Issue Description

In the midst of setting up their undersea headquarters, Aquaman & Aqualad are suddenly beset by strange occurrences. The culprit is revealed to be Quisp, a self-described Water Sprite, from a "secret sea beneath the ocean." Quisp has come to warn Aquaman of an impending peril to his world. A trio of colossal Fire Trolls have broken free of a volcano, through a fissure in Quisp's world. The fissure extends into Aquaman' s world , as well. No sooner has Quisp explained the threat, when the Fire Trolls emerge. Aquaman, Aqualad & a pod of sperm whales rush to engage the Fire Trolls, but are unable to slow their ascension to the surface. Racing ahead on dolphin back, Aquaman, Aquald, & Quisp reach the Fire Troll's destination first., a jungle island, housing a U.S. army missile base, still under construction. A pitched battle ensues, with Aquaman joining the military forces in, unsuccessfully, trying to repel the invading Fire Trolls. Aquaman rationalizes that intense cold may be the downfall for the Fire Trolls, & with Quisp's help, races to the mainland atop a great waterspout, to retrieve the necessary chemicals.

Aquaman returns to find the Fire Trolls ransacking the army base. With only a small amount of the freezing chemical at his disposal, Aquaman quickly realizes that the Fire Troll's immense size limits the effectiveness of the icy spray. The attacked Fire Troll brushes the chemical from it's gargantuan hands, raining the droplets down on Aquaman & Aquald. The pair feel their limbs go numb with cold. Acting fast, Quisp uses magic to shrink the heroes down, just in time to evade being crushed by the Fire Troll's rapidly descending fist. The impact hurls Aquaman & Aqualad into the surrounding jungle. Suffering from the onset of water deprivation, the pair realize that at their reduced size, they'll die before they can reach the ocean. Foraging for a source of water, the pair narrowly escape from an attacking scorpion. An abandoned jeep promises the possibility of water, if they can just reach the radiator. After fending off a hungry lizard with a pair of wire snippers, Aquaman & Aqualad use the tool to help them in opening the radiator cap. To their great despair, the radiator is empty.

Spying a passing pelican, Aquaman attracts the birds attention, then beans it with the radiator cap. In it's indignation, the pelican drops the fish it was carrying, simultaneously releasing the mouthful of ocean water it collected, scooping up the fish. Re-invigorated by the sudden deluge, Aquaman & Aqualad leap inside the radiator to escape the angry pelican. After it departs, the duo make there way back to the coast line, slowly returning to their normal size. The Fire Trolls have left the island. Quisp brings the heroes up to speed. The purpose of the Fire Troll's raid on the army base was to steal all the missiles, which they then stockpile beneath the waves. Their intention is to steal all the world's missiles, use them to destroy all the undersea volcanos, thus releasing all imprisoned Fire Trolls. As an added bonus, the destruction of these volcanos will open fissures around the globe, releasing heat from the Earth's core to the surface, creating a world wide inferno that the Fire Trolls will rule. After being chastised by Aqualad, Quisp reveals that he did not use his magic to shrink the heroes, but was, instead, attempting to repel them from harm's way, while they were frozen. Suddenly, Aquaman has a plan. Quisp taunts the Fire Trolls, leading them up from the depths & back to the island. Aquaman sprays the monstrous trio with the last of the freezing chemicals. Then, Quisp focuses his repelling magic on them. The Fire Trolls are reduced to three inches in height. Aquaman has correctly surmised that it was the combination of the freezing solution & Quisp's magic that created the shrinking effect. Quickly, Aquaman, Aqualad & Quisp return the miniaturized Fire Trolls to their volcanic prison, & then with the help of a pod of sperm whales, fill in & re-seal the fissure, imprisoning the Fire Trolls forever. Quisp returns to his home, but promises to return in the near future.

Aquaman

Publisher

DC Comics

Volume Description

Aquaman (Volume 1)

Starring: Arthur Curry as Aquaman and Aqualad.

Aquaman, the King of the Seven Seas, takes the plunge into his very own series. As the King of Atlantis, Aquaman protects not only his people but also all of Earth's oceans from any threat! This volume was important for a number of reasons. Mera was introduced as a character and a Superhero wedding (Aquaman and Mera) occurred in issue 18. Aquababy (Arthur Jr) was born in issue 22. Aquagirl (Tula) was a new character (33) and she became a love interest for Garth. Ocean Master was introduced as Aquaman's Half-brother in issue 29 and Black Manta became one of Aquaman's greates villains starting with issue 35 which included the Manta Men. Issue 40 began a multi-issue stor arc entitled the Quest for Mera and it concluded with issue 48. Aquaman had journey's to the land of the Maarzon's and to the surface world during his quest. Aquaman put Narkron in charge and he became a dictator which led to a Revolution in issue 47. The Bugala was introduced in issue 43 as was Aqualad dealing with the creature without Aquaman. Issue 46 was unique becaus it presented the same story as issue 45 but from Mera's perspective. Issue 49 reintroduced Phil Dawson, whom Aquaman met in issue 49 and very shrewdly had a picture of Deadman carved into the rocks under the ocean as a shadowing of his back-up role in issues 50-52. Those issues offered us the artwork of Neal Adams and the Deadman stories crossed over with the Aquaman lead story. Issue 54 brought Aquaman against the Crime Organization he battled in issues 44-46 and a new villain was unleashed, Thanatos. Issue 56 ended Aquaman's Title but when he was given it back in 1977, it started with issue 57. This storyline picked up where Adventure 452 left off. Aquaman went after Black Manta, thinking his son was dead. Cal Durham has a change of heart and starts turning for the good. Issues 58-60 had a Mera back-up story as she went to her own dimension of Xebel to find a device to safe Arthur Jr. Vulko told Mera in issue 58 that he was still alive. When Mera returned in Issue 60, Vulko told her that Arthur died. Issues 58-60 included such villains as Fisherman, Scavenger, and Kobra. It also included the origin of Aquaman in issue 58. Issue 61 had Batman and Green Lantern guest star as they battled Kobra. The issue ended with Batman yelling at Aquaman because Kobra got away and Aquaman swimming away from him. They later came to blows in Brave and the Bold 142. The funeral happened in issue 62 and Aqualad (after uncovering issues from his past in Adv. 453-455)

decided that he needed to meet with Aquaman face to face. Mera blames Aquaman for the death of their son but the reconcile at the end of the story and after the robot villain was defeated. The last panel left the cliffhanger that Ocean Master was behind the robot. Issue 63 ended this solo run which included a reunion with Aqualad, a journey to the ancient city of Atlantis and a battle with Ocean Master. When DC expanded the pages of their books, the Martian Manhunter was going to back-up Aquaman, but with the cancellation of half of DC's line of books, the Sea King lost out.

Collected EditionsShowcase Presents: Aquaman Vol. 1 (Adventure Comics #260-280, 282, 284; Aquaman #1-6; Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #12; Showcase #30-33;Detective Comics #293-300; Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #55; World's Finest Comics #125-129)Showcase Presents: Aquaman Vol. 2 (Aquaman#7-23, World's Finest #130-133, #135, #137 and #139 and The Brave and the Bold #51)Showcase Presents: Aquaman Vol. 3 (AQUAMAN #24-39, THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #73 and a story from SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #115)Aquaman: Death of a Prince (Adventure Comics #435-437, 441-455 and Aquaman #57-63)

Note: Although canceled in the early 1970s, the series was subsequently revived as a part of the DC Explosion. It was canceled once again approximately one year later.

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