Aquaman's First DCU Mention?

While chatting with #1 Aquaman Fan (and F.O.A.M.er, of course) Laura Gjovaag for an upcoming episode of The Fire and Water Podcast, she mentioned that Aquaman was referenced in a 1940s Johnny Quick story, quite possibly the Sea King's first-ever mention in the greater DCU. I had never heard of this, and somehow missed Laura's post about it over on her Unofficial Aquaman Website--so here it is!

Aquaman (in)famously did not appear on DC comic book cover until The Brave and the Bold #28. His first official crossover with another DC hero took place just a few months earlier in Adventure Comics #267, when he met his longtime book co-star Green Arrow. But to my knowledge there was never any inkling that Aquaman was connected to any other DC character between his debut in 1941 and 1959--but thanks to Laura I'm happy to learn that's wrong!

This Johnny Quick story was written by Joe Samachson, who also penning Aquaman's More Fun adventures at the same time, so this can be chalked up as a nice little gag for readers. And nerds like me, eight decades later.

Dark Knight III: The Master Race #5

Aquaman appeared at the end of the Batgirl sub-comic in Dark Knight III: The Master Race #4, the first time (to my knowledge) that Frank Miller has ever written or drawn the Sea King in any DC comic.

We catch up with Batgirl, who is simply amazed at the undersea world that is Aquaman's kingdom:

Aquaman has helped Carrie contain this slab of black matter containing Superman. Restrained by one of the Sea King's finny friends, Carrie pokes at it, causing it to explode!

Superman bursts free from the slab--which is, I think, a portal to another dimension--and now it's time for a team-up!

I'm not following this comic, so I really don't know what's going on. Doesn't matter, really, because I sure do love Aquaman as presented here by artists Andy Kubert and Klaus Janson! The two-page spread (click to embiggen) is gorgeous, majestic, a really great Aquaman image. Get rid of those smaller panels and you've got yourself a poster!

Green Lanterns: Rebirth #1

Aquaman makes a cameo in Green Lanterns: Rebirth #1, courtesy Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver!

Dark Knight III: The Master Race #4

Aquaman makes a surprise appearance in Frank Miller's Dark Knight III: The Master Race series--specifically, the Batgirl #1 tie-in comic. As Batgirl is being chased by a bunch of armed and violent goons, she finds herself at the end of a pier, and waiting for her is the Sea King:

...to be continued!

To my memory, this is the only time Aquaman has ever been drawn by Frank Miller. He didn't appear in The Dark Knight Returns (boo) or in The Dark Knight Strikes Again (yay), nor in any other Miller-penned project during the man's long career. So when I saw Aquaman pop up here, I was quite surprised. I'm guessing this means he'll be back for Batgirl #2!

Adventure Comics #423

"Treachery!" by E.Nelson Bridwell, Steve Skeates, Mike Sekowsky, and Bob Oksner.

In this Supergirl adventure, the Justice League--including Aquaman--make a guest appearance, drawn by their original artist no less!

Young Linda Danvers goes shopping for swimsuit, but a too-friendly saleslady insists she try these new "mod" sunglasses, going to far as to slapping them on Linda's face. Linda is dismayed to learn that, once applied, she cannot get them off, even using her super powers! Little does she know these mysterious sunglasses are the work of two green-skinned aliens, who have been monitoring Supergirl from afar.

Suddenly, a construction-site crane snaps in two, threatening to crush some people. Linda changes into Supergirl, saving their lives. Then she receives a "message" from the glasses, one she feels she cannot disobey! Next, we find Linda visiting her cousin Kal in the offices of The Daily Planet. While his back is turned, she switches his glasses, and when he puts them on, finds he, too, is now a slave of these alien masters!

Upon instructions, Superman and Supergirl head for the alien's ship (located under water), where they are given more of the glasses to enslave other superheroes. Superman is dispatched, but in the meantime Supergirl uses her heat vision to melt the glasses, allowing her to beat the holy bejeezus out of the aliens and head for the JLA satellite, in an attempt to stop her cousin:

Back on Earth, the two head aliens--who are brothers--turn on one another when it's revealed one of them decided to help Supergirl free herself of their mental grip. As they blast holes in their ship, they order their underlings off so they don't go down with it. Later, Superman and Supergirl investigate, and the Maid of Might describes it as "one of the eeriest scenes I've ever witnessed"--the two men sitting their, in the darkness, dead.

Supergirl and Superman then decide to build the stranded aliens a new spaceship so they can return to their home planet--no harm, no foul. The End!


F.O.A.M.er Russell Burbage reminded me of this story the other day, and I was sure I had covered it here on the Shrine before. But other than using it for one Random Panel of the Day, I had managed to let this one slip by. Which is ridiculous, since it features Aquaman and the Justice League, written by the great Steve Skeates and drawn by Mike Sekowksy! What the what!

The whole alien sunglasses thing is fun and goofy, but man do I love the JLAers trying--and failing--to stop a rampaging Superman. There's always that inherent threat that their most powerful member could cause a lot of damage if he ever went rogue, so moments like these must be the Leaguers' worst nightmare. Sekowsky's unusual anatomy (for his drawings, I mean) and panel layouts really convey a crazy, messy fight. I imagine the JLA Meeting Room was thoroughly trashed after this. (BTW, how did Batman survive being on the receiving end on a punch by Superman?!?)

On the Aquaman front, I'm glad he's the one who formulates the game plan to take Superman down. There's no "I" in "TEAM"!

A truly fun story, it was a pleasure to read. Thanks for the reminder Russell!

Superman/ Wonder Woman Annual #2

"Taking A Breath" by Keith Champagne, Chriscross, and Leonardo Olea.

While the Shrine was on a break, DC published this annual that features a series of flashbacks with Man of Steel and the Amazing Amazon as they visit different corners of the globe (and beyond). One of their stops was Atlantis, for a friendly pop in with Aquaman and Mera, right after the League's first tussle with Darkseid:

The segment continues to follow Wonder Woman and Mera as they talk. Diana is shocked when Mera asks about her and Superman, something she thought was a secret. But Mera says its obvious something is going on between them, and counsels Wonder Woman to just go for it, and not worry about the complications. Diana isn't sure:

It's a nice sequence, beautifully rendered. It's too bad we didn't get a "he said/she said" structure that could have showed us Arthur and Kal talking too, but what we do get in these five pages is quite nice.

Arthur and Mera put out quite a nice spread!

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #28

"Wet 'N' Wild Part 2" by Sholly Fisch, Dario Brizuela, and Franco Riesco.

[Ted Knight voice] When last we left Aquaman, he and Mera were shocked to learn their son, Arthur Jr., was in the hands of the villainous Black Manta!

Aquaman is afraid to attack Black Manta, lest his son be harmed. Manta uses the eye-beams in his helmet to make our heroes scatter, but he is not prepared for the reaction of Arthur Jr.:

While Manta has been apprehended, he is defiant to the end: he even goes so far to brag that this was the plan all along. What plan? To distract Aquaman and keep him away from Atlantis! Why? Because that leaves it defenseless against the onslaught of:

Atlantis manages to defend itself with the help of younger heroes Aqualad and Aquagirl. This delays Ocean Master long enough for Aquaman, Mera, and the Scooby Gang to arrive, with the Sea King calling in a small army of his finny friends. 

Aquaman is about to lay out Orm, but is halted by Mera, who insists on the honor. She belts Ocean Master, and soon after Aquaman is hosting a royal dinner for his surface dwelling pals. Scooby runs away after being scared by a piranha. Shaggy decides all this delicious-looking food is for naught, because he can't eat with scuba gear on!

...The End!

Like I said last month, this team-up is basically what would have happened if the Filmation Aquaman cartoon had never gone off the air--or at least lasted long enough to team-up with the Scooby Gang over at rival Hanna-Barbera. It's a load of fun, it looks great, perfect for us old timers and little kids just starting to read comics.

Writer Sholly Fisch does a great job capturing that Saturday Morning cartoon feel, I hope this two-parter is not the last time Aquaman and Mera show up in the series. Maybe a three-way team-up between Aquaman, the Scooby Gang, and Mama Cass?

Aqua-Fans, buy this book!

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #27

"Wet 'N' Wild Part 1" by Sholly Fisch, Dario Brizuela, and Franco Riesco.

The Scooby Gang is on nice, relaxing vacation cruise. So far from land, what kind of trouble could find them here?

Of course, the answer is, a lot, because all of a sudden some sea creatures jump out of the water and climb the ship! Strangely enough, these "sea creatures" want the passengers' money and jewelry--which Daphne promptly refuses to hand over. Shortly after that, Poseidon himself emerges from the sea! Luckily for the gang, they're not alone:

Aquaman hurls his trident at "Poseidon", only for him to disappear. The sea creatures suddenly make a break for it, diving back into the water. Velma unmasks one of them, revealing these scaly beasts to be normal crooks. Aquaman chases them into the water, has Topo the octopus pals grab them. There's one still loose, but he is stopped by:

Fred finds a hologram projector laying on the sea floor, revealing where Poseidon came from. Shaggy assumes the case is solved, but Velma realizes that if all six crooks on the ship are now in custody, who was running the projector? Aquaman asks some "witnesses", aka some finny friends. They start on the trail, only to be attacked by those creepy Manta Men! That can only mean one thing...that dastardly denizen of the deep is near, Black Manta!

...To be continued!

Yes, Black Manta pulls what he calls the 1977 Play, which is kidnapping Aquaman and Mera's son. Though this time, under the sure hand of writer Sholly Fisch, I'm sure things will turn out much better for our heroes.

This isn't the Sea King's first appearance in Scooby Doo Team-Up, but it is as a solo star. About time! SDTU is the closest this Scooby fan will ever get to seeing some of the team-ups I wanted to see back in the 70s, when the Scooby Gang was meeting famous guest stars like Batman and Robin, Dick Van Dyke, Sonny and Cher, and every kid's favorite, Mama Cass Elliot. It's a really cute book and I'm glad DC publishes it. Can't wait for Part 2 next issue!

Batman/Superman #24

Comics Wednesday "Truth Hurts" by Grek Pak, Ardian Syaf, Yildiray Cinar, and Howard Porter.

Aquaman's first guest appearance in his post-Convergence garb kicks off in Gotham Harbor, with the Sea King beating the snot out whatever passes for Superman these days:

We then flash back (of course we do) to ten minutes earlier, with Batman and Lucius Fox attempting to stop an oil refinery from exploding. Meanwhile, Superman is trying to stop the subterranean army from approaching. Aquaman gets involved, which leads to the Man of Steel's disguise as an Atlantean being revealed. Another Atlantean, the short-tempered Ukur, plans to kill the newly-depowered Superman quickly. Aquaman stops him, commands Ukur to deal with the refinery, taking the matter with Superman in his own hands:

Superman takes a few punches, but still stands. He then takes off, leaping onto the refinery. The big McGuffin powering it is called The Sun, and Superman fights Ukur off it, and along with Batman rides it into the sky, hopefully where it will explode away from people.

Suddenly a massive ship flies back, grabs The Sun with some mechanical tentacles, shaking the formerly World's Finest Team off it. Turns out the whole thing was a plot from a group called The Dark Commands to grab the thing in the first place:

As Aquaman and Ukur shake hands, Batman and Superman squabble, ending with the Dark Knight Detective warning Superman to "Stay out of Gotham." Some things never change.

Not having read this series before, I had not a clue what was going on, nor am I up to date with Superman and Batman's new look(s). So I did my best to follow along, enjoying the site of Aquaman head butting the Man of Steel and surviving. He's still a giant hothead, so when he lectures Ukur about listening, I feel like the next panel really should have been Ukur giving his king a Liz Lemon-size eye roll.

Superman/Batman #83 - June 2011

Comics Weekend "Sorcerer Kings Part 3" by Cullen Bunn, Chriscross, and Marc Deering

With Cullen Bunn about to take the reigns on Aquaman, I thought it'd be fun to go back and check out the previous time Mr. Bunn has written the Sea King, albeit an alternate reality version--in the "Sorcerer King" storyline from Superman/Batman #s 81-84!

Aquaman doesn't appear in the first two installments, as they deal with a coven of evil magicians who have changed the past, altering the future for the worse, much worse. A ton of DC characters pop up, including most of Shadowpact, The Creeper, Klarion the Witchboy, even Stanley and His Monster!

In the third part, Batman from the future (who looks sort of like a medieval knight) comes to grab Superman of the present and eventually introduces him to that future's version of the Justice League, which holes up in the giant Darth Vader better known from the Challenge of the Super Friends!

It's here where we meet the Alt Aquaman, who looks like he has seen better days:

This Aquaman is, er, royally pissed at Superman for risking so much "just" to save Lois Lane, which led to an immense tragedy--the death of all of Atlantis, leaving Arthur as its only survivor:

Aquaman does not appear again in the issue, and the story continues into Superman/Batman #84. Aquaman and the rest of the League show up there, with the Sea King ultimately sacrificing himself in a battle with a rogue Firestorm(!). As you might imagine, everything is put back together the way it should be, which (presumably) means these dark, alternate reality never actually happened.


All in all "Sorcerer Kings" is a pretty fun story, and writer Bunn works in a lot of DC arcana and in-jokes to keep everything from getting too heavy. I tend to zone out when stories are magic-heavy, because the rules are always so arbitrary. But the characters involved--including Aquaman--are recognizable, if downtrodden, variations of what we know, and it's cool see them put through their paces. This Aquaman has lost so much he has little time to do anything but be somber, but you can't blame the guy. Artist Chriscross does some equally fine work, making the Sea King look pretty haunted and ghost-like.

Of course, this story doesn't really tell us much about how Bunn will handle Aquaman proper, but this storyline did have a nice mix of magical fooferaw, action, humor, and sharp characterization. Looking forward to seeing what he (and the new art team) has in store for us in Aquaman #41!

(h/t: F.O.A.M.er and Podcaster Extraordinaire Michael Bailey)


Post Script: Between writing this post and today, we have gotten some indication as to what Mr. Bunn has in store for Aquaman, in his own words.

Batman and Robin #38 - March 2015

Comics Wednesday "Superpower - Fly Robin Fly" by Peter Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, and John Kalisz.

Robin takes a quick trip to Atlantis and meet with Aquaman in the newest issue of Batman and Robin:

You can't go wrong with Aquaman being drawn by Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray. And I love the dolphin taxi service!

Wonder Woman #36 - Jan. 2015

Aquaman made a guest appearance in Wonder Woman #36, the first issue by the new creative team of Finch and Finch. At first he is seen with the rest of the Justice League, but then he gets some "alone time" with Diana after she tussles with Swamp Thing and he hops aboard the Invisible Jet. Just like in the days of the Super Friends!

 

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

Batman #35 - Dec. 2014

Aquaman and the rest of the Justice League guest-appeared in Batman #35, out last week!

In "Endgame, Part 1" by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, and Danny Miki, we have jumped a little while into the future and Batman has made an enemy of the GCPD. This story apparently follows events we haven't seen yet, so if you're confused, join the Bat-Club! Anyway, the Justice League is out for Bruce's hide, and they each attack him. First Wonder Woman, then Flash, then...

We won't reveal who is behind this sudden change of heart among the League, because it's nothing to joker about. On a different note--am I crazy, or has artist Greg Capullo used Benedict "Sherlock" Cumberbatch as his face model for the Sea King?

Tiny Titans: Return to the Treehouse #4 - Nov. 2014

Comics Weekend "Tiny Titans" by Art Baltazar and Franco.

Aquaman is a busy man these days. Not only does he headline two monthly titles, he shows up (occasionally) in Justice League, plus in the last month he guest-starred in Scooby-Doo Team-Up, got his own Futures End one-shot, and still had time to hang out with the Tiny Titans!

This issue opens with Robin, who has heard of a new treehouse for his Titans pals in...Atlantis! Lagoon Boy leads the way, and in short order they meet up with Aqualad to join in one the fun:

Up on the surface, Beast Boy and Miss Martian, not knowing where their pals went, head out to find them. Back down below, it's not all just giggle and good times, because Black Manta is on the loose! Luckily, the King of the Seven Seas, Aquaman, is on the case:

...The Tiny Titans find their way to the treehouse, only to discover it takes so long to get to, they all have to get home for dinner now!


My only real comment about this book is, I could look at Art Baltazar's version of Aquaman all day.

If you're not buying Tiny Titans, you should be. Even if you don't have any kids in your life, buy it because A)It's great, B)It's a nice tonic to all the doom-and-gloom so prevalent in the New 52, and C)You can donate the comics to a local hospital, school, or library. Books like this are how we create a new generation of comics fans, like the previous generations did for us. Do it for Aqua-Cow!