On Friday, March 1, 2019 at 8:55:00 PM UTC-5,
gggg...@gmail.com wrote:
- When Aquaman, created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, first
debuted in the pages of More Fun Comics No. 73 (1941) he was a backup character, along with the simultaneously debuting Green Arrow. And
while these early Aquaman stories, which were quaint in the way that
only Golden Age comics could be, offered a different origin story
from the one that would later be adopted in the Silver Age, Aquaman
proved to be a success. His popularity survived through World War II, something that couldn’t be said for many comic book characters who
vanished after the war, and he went on to become a founding member of
the Justice League of America. While our understanding of cool may
have been different during the middle of the 20th century, and
Aquaman never reached Batman or Superman level of merchandizing, he
was considered a gold standard — a clean-cut hero whose adventures
took readers to new corners of the world and whose supporting
characters and aquatic friends gave him a narrative versatility. If
there was one alteration to the character during this period that
would prove damning it was the decision that his weakness should be
........................................................And just as
Superman was threatened with Kryptonite, and Wonder Woman tied and
bound, Aquaman’s foes continuously threatened to dry him out.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/aquaman-has-been-cool-you-just-didnt-know-it-movie-1171547
OK, a decent enough article, but it has several lacks I noticed that
the writer doesn't mention two major periods of Aquaman. The first
would be "The King of the Sea on TV," in the 1960s. The second years
that the Filmation NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN shorts were aired on
CBS-TV, they were paired with Arthur, Mera and Garth in THE SUPERMAN-
AQUAMAN HOUR OF ADVENTURE.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Superman/Aquaman_Hour_of_Adventure
The Aquaman segments were repackaged as a stand-alone 30 minute show,
when Batman replaced Orin as Kal-El's broadcast partner.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaman_(TV_series)
So, Aquaman cartoons were on network TV from 1968 through 1970.
The article also neglects the mid-1070s revival of comic strip in
ADVENTURE COMICS, starting with #435, Sept-Oct, 1974 cover date,...
https://www.comics.org/issue/27774/cover/4/
....as a back-up to cover feature, "The Spectre." Steve Skeates and
Mike Grell reintroduced the character, which took over the covers
in 1975, [AC #441:
https://www.comics.org/issue/29036/cover/4/ ]
By issue #441, the strip was the cover feature for the first timeever on ADVENTURE or MORE FUN, and Jim Aparo, who had worked on the strip after
Nick Cardy in the 1960s, returned to do the art.
https://www.comics.org/issue/29036/
Newby missed over 2 years of Aqua-development, including the reintroduction
of the idea, barely used since the 1940s, that a hero who could withstand
the crushing pressure of the depths would be stronger and more resilient
than a surface dweller. The ADVENTURE strip went on hiatus as of #452,
with the resumption of the Sea King's own title, which Newby mentions,
But 1877's #57 continued the storyline from ADVENTURE. somebody didn't
do the reading, or at least didn't read the "reprinted from credits"
in the trade paperback collection! [AQUAMAN: DEATH OF A PRINCE
https://www.comics.org/issue/852810/cover/4/ ]
Newby also ignores the orca in the Aquacave:
[quoting myself, gauchely, from a Quora answer]
When Mort Weisinger was hired away from pulp publisher Better
(aka Thrilling/Standard/Pines) to edit for National in 1941, one
of the first things he did was install 3 "new characters" in MORE
FUN COMICS, where the Spectre and Dr Fate hung their capes. They
were super speedster Johnny Quick, with his magic formula {3x2(9yz)4a!},
the Green Arrow and his sidekick Speedy, and Aquaman. JQ was a duplicate
of The Flash, published by DC's partners, All-American Comics, not yet
fully merged into the eventual, post-WWII Superman-DC. Johnny was better drawn, by the tremendous Mort Meskin. Oliver Queen and Roy Harper were
a copy of the first four-colored costumed archer-hero, Centaur's The
Arrow, crossed with DC's own Batman and Robin. Aquaman cribbed from
Timely (later Atlas, then Marvel), whose Sub-Mariner had been separating
kids from their dimes since 1939, in the pages of Marvel Mystery Comics,
his own book, and wherever else Martin Goodman could stick him. Namor had
the whole "Prince of Atlantis" thing going for years before a similar connection was bolted onto the Aqualegend (Adventure Comics, #260, May
1959) safely after the 1954 Subby revival had been cancelled, and well
before the Avenging Son resurfaced in the pages of The Fantastic Four.
Nobody did angry and disgruntled like the Sub-Mariner, as often the villain
as the hero. When AC does it, it just seems like more "me too"-ism.
[/quote]
The reason Aquaman survived past the end of the Golden Age and not, say,
Alan (the Green Lantern), was that he was created by the editor. The
1950s strips, especially the ones drawn by Ramona Fradon, were nice to
look at, and firmly in DCs wheelhouse. The strip has always been a
take-off on Prince Namor, though. How does one not mention that?
Kevin R
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