Today in Comics History, July 26: Happy birthday, Helen Mirren!

Happy birthday today to actor Dame Helen Mirren (The Queen, The Long Good Friday, Excalibur, Calendar Girls, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, The Mosquito Coast, Prime Suspect, The Fate of the Furious, F9, Fast X, and many other movies that don't involve racing cars.)

She sneaks into this feature celebrating her birthday by the skin of her English teeth, because she technically is in comic books:


"DC Nation" from DC Comics cover-dated May 2023
Happy birthday, Helen! Try to fit in a guest appearance in a Batman something this coming year, okay?

Today in Comics History, Father's Day: Bully's Father's Day Gift Suggestion #58: A plea to get off my back, geez, you don't understand me at all, you're not even my real father

from "Father's Day" in Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 one-shot (DC, October 2021), script by Geoff Johns, pencils by Paul Pelletier, inks by Norm Rapmund, colors by Hi-Fi, letters by Josh Reed

The 1978 2017 2023 DC Calendar of Super-Spectacular Disasters: April A-Showering

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published April 1, 2017.

It's April! And it looks like Aquaman left his basement faucet on again! Or maybe that's just a April Fool's joke by his brother Waterguy (I think he's called, right?).

"April: Aquaman" in The 1978 Calendar of Super-Spectacular Disasters (DC, 1977); artwork by Jim Aparo
(Click picture to deep-end-of-the-pool-size)
What you can't sea (heh heh) is that it's so deep even Aqualad has already drowned! Well, he musta forgot his inflatable water wings. Again. Hope you didn't eat less than an hour ago, Garth! And hey look, just below and to the right of the word "April": gotta be famous Detroit Tigers fan Thomas Magnum!

Also occurin' this month:


It's baseball season! (Over on Earth-Acme, Elmer goes stalking baseballs in the woods with his shotgun.) But this entire month is put on rain delay which means all fans will have to return their complimentary gifts for Aquaman Bobblehead Day! (Let's face it, his Funko Pops figure is lots better.)


Once again, I've filled in the checkmarks accounting for every computer clue we've been given this month, and the readout now looks (beep, blip) like this:


And if you need some extra red herrings, here's this month's Obvious DC Clue™ planted by The Cluemaster, the only supervillain frequently thwarted by his own daughter! He must be the laughing stock of the beer blasts in the cellar of the Legion of Doom headquarters.


Now, figgering out this clue involves all your Pre-Crisis Trivia Knowledge, and to give you a gentle shove over the Clue Cliff I'mma gonna show you the character they're referring to!

Today in Comics History, November 17, 2020: Oh no, DC, you're not fooling me again. I still haven't gotten that toaster back from Batman and Catwoman.

house ad from Aquaman (2016 series) #64 (DC, December 2020)

Today in Comics History, June 4: Aquaman lends a hand

variant cover of Heroes in Crisis #4 (DC, March 2019), art by Ryan Sook
WHO PHOTOGRAPHED THIS?!?



from Aquaman (1994 series) #2 (September 1994), script by Peter David, pencils by Martin Egeland, inks by Brad Vancata, colors by Tom McCraw, letters by Dan Nakrosis

The Super DC Calendar for 1977 2022: June Jurisprudence in (Davy) Jones (Locker)

New! In a series of print 'em out, cut 'em out, paste 'em up on your wall (be cautious if you have parents or a cranky landlord): the 1977 Super DC Calendar! The wording of which always puzzles me: is it the calendar that's super, or just DC Comics? Or is the super-action between the Aquaman family (Aquaman, Lady Aquaman, Teen Aquaman, Topo, not pictured) against Black Manta? You make the call, because it's gonna be hanging on your wall (except, as I noted before, if anyone who owns your home objects) all this month long!

"June 1977," from Super DC Calendar 1977 (DC, 1976), pencils and inks by Jim Aparo
(Click picture to blue whale*-size)
(*klaxon blares for Alan Davies)
The same thing, but for Marvel? Comin' up in a mere half hour!

Today in Comics History, April 12, 1942: First modern appearance of Aquaman of Earth-2, showing up just in time to get retconned out by Crisis*

from All-Star Squadron #59 (DC, July 1986), co-plot and script by Roy Thomas, co-plot by Dann Thomas, pencils by Arvell Jones, inks by Vince Colletta and Tony DeZuñiga, colors by Carl Gafford, letters by David Cody Weiss
*This is exactly what happened.

365 Days of Defiance, Day 281: Home Under the Sea

Just like how yesterday Captain Marvel fought for Mr. Tawky Tawny's rights to live where he wants, so too does Aquaman!




Panels from Aquaman (2016 series) #25 (August 2017), script by Dan Abnett, art by Stjepan Sejic, letters by Steve Wands

365 Days of Defiance, Day 263: Oppor-tuna-ty knocks for Aquaman

Aquaman's mad as halibut...


Panels from Aquaman #23 (Late July 2017), script by Dan Abnett, pencils by Scot Eaton, inks by Wayne Faucher, colors by Gabe Eltaeb, letters by Pat Brosseau
...he's not gonna take it any moray!


Panels from Aquaman #24 (Early August 2017); script by Dan Abnett; pencils by Scot Eaton and Philippe Briones; inks by Wayne Faucher, Philippe Briones, and Scott Hanna; colors by Gabe Eltaeb, letters by Pat Brosseau
Walleye'm outta here.

365 Days of Defiance, Day 215: Under the sea, under the sea / The Master Race gets a punch in the face / Take it from me

Look, I will hear no taunts or jeers against Aquaman, Superhero of the Seven Seas. Sure, he talks to fish — I mean, who doesn't? — but he's one of the most powerful beings on earth and especially under the sea, so take a seat, Jack, if you intend to mock the Aque. How tough is he? Why, in his very first appearance, he's fighting Nazis. Were you fighting Nazis in your very first appearance? I think not.


Panels from "The Submarine Strikes" in More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941), script by Mort Weisinger, pencils and inks by Paul Norris
Wondering what happens to those Nazis in this here very story? Well, let's check it out over at the Grand Comicbook Database, huh?


Don't. Threaten. Aquaman.

Teniversary Countdown #14: Because of course that's what happens in an Aquaman story

Panel from Aquaman (1962 series) #10 (July-August 1963), script by Jack Miller (?), pencils and inks by Nick Cardy

Comics News for November 18, 2013

Aquaman Attempts Underwater Spit-Take, Ed Asner Revealed As Kingpin of Crime, Suburban Peeping-Tom Problem Escalates

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 307: Orin Greatly Regrets Everything

House ad for Aquaman #31 (January 1967); printed in Batman #188 (December 1966)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by the late great Nick Cardy
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 258: A is for Aquaman, who...wait, that was last week.

House ad for Adventure Comics #460 (November 1978) and Justice League of America (1960 series) #161 (December 1978)
printed in Detective Comics #480 (November-December 1978)
Comic cover art: Adventure #460: pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Dick Giordano, colors by Tatjana Wood, letters by Todd Klein
JLA #161: pencils by Rich Buckler, inks by Frank McLaughlin
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 230: After he grew tired of talking to the fish, Aquaman sliced them in two with his nifty new sword

House ad for Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #50 (May 2007); printed in Detective Comics #828 (April 2007)
Ad art taken from the cover of Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #50 (May 2007), painted by Mario Alberti

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 171: DC Radio/TV/Movie Comics House Ads Week, Day 5: Well, that didn't happen

House ad for DC television and stage productions, printed in Swing with Scooter #1 (June-July 1966)
Sadly Batman did not fight Blockbuster on his 1966-1968 TV series, but can you spot another thing that didn't happen in this ad? Well, take a look at the bottom bar in that ad, promising animated Saturday morning cartoon versions of Wonder Woman, the Flash, Plastic Man and Metamorpho. While Aquaman did go on the air, the others never made it past the pitch stage. Here, along with some dandy Aquaman and Atom model art, is Filmation producer Lou Scheimer talking about it in his book Creating the Filmation Generation:


But if we don't have mid-1960s animated versions of Plastic Man, Wonder Woman and Metamorpho, we at least have all the other great, crazy, retro stuff. Here's a sample of each!:


Batman episode "Surf's Up, Joker's Under" (November 16/, 1967), starring Adam West, Burt Ward, Alan Napier, Neil Hamilton, Stafford Repp, Yvonne Craig and Cesar Romero


Opening titles to The Adventures of Superman (1952-1958), starring George Reeves, Noel Neill, and Jack Larson


The New Adventures of Superman episode "The Malevolent Mummy" (1967), starring the voices of Bud Collyer, Joan Alexander, Jackson Beck, and Jack Grimes


The Adventures of Superboy episode "Forget Me Not, Superdog" (1968), starring the voices of Bob Hastings, Janet Waldo, and Ted Knight


from It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1975 television production of the 1966 musical), starring David Wilson and Lesley Ann Warren


Aquaman episode "The Rampaging Reptile-Men" from The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure (1967), starring the voices of Marvin Miller, Jerry Dexter, and Ted Knight

And even tho' Metamorpho, one of my fave DC characters, never made it to TV animation in the 1960s (but he appeared in Justice League and Batman: The Brave and the Bold in the 2000s), here's the song (from a Power Records story album), that shoulda been the theme song for his cartoon:

Kick in the Crotch Month, Day 20: It's funny because it's Aquaman

Panel from Legends of the DC Universe #26 (March 2000), script by Steve Englehart, pencils by Trevor Von Eeden, inks by Joe Rubinstein, colors by Rick Taylor, color separations by Digital Chameleon, letters by Sean Konot

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 122

House ad for Aquaman #34 (July-August 1967); printed in Detective Comics #364 (June 1967)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Nick Cardy, letters by Gaspar Saladino

Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 63

House ad for Aquaman v.1 #45 (May-June 1969); printed in Wonder Woman #182 (May-June 1969)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Nick Cardy
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino
Why? Well, because this:


Panels from Aquaman v.1 #45 (May-June 1969); script by Steve Skeates; pencils, inks, and letters by Jim Aparo
And this!


Also, because of this!


Then...THIS!


Sooooo...that's why.

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 43

House ad for Aquaman #39 (May-June 1968); printed in Wolder Woman v.1 #176 (May-June 1968)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Nick Cardy
Ad: plot suggested by Phil Yeh; pencils, inks and letters by Murray Boltinoff