At long last Aquaman: Sub Diego collects the acclaimed "American Tidal" arc from the Sea King's 2003 series and is on shelves today! With gorgeous artwork by Patrick Gleason and Will Pfeifer scripting a complex, original tale that shows the sheer power and heroism of Aquaman (long before the New 52 came to be), Sub Diego collects Aquaman #15-22 and is a Shrine recommendation for old and new readers alike. Check it out and let us know what you think!
A ton of Aqua-Fans have sent in a link to this Amazon listing, that shows an Aquaman Archives Vol.2 supposedly on the schedule! For those of who don't remember, Aquaman received a single Archive Edition hardcover book, way back in 2003:
Now, lots of things get listed on Amazon that will either never be published or are so far off in the future that it's almost meaningless (indeed, Vol. 2 is listed as being published in 2035!), but someone did bother to list the comics that will be reprinted in the book: Showcase #s 32-33, Adventure Comics #284, Detective Comics #s 293-300, World's Finest Comics #s 125-133, and Aquaman #s 1-9. So there's something more than a title to this at least. I'm still amazed that the classic Steve Skeates/Jim Aparo run, from Aquaman #s 40-56, have never been collected anywhere. The Showcase Presents volumes stopped just before, and at this rate, this series won't get to them until around Aquaman Archives Vol.3, due in 2067.
For all of you "trade-waiters" or those just late jumping on board, Aquaman Vol. 1 HC is out today! The Trench features Arthur Curry revitalized for DC Comics New 52 by the super-talented Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Rod Reis & co. and collects the critically-acclaimed first six issues of the hit series. Witness Arthur and Mera beginning a new life for themselves on the New England coast, only to be ostracized by the local residents while at the same time being terrorized by a race of creatures from the darkest ocean depths...creatures with a mysterious connection to the sunken land of ancient Atlantis!
With the central theme of Aquaman's dual-heritage being played out in high-stakes, super-heroic drama and breath-taking panoramic visuals by the art team, The Trench will have you coming up for air whether you are a first-time reader or if you're like us -- back for seconds (or thirds) of Aquaman!
Aquaman ranks as one of the most recognizable superheroes in pop culture—standing beside the likes of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Flash. From his starring role on the long-running SUPER FRIENDS animated series to featured roles on JUSTICE LEAGUE, BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD and guest appearances on the hit SMALLVILLE television series and more, his successes are legion. Take the plunge and read the thrilling adventures one of the DC Universe's most enduring characters with the DC Comics Digital AQUAMAN 101 Sale featuring 101 sensational issues for only 99 cents each! Explore the King of the Seven Seas' early adventures as part of the Justice League, experience his epic battles with super villain Black Manta, his marriage to Mera, his exile from Atlantis and much, much more! The 3-Day sale begins on 5/19/12!
Need some suggestions? Check out our recommendations from The Greatest Aquaman Stories Ever Told and be sure to leave us some words in the comments to let us know what you picked up!
The F.O.A.M.member known as "Hoop" left a comment on a Random Panel of the Day thread about the new The World of Flashpoint trade paperback, mentioning how the book is called The World of Flashpoint Featuring Wonder Woman. Yet, as we can see, Aquaman is on the cover, the only character on the back cover, and the main pull quote is about Emperor: Aquaman!
Seeing all this, John asked a completely reasonable question: "So tell me exactly why it isn't 'World of Flashpoint: Featuring Aquaman'?"Not to dis the Amazing Amazon or anything, but I'd say this is an example of Aquaman still being a half-step behind The Big Three in terms of name recognition--or at least considered such by DC.
But, thanks to the Aquaman current team, I don't think that's going to last much longer... Thanks Hoop!
Back when the Shrine did a post about the Aquaman: Death of a Prince TPB, I quibbled over the fact that the book did not include any sort of introduction.
Since many of DC's collected editions do, and that this volume was clearly timed to appeal to all the new fans Aquaman has thanks to Brightest Day and Flashpoint, I thought it would have been appropriate to get any of the handful of writers who worked on the stories contained therein to jot down a few words. Then I ended by joking that if none of those writers was available, "...well, DC, you have my number."
It then occurred to me that, over the years, the Shrine had interviewed almost all the major creative participants in these stories, and in almost all cases explicitly asked about this 1970s Adventure run.The material was already there.
Figuring what the hell, I decided towrite an introduction to the Death of a Prince TPB, as if DC actually had asked me to do it. I hope you enjoy:
Introduction
In 1974, Aquaman was a man without a country. After a decade that saw him as the headliner of his own title, a founding and active member of the Justice League of America, the star of his own cartoon series (the back half of Filmation's Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure), and, for the first time in his three decade history, the subject of mass merchandising, the 70s crashed down on the Sea King like the pounding surf.
It started in 1971, when his solo book, coming off an extraordinarily successful run by writer Steve Skeates, artist Jim Aparo, and editor Dick Giordano (known affectionately as "SAG") was cancelled, a move so abrupt it didn't even give Skeates time to finish off a continued story he had planned. Strangely, Aquaman, as a title, was actually selling fairly well, the book being a victim as much as anything of inter-office politics.
That left Aquaman with no regular home, so he could only be found in the pages of Justice League of America. By 1971, however, that book had changed significantly from its early issues: gone were the days when Aquaman participated in every adventure, with marquee stars Superman and Batman relegated to minor appearances (not wanting their characters to be overexposed, the Superman and Batman editors of the time asked their characters only appear sparingly in JLA; a move that seems charming in its innocence nowadays). By this point, the League had added members, and many of the newer recruits were given more "screen time" than the Sea King. While his fellow JLAers were building up their rich histories in solo titles, Aquaman was relegated to guest appearances or one-off team-ups.
In 1973, DC's venerable Adventure Comics book was coming off a long run of unusual characters as the star: The Vigilante, Captain Fear, and Black Orchid were all given their shot, none of them lasting longer than a few months in the lead. In early 1974, the book was handed off to the Golden Age character The Spectre, for a run of stories still considered shocking even today: writer Michael Fleisher and former Aquaman artist Jim Aparo had the supernatural hero mete out harsh justice to crooks, turning them into glass, melting them, or converting bad guys into wood and then running them through a buzzsaw. In an age when the Comics Code still had a lot of power and rendered DC's mystery titles mostly toothless affairs, The Spectre feature harkened back to the heyday of EC Comics, where bad men got what was coming to them (indeed, Adventure's editor, Joe Orlando, worked on those self-same ECs). The strip was gutsy and unsentimental; and of course it didn't last.
In Adventure Comics #435, Aquaman returned to the title had been his home for years (running nearly uninterrupted from issue #103 to #284) as a back-up to The Spectre. He was once again written by Steve Skeates, but drawn by an artist new to comics looking to make an, ahem, splash: Mike Grell. Grell was thrilled at the opportunity: "He [legendary DC editor Julius Schwartz] looked at my portfolio and called Joe Orlando in. By now I had told this guy my story, and he told Joe this guy moved with his wife and his dog, and he was looking for work, and is there anything you can give him?
Joe looked at the stuff very carefully and said, 'Yeah, come on into my office.' And he gave me my first assignment, which was the Aquaman story, 'As The Undersea City Sleeps.' It was the launch of my career. It was one of the biggest breaks I ever got."
By the third segment, Skeates has been replaced by another writer, Paul Levitz. Like Grell, Levitz was a newcomer to superhero comics, and didn't really care who it was he was writing: "I have to say, it wasn't, 'Oh my God, I can get my hands on Aquaman.' It was much more at that moment in my life and career, 'I can write a superhero and not these mystery stories which I really liked to read as a kid? Please, sir!'"
Aquaman then disappeared from Adventure for a couple of months. When he returned, it was as the star of the book, featured on its cover (for the first time!) and again drawn by Jim Aparo. Co-written by Levitz and David Michelinie, "The Pirate Who Plundered Atantis!" is a fast-paced, brightly-lit seagoing adventure, with Aquaman alongside his bride Mera.
In the next few issues, Levitz (helped by a revolving door of co-writers, like Michelinie, Gerry Conway and Martin Pasko) brought in members of Aquaman's supporting cast (Aqualad, Aquagirl, Aquababy, Vulko), trip-hammered through the Sea King's Rogues Gallery: The Fisherman, Ocean Master, and Black Manta, developed ongoing subplots, and introduced the greatest playset Mego Toys Never Made, The Aqua-Cave. Steve Skeates returned for an issue, giving Aquaman a new foe, the Marine Marauder. With Adventure Comics #450, co-writer David Michelinie took over the strip, drafting established DC villains to take on the Sea King, like Starro the Conqueror and The Weather Wizard.
Despite the high turnaround in writers, these stories maintained a generally consistent tone and feel, much of it due to the work of Jim Aparo, operating at the peak of his artistic powers. A master at both character expression and slam-bang action, he made Aquaman look as iconic as he ever had. The sun always seemed to be shining in these stories, and with his family of solid supporting characters, it felt as though the rough patch Aquaman went through a few years earlier was now over, and he was about to reclaim his proper place in the nascent "DCU."
But then something happened.
In Adventure Comics #452, writer David Michelinie, had Aquaman's most fearsome opponent, Black Manta, deliver the most personal, shocking blow any supervillain has ever dealt a superhero: the murder of his son, Arthur Jr.
The story, "Dark Destiny, Deadly Dreams" still stands out, some thirty-odd years later, as one of the most startling moments in a superhero comic: never had a superhero suffered so greatly at the hands of one of his arch foes. Aquaman was the first "mainstream" superhero to even have a child. Now the character was breaking the mold yet again, this time in the most nightmarish way possible.
Amazingly, this move was not even considered particularly controversial in the halls of DC at the time. According to Michelinie, he was most likely simply paying off something Paul Levitz was building towards: "I don't think it was my idea--that possibility doesn't ring any bells. But I can't officially deny it, either. Paul Levitz was plotting the book for a while and I and other writers were doing scripts from his plots. So the most likely scenario is that the death storyline was something Paul was building up to and I just carried it through when I took over plotting the book."
While Aquaman was suffering the worst defeat any hero could imagine, as a character he was never in better shape: after this issue, it was announced he was being returned to his solo series, picking up where it had left off, at Aquaman #57!
Featuring the same creative team, Aquaman picked up right where Adventure left off: with the Sea King chasing after Manta, in a quest for vengeance. Over the next few issues, Aquaman history was made with several firsts: Mera was given her first solo shot as a back-up feature (written by Paul Kupperberg; remember that name), and artist Don Newton took over for Aparo, giving the character and book a different, but just as dynamic, look. At the same time, over in Adventure, Aqualad was starring in his own strip (also written by Kupperberg), another first in Aqua-history.
After a tussle with Kobra, the Mera strip ended, and Kupperberg took over the book from Michelinie. Mera rejoined her husband, the death of their son threatening to tear their seemingly-bedrock relationship apart. Aquaman #63 was a real family reunion: Aqualad returned to the fold, and Aquaman's half-brother Ocean Master showed up to again be a thorn in his brother's side. It seemed like all the various Aquaman Family strips (Aquaman, Aqualad in Adventure, and the Mera back-ups) were all coalescing around some big pay-off, a pretty coordinated piece of comic book scheduling, in an era before the advent of regular summer crossover "events."
Aquaman #63 ends on a down note, with Aqualad only then realizing Arthur Jr. was dead. In some ways, even more cruel was the little commercial paste-up DC put at the bottom of the page: "Next issue on sale during the first week of July."
This author waited a long time for Aquaman #64. But the infamous "DC Implosion", a financial catastrophe that led DC to abruptly cancel dozens of titles, forced Aquaman off the schedule, never to return. It seems that readers weren't the only ones surprised that the book was cancelled; its writer was, too! Paul Kupperberg: "I didn't know the axe was about to fall! Aquaman was my first regularly assigned gig when I took it over with #62 (July '78) from David Michelinie, a writer whose work I tremendously admired. I knew it wasn't the healthiest title on the schedule, but I really did expect to have a longer than two issue run on it. I didn't know the book was dead until after I turned in the script for #63."
While Aquaman kept swimming (back into the safe, warm waters of Adventure Comics), he would not return as the star of his own book for another eight years, and even then in just a mini-series. DC wouldn't deem the Sea King ready for another ongoing until 1991. After some moments of true success, and even more moments of failure, Aquaman would continue to struggle to prove he could be a solo star again. Now, in the 21st Century, thanks to his participation in high-profile "event" series such as Brightest Day and Flashpoint and a stable of talented writers and artists who love the character, Aquaman is ready to reclaim the throne as DC's premiere seafaring superhero, and one of the main pillars of the DCU.
It was the stories contained in this volume that helped cement Aquaman as a hero, a loyal and brave man of action, to a new generation. We hope this look back at some of his finest moments will do the same for you.
--Rob Kelly, July 2011
Rob Kelly is the creator and EIC of The Aquaman Shrine, an online daily devotional to the Sea King since 2006.
Might As Well Go All The Way Department: If you click here, you can download a PDF of this introduction, sized so it can be cut and placed directly inside your copy of Aquaman: Death of a Prince!
So yesterday saw the release of the Aquaman: Death of a Prince TPB, the first such collected edition of Aquaman stories since the Showcase books and the first in color since 2006's Sword of Atlantis book.
The book reprints the Aquaman stories from Adventure Comics #s 435-437, 441-452, Aqualad back-ups from Adventure Comics #s 453-455, and Aquaman (Volume 1) #s 57-63.
These stories, written by a fantastic group of talented comic book storytellers (Steve Skeates, Gerry Conway, Paul Levitz, David Michelinie, Martin Pasko, and Paul Kupperberg) and drawn (mostly) by two of the best comic book artists ever to pick up a pencil (Jim Aparo and Don Newton), represent, in the Shrine's opinion, some of the Sea King's finest adventures, stories that have been crying out for some sort of permanent collection.
After years of having to tell people who were looking to get into Aquaman that most of his best adventures could only be found in dusty back issue boxes, this book is a great step in the right direction. All of Arthur's compatriots have multiple TPB collections in their name; he needs to catch up!
There are a couple of things that I wish had been done a little differently, and these comments are expressed solely for the purpose of making any future Aquaman TPBs a little better. For instance, a small introduction, aimed at any potential new Aqua-Fans lured to the book by his high profile in Blackest Night, Brightest Day, and Flashpoint, would have been nice. Any of the writers whose stories were collected in this book could have done a fine job. If none of them were available...well, DC, you have my number.
Also, while the book is called Death of a Prince, choosing to end the collection with Aquaman #63 makes for a really downbeat finale. Too bad there wasn't room(?) to keep going, and reprint some of the more up-beat stories that followed that book, which started off with Adventure Comics #460.
Finally, I don't get the whole glossy paper thing. I actually find it a tad distracting to read old 60s and 70s comics--which were originally done on newsprint, of course--on this super-high glossy stock. I'm not sure whether it would have made a price-point difference or not, but I think using that nice white, slightly rougher paper stock a lot of the more pre-fab TPBs are printed on would have been just fine.
But those are pretty minor considerations. Overall Death of a Prince is a fantastic collection of Aqua-adventures, written and drawn by some of the best people ever to handle the character. These were some of the first Aquaman stories I ever read: Aquaman is a brave, heroic, kind, and loyal man of action; Mera is his beautiful, intelligent, and devoted wife, and his Rogues Gallery (well represented here) are wonderfully colorful and nasty. These comics lodged a place in my brain so deep that, decades later, they eventually led to the thing you're reading right now.
Here's the cover to Emperor Aquaman #1--the first solo Aquaman book in almost five years--on sale tomorrow!
Run, don't walk, to your nearest LCS and buy a copy or three, Aqua-Fans--I don't wanna hear any of this "I don't like these big crossovers, waaah" crap. We've been waiting for ages to get the Sea King back in his own book, and even though this isn't the "actual" Aquaman and his new ongoing is already on the way, the only way us Aqua-Fans can show that Aquaman can support a book is to buy it when they make one!
Also coming out (though not until July 5) is the Aquaman: Death of a Prince trade, reprinting Aquaman's mid-70s solo run in Adventure Comics, seven issues of his solo book, and some other stories from that time.
This cover was helpfully provided to the Shrine by none other than Friend of the Shrine Paul Kupperberg, who wrote several of the stories contained herein!
You can pre-order the book via Amazon at a hefty discount just by clicking below:
...by doing so you'll be throwing some undersea loot at the Shrine as well as Mr. Kupperberg ("Tell the world, amigo! I'm on royalties on this puppy!")! This is a great collection and belongs on the shelf of every Aqua-Fan!
Update: I forgot mention this other Aqua-related book that hits shelves tomorrow, The All-New Batman: Brave and the Bold #8, starring Batman and...Aquaman!
Many times the Shrine has gotten an email from someone looking for a list of Aquaman comics in trade paperback/collected format. Sadly, of all of DC's longest-lasting, iconic characters, the Sea King has the least amount of "permanent" editions in his name.
So below you will find info and Amazon links to all of the Aquaman collected editions that are still available for purchase, a page that I'll update as new books become available!
Aquaman Archives, Volume 1 - 2003 Reprints: Adventure Comics #s 260-280, 282, and Showcase #s 30-31 Color hardcover
Showcase Presents Aquaman, Volume 1 - 2007 Reprints: Adventure Comics #s 260-280, 282, 284, Detective Comics #s 293-300, Showcase #s 30-33, World's Finest #125-129, Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #12, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #55, and Aquaman (Vol.1) #s 1-6 Black and white softcover
Showcase Presents Aquaman, Volume 2 - 2008 Reprints: Aquaman (Vol.1) #s 7-23, World's Finest #130-133, 135, 137, 139, and Brave and the Bold #51 Black and white softcover
Showcase Presents Aquaman, Volume 3 - 2009 Reprints: Aquaman (Vol.1) #s 24-39, Brave and the Bold #73, and Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #115Black and white softcover
Aquaman Sword of Atlantis: Once and Future - 2006 Reprints: Aquaman Sword of Atlantis #s 40-45Color softcover
Aquaman: Time and Tide - 1996 Reprints: Aquaman Time and Tide #s 1-4 Color softcover
Aquaman: The Waterbearer - 2003 Reprints: Aquaman (Vol.7) #s 1-6 Color softcover
Aquaman: Death of a Prince - 2011 Reprints: Adventure Comics #s 441-455, Aquaman #s 57-63 Color softcover
Hopefully we'll have many more books to add to this list soon--click the "Collected Editions" label at right to check for updates!
F.O.A.M.er Jerry Resendes sent me further info regarding the upcoming Aquaman: Death of the Prince TPB scheduled for release Summer 2011.
As we surmised in a previous post, this book will in fact reprint Aquaman's mid-1970s adventures: Adventure Comics #s 435-437, 441-455, and Aquaman #s 57-63, featuring work by Steve Skeates, Paul Levitz, Paul Kupperberg, Jim Aparo, Mike Grell, Don Newton, and more.
What's a little surprising is the inclusion of the Aqualad solo back-ups that ran in Adventure Comics #s 453-455, written by our pal Kupperberg. That's a nice bonus and will fit quite well in between Aquaman's Adventure run and the revival of his solo book.
Many times people have written me asking for recommendations of Aquaman TPBs, and I've regretfully had to say that many of my favorite Aquaman comics have still not been collected, and can only be purchased on eBay or by rummaging through dusty comic book bins. So I'm especially thrilled that at least one chunk of my all-time favorite Aquaman stories will now be in trade form!
Thanks for the info Jerry!
By the way: If you'd like to pre-order this book--and throw the Shrine a couple of cents in the process--you can do so right here:
F.O.A.M.er Joe Slab just pointed out to the Shrine that, just in time for Black Friday (which sounds like a supervillain if I've ever heard one), Amazon has updated its Aquaman: Death of the Prince trade listing!
It now has a graphic (the art from this cover) and a brief description of the book's contents: Aquaman, one of the featured heroes in DC Comics' current hit series BRIGHTEST DAY and a supporting character on TV's Smallville, stars in this new title collecting a dramatic 1970s serial. As Aquaman faces his greatest foes, Black Manta plans his ultimate revenge on the Sea King--and the battle that ensues results in the death of Aquaman's infant son and the dissolution of his marriage.
So it sounds like this book will be collecting the Aqaman stories from Adventure Comics #s 441-452, plus Aquaman #s 57-63 at least--which tome is great news, since this will be the first time any Jim Aparo-drawn era of Aquaman has been collected into a trade (unbelievable, but true).
Plus, on a more personal note, these issues represent some of my favorite Aquaman comics ever, and it'll be great to be able to recommend them to new Aquaman readers without having to say "go to eBay and find all the books indivdually."
Somehow I never got around to talking about the first Showcase Presents: Aquaman volume when it came out, so now that Volume Two is here I thought we'd do a round-up. Giddyap!
I'm so glad Aquaman is getting represented in DC's successful Showcase series. Since the backlist is getting deeper with these books, I assume they're selling well, which of course is great. I know many parents buy these(and Marvel's Essentials) books for their kids, since obviously you're getting the absolute best bang for your buck. Over five-hundred pages for seventeen bucks? Not bad, especially when so much of the material is classic stuff. Kids I think don't have as much of a problem with the black and white, especially if its the first time they're encountering this material.
The first volume features Aquaman's tales from Adventure Comics, Detective Comics(that was a stretch, putting him in Detective Comics), World's Finest, Showcase, and the first few issues of Aquaman. Art is by Ramona Fradon and Nick Cardy, proving again that Aquaman may have been a second-tier hero, but he had top-tier artists.
Volume 2 features the classic "Aquaman Weds Mera" cover by Cardy from Aquaman #18, beautifully re-colored by Drew Moore--I loved how the colors are just a tad washed out, perfectly capturing the underwater feel. These tales are from further issues of Aquaman, World's Finest(wow, Aquaman was popular enough back then to have two--three, if you count Justice League of America--regular series!), plus his team-up with Hawkman in The Brave and the Bold #51.
I know I just mentioned this a few days ago, but it bears repeating--looking back over these issues all in a row like this, I had forgotten how much of a stone cold babe Mera was when rendered by Nick Cardy. Curvy and graceful, Mera looked at times like an underwater Ava Gardner. No wonder Arthur missed so many JLA meetings!
Anyway, these are fine volumes, well put together(though one request--any chance DC could reinstate the half-page ads that used to run in the original books?). I hope they continue to sell, so we get the chance to see Showcase Presents: Aquaman volumes three, four, five...
Aquaman then disappeared from Adventure for a couple of months. When he returned, it was as the star of the book, featured on its cover (for the first time!) and again drawn by Jim Aparo. Co-written by Levitz and David Michelinie, "The Pirate Who Plundered Atantis!" is a fast-paced, brightly-lit seagoing adventure, with Aquaman alongside his bride Mera.
These stories, written by a fantastic group of talented comic book storytellers (Steve Skeates, Gerry Conway, Paul Levitz, David Michelinie, Martin Pasko, and Paul Kupperberg) and drawn (mostly) by two of the best comic book artists ever to pick up a pencil (Jim Aparo and Don Newton), represent, in the Shrine's opinion, some of the Sea King's finest adventures, stories that have been crying out for some sort of permanent collection.
F.O.A.M.er Jerry Resendes sent me further info regarding the upcoming Aquaman: Death of the Prince TPB scheduled for release Summer 2011.
