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Back Issue #108 October 2018 (magazine review).

I have to confess from the start that I’ve never been a great Aquaman fan. I was dragged screaming to do an illustration of him when I was at college and had to read a few issues in the early 70s and found him a bit on the bland side. Having an entire issue of ‘Back Issue’ devoted to him seemed like an opportunity to see if I could change my mind.

Even in the opening article about Aquaman, it is pointed out his limitations, especially that he could only survive out of water for an hour before needing a dip.

What I found more interesting is the reference to the animated ‘Super-Friends’ that was more influential for one generation to be interested in Aquaman. Seeing the merchandise and it was on the basis of the series. I’m still tickled by an Aquaman with pointed wars although I think it has less to do with Namor but maybe a modified Spock head.

You do get a lot of history of Aquaman and his various reboots. There is some mention of his lack of sales. Even when there was a turn making him an aqua-King Arthur but no knights of the round or floating table, I can see why the lack of attraction didn’t bold well. He doesn’t even look like someone who draws oxygen from water. Erik Larsen says he had to remind the artists he worked with that with a setting underwater, it didn’t make any difference where the doors into buildings were and I agree with him and defy anyone to think you could drink from a cup underwater.

This issue isn’t totally about Aquaman, you also get a look at Black Manta as his key villain. There’s also a serious look at Aqualad aka Tempest and his brief time with the Teen Titans. A more obscure aqua-man in Seadragon before a brief look at Aquaman in animation. It was rather telling with this one in that Aquaman’s success was more because no one disliked him than liking him. I wonder if that would work in the bean counting culture of today?

Oh, one last major piece is Bob Greenberger’s piece on the ‘Atlantis Chronicles’ which he originally edited as written by Peter David with art by Esterban Maroto. There’s a hidden secret reveal there if you’re familiar with the mini-series. It’s now out in book form now and, as Peter David says, all to tie-in with a new film next year.

Well, my knowledge of Aquaman has been extended. I do think the cover picture shouldn’t have him smiling in any of his versions though. He comes over as a pretty solemn grim character more akin to the Batman than anyone else at the JLA. Oh and remember, you can’t drink from a glass underwater. Far too diluted.

GF Willmetts

October 2018

(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 82 page illustrated magazine. Price: $ 8.95 (US). ISSN: 1932-6904. Direct from them, you can get it for $ 7.61 (US))

check out websites: www.TwoMorrows.com and http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_54&products_id=1358

UncleGeoff

Geoff Willmetts has been editor at SFCrowsnest for some 21 plus years now, showing a versatility and knowledge in not only Science Fiction, but also the sciences and arts, all of which has been displayed here through editorials, reviews, articles and stories. With the latter, he has been running a short story series under the title of ‘Psi-Kicks’ If you want to contribute to SFCrowsnest, read the guidelines and show him what you can do. If it isn’t usable, he spends as much time telling you what the problems is as he would with material he accepts. This is largely how he got called an Uncle, as in Dutch Uncle. He’s not actually Dutch but hails from the west country in the UK.

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