonic started releasing these a couple of weeks ago, and during that time when we were posting all Mera-related stuff, I must have received no less than two dozen separate emails from Aqua-Fans asking if I had seen them. Kind of amazing, really!

As a couple of those emails pointed out, it's an interesting line-up of characters represented: Plastic Man, Hawkgirl, and Bizarro, but not Batman or Green Lantern? Not to mention Aquaman of course--but at this point I think it's less and less surprising that the Sea King is involved in these nationwide merchandising campaigns, due to his rising popularity inside the world of comics and his rising reputation outside the world of comics.

Almost all of those who wrote in were already members of F.O.A.M., but two dedicated Aqua-Fans weren't, so let's welcome newest F.O.A.M.ers Ben Avery and Joe Ehman for alerting the Shrine to these babies' existence. Thanks Ben and Joe, and welcome to F.O.A.M.!

Superhero Gingerbread Cookies

Heroic, brave, colorful...and fattening!


(h/t: F.O.A.M.er Brent Almond)

Aqua-Cookies!

F.O.A.M.er Bill Cameron sent in this pic of home-made Aqua-Cookies made for him by a friend for Thanksgiving.

Bill says they were pumpkin-flavored, which sounds yummy to me--and as you can see, they're quite outrageous to look at! Thanks Bill, and I hope you saved us some!

General Mills JLA Comics

A bunch of Aqua-Fans have written in about the four new JLA comics packaged with certain brands of General Mills cereals. Each comic features Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern...and Aquaman!

I of course want to get these books, but unfortunately they're packaged with cereal I don't eat, and will never eat (Reese's Puffs, really?), and I can't really bring myself to buy them just to get the books. They'll probably show up on teh interwebs at some point, which is when I'll grab them.

In the meantime, if any Aqua-Fans out there get a hold of the books and want to send them in to the Shrine, please do! As always, a F.O.A.M. membership awaits!

David Cutler's Aqua-Cupcakes

These festive and colorful JLA-style cupcakes were made for F.O.A.M.er David Cutler, whose birthday was yesterday. They were made by two friends of his, Selena Goulding and Michelle Assarasakorn (that is one awesome last name, BTW), and as you can see Aquaman was well-represented!

David also scored the newly-released Brightest Day Aquaman action figure, who stood guard over the cupcakes as David presumably was busy opening the other presents:

"No way are you plundering these cupcakes, Manta."

Happy belated birthday David!

Non-Canonical Cake of the Day

Check out the third tier--never has a DC and Marvel team-up been so delicious!


(h/t: F.O.A.M.er Joe Mello)

Brave and the Bold Airheads

Today's post is the work of no less than three members of F.O.A.M.--first, the above shot of Tangerine flavored Airheads brand candy featuring the Brave and the Bold version of Aquaman on the package was sent to me by Christopher Chance. Ginchy!

Here's the back of the package, courtesy Jon Helfenstein. I think they probably should've put the word nutrition in quotes.

So, not only was I not aware of a Brave and the Bold tie-in with Airheads candy, but there's a whole big marketing push behind the idea! You can even vote for your favorite character/flavor, via their website:

...this was sent to me by Joe Mello, who first alerted me to this whole thing.

As you can see, Batman and his B&B co-stars Red Tornado, Blue Beetle, Plastic Man, Green Arrow, as well as Aquaman are part of this tie-in, which is cool as heck!

I generally don't eat candy, but now I think I have to make a stop at the candy aisle in my local Target. Thanks fellas!

Kraft Mac And Cheese - 1998

I remember seeing this on the shelf back in the late 90s, but never felt quite compelled enough to pick them up, Aquaman's involvement notwithstanding.

Luckily F.O.A.M. member Shag Matthews did, and generously sent me a scan of all the various boxes (there were three different designs). Thanks Shag!

As I've said before, I never really warmed up to the hook-for-a-hand version of Aquaman, but the Animated Series-style version is the one most attractive to me. Plus you could eat macaroni in the shape of Aquaman's "A" symbol!


Post Script: No mention of these DC Superhero Mac and Cheese sets would be complete without Evan Dorkin's...unique take on them, via his Eltingville Comics Club characters in the brilliant comic book Dork!

So please click here to read the relevant passage, but be warned--it gets rough.
_______________________________________________________

Reminder: You have until this Sunday, 10/12, to get in your "Aquaman Shrine" pictures so I can post them on the Shrine's 2nd anniversary, October 13th!

It can be as many or as few items as you like--however it is that you choose to honor the King of the Seven Seas!

Hostess Ad - "Twinkies and Kelp"

This is the last of the Aquaman-centric Hostess ads I had yet to post; like the others it features a story so simple it borders on dada-ism, and is drawn by what looks, to me, like Curt Swan and Vince Colletta.

I like how generally pissy Aquaman is in this ad, but since he apologizes for it in the end, all is well.

Fun Fact: That top panel shot of Aquaman was re-purposed for an Aquaman sticker, but with a small addition:

Thanks, Aquaman! You bet!
___________________________________________________________

This Aqua-Riffic photo was posted yesterday over at my pal Swinebread's blog Atomic Romance.

Swinebread's family recently expanded by one--a healthy baby boy--so I enrolled the child in my Aquaman Baby Indoctrination Program, which consists of me sending the infant a brand-new Aquaman WB Store Beanie Doll, to hopefully instill a lifelong love of the Sea King. The next generation of F.O.A.M. members has to come from somewhere.

So I was glad to see Aqua-Beanie arrived safe and sound, and will soon be getting drooled on. Congrats Swinebread!

Supergirl Cookies - 1984

I'm still hungry, even after yesterday's Hostess run, so let's talk about something F.O.A.M. member Ilke Hincer sent me: these photos of a box of Supergirl brand cookies, something I had no idea existed! Thanks Ilke!

On the back of the boxes were stills from the movie, so I guess it only makes sense to try and market some solo Supergirl merchandise. But having looked at this kind of stuff for so many years, it looks so odd to see Supergirl placed in front of Superman, on anything.

Surprisingly, Aquaman made it onto the front panel of the Supergirl cookies, something he couldn't quite pull-off on the regular Superheroes brand from 1982:

Hostess Ad - "Pirates' Gold"

We haven't run a Hostess ad in a long while, and right now I've got hankerin' for Hostess' golden delicious treat, so now's a good time.

Like the rest of the Aquaman Hostess ads, they were drawn by Curt Swan and most likely inked by Vince Colletta(Marvel experimented a bit more, artist-wise, with their Hostess ads).

Being able to tell any kind of story(even one where Aquaman and Aqualad don't really do anything) in just one page is amazing, and I would love to see DC or Marvel do stuff like this again...but maybe for something a little healthier.

Super Heroes Vitamins Ad - 1977

"When will these hallucinations stop?"

I saw someone selling this ad on eBay, I kinda love how eBay has almost single-handedly turned anything--anything--into a potential revenue stream. A vitamin ad from an musty old magazine? Let's put it up there and see who salutes(if I may mix my metaphors)!

I have yet find a box of the actual vitamins on sale on eBay, but now that I know the Sea King is on the package(and maybe even--dare to dream--there's Aquaman-shaped vitamins?) I desperately want one!

Notice how they have Aquaman in the center of the ad, because he is the most important.

DC Comics Guide to Good Health - 1977

I'm not sure how or where you got this neat little item at the time, but I do know it was made in conjunction with The World's Greatest Superheroes brand of chewable vitamins debuting at the time, and it even gives you(or more accurately, your Mom) a coupon for 20 cents off a bottle!

This booklet runs twelve pages, and features DCU stars Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and of course Aquaman teaching kids about brushing their teeth, exercising regularly, and eating healthily. You get to see Batman and Robin chow down on some PB&J, Wonder Woman jump rose, Batgirl brush her hair, and Aquaman swim, all via beautifully clean, solid art by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano. Why Superman isn't participating is anyone's guess.









...'Bye guys! You have a super-day, too!
__________________________________________________________

Update: There's been a bit of a debate as to who drew what inside this book, so here are some bigger shots that will hopefully settle it:

Superhero Cookies - 1982

Since I posted the DC Superhero Cookbook last monday (and my bitter feelings toward it), I thought I'd highlight another food related item today.

I had forgotten all about these cookies until I saw the Aquaman box on ebay last month, and then the memories all came flooding back. I remember begging--begging!--my Mom to get them for me, and rifling through all the various boxes looking for different characters.

It's amusing to me that DC has some villains that are so merchandisable that they can get their own cookie boxes. Could Marvel have ever done that? Dr.Doom's Chewable Vitamins? Red Skullables?

Nice art by Dick Gioradano (of course), too bad Aquaman couldn't quite make it onto the front-of-the-box-group-shot. This box via ebay came empty, so I cannot confirm whether or not the cookies remained yummy over time.

DC Superheroes Super Healthy Cookbook - 1981

Sometimes you eat the fish, sometimes the fish eats you.

I remembered this book had existed, and just a few days ago I thought to search for it on ebay. I found one for a good price, and the description mentions all the characters featured in it: "Beside Superman, there is Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batman, Robin, Superboy, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, Plastic Man, Woozy Winks, The Atom, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Aquaman, Zatanna, Joker, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Morgan Edge, Commissioner Gordon, Vegetable Robots" said the seller. Aquaman? Vegetable robots? Buy it Now, indeed!

So I get it, and when it arrives I eagerly open it up looking for the tasty Aquaman-hosted recipes I'll be scanning in for the Shrine. We start with Batman and Robin, then Superboy, then Hawkman and Hawkgirl. Ok, cool.

Then we've got Green Lantern fighting giant pieces of villainous toast, Batman again, the Flash, then the Joker. The Joker? I'm going to take cullinary advice from a mass murderer? Um, ok...

Then there's Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Lois Lane (um, ok--she did have her own comic for years), Superman and Supergirl, Green Lantern again, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White(!), Batman, WW, and Green Arrow again as well. Then we've got Plastic Man spaghetti and meatballs--sure, appropriate.

By the time I got to "Commissioner Gordon's Undercover Vegetables", I started to despair. Then we get Flash, the Atom, and Supergirl. Still no Aquaman. More Green Lantern, Atom, Wonder Woman, Batman and Robin, and Superman, and then we get this:










This represents the sum total of Aquaman's apperance in this book--a little walk-by during a JLA birthday party. Is this any way to treat a long-time staple of the DCU, I ask you!

I know that maybe having Aquaman present seafood recipes might come off a little creepy, but if Hawkman and Hawkgirl can have a scrambled-egg recipe (getting hungry yet, Sean?) then I think Aquaman could maybe give us some mahi-mahi or something.

And I know I'm reading way too much into this, but even in the group shot, he's not doing anything. Most everyone else is helping set up food, even the always-grumpy Batman (probably mentally noting what every one of the JLA likes to eat in case they go rogue). Aquaman's just sort of angrily striding by.

I'm not upset I bought this book, since it didn't cost much and it is a very cute item. But if Woozy Winks can appear with a recipe, then I don't think expecting the King of the Seven Seas to do more than a cameo is too much to ask.