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Showcase Presents: Aquaman #1
Showcase Presents: Aquaman, Vol. 1
Since his dramatic debut in the 1940s, Aquaman has battled the forces of evil using his super-strength and his abilities to breathe underwater and communicate with and mentally control sea life. This fantastic, value-sized collection features over 500 pages of classic, black-and-white adventures of the King of the Seven Seas and his sidekick, Aqualad, as they battle menaces from the deepest depths of the ocean to the outer limits of the galaxy.
544 pages, Paperback
First published February 14, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 19, 2016
This book collects the early Silver Age Aquaman stories from 1959-62. This contains a variety of stories ranging from 6-13 page stories published as back-up features in Adventures Comics, Detective Comics (believe it or not), World's Finest Comics, guest appearances in the Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane books, the full length try-outs for Aquaman in Showcase #32 and #33 and the first six issues of Aquaman's own comic.
There are some landmark stories in the comic, particularly the Silver Age Aquaman origin story and the introduction of Aqualad. The stories themselves are pretty bare bones. Atlantis is in the book, but there are only a couple stories involving it and Aquaman, while King of the Seas, has no actual political power. The only interaction with the rest of the Nascent DC Universe is seen in crossovers with Superman's friends, and a couple of cases of Aquaman stopping large chunks of Kryptonite from making it to market. The only recurring character introduced was Quisp.
The stories have a laid back feel. There's a sense that they're just trying to be fun adventures and they succeed at that. They're rarely as silly as some of the DC books and never boring. The art is solid and overall, this is just a pleasant uncomplicated read that's great for a young child or just anyone wanting to have a few pages of sea adventures with the King of the Sea.
There are some landmark stories in the comic, particularly the Silver Age Aquaman origin story and the introduction of Aqualad. The stories themselves are pretty bare bones. Atlantis is in the book, but there are only a couple stories involving it and Aquaman, while King of the Seas, has no actual political power. The only interaction with the rest of the Nascent DC Universe is seen in crossovers with Superman's friends, and a couple of cases of Aquaman stopping large chunks of Kryptonite from making it to market. The only recurring character introduced was Quisp.
The stories have a laid back feel. There's a sense that they're just trying to be fun adventures and they succeed at that. They're rarely as silly as some of the DC books and never boring. The art is solid and overall, this is just a pleasant uncomplicated read that's great for a young child or just anyone wanting to have a few pages of sea adventures with the King of the Sea.
November 21, 2019
Charmingly corny, pure fun! LOVED it!
June 10, 2018
I always heard Aquaman was rough. I get it now. Lots of repetition and Aqualad makes no sense.
June 24, 2014
What a refreshing surprise from the usual murky writing of the late 1950s/early 1960s DC comics.
The best stuff is early on. Ramona Fradon and either an unknown author or Robert Bernstein doing 7 page little stories, often not even with a clear villain relationship. Beautiful artwork of hokey things like an octopus working as a stretcher, or Aquaman creating a fish based police force, etc. The jokes are pretty tame and predictable, but they go by quickly and are pretty charming.
But inevitably they started making Aquaman a traditional hero, and it gets a little more annoying. While Aqualad is fairly likable as a sidekick, he mostly is a physical and emotional double for Aquaman, slows down the narrative as far as sidekicks go. And also, I didn't think the long form adventures in Aquaman's magazine were as good. It was almost always the same format. A villain, either a pirate or aliens, does bad stuff, somehow leads to a bigger danger, and then an uncanny resolution. Did not 25 pages for that.
But the stories were still tolerable. The action was fun to follow (even if repetitive and a little uncreative). It's cool to see Aquaman swimming into a cave, or seeing whales and electric eels swoop in to save the day (even if it happens every time).
The main thing is exceptional artwork. Ramona Fradon is really good at making pieces of artwork of Aquaman hanging out with sea creatures. And Nick Cardy makes really big spectacles using the ocean, and captures movement and spectacle very easily.
A very fun read if you put story needs on the backburner. 5/5
The best stuff is early on. Ramona Fradon and either an unknown author or Robert Bernstein doing 7 page little stories, often not even with a clear villain relationship. Beautiful artwork of hokey things like an octopus working as a stretcher, or Aquaman creating a fish based police force, etc. The jokes are pretty tame and predictable, but they go by quickly and are pretty charming.
But inevitably they started making Aquaman a traditional hero, and it gets a little more annoying. While Aqualad is fairly likable as a sidekick, he mostly is a physical and emotional double for Aquaman, slows down the narrative as far as sidekicks go. And also, I didn't think the long form adventures in Aquaman's magazine were as good. It was almost always the same format. A villain, either a pirate or aliens, does bad stuff, somehow leads to a bigger danger, and then an uncanny resolution. Did not 25 pages for that.
But the stories were still tolerable. The action was fun to follow (even if repetitive and a little uncreative). It's cool to see Aquaman swimming into a cave, or seeing whales and electric eels swoop in to save the day (even if it happens every time).
The main thing is exceptional artwork. Ramona Fradon is really good at making pieces of artwork of Aquaman hanging out with sea creatures. And Nick Cardy makes really big spectacles using the ocean, and captures movement and spectacle very easily.
A very fun read if you put story needs on the backburner. 5/5
August 5, 2009
Still reading this one, too. Aquaman is a recent discovery for me, who resonates with my persona a bit better than Spider-man actually! What a coup! I like water, which is big, and I like that Aquaman has a major weakness despite his superhero status. Aquaman's degree of weakness is a rare example of realism in the comic world. He can't be out of contact water for more than an hour. He is ridiculed by many, but he's a character after me own heart. Life in the seas can be rough, but I'm looking forward to how Mr. A progresses. Water is an amazing force/element in this world, don't underestimate it, or Aquaman!!! :)
The thing I've noticed about comic books is that they provide a snapshot of the history of their time-frame. It shows what our cultured valued at those times, which is fun to try to figure out from each comic.
The thing I've noticed about comic books is that they provide a snapshot of the history of their time-frame. It shows what our cultured valued at those times, which is fun to try to figure out from each comic.
July 25, 2008
Aquaman started out really, really badly, which i had more or less expected. It was worse than Superman (see my review on the first volume of that...). What was surprising was how good it became. After about the first 100 pages of this volume, the stories really pick up. There's still a turd here and there, but for the most part, not bad. Unlike other heroes of this time period, Aquaman's plans tend to go awry with some frequency, and the true value of the stories is in how he deals with these unexpected developments. This is especially interesting given the limits of his powers (talk to fish, breathe underwater...yeah that's about it). Also, Aquaman's weakness is a little easier to exploit than most (dies if left out of water for over an hour). All in all, a good read.
October 20, 2016
First, Aquaman is my favorite superhero and he always has been. So, I may be a little biased. Also, apparently I'm a bit old fashioned. But I really loved this book. While admittedly, it being black and white really gives readers a real sense of the genuine inking talent, I would have loved to see all these old comics in their full color splendor. I understand that this was a cheaper way to get these old comics in the hands of new readers. 4/5 only because it made me yearn to see them all in color.
December 29, 2008
Pure silver age cool. I picked this up after realizing I know very little about Aquaman, and this was definitely worth it. It's a little clunky at times, as most DC books from this period can be, but the fun factor makes up for it; for example, see Aquaman get gunned down by crooks, then saved by fish taking him to an undersea hospital he himself built for said fish. What is there to not love about that?
December 23, 2007
DC is finally in the cheap reprint business, which I heartily approve of! Goodreads does not approve of the size of my review, which you can read here: http://trebro.livejournal.com/314275....
November 7, 2013
Good for kids.
June 15, 2012
Awesome undersea adventures, complete with a kid names 'Aqualad' -- how cool is that? Great bargain comcs in this format. What more could you ask for?
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews