Issue Description

Toxxin's Raiders

Deposed as the King of Atlantis, Aquaman moves his wife, and son, into the Aquacave. Unbeknownst to the former royal family, they are followed inside by a band of aquatic zealots. Identifying Mera as a figure from prophecy, the strange, orange-scaled intruders attack. Aquaman telepathically summons all nearby marine life to aid in repelling the assault. Mera uses her ability, to create hard water constructs, to both protect her infant son, and defend herself from her attackers. Despite their valiant efforts, Aquaman and Mera are subdued, after being struck by drug-tipped darts. The zealots abduct Aquaman and Mera, leaving their infant son behind, alone in the Aquacave. Aquaman and Mera are taking to the zealots' village. Their leader, Toxxin, speaks of a creature, called "The Krakor", which holds the villagers in a constant state of fear. According to their prophecy a mermaid... Mera... will one day come to challenge the Krakor, and then be rescued by a powerful champion... Aquaman... who will lay down his life for her, in destroying the Krakor.

What Toxxin's people don't seem to understand is that, in actuality, they share a symbiotic relationship with the Krakor. The monstrous plant creature merely uses the villagers as bait, to lure marine predators to it to feed upon. The Krakor has never harmed the villagers, and, in fact, is protecting them. Aquaman attempts to telepathically summon aid, but the Krakor emits a psychic aura that blocks Aquaman's signals. The villagers back away from Aquaman and Mera. Suddenly, a fleshy tendril wraps around Mera. Aquaman tries to wrench her loose, but finds himself ensnared, as well. Grasping Mera's tiara, Aquaman cuts through the tendril holding his wife, then instructs her to free him the same way. Aquaman gets Mera clear of the Krakor, then begins swimming, ever faster, around the creature's pulpy head. So swiftly does Aquaman swim, that he creates a vacuum in the water around the Krakor, suffocating it to death. Irate that Aquaman did not die, as in the prophecy, Toxxin attempts to kill the Sea King, so as not to anger the Gods. Aquaman easily defeats Toxxin, then departs the village with Mera. The villagers rejoice at their newfound freedom, no longer having to live under the shadow of the Krakor. Their freedom, though, is shared by a host of deadly predators, also free, now, to descend upon their village. En route to the Aquacave, neither Aquaman nor Mera are aware that their infant son is being held in an octopus' tentacle, his immediate fate unknown.

Deadly Medicine

Investigating several suspicious suicides, at the Humboldt Institute, sensationalistic television "news" reporter, Jack Ryder, interviews Dr. Joanne Russell. a resident physical therapist, at the private hospital. Dr. Russell is, herself, the victim of an automobile "accident", that has left her paralyzed. Much to the chagrin of his employers, Ryder, on air, postulates that the suicides were, in fact, murders, and that her "accident" was very much on purpose. While chastised by a colleague, Ryder hears a piercing scream coming from down the corridor. Ryder steps outside, onto a window ledge, and transforms into his alter-ego, the Creeper. Racing to the room from which the scream emanated, the Creeper crashes in through the window. It is the hydrotherapy room. Dr. Russel, clinging to the side of the pool, is being menaced by a large figure in featureless armor. At it's feet is Dr. Russel's physical therapist, dead, with his neck snapped. The Creeper tackles the armored figure, but is easily sloughed off. The Creeper then hurls a wheelchair into the armored figure, to no effect. Resorting to hand-to-hand combat, the Creeper gets in one good shot, before he is backhanded into the pool. It is then that the Creeper realizes that, having newly lost the use of her legs, Dr. Russell cannot swim, and is in danger of drowning. Forced to allow the armored figure to escape, the Crreeper rescues Dr. Russell, then begins mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to revive her. At that moment, the police, with two hospital administrators, burst into the room. Believing the Creeper responsible for the attack on Dr. Russell, and the murder of her physical therapist, the police draw down on the Creeper. Any false moves and the Creeper is a dead man.

Adventure Comics

Publisher

DC Comics

Volume Description

Adventure Comics (Volume 1)

Issues 12-31 are indexed in New Adventure Comics. The series was relaunched decades after its conclusion, with Adventure Comics a series featuring the age-old technique of dual-numbering so that although it began it's own numbering of the series, it also displays the numbering on the cover as if the series were still ongoing from this series started back in '35.

Issues #48-52 are collected in JSA All Stars Archives Vol. 1Issues #103-121 (Plus More Fun Comics #101-107) collected in The Adventures of Superboy Vol. 1Issues #260-280, 282 are collected in Aquaman Archives Vol. 1Issues #306-317 are collected in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 2Issues #318-328 are collected in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 3Issues #329-339 are collected in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 4Issues #340-349 are collected in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 5Issues #350-358 are collected in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 6Issues #359-367 are collected in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 7Issues #368-376 are collected in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 8Issues #377-380 are collected in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 9Issues #435-437, 441-466 are collected in Aquaman: Death of a Prince

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