Monday, February 19, 2007

Ripples Through Time - 083

I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.

Adventure #150 Aquaman Splash Page
Adventure #150 (March 1950) - The Boy Who Went to Sea!

Young Jerry Higgins wants to go to sea and become a sailor, but when he runs away to become a cabin boy, he has the misfortune of ending up on Black Jack's ship.

For a very long time, this was the earliest (by date) comic book I owned, so this story has a special place in my heart.

Jerry's luck is pretty awful. He gets on Black Jack's ship, witnesses the crimes of the crew, then is threatened to keep Aquaman in line. That's what you get for running away from home, kid! If it's a moral tale, though, it's not a great one. Jerry is rescued by Aquaman and rides a porpoise home.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman has a whale push Black Jack's ship off the rocks, then has a giant clam cover the hole in the hull. A school of whales hides Black Jack's ship from the Coast Guard cutter. Aquaman enters the ship with a seal through the hole by asking the clam to move aside. Jerry rides a porpoise to safety while the seal pretends to be him. Aquaman and the seal beat up Black Jack and his entire crew, with help from the giant clam who let the water into the ship.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is forced to do Black Jack's will, or see Jerry killed.

Quotefile: Jerry, leaving home, "If I expect to become a sailor, I'd better start now! I'll get on a ship as cabin boy, and learn the ropes... it won't be long before I become a captain!"

Have you read this story? What do you think?

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