Monday, November 05, 2007

Ripples Through Time - 174

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 #251 Aquaman Splash Page
Adventure #251 (August 1958) - A World Without Water

A bomb test gone awry sends Aquaman 5000 years into the future to the year 6958.

Glove Color: Green.

Regular Supporting Cast: Topo.

Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is knocked out by the nuclear blast that sends him to the future.

Quotefile: Zed-3, "You materialized right in front of my car so you must have come through time! This is Atlantica in the year 6,958!" Aquaman, "But... but a moment ago I was in the ocean in 1958! I remember a nuclear blast right above me..." I can't even count the number of ways this exchange is just wrong.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman commands all the fish in the area of the bomb test to leave. When the turtles go too slowly, he gets swordfish to carry them away. Aquaman commands the air-breathing descendants of sea creatures to attack the robbers. When he gets back to his own time, Topo greets him.

The future humans are all bald.

The reason there are no seas in the year 6958 is because "A giant nova exploded! Our scientists had time to move civilization underground, but the fierce heat evaporated all water from Earth..." Uh-huh. A nova. Yup. All water gone. Humans replaced water with pills (quick Aquaman, grab a bottle of those for later use!).

Not much for me to say about this one. I'm not fond of the science fiction-y Aquaman stories, and the whole time travel aspect of this one is just annoying. Nuclear blasts and giant novas... it's practically a template for bad science.

This story is notable because Aquaman actually mentions the year. That normally doesn't happen in comics in general.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

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