Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Ripples Through Time - 7 Nov 2006

I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order, one per day. After I read each story I'm going to post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.

In the future, if I don't want to vote for any of the offered choices, I think I'll write in "Arthur Curry". Of course, in some places up here in Washington state, you needed to be Aquaman just to get to the flooded polls today.

More Fun #79 Aquaman Splash Page
More Fun #79 (May 1942)

After an iceberg attacks and sinks an American destroyer, Aquaman dives in to solve the mystery.

The Berg-Battleship was created by a Nazi scientist named Krutz whose mind is described as warped. It's made of shatteproof glass on the inside with an ammonia freezing system on the outside. The floors are fairly thin with no armor, only ice underneath. The ship has a submarine escort and some sort of airfield with a bomber. Krutz's lab has a heat-ray he's invented in it, which Aquaman uses to sink the ship.

Great exchange between the Nazi captain and Aquaman. The captain slaps Aquaman for being insolent: "You dare bandy words with me, you Yankee pig? This is your payment!" Aquaman responds by punching him back: "And this is your change!" He continues the theme into the next panel: "Now that this has come to trading wallops, we'll operate on the barter system -- giving you good measure!" The guard just runs for help.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman gets no help from sea life in this story.

In this story Aquaman is knocked out with a blow to the back of the head with a rifle butt... Lieutenant Adams, a survivor from the sunken destroyer, does not recognize Aquaman... The opening text panel reiterates Aquaman's origin, "His power is great and just -- trained by his scientist-father to plumb the depths or cross the vast stormy stretches, he knows and guards the seven seas..." The Nazi captain goes down with his ship rather than be captured by Aquaman, who attempts to save him... Krutz the warped scientist is the only survivor, and his brain is apparently addled by the narrow escape. He ends up a prisoner working on a perpetual motion machine.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

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