AquaSketch by Dan Jurgens

Along with the signed copies of the Aquaman and the Others TPB (for the winners of our AATO contest), Dan Jurgens generously included this awesome Aquaman sketch for me, along with one of Firestorm for my Fire and Water Podcast co-host The Irredeemable Shag! What a guy!

I think most of can agree that we hope that Aquaman and the Others is not the last time Mr. Jurgens gets to work on the Sea King.

AquaSketch by Rod Reis

This g-g-g-gorgeous original painting by Aquaman color artist Rod Reis was sent to us to as part of "Mera Month"--click the image to drink it all in, and thanks so much Rod!


(Dear DC: I really think an Aquaman pin-up book is warranted at this point, don't you agree?)

AquaSketch by Neil Vokes

Every year my LCS All Things Fun has a Midnight Madness sale, held just before Christmas Eve. And every year, I attend and get an Aquaman sketch from Neil D. Vokes, a superb artist who lives not too far away from Shrine Central.

We've been doing this for six years now, so when this year's bash approached, I wondered who from the Aqua-Family Neil should take on. Then it dawned on me--Neil excels at drawing monsters and other scary creatures, so why not ask him to do the new Aquaman bad guys The Trench?

Neil agreed, and by the end of the night handed me my sketchbook with this beauty inside--it looks like this particular member of the Trench has really gotten the best of Aquaman! Oh no!


In past years, I've posted Neil's piece on the Shrine immediately (sometimes before Neil even got a chance to get home!), but since viewership is generally pretty down during the Xmas/New Year's nexus, I decided to hold off until today, to give Neil's work the attention it deserves.

Here are the other wonderful pieces Neil has done for me over the years, starting in 2006 with the Sea King himself:

Awesome stuff, now I gotta think about who to get next year! Thanks again Neil!

Merry Christmas from The Aquaman Shrine!

Courtesy artist Bill Walko, who illustrated the Shrine's 70th Birthday Aqua-Family Portrait, comes this adorable shot of Aquaman and his clan celebrating the Christmas season!

Bill took it upon himself to redesign the costumes of Garth and Tula, to better reflect how the whole family might look if they were all around today. Love the reindeer seahorses!

Like I said about Bill's previous piece for us, I look at this and think this could be presentation art for a new Aquaman animated series, a sort of hybrid of Aquaman from Brave and the Bold and The Flintstones. C'mon, Warner Bros., get on it!

Thanks to Bill, Shrine Correspondent Joe Slab (who commissioned the piece), and to everyone who stops by the Shrine each and every day. Happy Holidays to all!

AquaSketch by Jason Ho

This spiffy Aquaman portrait is by artist Jason Ho!

A few months ago, Jason made an extremely generous gesture--for just $20, he would do a full-color portrait of any character requested, with the fee going to the Help The Cheerleader fund, which went to covering the legal fees of a young woman involved in a particularly ugly and expensive situation. I thought that was a worthy cause, and Jason's gesture so generous, that I of course immediately thought of ordering up an Aquaman.

Over the following weeks, so much money was raised--combined with a change in the young woman's legal situation for the better--that the fund ended up with more money than they needed. So Jason requested that whoever hadn't yet donated the $20 do so to a charity of their choice, in exchange for the sketch. Another act of generosity from Jason!

So the day this wonderful piece arrived in my mailbox, I sent $20 to Let's Adopt Global, an organization devoted to rescuing and finding homes for animals that no one else would take in--the old, the sick, the damaged. There was a particular dog named Ajoo who needed some money, so I sent the $20 in his name.

I let Jason know where the money went, and it was a rare moment of a situation being win-win-win-win: Jason made a difference, the cheerleader was indeed helped, Ajoo got another donation, and I got this super-cool Aquaman sketch!

AquaSketch by Rod Reis

To end our week-long look at the 2011 NYCC, here is a sketch (well, much more than a "sketch") by Aquaman colorist Rod Reis, who did this baby for me on Thursday, the first day of the show.

After wandering the show floor for a bit, I returned to Aqua Corner, and it was a joy watching someone as talented as Rod put the finishing touches on this beautiful piece, then ask me to look at it to see if I liked it. Uh, yeah!

My Aqua-Sketchbook has pieces from people like Jim Aparo, Nick Cardy, Ramona Fradon, Dick Giordano, Craig Hamilton, Kevin Maguire, Patrick Gleason, Art Baltazar, Neil Vokes, and Joe Staton. And I'm thrilled to add Rod Reis to that list.



This concludes our week of NYCC-related posts. I always enjoy going to comic cons, but meeting Ivan Costa, Joe Prado, and Rod Reis--and being treated so well by them--made it extra special. I didn't think it was possible to be more excited about the new Aquaman series than I have been, but now I am. Thanks to them and Shrine Correspondent Joe Slab for making this year's NYCC one of the best the Shrine has ever had!

AquaSketch by Joe Prado

I missed seeing Joe Prado at his table during my first trip to the NYCC's unofficial "Aqua-Corner" (consisting of Joe, Rod Reis, and Ivan Costa, there representing Ivan Reis), so when I saw that he was at the DC booth doing a signing, I headed over there to make sure I had the opportunity to say hello.

I waited in line, and put my Ivan Reis' signed copy of Aquaman #1 on the table. I raised my Aquaman Shrine lanyard and introduced myself, and Joe's face lit up. He reached across the table and grabbed my hand and said how much he loved the Shrine! Woo!

Joe signed the book, and then told me to find him back at this booth, because he had something for me. I assumed it was the color piece Ivan had already given me (see yesterday's post), but when I returned to Aqua-Corner to pick up my sketchbook from Rod, Joe reached into a portfolio and handed me the piece (measuring 11x14") you see up top, done especially for the Shrine!

I was, of course, completely floored at this gesture of generosity, and managed to stammer out a bunch of babbled compliments. Joe repeated how much he loves the Shrine and appreciates what we do, which ranks up there as one of my all-time proudest Shrine-related moments.

Aquaman couldn't be in better hands! Thanks Joe!

The Aqua-Family by Bill Walko

"Aquaman doesn't look a day over 29 as he celebrates his birthday in Atlantis with his beautiful wife Mera, their son Arthur Jr., friends Tula, Tempest, Aquagirl & Aqualad and of course Tusky the Walrus!"

Earlier in the week of course was our huge Aquaman 70th Birthday Celebration (click here if you missed it, and shame on you!), and among the coolest parts of it was this original illustration by Bill Walko, commissioned by Shrine Correspondent Joe Slab expressly for the post.

Bill's piece perfectly captured the sheer fun and wonder of the Aqua-Family, which was a huge part of the character's popularity in the 1960s, arguably the character's longest, most visible time in comics and the greater culture (until maybe now, of course!). Joe didn't tell me he had commissioned Bill to do this, so I was as charmed and surprised by this piece as I'm sure the rest of you were.

I liked the piece so much I thought it--and Bill--deserved a special spotlight this week, so we're reposting the piece, along with Bill's original pencil sketch:

This portrait has a real Hanna-Barbera vibe to it, and feels like it could have been presentation art for an Aquaman animated series, had H-B ever deemed to put one together (I'm sure Tusky would have talked). If only the members of the Aqua-Family could get together like this, all at one time and in one place!


You might recognize Bill's art from comic-related sites such as Project: Rooftop, ComicsAlliance.com, or CBR's Comics Should Be Good. Bill has also focused his talents toward his own comic: Imagine your office, bitten by a radioactive spider. That's The Hero Business, a comic chronicling the day-to-day adventures of an agency that caters exclusively to super-heroes (and their super-egos)--because with great power comes great marketability. You can find more of Bill's work on his DeviantArt page, as well! Thanks to Joe and Bill for making the Shrine's 70th Birthday Party even more special!



Speaking of Bill's Aqua-Riffic piece, the Shrine is making it available as a 4x6" postcard (seen at top), as a memento of Aquaman's 70th Birthday Celebration. All you have to do to get the postcard is sign up as a subscriber to the Aquaman Shrine, for the low low rate of $1.00 a month! I think you'd agree, especially after the week we've had, that the Shrine is worth that, no?

To subscribe, simply click the Paypal button below or at the top of the sidebar and sign up for the $1/month subscription. Leave an address and the postcard will be sent you as a way to say "thanks" for supporting The Aquaman Shrine!

P.S. Anyone who is already an Aquaman Shrine subscriber and would like a postcard, just email me your address and you will be sent one! Thanks!

P.P.S. Earlier in the week, we got a new subscriber/F.O.A.M. member, Patrick Dodson. Thanks Patrick, and welcome to F.O.A.M.!

Aquaman Birthday Card by Luke Daab

This awwwwwesome piece, celebrating Aquaman's 70th birthday (which is tomorrow), is by F.O.A.M.er Luke Daab. I thought it was so cool that it was perfect to act as a sort of "preview" for our big birthday post, which goes live just a few hours from now!

Thanks Luke!

AquaSketch by Dan O'Connor - 2009

This wonderful sketch--more than a sketch, really--of Aquaman is by my pal and superb artist Dan O'Connor, who I went to the Kubert School with way back in 1989.

Dan only went to the first year of Kubert, so I sort of lost touch with him in the intervening decades(!), but we reconnected on Facebook. Pretty much from the first time I saw Dan's work, I was impressed how good it was, how solid and well-constructed. He was one of the guys whose work I saw which made me realize how far I still had to go.

Anyway, not to long after I started The Aquaman Shrine Facebook Page, I wanted to post something exclusive on it to celebrate the Shrine hitting 250 fans, so I asked Dan to do an original Aquaman piece for me. After a short time he sent me this piece, which I immediately loved--reminding me all over again how good Dan is as an artist. Now that we're well past 250 fans (thanks everyone!), I thought it was high time to post this piece here on the Shrine proper.


Dan and I are collaborating on another project, one that would not have gotten out of the back of my head if it wasn't for Dan's skill and enthusiasm. Hopefully sooner than later we'll get to show it off!

AquaSketch by Patrick Gleason - 2010

I wanted to start off 2011 with something big and powerful, and this surely qualifies, no?

This original piece--measuring about 10x14" (hence the two-tone scan, sorry)--was commissioned by me from Pat back during the 2009 NY Comic Con, but Pat was so overloaded with requests (naturally) that he asked if he could do it at home and send it to me later. I agreed--I'm a huge fan of Pat's work, I think he does a superb Aquaman, and after getting a headshot from him back in 2008, I was eager to see what he could do this time around, when I was paying for something more elaborate.

Due to circumstances beyond his control, Pat ended up not getting around to doing this piece until early 2010, apologizing and asking if he could have more time. I said sure, knowing whatever he ended up sending me would be worth the wait.

When I opened the envelope back in September, I was blown away--not only is that one bad-ass looking Aquaman (go ahead, drop some garbage in the ocean in front of that guy), but Pat added Aquagirl--one of my favorite characters, something I've mentioned to him a few times. He also threw in the iconic lighthouse and coast background that really makes this more than a sketch--a lot more. Pat was also generous enough to send me copies of some of his Aquaman run, each one autographed, which the Shrine will be giving away for an upcoming contest.

All in all it was one giant package of Aqua-Fun, and I thank Pat so much for this time, talent, and this perfect way to kick off the new year!

AquaSketch by Neil Vokes - 2010

Its that time of year again--just minutes ago I got back from the annual Midnight Madness sale at my LCS All Things Fun, and once again I got a superb, killer sketch by artist Neil Vokes!

This is Neil's fifth Aqua-Family sketch for me, and each year he knocks it out of the park while I'm wandering the store buying stuff ("Ooh, Kyle Baker drawing Deadpool? Cool!"). Having previously done sketches for me of Aquaman, Mera, Black Manta, and Dolphin, I thought this would be a good opportunity to let Aquagirl--the original--be represented in my book.

And it doubly made sense, because Neil draws irresistible women--sexy and cute, alluring but coy, all at the same time. Plus his command of the wash technique to achieve different tones is fantastic, giving these sketches a depth and visual interest that turns them into something much more than a "sketch."

Neil reminded me that there are more members of the Aqua-Family we have yet to get to, so I fully expect to see him at All Things Fun next Christmas, with my sketchbook in hand.

Thanks to Neil for the great piece, and to my pals Ed and Dee of All Things Fun. Merry Christmas!

AquaSketches by Josh Ellingson

Even though I already ran these two superb sketches I got from artist Josh Ellingson during the Shrine's 2010 NYCC Con Report, I always like to give each and every sketch in my book their own post, since I'm so happy showing them off--especially when its two pieces like this!

Josh's work is truly superb; colorful and vibrant, and someday I'd really love to hire him to do a full-color Aquaman piece for the Shrine: the Sea King, Mera, their finny friends, the whole nine yards. I'm sure it'd be gangbusters...

AquaSketch #4 by Neil Vokes - 2009

Its that time of year again--just minutes ago I got back from the annual Midnight Madness sale at my LCS All Things Fun, and once again I got a superb, killer sketch by artist Neil Vokes. I held off today's post so I could put this up within a few hours of getting it.

Having previously done sketches of Aquaman, Mera, and Black Manta for me, I decided to give Neil his choice of AquaFamily member to illustrate, from a list consisting of Aqualad, Aquagirl, and Dolphin. He chose Dolphin, and as you can see he knocked it out of the park--again! I love Neil's combo of thin, sharp ink lines and soft wash tones (which this scan doesn't do full justice to)--its creates a really distinctive look, cartoony yet real.

Ed and Dee Evans of ATF have really created something special--at All Things Fun in general, but at their yearly Midnight Madness sale in specific. Not being a Christmassy kind of guy, I kind of grumble and hunker down through the holiday season, eagerly anticipating the new year and the eventual start of Spring.

But these yearly Xmas sales events are always a blast, and its great that Neil (and others) make the effort to show up every year. Its probably my favorite event of the season, so thanks to Ed, Dee, and Neil!


Related posts:
Aquaman by Neil Vokes
Mera by Neil Vokes
Black Manta by Neil Vokes

AquaSketch by Joe Quinones - 2009

This awesome sketch of Aquaman is by Joe Quinones, who I met at the 2009 Big Apple Con!

I wasn't that familiar with Joe's work until I saw it in Wednesday Comics, where Joe drew the Green Lantern strip. I thought it was beautiful stuff, modern but retro (my favorite combo!), and when I saw him on the guest list of the con he was one of the people I planned to see.

I had to leave before he finished the piece, but Joe readily agreed to send it to me. As much as I don't like leaving before I've picked up all the sketches I arranged for, having this arrive in the mail a few days later makes it feel like the con has gone on a few extra days...

AquaSketch by Dave Fox - 2009

This piece, by artist Dave Fox, was the one I picked up at the Big Apple Con last Friday.

I took notice of Dave's work because of the style and the fact he had a lot of monster art, including shots of characters like The Thing and I Walked With A Zombie, two of my favorites. I love getting Aquaman sketches from people who wouldn't normally get to draw him, and when someone like that really gets into it, the piece can turn into something really remarkable.

That's what happened here---Dave put a ton of detail into just a tiny (2.5 x 3.5") space, and yet kept it sharp and dynamic. I don't know why, but for some reason my favorite part I think is Arthur's silhouetted right hand, looking a little like a shark fin.

Its a really great piece, Dave was great to talk to, and it's another fine addition to my collection!

Aquaman Shrine's 3rd Anniversary

Today is The Aquaman Shrine's 3rd anniversary!

Last year, for our 2nd anniversary, I had a long post featuring scans of the Shrine in its early, pre-blog incarnation, then I threw the rest of the post open to the rest of you to show off your personal shrines. It was really cool and I enjoyed seeing how everyone else paid homage to the Sea King.

This year, I decided to keep it simple: for a long time, I've had a list of some of my favorite artists whom I've always wanted to get an Aquaman sketch from, but have never had the opportunity before.

But before I get into the details, let's just show off the piece--here's Aquaman by one of of all-time favorite artists, Kevin Nowlan:

(click to see a bigger version!)

...beauty, ain't it?

I've never met Mr. Nowlan in person, but he was an early fan of my TreasuryComics.com site, occasionally sending me art or writing credits that I didn't list, or correcting me when I mis-attributed something to the wrong person.

I was thrilled that someone who I'm such a fan of was paying attention to one of my sites, so at one point earlier in the year I asked Kevin about doing an Aquaman sketch for the Shrine's 3rd anniversary. I figured giving him months to work on it would increase the chances of Kevin having the time to fit it into his schedule.

Luckily, for all of us, he said yes. At first he sent me a little marker sketch, which by itself I would've been happy with! Once I drooled over that, a few weeks later the original arrived, in all its glory. Its truly a gorgeous piece, and I thought a perfect way to celebrate the Shrine's anniversary.


I thought I'd take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who stops by to see what I'm doing here. For whatever reason, the Shrine's audience has exploded fairly recently--we're now at about double the daily hits we had this time last year. I don't know where you're all coming from, folks, but I'm glad you're here!

So...tomorrow, we start The Aquaman Shrine: Year Four--stay with us, folks! There's a lot more to come!

AquaSketch by Jay Piscopo - 2009

I've posted two previous Aquaman sketches from writer/artist Jay Piscopo, who I met at an appearance at my LCS, All Things Fun. Jay is the creator of The Undersea Adventures of Cap'n Eli, a fun all-ages comic, and a big Aquaman fan.

This third one was the result of when I asked Jay if he could do a piece featuring Aquaman and his undersea character, Sea Ghost. I casually asked Jay about it one day and then just a week or so this beauty was waiting for me in my in-box. What a pal!

Anyway, the reason it took me soooo long to post this is that I wanted it to be the kick-off to a theme week, which I'm calling "Undersea Heroes."

I've been asked many times before if I'm fan of other water-based like characters like Sub-Mariner, and the answer is no, not particularly--there's something special about Aquaman that makes me such an obsessive fan, and its not just powers and setting. So I never did feel any special interest in any of the other comic companies version of an aquatic hero.

But I thought it'd be fun to give some of them a little attention here on the Shrine, so starting tomorrow we'll take a look at Marvel's undersea prince, Namor, the Sub-Mariner!

AquaSketch by Tom Hodges - 2009

This was the other sketch I picked up at last weekend's Wizard World Philly Con, by artist Tom Hodges.

Tom's cartoony work has a strong sense of design to it, and he added a bit of that here--I really like the blue tone he added to the background, a touch I didn't expect and really liked when I saw it.

I always try and "discover" at least one new artist per con and get a sketch from them, and this is a fine addition to my book.

AquaSketch by Kevin Maguire - 2009

This was the awesome headshot done for me by Kevin Maguire, that was started at the 2009 New York Con and "finished" at the 2009 Philly con a few months later.

Kevin, being a master of facial expressions, had a whole table full of headshots of various DC characters like Hawkman, Blue Beetle, and Guy Gardner. And even though there's no costume detail here, this is unmistakably Aquaman--I love it, and it was worth the wait!