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Showcase Presents: Aquaman #2
Showcase Presents: Aquaman, Vol. 2
More 1960s adventures of the master of the sea! This volume collects stories from Aquaman #7-23, World's Finest #130-133, #135, #137 and #139 and THE Brave and the Bold #51!
528 pages, Paperback
First published January 23, 2008
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About the author
Bob Haney
450 books13 followersRobert G. Haney was an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. He co-created the Teen Titans as well as characters such as Metamorpho, Eclipso, Cain, and the Super-Sons.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 30, 2022
The recent controversy behind the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard defamation case and the actresses' diminished role in the Aquaman sequel is not why I decided to read this collection of Aquaman reprints. Instead, I was inspired to have a topical (or maybe it's tropical) read on my recent beach vacation. While I didn't finish this book before I left Carolina Beach, I did keep smelling salt air and daily fresh catch as I read this collection of mid-1960s Aquaman comics.
Nick Cardy tackles the artwork of the regular Aquaman series stories. Ramona Fradon (Metamorpho) illustrated the smaller stories that occupied the fill-in status in the pages of World's Finest Comics. Fradon's artwork was so fluid. I've been a fan of her's since I was a little kid from the stories I'd read in my dad's comic collection. Cardy's artwork is another story.
Somewhere around 1966 or '67, Nick Cardy's work shifted dramatically on this series. I think it's because for a while, Cardy was trying to (or being made to) copy Fradon's style. Before the 'shift', Cardy's Aquaman stories have heavy inks, rounder edges and look a bit like what you'd see from the Bob Kane camp (around this time.) I think once Fradon finally moved on from doing Aquaman stories, Cardy was free to start putting his deft touch on the comic.
If you look at Cardy's other work, particularly Teen Titans, you'll notice that the paneling of the stories gets much bigger. The inks are thinner and the angling of the scenes are more dynamic. But above all, you see the artist's love of anatomy. I'm not saying Cardy was a freak or anything like that. Cardy does a lot of panels where he'll show Aquaman or another character in action in some sort of act of progression- kinda like how Carmine Infantino would show the Flash being super fast by drawing him like in one of those flip book poses. Sorry- I just don't know how to better explain it.
Aquaman gets a bad rap as being a weak member of the Justice League because all he can do is speak to fish. But really, that's not the case. Sure, as a part of a team, he's severely limited. He can't be out of water for longer than 60 minutes. (For some reason, I thought ther limit was 24-hours.) So, a lengthy trip to the Sahara is out of the question. But when you keep Aquaman in his element, he's a mighty warrior. He's strong. Can swim extremely fast. And yes, he can talk to fish.
While Aquaman's rogue's gallery is still a tad away from being firmly established at this moment, he's assortment of allies are formed in the volume. Future wife, Mera, the inter-dimensional aquatic princess, the Aquababy, and several denizens of Atlantis are introduced here. If you need a fix on the villains, it's mostly two-bit crooks and the odd extraterrestrial baddie who troubles the King of the Seven Seas. Only the angling Fisherman is a recurring villain I recall from later comic stories.
A very good collection of stories. They may not be the best DC had to offer. But they were nostalgic and nautical. And once Nick Cardy found his footing, the artwork began to look a lot like my 60s DC guilty pleasure, Sea Devils.
Nick Cardy tackles the artwork of the regular Aquaman series stories. Ramona Fradon (Metamorpho) illustrated the smaller stories that occupied the fill-in status in the pages of World's Finest Comics. Fradon's artwork was so fluid. I've been a fan of her's since I was a little kid from the stories I'd read in my dad's comic collection. Cardy's artwork is another story.
Somewhere around 1966 or '67, Nick Cardy's work shifted dramatically on this series. I think it's because for a while, Cardy was trying to (or being made to) copy Fradon's style. Before the 'shift', Cardy's Aquaman stories have heavy inks, rounder edges and look a bit like what you'd see from the Bob Kane camp (around this time.) I think once Fradon finally moved on from doing Aquaman stories, Cardy was free to start putting his deft touch on the comic.
If you look at Cardy's other work, particularly Teen Titans, you'll notice that the paneling of the stories gets much bigger. The inks are thinner and the angling of the scenes are more dynamic. But above all, you see the artist's love of anatomy. I'm not saying Cardy was a freak or anything like that. Cardy does a lot of panels where he'll show Aquaman or another character in action in some sort of act of progression- kinda like how Carmine Infantino would show the Flash being super fast by drawing him like in one of those flip book poses. Sorry- I just don't know how to better explain it.
Aquaman gets a bad rap as being a weak member of the Justice League because all he can do is speak to fish. But really, that's not the case. Sure, as a part of a team, he's severely limited. He can't be out of water for longer than 60 minutes. (For some reason, I thought ther limit was 24-hours.) So, a lengthy trip to the Sahara is out of the question. But when you keep Aquaman in his element, he's a mighty warrior. He's strong. Can swim extremely fast. And yes, he can talk to fish.
While Aquaman's rogue's gallery is still a tad away from being firmly established at this moment, he's assortment of allies are formed in the volume. Future wife, Mera, the inter-dimensional aquatic princess, the Aquababy, and several denizens of Atlantis are introduced here. If you need a fix on the villains, it's mostly two-bit crooks and the odd extraterrestrial baddie who troubles the King of the Seven Seas. Only the angling Fisherman is a recurring villain I recall from later comic stories.
A very good collection of stories. They may not be the best DC had to offer. But they were nostalgic and nautical. And once Nick Cardy found his footing, the artwork began to look a lot like my 60s DC guilty pleasure, Sea Devils.
May 22, 2018
A collection of Aquaman stories which were originally published back in the early '60s.
June 28, 2014
After Vol. 1 of Aquaman had a mix of interesting and most importantly SHORT stories about life at sea and jokes about animals, it started to become a flat superhero mag. Aquaman and his younger double, Aqualad, do one-issue storylines where they fight sea monsters, aliens, the occasional small time hood, using similar powers over sea creatures and swimming, etc. Kind of boring, but the art was good.
I feel like the action got even flatter in this book. There was the plus of Ramona Fradon doing a few 7 page stories in the back of World's Finest Comics, but there are too few of those here. Most of the stories make Aquaman seem like some slow moving bulk of a superhero. "there's a monster over there, Aquaman tries to fight it, fails a little, beats it up". I think the repetition is the worst. Bob Haney and his overly wordy writing didn't help.
But then there is a remarkable twist that makes the stories GREAT, and merits the 5/5 rating. Her name is Mera, the queen of a water world in a parallel dimension. While the social ramifications of having a character who is "different" because she is female are perhaps troubling, they certainly help the pacing of the story. While Aqualad talks a lot while doing exactly what Aquaman would do/what Aquaman says, Mera has her own personal agency, and differing motives based on her feminine weakness (I feel guilty for praising that), or her sensitive or impulsive motivations (this is icky territory).
It gets even more so as the relationship between Mera and Aquaman slowly gets more and more "familiar". At first Mera drops hints that she really likes Aquaman, as she forces herself to his side. And then eventually they cross the point where they get married, just as Aquaman becomes king of Atlantis. This creates a lot of interesting stories. Aquaman can keep his boring adventures, but we also get to see what's going on in Atlantis, how Mera acclimates to being a sedate queen.
Basically, by creating a convoluted character/career arc for Aquaman, the writers manage to create actually dramatic writing, having something to cut from, create tension in two planes.
I like the feminine aspect of it (Even a stereotypical one), and it reads a lot better. The art by Nick Cardy and the aforementioned Ramona Fradon is tremendous as usual (they're always good no matter who they draw), and Jack Miller seems to be really good at compact dialogue, and he writes most of the stories that aren't giving the author credit of "Unknown".
I feel like the action got even flatter in this book. There was the plus of Ramona Fradon doing a few 7 page stories in the back of World's Finest Comics, but there are too few of those here. Most of the stories make Aquaman seem like some slow moving bulk of a superhero. "there's a monster over there, Aquaman tries to fight it, fails a little, beats it up". I think the repetition is the worst. Bob Haney and his overly wordy writing didn't help.
But then there is a remarkable twist that makes the stories GREAT, and merits the 5/5 rating. Her name is Mera, the queen of a water world in a parallel dimension. While the social ramifications of having a character who is "different" because she is female are perhaps troubling, they certainly help the pacing of the story. While Aqualad talks a lot while doing exactly what Aquaman would do/what Aquaman says, Mera has her own personal agency, and differing motives based on her feminine weakness (I feel guilty for praising that), or her sensitive or impulsive motivations (this is icky territory).
It gets even more so as the relationship between Mera and Aquaman slowly gets more and more "familiar". At first Mera drops hints that she really likes Aquaman, as she forces herself to his side. And then eventually they cross the point where they get married, just as Aquaman becomes king of Atlantis. This creates a lot of interesting stories. Aquaman can keep his boring adventures, but we also get to see what's going on in Atlantis, how Mera acclimates to being a sedate queen.
Basically, by creating a convoluted character/career arc for Aquaman, the writers manage to create actually dramatic writing, having something to cut from, create tension in two planes.
I like the feminine aspect of it (Even a stereotypical one), and it reads a lot better. The art by Nick Cardy and the aforementioned Ramona Fradon is tremendous as usual (they're always good no matter who they draw), and Jack Miller seems to be really good at compact dialogue, and he writes most of the stories that aren't giving the author credit of "Unknown".
October 26, 2013
The quality of the stories here varies, a lot, but overall this was a strong period for the Sea King as he becomes ruler of Atlantis, meets and marries the beautiful Mera and has a baby (both the kid and the marriage predated the better known wedding and birth in the Fantastic Four). Shows Aquaman is better than he's credited with.
July 1, 2010
So glad Geoff Johns is making Aquaman and, in particular, Mera, super awesome again.
So let's revisit ye olde days...
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Afterthoughts: I loved this; it sounds so cheesy in today's terms, but damn it was fun! And Mera is just hilarious.
So let's revisit ye olde days...
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Afterthoughts: I loved this; it sounds so cheesy in today's terms, but damn it was fun! And Mera is just hilarious.
September 12, 2008
Everything was going great until he got married. As usual.
Currently reading
July 22, 2017528 pages of great early-to-mid 1960s art by Ramona Fradon and Nick Cardy, accompanying some pretty pedestrian stories. Cover shows the marriage of Aquaman and Mera, a trend-setter.
January 26, 2013
Extra credit for nostalgia!
November 7, 2013
Good art, good stories, good clean fun for kids. Not bad for a guy who talks to fish.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews