Adventure Comics #252 - Sept. 1958

Comics Weekend "The Robinson Crusoe of the Sea" by Jack Miller and Ramona Fradon.

Amid all the more recent Aquaman comics sitting on my shelf, waiting for me to get to them, I've had this one vintage issue of Adventure that I've been meaning to talk about. Let's see how Aquaman comes to be called "The Robinson Crusoe of the Sea":

Aquaman has some of his finny friends--in this case a whale and some sawfish--plow the channel in the middle of the island, creating a whole network of waterways. Aquaman even goes so far as to create "street signs" indicating which channel is which.

His pal Topo helps him build a small wooden shelter, and then they go look for food. There are abundant fruit and nut trees, but they are guarded by a pack of fierce bobcats!

Using some turtle pals, Aquaman creates a small platoon, using giant shells as protection. When the bobcats attack, Aquaman uses the shells to deflect their attacks, allowing them to grab some food.

Later, Aquaman sees "the notorious pirate, Captain Troy", attacking a ship. Aquaman wants to help, but is afraid that being exposed to the salt water could kill him. Topo tries to tip his friend off, but:

...the end!


A very slight tale, but totally charming, and at a mere six pages its over before you know it. Drawn by the incomparable Ramona Fradon, who throws in lots of cute little details, like when Aquaman is contemplating his new situation:

If/when Aquaman gets his own feature again, I'd love to see Topo the octopus come back, too!

Aquaman (Vol.1) #15 - June 1964

Comics Weekend "Menace of the Man-Fish" by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy.

I thought we'd set the Wayback Machine to the early 1960s for today's installment of Comics Weekend, to Aquaman's very first series, back when it was drawn by the great Nick Cardy.

This issue opens with Aquaman and Aqualad facing a problem superhero universes have to deal with a lot: well-meaning but slightly mad scientists:

Our heroes follow Dr. Deering back to his lab, where he is also working on a serum that will allow humans to breathe underwater!

But something goes wrong, and there's an explosion that goes off right in Deering's face! Suddenly he finds it difficult to breathe, and Aquaman determines he needs water to breathe!

They take him underwater, and, true enough, Deering can now breathe. Aquaman and Aqualad get a doctor to examine him (using a high-tech underwater craft), and Deering is distraught news at the news: he's stuck underwater, all alone.

Deering is so distraught his mind starts to go:

...I love that last panel, with the furrowed brow of Dr. Deering peering out of the water. Cardy at his cartoony best.

Anyway, Dr. Deering climbs into the giant, crane-like machine he's built, and goes on a rampage in a nearby city, stealing a skyscraper! To be continued in Part 2!

After an ad for Palisades Park, NJ (starring Superman), a PSA called "Names Do Hurt!" and an ad for Capt. Storm #1, we're back to our story:

...Deering's machine seems unstoppable, as it makes its way through the city. The police are unable to stop it, even losing one of their helicopters in the fight.

Deering then steals part of a bridge(!), and some more skyscrapers, carrying them all underwater, building an "underwater metropolis" so he won't be so lonely.

Aquaman and Aqualad, seeing this from afar, try and figure out what to do--Deering is clearly mad, but they try one last attempt at reasoning with him.

Deering won't listen, of course, and he takes his plan to the next step--getting some people for his new city! He hops in his ship and uses it to grab a nearby passenger ship, but Aquaman commands some whales to get in the way.

Deering gets so mad he uses the machine's claws to grab Aquaman and Aqualad, turning them into his helpless puppets! To be continued in Part 3!

After an ad for House of Secrets and Rip Hunter, Time Master, a text piece called "Underwater Oddities" (ah, third class mailing permits, how I miss you!), and a subscription ad, our story concludes:

Deering tells Aquaman and Aqualad he plans to keep them in his new city, as his friends.

As Aquaman decides what to do, a pair of giant scissors comes flying through the city! It comes by and cuts the strings holding our heroes tight. What's going on here?

Turns out its Aquaman's new friend, Mera!:

Re: Panel 1 above: Hubba-hubba!

With Aquaman and Aqualad free, Deering gives chase in his machine, but Mera slows him down with another example of her hard water powers. He then turns on the machine's vacuum mechanism, trying to suck them all right inside!

But Mera, upon Aquaman's lead, forms a hard water ball, jamming it inside the vacuum. This stops Deering for the moment, but he vows to go find other people to kidnap, and takes off.

After one more failed attempt at grabbing a passenger ship (thwarted again by Mera), a Navy gunboat starts firing on Deering, with the intent of killing him and destroying his ship!

Aquaman has a meeting with the Navy captain, who informs Aquaman that Deering is too big a risk, and therefore must be stopped at all costs. Aquaman says he has one last idea...and the Navy captain gives the Sea King one last chance before they have to step in.

Aquaman, Mera, and Aqualad meet up with Deering, and Aquaman tells him that his city is already filled with people! They take a look, and Deering sees his city teeming with people! How can this be?

Turns out these are people from Mera's other-dimensional world, put there to distract Deering long enough for Aquaman to get control of his ship!

But Deering can control his ship by remote control, so it looks like Aquaman's last plan has failed. But then, suddenly, Deering's ability to breathe underwater starts to fade! He begins to choke, and passes out! Now what?

Aquaman notices the remote control, now out of Deering's hand:

...the end!

Whew, what a story! These early issues of Aquaman--whether written by Jack Miller or later Bob Haney--were jam-packed with plot. I honestly think that if this story had been done nowadays, it would fill enough issues to be reprinted a trade paperback.

Dr. Deering is a little more malevolent than your typical kooky scientist, which I think gives the story a nice little edge, underscored by the fact that the Navy is prepared to blast Deering--and his ship--to kingdom come.

And what a goofy little ending--Aqualad moving skyscrapers around like they were tinker toys. This would have made a great episode of the Filmation Aquaman cartoon!

World's Finest #137 - Nov. 1963

Comics Weekend "The Day Aquaman Lost His Powers" by Jack Miller and Ramona Fradon

For a brief time, around mid-1962 to early-1964, Aquaman was regularly appearing in no less than three different titles. He had his own solo book, he was a member of the JLA over in Justice League of America, and he was in rotating back-ups with Green Arrow over in World's Finest! It was a good time to be an Aquaman fan.

As if that wasn't good enough, the World's Finest back-ups were being drawn by the great Ramona Fradon:

Aquaman and Aqualad come across their friend, a sea captain named Toby Blake. Blake and some friends were retrieving some sunken treasure, when his diver became ill. Aquaman and Aqualad volunteer to help out and bring it up for them.

But when they get down there, they see the treasure is being absconded with by three frogmen. When Aquaman approaches, the frogmen fire at them with spear guns!

Aquaman and Aqualad easily evade the frogmen's shots, and knock them off their feet. But then:

Aqualad volunteers to retrieve the strange urn so they figure out what's happened to Aquaman. But soon Aqualad discovers the thieves took the urn, and follows them in their boat to get it back.

He is discovered sneaking up on them, and the thieves try and capture Aqualad, but he escapes into the water in time, sending a school of flying fish up into the air to block the frogmen's shots.

Aqualad pops up on the other side of the boat, but one of the thieves is ready, and sprays him with same fumes from the urn that got Aquaman. Aquaman tries to send a telepathic command to some of his finny friends to help him out, but he finds the fumes have weakened those powers, too!

He looks around for help, and spies some sea eagles:

Aqualad is on Captain Toby's boat, trying to get him to stop attacking the thieves, but it doesn't work.

While the frogmen are worried about Toby, Aquaman uses whats left of his strength to attack them. He causes the frogmen's shots to miss, but he is hit again by the urns's fumes, and he drops back into the water.

As the frogmen get closer, they all pull out guns, and they plan to board Toby's boat. But at the last second, a school of hammerhead sharks come out of the water, ramming the frogmen's boat!

Turns out, of course, it was Aquaman:

...the end!


I've said this before, but I enjoy a world where you can find a magical urn that can take away Aquaman's powers, and it doesn't really need to be explained what it is, how it got there, how it works, etc. Its just a magical urn, now let's move on.

Another thing I've said before is how amazing Ramona Fradon's work was on these Aquaman strips--so clean and beautiful, these little back-ups are a pure pleasure to look at.

Aquaman (Vol. 1) #4 - Aug. 1962

Comics Weekend The return of Quisp, everyone's third-favorite interdimensional imp!

Looking back over the Aquaman comics I've covered, I've seen that I've given short shrift to his early adventures.

I guess that's natural, since I grew up in the 70s and 80s, so it was those adventures where I first encountered Aquaman and made the strongest impression on me.

But the early tales deserve some attention too, so I thought for today I'd go back all the way to 1962, right after Aquaman finally got his own title and was showing DC he could be a headliner too, by gum!

This issue's story--a "3-Part Novel" as the cover promises--is "Menace of the Alien Island" by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy, and it starts with a freak tidal wave threatening a small fishing village.

Aquaman and Aqualad are too late to stop the wave, but do help rescue the citizenry, with the help of some finny friends. Then another tidal wave swoops in, but luckily someone else arrives to help, as well...Aquaman's impish pal, Quisp!:

Quisp dispels the wave, but disappears before Aquaman can thank him....strange!

Then, out of the mist, they see a giant island has suddenly materialized just a few miles away. Aquaman and Aqualad investigate, only to be attacked by some sort of laser cannon!

They escape that (and another death trap), then make their way to the other side, where they meet another strange being:

Between this and the next story page are three pages of ads, so the comic makes room for a second splash page:

...I miss this style of comic book storytelling. Having another splash page, complete with a separate chapter title, makes the book feel like a complete story, you know? Like they used to do on TV shows coming back from commercial.

Anyway, the alien they met is about to attack, when Quisp shows up again and saves Aquaman and Aqualad's bacon. Quisp tells our heroes that there are more of these aliens under the sea!

Aquaman and Aqualad climb in the elevator-type machine on the beach, which leads them to a spaceship, where they meet more of the aliens. Turns out these aliens are in the middle of an interspecies squabble--one set of them tried to steal a new machine some of the others were building.

When that happened, the scientists sent the machine into space(!), but the baddies imprisoned the scientists and followed the trail, which led to Earth.

Aquaman and Aqualad head out to find the machine and the aliens, and they are momentarily stopped by one of the aliens trapping them in an energy bubble (see the cover).

But Quisp is there, and he helps free them, but it looks like he loses his life in the attempt, as the alien blasts him into atoms!

No time for tears, though, as our heroes discover a group of the aliens have found the machine, and are carrying it onto land. There, they aim it at a giant stone wall, making it come alive!:

Aquaman manages to rope the creature and pull it down (yay Aquaman!), and then they try to lure the aliens out to sea.

The aliens fall for this, taking the machine with them. They climb into the water, and prepare to blast Aquaman and Aqualad, when:

...I love the faces of the octopi, with their furrowed brows. Classic.

The aliens are then surrounded by a wall of jellyfish, and Aquaman manages to get the machine away from them.

But one of the aliens breaks free, as is about to blast our heroes, when...you guessed it, Quisp returns to save the day! Turns out he wasn't killed, the laser beam simply teleported him(?) miles away.

The baddie aliens are imprisoned, the scientists are freed, and the aliens leave, hopefully never to return.

Quisp also takes off, promising to visit again some day. Meanwhile, the stone creature is still around, but inert, so the villagers decide to make it a tourist attraction:

...you have to be made of hearty stock to live in the DC universe. These people who live in a small, rural fishing village are only mildly inconvenienced by a horde of aliens attacking them, who turns part of the town into a living creature. They are nonplussed by all this, and even find a way to make a buck in the process.


A fun tale, totally goofy, but it moves at a breakneck pace and throws more in twenty-five pages than some whole mini-series do nowadays (he said, crankily).

I never warmed up to Quisp--he seemed way too Mxyzptlk for my tastes--but he's ok in small doses like this.

By the way, this comic was sent to me--gratis--by F.O.A.M.er Russell Burbage, who is unceasingly generous. Thanks Russell!