posted
Typical 60s thinking really. A married woman has the power to cook and clean and that's about it. Unmarried girls can be smart, spunky and ingenious.
From: Canada | Registered: Apr 2005
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
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It's particularly weird that she's pretty much showing up every other issue out of nowhere to save Aquaman's life, and then suddenly she's married and useless.
Oh, well, we do get giant seahorses once they move to Atlantis, so that nearly makes up for it!
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
The Fisherman = the most surprisingly creepy villain of all time, right down to the goofy Hitler moustache he sports when they unmask him!
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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Aquaman's title is so interesting to me in terms of the character's history.
Here he is, having existed since 1940, appearing back-ups (notably in Adventure) for 20 years. Once the Silver Age hits (first in his Adventure stories and I believe World's Finest too, and then his solo title) there's just this tremendous build-up of his universe in a way very similar to the 'build-up' of the Silver Age Superman and Legion mythos. Aqua-Lad is the most obvious and notable in the beginning, but also his new origin and other minor things. Then Mera comes along, shows up every few issues and then BAM!
The wedding of Aquaman and Mera happens in the same issue the crown Aquaman king (I've only read about half of these issues, this one being one I did read). Really not that long after, Arthur Jr. (re: Aquababy) is born, and Aquagirl (Tula) joins the already very extended cast. This huge Aqua-family exists for just about less than a decade (late Silver to mid-Bronze) but struggles to maintain a title throughout it. To be fair, most non-Superman/Batman/Flash/horror titles did at this time as well.
Then Aquaman's deconstruction arrives almost ten years before the rest of the industry's deconstruction in the late 70's with the death of his son and dissolution of his marriage, further added to by Tula's death and distancing Aquaman from Garth and Atlantis in general. Oddly enough his "recovery" occurs equally as early in regards to the rest of the DCU, beginning in the early 90's when PAD comes on board to bring the character back to his former glory, albeit in a new way that encompasses the entire history of the character (while the rest of the DCU was being ripped apart in deconstructionist story-telling which is the opposite of the creative energy of the Silver Age). Of course, now he's floundered for years while having at best a minor blip on the radar with Busiek's OYL storyline that didn't even make it a year before floundering itself.
BTW, Mera is one of my childhood crushes. My "big three" DC comics female crushes when I was growing up were: Mera, Alanna and Phantom Girl. Mainly, I thought the very idea of Mera, as this beautiful red-headed queen that could help Aquaman in a fight when he needed her, was just too cool. Same basic jist with Alanna. (For Marvel, it was all Gwen Stacey, my #1 of all comics).
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
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I just read the birth of Aquababy!
One of the coolest things is the vastness of his setting. There's always some weird pool of ancient power or underwater civilization or giant two-headed dragon monster in the next cave or grotto. There's this whole cool subplot about underwater "Armadillo Men" who are enslaved by Mera's twin sister's boyfriend in the issue before, which is really cool.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
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Just read the first story in Strange Adventures Showcase #1!
"The Electric Man" by John Broome is hip story about this guy searching for alternative energy sources. Sounds like it could be ripped from today's headlines, right? Anyway, while other people are wasting their time with atomic energy, solar energy, wind energy, and hydro-electric energy, this guy decides to "Drill, baby, drill!" His theory is that he can harnass the power of the Earth itself! But then his workers are attacked by mysterious electrical beings from deep inside the Earth!
This story is an interesting premise, but way too brief (something I suspect will be a ongoing problem with these Strange Adventures tales). It really deserves to be developed into a much longer tale. If there's one thing I love, however, it's mysterious underground civilizations! So this is definitely a promising start to the series!
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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Yay! I can't wait to read more of EDE's reviews!
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: I just read the birth of Aquababy!
One of the coolest things is the vastness of his setting. There's always some weird pool of ancient power or underwater civilization or giant two-headed dragon monster in the next cave or grotto. There's this whole cool subplot about underwater "Armadillo Men" who are enslaved by Mera's twin sister's boyfriend in the issue before, which is really cool.
Jeepers! I think I need to re-read Aquaman. I don't remember the Armadillo Men at all, but they sound groovy!
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
Otto Binder and Carmine Infantino contribute "The World's Mightiest Weakling". It's all about this scrawny guy named Rodney Drake, who has a problem. Everytime he goes to the beach with his hot girlfriend, Wilma, this gay sailor dude picks him up by the ankles and holds him upside down in the air. Rather than call Charles Atlas, Rodney first tries to gain weight by eating five meals a day, apparently thinking that fat guys, while they may get picked on, at least aren't as likely to be picked on by gay sailor dudes. Anyway, he meets Professor Milton, who's developed a way to dramatically increase his weight without changing his body shape. So, after a daily treatment by the Prof, Rodney might weight 1000 lbs, while still looking like a scrawny guy. Rodney starts using his newfound weight to win all sorts of contests, but risks losing hot girlfriend Wilma in the process!
This one was probably a better story, if not as fascinating a premise as "The Electric Man"!
[ August 02, 2010, 05:27 PM: Message edited by: Eryk Davis Ester ]
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
Binder and Gil Kane give us "Interplanetary Camera", in which a photographer stumbles across a mysterious camera, which soon turns out to be a device for transmitting images from planet Mercury. With the help of a scientist friend, the photographer must decipher what message the Mercurians are trying to send him!
This is a pretty interesting story, raising a some cool issues about how we would communicate with an alien species if we actually encountered one. The scientist and photographer probably figure out some of the clues a little too eary to be realistic, but nonetheless it's nice to see this kind of issue addressed. Plus, I *love* these old science fiction stories from when they believed Mercury was tidal-locked with the sun, and thus had a sunny side and a dark side (which plays into the story). Probably the best story of the issue!
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
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So, you might remember that Strange Adventures #53 had this story about a killer robot who murders his inventor. That is, you might remember that if that story was actually reprinted in this volume. Instead, we get the second part of that story, featuring the manhunt for the killer robot, without being able to read the first part, which is pretty annoying.
Anyway, in "The Robot Dragnet", by Otto Binder and Harry Sharp, the police first encounter the evil robot Tim Steele feeding pigeons in the park. They open up with a barrage of gunfire, which has no effect of Tim Steele, but I'm betting ends the life of a bunch of poor, innocent pigeons. Anyway, after outwitting the police, the military, and stealing money from a bank just so he can scatter it around and show his disdain for it, it's finally up to the son of the murdered inventor to come up with a completely implausible method of stopping the evil robot.
This was my least favorite story from Strange Adventures #54 (the first in the Showcase), but it may just be that my bitterness over only being given the second half of the story is coloring my judgment.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Binder and Gil Kane give us "Interplanetary Camera", in which a photographer stumbles across a mysterious camera, which soon turns out to be a device for transmitting images from planet Mercury. With the help of a scientist friend, the photographer must decipher what message the Mercurians are trying to send him!
This is a pretty interesting story, raising a some cool issues about how we would communicate with an alien species if we actually encountered one. The scientist and photographer probably figure out some of the clues a little too eary to be realistic, but nonetheless it's nice to see this kind of issue addressed. Plus, I *love* these old science fiction stories from when they believed Mercury was tidal-locked with the sun, and thus had a sunny side and a dark side (which plays into the story). Probably the best story of the issue!
One of Binder's favorite themes was communication, or more specifically miscommunication between civilizations, planets and people. You'll probably see this a bunch during your reading.
You're totally making me want to go out and buy this!
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
Strange Adventures #55 opens up with Edmond Hamilton's first contribution to the volume, "The Gorilla Who Challenged the World!", with art by Sy Barry.
It's a pretty classic Hamilton scenario, where a scientist invents a formula to evolve people "millions of years", which apparently means just make them a whole lot smarter. Well, apparently it doesn't just make you smarter, but grants you tons of innate knowledge, stuff that normal smart people would have to actually study and stuff. Anyway, the scientists tests it out on a gorilla before trying it on himself, and when it works on the gorilla, he decides to use it on himself. Even though he manages to take the formula, he is outsmarted by the gorilla when he attempts to make the gorilla dumb again, and the gorilla tricks him into taking the devolving formula. So now we've got a super-smart gorilla running around stealing chemicals for some crazy plan. Anyway, this story is actually continued next issue.
Not bad, but nothing mind-blowing.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
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Hamilton also delivers, along with Harry Sharp, "Movie Men from Mars!", in which the Earth becomes the setting for a disaster movie filmed by Martians! Movie Director Mark Randall uncovers the fact that this is what is causing a series of inexplicable disasters striking Earth monuments and cities, and only by sharing advanced movie-making technology from Earth can continued trouble be averted!
This is kind of bizarre, but it really reminds me of something that might have been a Twilight Zone episode!
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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