Aquaman DC Super Stars

Aquaman didn't have any 80 page or 100 page reprint collections all to himself, but one of the ones he had all to himself was DC Super Stars #7 (September, 1976), and what a fine collection it was.


All under a Jim Aparo cover, with a few great tales within, as well as a few special features, all to please even the fussiest of Aquaman fans.


Let's take a look at the tales just below the surface!

Aquaman 35

First up is Aquaman #35 (September-October, 1967) by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy, wherein Aquaman found himself "Between Two Dooms".

This was a huge issue for the Aquafamily.  First, Atlantis was attacked by Black Manta (his first appearance, though it doesn't feel so), wherein he captures Aquaman as the Sea King goes out to fight him.  While captured, Black Manta poison's Atlantis' dome, forcing Dr. Vulko (a senior advisor of Aquaman's) to pump all the water out of the city and, after Aquaman returns, initiate Project X, a plan that turns all the city dwellers into air breathers.  With only Aquaman, Aqualad, Mera and Aquababy being able to breathe water, Mera and Aquababy have to go outside the dome for a bit to breathe, where Black Manta captures the boy.  Meanwhile, Ocean Master (a previous foe of Aquaman's) was planning an attack, sees this and takes Aquababy for himself, leading to a fight between the villains, which Aquaman intercedes in...until he is injured.  Ocean Master wins, but gives Arthur Jr. to his dad, and leaves Atlantis behind.

Teen Titans 30

The second and final reprinted tale was a short from Teen Titans #30 (November-December, 1970), with Aqualad and Aquagirl (her only Teen Titans appearance before the 1980s) headed to a concert inland, where they would find "Some Call It Noise" in a story by Steve Skeates and Nick Cardy.

Garth and his Atlantean girlfriend, Tula, try to attend a concert, but have to deal with a problem first, that of an escaped mental patient enraged by an experimental hormone treatment.  While Aqualad defeats him, the patient injures Aquagirl, forcing Aqualad to take her back to the water...which he has to hurry to do because of the one hour limit Atlanteans have to be away from water.

Better still, there were a few pages on additional Aquaman villains...

...like the Fisherman, the Liquidator, the Awesome Threesome, the Human Flying Fish, and even Ocean Master, Black Manta and Mera!

2018 SDCC Mattel Exclusive Aquaman Figure Set

Another July, another round of figures that only are available at the San Diego Comic Con.  2018 is where Mattel gets wet, giving collectors a set of 3 six inch figures as a part of the preparations for the Aquaman movie set to come out in December, with their DC Comics Multiverse Aquaman Between Two Dooms Figures 3-Pack, featuring Aquaman and his two most fearsome foes, Black Manta and Ocean Master, in a package designed to emulate the classic Nick Cardy cover of Aquaman #35 (September-October, 1967), which is the first appearance of Black Manta.

In the depths of the ocean, the King of the Seven Seas must face the firing rage of his two arch enemies: Black Manta and Ocean Master. Both have pledged to bring their wrath upon him. While the waters of the ocean are typically kind to the Sea King and his city, today, they have summoned these two arch foes to battle Aquaman, and each other. For in their thirst for power, there can only be one ruler. A colossal battle begins, unleashing fire from the bottom of the sea. As the clash of these warriors makes the Atlantean water boil, a question rises at this pinnacle moment: Who will destroy the Sea King? The “Sea Jackal” Black Manta or the DREADED Ocean Master?

Available for pre-order at the Mattel shop, it seems  to only be available if you have your id, which you would present at the San Diego Comic Con, and then the $60 3-pack would be shipped to you. 

One can hope that Mattel wouldn't be a cold fish, and makes this easily available to fans who can't join the schools of fish at SDCC!