Issue Description

Aquaman returns to Atlantis to face Mera's wrath for his absence during Aquababy's death, but both must soon face the menace of a villain named Seaquake.

At long last, Aquaman returns to Atlantis. His is not a welcomed homecoming. Arriving during the funeral ceremony for his infant son, murdered by the Black Manta, Aquaman finds that his wife, Mera, blames him for the death of their son. Believing that his son had died, Aquaman immediately took off to exact vengeance on the killer. In truth, Arthur, Jr. survived, but was in dire need of very special medical treatment. Mera traveled to her native Dimension Aqua to retrieve the necessary device to save her son, but, by the time she returned, Arthur, Jr. had died. Now, Mera holds Aquaman accountable for the boy's death, accusing him of putting his life as an adventurer over his duties as a father. Mera lashes out violently at Aquaman, with her water controlling abilities. Aquaman telepathically summons the octopus, Topo, to gently restrain his wife. Vulko asks Aquaman to leave the funeral ceremony, as his presence is only upsetting Mera. Angrily, the Sea King departs his son's funeral. Meanwhile, many miles away, Aqualad, also long absent from Atlantis, is en route back to the great domed city.

Aquaman and Topo are swimming away from Atlantis when the octopus is suddenly struck by a miniature wrecking ball. Aquaman turns to see a strange submersible craft releasing dozen of demolition drones into the water. Fueled by a mix of grief and rage, Aquaman violently vents his frustrations out on the drones. When the drones prove to be more formidable than Aquaman expected, he summons electric eels to short circuit the robots. Boarding the vessel, Aquaman comes face-to-face with a new adversary, Seaquake. En route to Venice, with plans to destroy the city, Seaquake has paused to kill Aquaman, in the hopes of establishing a greater name for himself. A pitched battle ensues. Seaquake maneuvers Aquaman onto a floor grid, then vents the ship's exhaust through it. The intense heat quickly dehydrates Aquaman and renders him unconscious. Aquaman awakes to find himself chained to a weapon called "The Quaker". Seaquake's submersible channels intense vibratory energy through "The Quaker', powerful enough to demolish entire cities. Prior to sinking Venice, Seaquake has now decided to destroy Atlantis, and sets sail for the undersea kingdom. Aquaman telepathically summons tortoises to bite through his chains, but the process takes too long. Atlantis is already looming before him.

To give "The Quaker" time to properly charge, Seaquake releases his demolition drones, into the waters around Atlantis, to deter the city guard. Mera intervenes, and destroys all the drones, creating solid water constructs to batter them to pieces. Though Mera can see her husband chained to "The Quaker", she makes no attempt to rescue him. Seaquake pilots his vessel through the great glass dome, and activates "The Quaker". Despite the horrific vibratory onslaught, Aquaman fights through the pain, and finds the strength to break his chains. Unfortunately, as he falls to the sea floor, "The Quaker" brings an Atlantean building down on top of him. Seaquake ramps the power up on "The Quaker", and makes plans to loot Atlantis in the aftermath of it's destruction. Suddenly, Aquaman appears back onboard the ship. At the last moment, Mera had projected a hard water shield over her husband, protecting him from the falling debris. Aquaman lays into Seaquake, literally punching the villain's head off. Seaquake, like the demolition drones, is another robot. Aquaman destroys "The Quaker" controls, onboard Seaquake's vessel, than collapses in exhaustion. Aquaman awakens in his bedchamber. His wife, Mera, has come to reconcile with her husband. Though the road ahead of them will be difficult, they both resolve to walk it together. Unfortunately, their first obstacle chooses that moment to rear it's ugly head. The Ocean Master has come to Atlantis, for a reckoning with Aquaman.

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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