Preserved chronology
The volume I reviewed is a collection of twenty-one notebooks from the period from 1941 to 2016, which introduces us to a peculiar commission historiography concerning the King of the Seas. We begin this historical adventure with a short story that is part of More Fun Comics # 73. It is the historic debut of Aquaman, a backgammon created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger. The turn of the 1930s and 1940s is the period of the birth of a peculiar American mythology, the beginning of which is considered to be 1938, when the first adventures of Superman were published. It was only a matter of time before such characters as Sub-Mariner or Aquaman appeared in comics.
What’s most interesting, thanks to the presentation of the most important events in Arthur’s story, each subsequent story along with abundant comments from the publisher provides us with a lot of information about the evolution of this little appreciated character.
It is worth noting that originally Aquaman was an ordinary man who acquired his powers through both his father’s training and experiments. The initial stories were mainly aimed at younger readers, so don’t expect any complicated plot from them. On the other hand, they were a propaganda element during World War II.
The careful selection of “milestones” is perhaps the strongest point of this edition. On nearly 400 pages, we’ll find out under what circumstances Arthur married Mera, witness the decisive clash between Black Manta and Aquaman, and see his rebellious and slightly rejuvenated face from New DC Comics (The New52). My only reservation concerns the last issue that has already appeared in Aquaman Volume 1: Drowning . It’s an unnecessary resume that doesn’t introduce anything significant or interesting.
Waves full of information
For every drawing lover it will be a feast for the eye. We can find here not only a cross-section of various styles, characteristic of the respective epochs of American comics, but also varied lines of many cartoonists. It is worth adding that the old frames have been refreshed, thanks to which we do not have the feeling of communing with the “poor” edition. However, I do not like the fact that some of the drawings were subject to political censorship. I mean, first of all, the swastikas in Nazi clothes. Since the soldiers of the Third Reich were opponents of superheroes in the 1940s, does it make sense to erase such a symbol?
Another advantage of this edition are the biographical notes of the authors responsible for the stories that make up this anthology. Thanks to this, the publication maintains a certain consistency, allowing us to find ourselves in the time jumps between successive issues. It is also worth emphasizing the special importance of the texts introducing us to the next historical stages of the comic. I believe that such a procedure allows us to fully experience the history of the King of the Sea.
Dive deep into the oceans
Aquaman’s fate is sure to be changed with the new movie. The story of a member of the Justice League and ruler of the greatest kingdom on Earth evokes emotions, but it is certainly noteworthy. It is true that his adventures have never been such ambitious stories as those with Batman, nevertheless they introduced us to a completely new world, thus allowing us to break away from everyday worries.
