Sunday, January 14, 2007

Ripples Through Time - 058

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.

Adventure #125 Aquaman Splash Page
Adventure #125 (February 1948) - D-Day in Davy Jones' Locker!

Professor Saybrook is attempting to set a world record for deep sea exploration, but Black Jack intends to use Saybrook's equipment to trap Aquaman.

Very straightforward plotline. Black Jack takes over Saybrook's expedition, sends out a false distress signal, then waits for Aquaman to come. Once Aquaman arrives, the battle begins.

Finny Friends Report: A deep sea turtle saves Aquaman from the initial harpoon attack. He then rides the turtle to counter-attack. A saw-fish frees Aquaman from the net. Then an octopus creates a smoke screen when Aquaman is blinded. The octopus then throws boulders at the "pill boxes", leading to Black Jack's men retreating back into the bathysphere. Aquaman uses a ray as a parachute to reach the top of the bathysphere where he ties a rope on, which is taken by a whale who drags the bathysphere to the surface.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is briefly trapped in a barbed wire net.

The bathysphere goes down without a line. Exactly how are Black Jack and his crew able to keep breathing? Black Jack's crew get pounded, the suits they are wearing (that Black Jack claims to have invented) must be really strong, both to resist the pressure and the pounding Aquaman gives them. The whole fight is likened to a war, with Aquaman and his sea friends as the allies. Aquaman drags the bathysphere up very quickly... considering that they were so deep that the pressure was too much for any diver except Aquaman to attempt, they really ought to be suffering from the bends. But then, they already should have suffocated, so the bends would be the least of their worries.

Quotefile: Black Jack, "If it wasn't for Aquaman, I'd be king of the seven seas! But the day has come when he'll interfere with my plans no more! He'll never escape this trap!"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

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