Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Ripples Through Time - 180

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 #257 Aquaman Splash Page
Adventure #257 (February 1959) - The Imitation Aquaman

A criminal undergoes a series of operations to give him Aquaman's powers, then goes on a crime spree.

Glove Color: Green.

Regular Supporting Cast: Topo.

Quotefile: Open text box, "A bold scheme! An amazing medical operation! ... And a fantastic fish-man streaks through the ocean brine to challenge Aquaman's lawful rule of the deep! Here is a creature whose greed is matched only by his cunning to the extent that even the King of the Seven Seas is menaced by ... The Imitation Aquaman"

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman commands crabs and lobsters to gather tons of oysters. Octopi toss them against rock to crack the shells. Swordfish hold up an old fishing net to screen out the pearls from the shells. Turtles haul the pearls in a giant shell up to the island. Later, Aquaman has whales haul a sunken galleon up from the seabed. Topo captures the doctor.

Hadley gets most of Aquaman's powers, but not the ability to command the fish. If he'd had that ability, he could've raised the treasure galleon himself and he and Doc could've had their money legally. Interestingly, Aquaman doesn't use his finny friends to stop Hadley, but instead gambles on a quirk of water.

We've had lots of fake Aquamen before! They've shown up in Adventure #127, Adventure #181, Adventure #208, and Adventure #233. Hadley wears an Aquaman uniform for no apparent reason, then Doc seems surprised when Aquaman is blamed for Hadley's crimes.

Have you read this story? What do you think?

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