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DC's 80th Anniversary Celebration
Aquaman: 80 Years of the King of the Seven Seas
DC celebrates the 80-year history of the King of the Seven Seas, Aquaman!
This new hardcover includes Aquaman's most memorable appearances, from his 1940's debut in the pages of More Fun Comics #73 to recent classics from top creators including Geoff Johns and more! Discover the stories that shaped the hero of the seas!
Collects stories from Aquaman #0-37, JLA: Our Worlds at War #1, Aquaman #17, Outsiders: Five of a Kind - Metamorpho/Aquaman #1, Adventure Comics #120-137, 232-266, 269-475, More Fun Comics #73, Aquaman #11-35, 46-62, Aquaman #1; Aquaman #1; Aquaman Special #1 and Aquaman #25.
Authors:
Mort Weisinger, Joe Samachson, Otto Binder, Robert Bernstein, Paul Levitz, J.M. DeMatteis, Jack Miller, Bob Haney, Steve Skeates, Paul Kupperberg, Neal Pozner, Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming, Peter David, Will Pfeifer, Tony Bedard, Geoff Johns, Dan Abnett, Jeph Loeb, G. Willow Wilson, Norris, Louis Cazeneuve, John Daly, Ramona Fradon, Mike Grell, Dick Giordano, Nick Cardy, Jim Aparo, Frank Giacoia, Don Newton, Bob McLeod, Craig Hamilton, Steve Montano, Curt Swan, Eric Shanower, Martin Egeland, Brad Vancata, Howard M. Shun, Jim Calafiore, Peter Palmiotti, Patrick Gleason, Christian Alamy, Joe Prado, Ivan Reis, Stjepan Šejić, Ron Garney, Mark Morales, Joshua Middleton
This new hardcover includes Aquaman's most memorable appearances, from his 1940's debut in the pages of More Fun Comics #73 to recent classics from top creators including Geoff Johns and more! Discover the stories that shaped the hero of the seas!
Collects stories from Aquaman #0-37, JLA: Our Worlds at War #1, Aquaman #17, Outsiders: Five of a Kind - Metamorpho/Aquaman #1, Adventure Comics #120-137, 232-266, 269-475, More Fun Comics #73, Aquaman #11-35, 46-62, Aquaman #1; Aquaman #1; Aquaman Special #1 and Aquaman #25.
Authors:
Mort Weisinger, Joe Samachson, Otto Binder, Robert Bernstein, Paul Levitz, J.M. DeMatteis, Jack Miller, Bob Haney, Steve Skeates, Paul Kupperberg, Neal Pozner, Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming, Peter David, Will Pfeifer, Tony Bedard, Geoff Johns, Dan Abnett, Jeph Loeb, G. Willow Wilson, Norris, Louis Cazeneuve, John Daly, Ramona Fradon, Mike Grell, Dick Giordano, Nick Cardy, Jim Aparo, Frank Giacoia, Don Newton, Bob McLeod, Craig Hamilton, Steve Montano, Curt Swan, Eric Shanower, Martin Egeland, Brad Vancata, Howard M. Shun, Jim Calafiore, Peter Palmiotti, Patrick Gleason, Christian Alamy, Joe Prado, Ivan Reis, Stjepan Šejić, Ron Garney, Mark Morales, Joshua Middleton
440 pages, Hardcover
Published February 14, 2023
About the author
Mort Weisinger
115 books5 followersMortimer Weisinger was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' Superman during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books. He also co-created such features as Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Johnny Quick, served as story editor for the Adventures of Superman television series, and compiled the often-revised paperback 1001 Valuable Things You Can Get Free.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 20, 2024
Since the 70s up to and including as recently as the early 2000s, Aquaman has had the unfortunate reputation to be relegated to a second-tier level status despite being an original founding member of the Justice League. Some might even say relegating him to a second tier is overly generous. I like Aquaman, so D-list might be as low as I would go. The costume change was a mistake, except when he lost his hand and looked very much like an oceanic Norse god. Much of the attempts to restore him have failed.
The Aquaman: 80 Years of the King of the Seven Seas Vol. 1: The Deluxe Edition trade paperback endeavors to not only serve as a reminder of Aquaman as a legitimate metahuman superhero, but also highlight some of the ridiculous deviations that have hindered the characters success. Included in this anthology are cherry-picked transformational event stories that have resulted in a maturing vision of Aquaman.
There are way too many artists and writers to mention, that have contributed to the mythos: some not even included in this compilation (like John Byrne), but there are others that I will take note of such as: Mort Weisinger, Otto Binder, Neal Pozner, Peter David, Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen, G. Willow Wilson, Geoff Johns, and Dan Abnett. As for artists, I make special mention of: Paul Norris, Ramona Fradon, Jim Aparo, Mike Grell, Curt Swan, and Stjepan Sejic.
The TPB (trade paperback) itself is a gorgeous, high-gloss paper, work that was designed to capitalize on the movie release, but honestly as a fan, I was surprised that the stories were really designed to be more finger food than a massive meal-sized story. My preference would have been more one epic involving several of Aquaman's rogue's gallery, and an attack on Atlantis. Still, I clearly enjoyed it.
The Aquaman: 80 Years of the King of the Seven Seas Vol. 1: The Deluxe Edition trade paperback endeavors to not only serve as a reminder of Aquaman as a legitimate metahuman superhero, but also highlight some of the ridiculous deviations that have hindered the characters success. Included in this anthology are cherry-picked transformational event stories that have resulted in a maturing vision of Aquaman.
There are way too many artists and writers to mention, that have contributed to the mythos: some not even included in this compilation (like John Byrne), but there are others that I will take note of such as: Mort Weisinger, Otto Binder, Neal Pozner, Peter David, Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen, G. Willow Wilson, Geoff Johns, and Dan Abnett. As for artists, I make special mention of: Paul Norris, Ramona Fradon, Jim Aparo, Mike Grell, Curt Swan, and Stjepan Sejic.
The TPB (trade paperback) itself is a gorgeous, high-gloss paper, work that was designed to capitalize on the movie release, but honestly as a fan, I was surprised that the stories were really designed to be more finger food than a massive meal-sized story. My preference would have been more one epic involving several of Aquaman's rogue's gallery, and an attack on Atlantis. Still, I clearly enjoyed it.
March 17, 2023
Pretty much a perfect overview of Aquaman over the years.
September 15, 2023
Aquaman: 80 Years of the King of the Seven Seas
Author: Various
Publisher: DC Comics
Publishing Date: 2023
Pgs: 428 pages
=======================================
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
This new hardcover includes Aquaman's most memorable appearances, from his 1940's debut in the pages of More Fun Comics #73 to recent classics from top creators including Geoff Johns and more! Discover the stories that shaped the hero of the seas!
_________________________________________
Genre:
Superhero
DC Comics
Why this book:
I’ve always loved Aquaman.
_________________________________________
The Feel:
The stories from the Golden Age are very dated in their delivery, art, and style.
Plot Holes/Out of Character:
The Mera characterization continues to be lacking. One wonders at the relationships these guys had with the real women in their lives.
The "Who Dares Hold Me Here" scene when he rips the tentacle off the octopi captured him and took him into the city is a badly designed scene and drawn, and ill-thought out. "Friend of sealife", but only when it does what he says and when it suits the narrative. His continuity was crap within specific issues much less across runs was crap. He was treated more consistently as a character in Super Friends and Justice League of America. Either the sea life are lower forms of life and controlled or they are conscious and aware and he is talking to him, both of which paint his temper tantrum attack on the octopi when it had already delivered him where he was going and was setting him free is a horrible act. After the fact , they reveal it to be a mecha-octopi, Arthur isn't aware of that when he kills it. He thinks it is under someone's control.
Favorite Concept:
Lisa Morrel, Aquagirl, should have redeveloped her Atlantean heritage powers at some point. They wouldn't just manifest once. Science doesn't work like that even in comic books in the 1950s. And there should’ve been more of the abandoned, land-based descendants of Atlantis than just her and Garth.
Tropes:
Pre-Atlantis Aquaman is very colonialist.
Hmm Moments:
So Atlantis are a bunch of small-town hicks who don't want to be dragged into modern times?
Uhm Moments:
Aquaman going for a swim in the dorm's rooftop water tank. Uhm, the dwellers in that apartment may not like the idea of you swimming in their drinking, bathing, washing, and primary household water source. Waterdude, ick.
An admission in print that some sea life has the brains of a cauliflower. How is he supposed to talk to or influence that?
WTF Moments/RUFKM Moments:
So, Atlantis was leaving the differently abled out to die. Purple-eyed infants were fired to the surface in weird Moses basket torpedoes. That's all kinds of fucked up.
Wait...Vulko called him to Atlantis, knowing the people wanted to tear him apart. Smart.
Meh / PFFT Moments:
Yeah. Secret mission to a foreign and unknown undersea capitol that may be inciting Atlantis towards war with the surface. Why, oh why, would you need your Justice League signal device? Pfft.
Wait...What?:
Aquaman goes to college to learn about the fishes in the sea. And his nom du college is Waterman, that's Mr Waterman to you....it could've been worse.
Suspension of Disbelief:
Admiral Haney to Aquaman: "Do me a personal favor and join the Navy." ...Even in the 1940s and 50s that was stupid. SMH.
Juxtaposition:
Here the exile of the purple-eyed is presented as a way to save their lives, because they can’t survive in Atlantis. Later on, it becomes much more of a deeply ingrained -ism amongst Atlanteans, religious and related to portents of doom and such…and much less altruistic.
Anachronism:
So, in college conference realignment, where does the University of Weston fit in? I'm sure after being an alum, the mysterious Mr. Waterman funded them well.
Arthur's rant about people seeing him as a third rated when he was a hero when Firestorm and Black Lightning were still in diapers. And basically, he's the G-D Aquaman, King of the Seas. Which is cool. But Black Lightning being in diapers when Aquaman's career began would make Arthur older than we've previously assumed.
Would people living under the sea, who have no concept of surface life, hang people in effigy? It doesn’t track that they wouldn't have the concept at all. People being people I'm sure they'd have something equally horrible, but not hanging.
Logic Gaps:
Causing an environmental disaster as a solution to a superhero problem.
Missed Opportunity:
It's a shame Black Jack hasn't appeared and evolved more. Comic book heroes are defined by their villains. And once you get beyond Ocean Master and Black Manta, the cupboard is in iffy shape.
A large organization of purple-eyed expatriates who want to overthrow Atlantis either politically, by arms, or via societal change through the world courts and media.
Seems there could be an epic story here. Hamlin and pied piper style, with all the purple-eyed children exiled from Atlantis marching home. There should be more than a few purple-eyed villains in Aquaman's rogues gallery. They’d be justified in being angry.
A modern retelling of Mera and the usurper Leron's story could be cool.
In the middle of the destruction of his home and the town of New Venice, Aquaman is blind to all of it. All he sees and can think about is Orm, the Ocean Master, his brother. Beginning to think that Arthur may be on the spectrum. It would explain the way he has been throughout his portrayals in the comics. It would also explain Mera's, sometimes, seemingly, out-of-character interactions with him when his focus isn't where she thinks it should be. Her frustration with the undiagnosed Aquaman makes more sense in this context. And would open the door for her to more understand him in the future. I doubt that DC would have the balls to plant a long-established character on the spectrum.
Saying that Aquaman may be on the spectrum isn't right. He's almost schizophrenic. One moment he notices that his home is destroyed, but he is hyper-focused on his brother who hates him. Then, Mera has to point out to him that their city is destroyed. The next moment, Atlantis calls him and he races off even though Mera and the people of New Venice need his immediate help with rescue, recovery, and rebuild. And then he starts wool-gathering about how great it is to swim under the sea. If Namor did very much of this, no wonder they made him a villain for 3 decades.
Strikeout:
Strike One: So damned many unrequited cliffhangers in this collection. I realize that if they told the complete story this would be 1000s of pages, but still damn.
The Poker Game/DND Table:
Vulko, Alfred Pennyworth, Etta Candy, Silas Stone, and Perry White sit down to play cards.
_________________________________________
Last Page Sound:
The bits and pieces aspect of this anthology is jarring.
=======================================
Author: Various
Publisher: DC Comics
Publishing Date: 2023
Pgs: 428 pages
=======================================
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
This new hardcover includes Aquaman's most memorable appearances, from his 1940's debut in the pages of More Fun Comics #73 to recent classics from top creators including Geoff Johns and more! Discover the stories that shaped the hero of the seas!
_________________________________________
Genre:
Superhero
DC Comics
Why this book:
I’ve always loved Aquaman.
_________________________________________
The Feel:
The stories from the Golden Age are very dated in their delivery, art, and style.
Plot Holes/Out of Character:
The Mera characterization continues to be lacking. One wonders at the relationships these guys had with the real women in their lives.
The "Who Dares Hold Me Here" scene when he rips the tentacle off the octopi captured him and took him into the city is a badly designed scene and drawn, and ill-thought out. "Friend of sealife", but only when it does what he says and when it suits the narrative. His continuity was crap within specific issues much less across runs was crap. He was treated more consistently as a character in Super Friends and Justice League of America. Either the sea life are lower forms of life and controlled or they are conscious and aware and he is talking to him, both of which paint his temper tantrum attack on the octopi when it had already delivered him where he was going and was setting him free is a horrible act. After the fact , they reveal it to be a mecha-octopi, Arthur isn't aware of that when he kills it. He thinks it is under someone's control.
Favorite Concept:
Lisa Morrel, Aquagirl, should have redeveloped her Atlantean heritage powers at some point. They wouldn't just manifest once. Science doesn't work like that even in comic books in the 1950s. And there should’ve been more of the abandoned, land-based descendants of Atlantis than just her and Garth.
Tropes:
Pre-Atlantis Aquaman is very colonialist.
Hmm Moments:
So Atlantis are a bunch of small-town hicks who don't want to be dragged into modern times?
Uhm Moments:
Aquaman going for a swim in the dorm's rooftop water tank. Uhm, the dwellers in that apartment may not like the idea of you swimming in their drinking, bathing, washing, and primary household water source. Waterdude, ick.
An admission in print that some sea life has the brains of a cauliflower. How is he supposed to talk to or influence that?
WTF Moments/RUFKM Moments:
So, Atlantis was leaving the differently abled out to die. Purple-eyed infants were fired to the surface in weird Moses basket torpedoes. That's all kinds of fucked up.
Wait...Vulko called him to Atlantis, knowing the people wanted to tear him apart. Smart.
Meh / PFFT Moments:
Yeah. Secret mission to a foreign and unknown undersea capitol that may be inciting Atlantis towards war with the surface. Why, oh why, would you need your Justice League signal device? Pfft.
Wait...What?:
Aquaman goes to college to learn about the fishes in the sea. And his nom du college is Waterman, that's Mr Waterman to you....it could've been worse.
Suspension of Disbelief:
Admiral Haney to Aquaman: "Do me a personal favor and join the Navy." ...Even in the 1940s and 50s that was stupid. SMH.
Juxtaposition:
Here the exile of the purple-eyed is presented as a way to save their lives, because they can’t survive in Atlantis. Later on, it becomes much more of a deeply ingrained -ism amongst Atlanteans, religious and related to portents of doom and such…and much less altruistic.
Anachronism:
So, in college conference realignment, where does the University of Weston fit in? I'm sure after being an alum, the mysterious Mr. Waterman funded them well.
Arthur's rant about people seeing him as a third rated when he was a hero when Firestorm and Black Lightning were still in diapers. And basically, he's the G-D Aquaman, King of the Seas. Which is cool. But Black Lightning being in diapers when Aquaman's career began would make Arthur older than we've previously assumed.
Would people living under the sea, who have no concept of surface life, hang people in effigy? It doesn’t track that they wouldn't have the concept at all. People being people I'm sure they'd have something equally horrible, but not hanging.
Logic Gaps:
Causing an environmental disaster as a solution to a superhero problem.
Missed Opportunity:
It's a shame Black Jack hasn't appeared and evolved more. Comic book heroes are defined by their villains. And once you get beyond Ocean Master and Black Manta, the cupboard is in iffy shape.
A large organization of purple-eyed expatriates who want to overthrow Atlantis either politically, by arms, or via societal change through the world courts and media.
Seems there could be an epic story here. Hamlin and pied piper style, with all the purple-eyed children exiled from Atlantis marching home. There should be more than a few purple-eyed villains in Aquaman's rogues gallery. They’d be justified in being angry.
A modern retelling of Mera and the usurper Leron's story could be cool.
In the middle of the destruction of his home and the town of New Venice, Aquaman is blind to all of it. All he sees and can think about is Orm, the Ocean Master, his brother. Beginning to think that Arthur may be on the spectrum. It would explain the way he has been throughout his portrayals in the comics. It would also explain Mera's, sometimes, seemingly, out-of-character interactions with him when his focus isn't where she thinks it should be. Her frustration with the undiagnosed Aquaman makes more sense in this context. And would open the door for her to more understand him in the future. I doubt that DC would have the balls to plant a long-established character on the spectrum.
Saying that Aquaman may be on the spectrum isn't right. He's almost schizophrenic. One moment he notices that his home is destroyed, but he is hyper-focused on his brother who hates him. Then, Mera has to point out to him that their city is destroyed. The next moment, Atlantis calls him and he races off even though Mera and the people of New Venice need his immediate help with rescue, recovery, and rebuild. And then he starts wool-gathering about how great it is to swim under the sea. If Namor did very much of this, no wonder they made him a villain for 3 decades.
Strikeout:
Strike One: So damned many unrequited cliffhangers in this collection. I realize that if they told the complete story this would be 1000s of pages, but still damn.
The Poker Game/DND Table:
Vulko, Alfred Pennyworth, Etta Candy, Silas Stone, and Perry White sit down to play cards.
_________________________________________
Last Page Sound:
The bits and pieces aspect of this anthology is jarring.
=======================================
April 4, 2025
Aquaman: 80 Years of the King of the Seven Seas Vol. 1: The Deluxe Edition
Growing from eight page shorts to leader of his own title, Aquaman is an interesting hero from the DC stable. This collection is a good overview of Aquaman's development. Be aware that there are some duplicate stories with the title 'Aquaman: A Celebration of 75 Years', but annoyingly there are excellent stories in each book which are unique to each volume. But both when they're on sale.
Growing from eight page shorts to leader of his own title, Aquaman is an interesting hero from the DC stable. This collection is a good overview of Aquaman's development. Be aware that there are some duplicate stories with the title 'Aquaman: A Celebration of 75 Years', but annoyingly there are excellent stories in each book which are unique to each volume. But both when they're on sale.
October 9, 2023
A decent selection of stories from Aquaman’s eight decades in comics. Obviously they couldn’t include everything but it’s a good sampler.
February 3, 2026
Most of the stories were great. A few later ones were lackluster
July 25, 2023
A wide variance in the quality of the stories here but for fans an indispensable overview of the many and widely diverse era’s of Aquaman. Even a big fan like myself has not read some of these eras they are not so easy to track down. Readers should be warned that many of the modern stories are a single part of a greater story arc, sometimes not even part one. After the first one I decided not to be frustrated by the absence of continuity but consider it a sampler of what I would like to track down. Even some of the writers I admire get stuck in era’s that don’t allow for all of their talent to shine but the art is mostly on the excellent side and showcases a wide range of some of comic histories big guns. I liked the book but compared to the greatest Batman, Joker, and Superman collections I own from many years ago the tales are not always great.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews