Issue Description

A Kingdom To Rebuild

With his young partner's life in peril, Aquaman pushes his telepathic power, to the limit, to force the Bugala to loosen it's death grip on Aqualad. Then, Aquaman goes into action. The sea king attacks, and attacks again, striking the monstrous sea serpent from all angles. For several pitched moments, Aguaman continues his merciless assault on the leviathan. At last, it turns away,stalking off into the ocean depths to lick it's wounds. From a nearby coral ridge, the men of Eldfur cheer on the Sea KIng's efforts on their behalf. The victory though is merely a stall for Eldfur's waning populace. In a year's time, the Bugala will return. On that day, Eldfur's warriors will have to learn to rely on themselves, if their civilization is to survive. In Atlantis, the insurrection against the tyrant, Narkran, continues unabated. Within the royal chambers, Mupo, the leader of the revolution, is locked in mortal combat with Narkran. A sudden seaquake allows Narkran to gain the advantage, but it is fleeting. Soon enough, Mupo has the despot at his mercy. Aquaman, Mera, and Aqualad arrive in Atlantis. The mere appearance of the true king is enough to quiet the violence in the streets. Narkran's loyalists, however, are quick to target the royal family for assassination

Narkran's loyalists are the same trio that engineered Mera's abduction to the surface world. Without the advantage the syndicate's artificial whirlpool generator provided them, during the kidnapping, the three men are no match at all for Aquaman, Aqualad, or Mera. The fight ends swiftly, and decisively. Aquaman's chief advisor, Vulko, brings the Sea King up to date on all that has occurred in Atlantis, in the royal family's absence. Narkran's descent into tyranny and madness. The steady threat of the seaquakes. The rise of the revolution. Aquagirl's near mortal wounding at the hands of Narkran. Aquaman swims for his royal chambers and a reckoning with Narkran. Within, Mupo, having toyed with the dictator for several moments, prepares to deliver the deathblow. Mupo immediately drops his sword, though, when Aquaman enters the room. Narkran, in a cowardly fashion, tries to paint Mupo as a traitor. Another seaquake rocks the palace. Aquaman strikes Narkran down. Narkran pleads his innocence, in all wrong doing, before the king. However, once Mera and Aquagirl step into the room, Narkran knows the truth of his betrayal is known to the king. Narkran breaks down, weeping, as the Atlantean guard take him away. Aquaman and Mera chastise the rebel leader, Mupo, for the rashness of his actions. Conferring with Vulko in the aftermath of the insurrection, the idea is put forth that the mounting seaquakes may be the first sign of a prophecy being fulfilled. One that could see Atlantis rise, once more, to the surface. With that notion in mind, Aquaman puts into motion plans to rebuild Atlantis.

How Aquaman Got His PowersThis story was originally published in Adventure Comics #260

A new Naval vessel drops atomic depth charges into the ocean. Aquaman intercepts the explosives. The Sea King summons electric eels to jam the explosive's guidance frequencies. He commands whales to create turbulence in the water, with their tails, to slow the bomb's descent. Then, Aquaman mounts each depth charge and removes all the warheads. On the surface, Aquaman confronts the Navy commander, and respectfully requests that he conduct his military tests far away from these particular waters. When asked why, Aquaman reveals the tale of his birth. During a hurricane, a lonely lighthouse keeper spied a girl, clinging to a raft, in the violently churning seas. This man, Tom Curry, at great risk to himself, rescued the woman. It was love at first sight. The two married, and a year later, Aquaman was born. Soon enough, Tom Curry, realized that his son was special. At just 10 months, his infant son was a better swimmer than his father. When his son turned two, Tom Curry found him beneath the waves, playing with sea shells and a tortoise. The boy had been under the water for an hour. When his son turned three, Tom Curry found him, playing in the sea, with several sharks. Horrified, Tom begged his wife, Atlanna, to explain why his son had such an affinity for sea life. Atlanna would wait until she was on her deathbed to reveal the truth about herself, and their son. Atlanna was an Atlantean. Her interest in exploring the surface world had led to her exile from the great domed city. Her son had inherited her Atlantean abilities to breath underwater and command sea life. It was this ability, she whispered, that would one day make their son the Ruler of the Oceans.

Tom Curry built a special salt water tank and filled it with every denizen of the deep he could find, so that his son could hone his telepathic control over marine life. One day, the young Aquaman spied a giant squid trapped beneath a roman galley, on the sea floor. Summoning a crew of octopi to man the oars, Aquaman instructed the mollusks to row, until the galley had moved enough to free the squid. The young hero began to widely broadcast, to all the fish in the sea, that he was there to help them. A month later, every single living creature in the oceans, came to pay homage to the boy king. For days they paraded past him, pledging their total obedience to the future King of the Seven Seas. Tom Curry, for his part, did not let up on his son's training. As Aquaman grew to adulthood, so too did his swimming speed, diving ability, and knowledge of the ocean depths. Aquaman also excelled at his studies at school. Soon, he began to patrol the seas, doing good deeds and helping those in need. Upon his father's death, he took on the mantle of "Aquaman", and pledged his life in service to the sea, as well as all those that dwell above and below the waves. The Naval commander is suitably honored that Aquaman would share the secret of his origin with him, but fails to see why that should sway him from conducting his tests in this vicinity. Aquaman shares one final secret. The underwater city of Atlantis lies several fathoms below the Naval vessel's position. The Naval commander understands. His crew lines up to pay tribute to Aquaman, before their vessel departs for the open sea. Aquaman descends beneath the waves, swimming by Atlantis, before resuming his role as protector of the seas.

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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