The Dark Knight: The Penguin's Crime Wave

The fine folks at Capstone Publishing have put another installment of their DC Super Heroes line of books for young readers, and this time Aquaman is along for the adventure!

The Penguin's Crime Wave is written by Laurie Sutton and drawn by Luciano Vecchio,and opens with the waddling scoundrel trying to pull a heist at the Gotham City Museum of Natural History. Of course, the Dark Knight Detective is there to stop him:

The Penguin is defeated, and in the next chapter the story moves forward in time, to a fancy soiree at Gotham Bay, attended by millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. The Penguin resurfaces again, literally: popping out of the water inside a giant penguin-ized submarine!

Pengy kidnaps some of the swells, and takes off with Batman in pursuit in his Bat-Plane. It is attacked by some rocket pack-bedecked robot penguins, forcing it into the icy waters. Batman attempts to escape, but the Bat-Plane is damaged. Before the water seeps in, Batman hears a knocking on the hull of the ship, and sees it's an old friend:

Some of Aquaman's finny friends tell him they have found the Penguin's arctic hideout. They make their way there, and give chase, which leads the Penguin to throw a mysterious egg at Batman, which produces a black cloud. The Penguin uses the confusion to try and escape, leading Batman into a strange chamber--one he recognizes as belonging to another old foe, Mr. Freeze!

The Penguin believes he has got Batman where he wants him, but it's just a ruse: using his thermal Bat-Suit, the Dark Knight waits for the Penguin to get close enough to the tube to break out of it using tools from his Utility Belt and grab him!

But the oily bird manages to slip away again, using one of his umbrellas as a mini-helicopter. Just then, the Sea King pops out of water riding a giant orca, ready to take the Flighless Felon into custody. Knowing when he's beaten, the Penguin is reduced to begging the Batman to save him!

Batman thanks Aquaman for his assistance, and carts the Penguin back to Gotham City, while the Sea King looks after the innocent civilians that were kidnapped. The End!


As a company, Capstone has been extraordinarily good to Aquaman, giving him his own books as well as having him appear in other titles, like this one. As I've said many times before, if I had been a kid when books like these were being published, I would have read them until they fell apart. It's Classic Aquaman, doing all kinds of Classic Aquaman stuff! Can't be beat. It also comes with a glossary of terms, character bios, and discussion questions for all the young readers out there.

The Penguin's Crime Wave was written by longtime DC editor/writer and Aqua-Fan Laurie Sutton, who has been kind enough to talk to the Shrine on several occasions. This is her first chance to write Aquaman, and we'll be talking to her tomorrow about the book!


If you would like to order a copy of The Penguin's Crime Wave, use the handy link below. Not only will you get yourself this handsome little book, but you'll throw the Aquaman Shrine a few shekels in the process:

Other Capstone titles featuring Aquaman:

• Black Manta and the Octopus Army
• Deep-Sea Duel
• Heroes of the High-Seas

 

DC Super-Pets: Deep-Sea Duel

A few months ago Capstone Books--maker of fine Aquaman-related tomes--was kind enough to send the Shrine a sneak peek at their newest DC Super Pets installment, Deep Sea Duel, starring Aqualad. Now that the book has been released, we can offer a glimpse inside!

Aquaman is throwing a family reunion, and everyone's invited (uh-oh!):

While at the party, Aqualad meets Mera's niece Nicoletta, who professes to be one of his biggest fans--causing Garth to blush. He offers to take Nicoletta to Blackbeard's Knoll, which supposedly is filled with haunted pirate ships. Nicoletta readily agrees to go on the adventure.

Mera isn't sure about letting them go, but Aquaman talks his Queen into agreeing--but not before they insist their shark pal Geoffrey go along for protection:

Just moments after Aqualad and Nicoletta depart, the one missing member of the family arrives for the party--Aquaman's half-brother Orm, aka Ocean Master, flanked by his two swordfish sidekicks, Johnny and Joey.

Meanwhile, Aqualad and Nicoletta explore Blackbeard's Knoll. After getting scared by the spooky skeletons, they decide to head home. Back in Atlantis, Ocean Master has let his brother aware of his presence, and how:

Aqualad and Nicolette see what has happened, and stay out of sight until they can formulate a plan. Aqualad makes a frontal assault on Orm, while Nicoletta and their fish pals go after Ocean Master's henchmen. After a quick fight, Aqualad gets close to Ocean Master:

Johnny and Joey try to help their master by lunging at Aqualad, but they miss and end up pinning Orm via his cape to the royal throne, pinning him to it. Aquaman decides to resume the party, leaving Orm and his pals to watch. The End!Like all the DC Super Pets books, Deep Sea Duel is a ton of fun: a cute story (by John Sazaklis) that hits all the marks in terms of a classic Aquaman adventure, brought to life by the always delightful visuals of Art Baltazar. For Aquaman fans, the book is a must-have--even if you don't have kids!

You can buy your own copy of Deep Sea Duel on Amazon by clicking below, which throws a few doubloons the Shrine's way:

Bonus! Tomorrow we'll be featuring an interview with the writer of Deep Sea Duel, John Sazaklis! Be here!

Black Manta and The Octopus Army

Back in November, Capstone Publishing sent the Shrine a sneak peek of the cover to Black Manta and the Octopus Army, part of their new DC Super Villains line of chapter books.

Well, we're happy to report that a few weeks ago Capstone went one further and sent us a copy of the book itself--and, like its predecessor Aquaman: Deepwater Disaster, it's a blast!

Written by Jane Mason and drawn by Luciano Vecchio, BMATOA opens with Black Manta about to launch yet another nefarious plan to conquer Atlantis!

After we learn that Manta has created a device that allows him to talk to sea creatures, and that he has forcibly assembled an veritable army of octopi. After months of captivity, the octopi came to heed Manta's every word, depending on him for their food.

We then flash back, and are given an entirely new origin for Black Manta, and why he hates Aquaman so much! Turns out that, as a boy, Manta was himself a captive on a ship where he was treated as a slave. One day, he saw Aquaman swimming by, who did not hear the boy's cries for help:

Eventually escaping his captors, the young man swore revenge on the King of the Seven Seas for not rescuing him at the time.

Back in the present, Manta and his octopus army attack Atlantis. After taking out the guards who protect the city, Manta has his minions storm the city, causing panic:

Manta makes his way to the royal palace, and has one of octopi grab Aquaman, who is sleeping in his bed. Manta laughs at how easy this was. Of course, Aquaman is one step ahead of Manta: that's a decoy in his bed--that's not Aquaman at all!

Aquaman tries to talk to Ocho, Manta's right hand (tentacle?) octopus, and get it to follow his commands. But Aquaman is ignored:

Aquaman manages to escape, causing Manta and Ocho to follow right behind. Aquaman calls in his own army of sea life to fight, which evens the score a bit. At one point, Manta launches a spear at Aquaman, but misses. The spear hits one of his octopus army, which means nothing to Manta, but is of great concern to Ocho and the rest.

Defying Manta's orders, the octopi stop fighting, with two of them grabbing their injured comrade. As the rest close in on Manta, he uses his jet-pack to escape, leaving them and Aquaman to watch him depart:

As Manta swims away, he curses at Aquaman, swearing he will get revenge one day. The End!


Like I said above, Black Manta and The Octopus Army is, like Deepwater Disaster, loads of fun, the perfect book for kids who have been reading picture books and are now ready for something a little wordier and more complex.

On an Aquaman Fan level, it's truly amazing to me that, after decades of not getting this kind of mass merchandise visibility, the Sea King is the focus of not one, but two books in this series. Capstone has done a great job on these books, I can only hope they are enough of a success that they do more. I for one would love to see a Mera-centric one aimed at girls!


If you'd like to pick yourself up a copy of Black Manta and the Octopus Army, you can do so via this handy Amazon link:

JLA Belt Buckle

F.O.A.M.er Jim McHugh alerted the Shrine to this cool little item, a Justice League-brand belt buckle, featuring some choice stock art of Flash, Green Lantern, Batman, Superman, and (yay!) Aquaman! Man, I woulda gone nuts for this thing when I was a kid.

You can order this baby via Amazon and throw the Shrine some coin in the process:

Love it, thanks Jim!

The DC Vault

The DC Vault was a mammoth, hands-on volume compilation released in 2008, chronicling the history of the company from its pre-history all the way up through the 21st Century.

I really wanted to talk about this book at the time of its release, but getting a hold of appropriate scans (read: the Aquaman stuff!) was kind of impossible...but I never gave up, so here we go!

Sadly, Aquaman doesn't get a lot of space, but to be fair when you're covering 75 years of history in less than 200 pages, not everyone is going to be properly represented (despite Arthur's prominence on the cover). But there are some fun little pieces of obscura, stuff we'd normally never get to see as well as the historical markers:

This was a postcard DC sent out in the late 1960s to readers who wrote fan mail (in this case, Li'l Pau Levitz...yes, that Paul Levitz). Its representative of Aquaman's significant place in the DC line-up at the time that he is one of the handful of characters chosen to represent the company.

For a DC fan, The DC Vault (written by former Aquaman writer Martin Pasko) is like being sent back in time to the DC offices and being allowed to run amok in the files (a dream I've had, many times). Of course, I wish the book was five times as long, but I guess that's what Taschen was for.

The DC Vault is still available on Amazon of course, so if you're interested in picking up a copy, use this handy (and lucrative for the Shrine) link to do it!

Young Justice Volume 2 on DVD!

Hey folks! Young Justice: Season One Volume Two hits the streets today, and Warner Bros. has been kind enough send the Shrine a copy that we are giving away via a contest!

Young Justice: Season One Volume Two features episodes 5-8 of the series: "Schooled", "Infiltrator", "Denial", and "Downtime."

"Schooled" the team of young heroes on a mission to transport the seemingly-dormant parts of the supervillain Amazo to S.T.A.R. Labs. Of course, things aren't so simple--Amazo's creator, Professor Ivo, attempts to steal his creation back! Now reassembled, Young Justice has to take on the all-powerful robot!

"Infiltrator" features Artemis' introduction to Young Justice, which causes all kinds of problems, emotional and otherwise, among the members and their mentors. A team of assassins attack, and it takes the whole team working together to fight them off.

In "Denial", Young Justice goes on a search for the missing Dr. Fate, who has fallen into the clutches of the villainous Abra Kadabra, who is on the hunt for the all-powerful Helmet of Nabu. Not only does the team have to take on a powerful magician, but some of the team has to learn that magic is, indeed, real.

Finally, there's "Downtime", which is probably the favorite episode of many an Aqua-fan, because it focuses so heavily on Aqualad, Aquaman, and the rest of the Aqua-Family. While visiting Atlantis (and nursing a broken heart when he sees his crush Tula has developed feelings for Garth), Aqualad has to help fend off Black Manta as he tries to conquer the city for the umpteenth time. This episode features virtually every member of the Aquaman supporting cast!


So to celebrate the release of this DVD, the Shrine is having a contest! Inspired by the idea of Young Justice representing the next generation of DC heroes, all you have to do to enter to win is send an email answering this question: What character from the deep, deep bench of the DCU would you like to see join the team?

Now, the goal is not to simply suggest the oddest choice (that would be Brother Power The Geek--voiced by Emo Phillips of course), but to come up with an interesting, out-of-the-box pick that would simultaneously be surprising but also plausible. Dig out your dusty copies of Who's Who, people!

Please email your suggestions between now and 1159pm Monday, November 8th. Title the email "YJ Contest" and suggest a character and then a compelling reason why they could--nay, should--join Young Justice. I will pick the five, ten best suggestions and then on November 8th I will put all the choices up as a poll, and let your fellow Aqua-Fans decide. Whatever character suggestion gets the most votes at the end of the poll wins the DVD!



If you don't plan on entering the contest, you can own the DVD today via this Amazon link, which also throws the Shrine a couple of cents in the process:

Post Script: To get a better sense of what kind of entries the Shrine is looking for, check out my JLA Satellite blog when we ran a similar contest, "The Case of the Marvelous Member Mash-Up"!

Supergods by Grant Morrison

Grant Morrison's book about superheroes, Supergods, came out a couple of weeks ago. And as I do with all books on the subject (75 Years of DC Comics, Rough Justice, etc.), I immediately went to the Indicia to see where, if at all, Aquaman might be mentioned.

Other than being represented (via Jose Luis Garcia Lopez stock art) on the back cover, along with another dozen or so heroes, Morrison doesn't mention the Sea King much in the book's 300+ pages; three spots, two of which are posted here:

This one startled me a bit (Aquaman undeservedly surviving through the 1950s? Them's fightin' words!), but in the end I realized its a fair question to pose, especially when you consider Aquaman's spotty record in the subsequent decades. Me, I like to think Arthur survived not by luck, but because young comic book readers knew he was really cool and unique, and voted with their sticky dimes.

There's two mentions in the book of Aquaman in the context of being a member of the JLA. The second is just a list of characters, but this first one is a bit of a compliment:

Aquaman, a part of a "pop art divinity"? I like it!

I haven't had a chance to read the whole book, but I definitely want to. When I buy it, it will be placed amid the giant stack of books I have by my bed, all of them waiting to be started, continued, or finished--interspersed with Aquaman comics, of course.


If Supergods sounds like something you'd be interested in reading yourself, you can purchase via Amazon right here:

(BTW, Back cover photo courtesy our newest F.O.A.M. member, Jake Johnston!)

Ame-Comi Mera by DC Direct

Mera's increased prominence in the DCU is surfacing in the merchandising now--in almost all the new lines of toys and/or figurines that are female-centric, Mera is represented alongside merchandising stalwarts like Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Catwoman, and Batgirl.

This line is a fine example of that, where DC Direct has sculpted anime-style PVC figurines of DC characters, like the aforementioned Wonder Woman, plus Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Raven, and more. And if you're going to do a line like this, you gotta have Mera!

I'm not a big anime fan, but this is a really beautiful figure--detailed, colorful, and a little naughty. I'm sure Anime Aquaman is in love with this Mera just like his Americanized counterpart!

DC Comics Ultimate Character Guide

A few weeks ago, DC Comics and DK released this brand-new hardcover book, DC Comics The Ultimate Character Guide, which is a slick compendium of Who's Who-esque character bios from the DCU.

I hadn't known of the book until its author, Brandon T. Snider, wrote to tell me about it. I of course wanted to see inside, so Brandon helpfully sent along some pics:

Clearly, this book leans heavily on the art side of the equation, dispensing some quick bursts of information as accompaniment to the visuals. Which is a-ok, since they really did a fine job here: I like how different the art styles are, giving each character their own sense of identity (one of the qualities I liked most about the original Who's Who).

My only complaint from the Aqua-side of things is...no listing for Mera! Considering what a huge role she has had in the DCU in the last year or two, she really deserved to be in here (though she is mentioned on Aquaman's page). Other than that, all the other members of the Aqua-Family are represented: along with Aquaman, Black Manta, and Ocean Master, there's also Aqualad and Tempest.

While I don't think the DC Comics Ultimate Character Guide is for die-hard fans, most of whom probably already know all the info included, it'll work great as a durable primer for those readers just getting into DC superhero comics. And as I said, I think the art is fantastic.

If you'd like to order a copy, you can click through to Amazon right here:

Here's an ad running in various DC comics for the book, using the classic tagline that copywriters can't resist when talking about books like this:

Man, how the heck did Red Tornado make this ad over Batman, Flash, or Wonder Woman (not to mention Aquaman)? Pretty good showing for the android!

Big Day for Aquaman at DCComics.com

This is the front page of DCComics.com, check it out: Aquaman is on there, twice!

I know in the end its not that big a deal, but I'm really happy DC is giving the Aquaman: Death of a Prince trade such a push. This is the first time this material (most of it excellent) has been reprinted, and its a perfect book to buy all the new Aquaman fans, post-Brightest Day.

You should head over to your LCS to get a copy today. But in case you can't, remember you can order via Amazon by clicking on the link below:

...outrageous!

Aquaman: Deepwater Disaster

The Shrine talked about this book when it was first announced several months ago, but only recently did I get my hands on this baby--Aquaman: Deepwater Disaster!

The artist from this book, F.O.A.M.er Dan Schoening, was generous enough to send me a copy (autographed, yet!) after I mentioned every time I tried to order it via Amazon, it was out of stock (a good sign?). And this book definitely deserves to be highlighted here!

Written by J.E. Bright, with art by the aforementioned Mr. Schoening, Mike DeCarlo, and Lee Loughridge, Deepwater Disaster is what's known as a children's chapter book--a mostly prose story with accompanying spot illustrations, like this handsome frontspiece:

The story concerns out hero, after rescuing some sailors from a massive storm, is called to the Louisiana Coast where an oil rig has burst into flames, and is about to explode, spilling thousands of gallons of oil into the sea!

With the help of some finny friends, Aquaman rescues the rig workers, but cannot stop the rig's tanks from bursting, dropping the oil into the ocean:

Aquaman then a submarine in the area...a sub shaped like a Manta Ray! It's the Sea King's old foe, Black Manta!

Aquaman catches up and gets the drop on Manta, demanding to know why he sabotaged the oil rig. Manta, for once, protests his innocence--claiming he had nothing to do with the rig's destruction...but he sees no need not to profit by it by stealing the oil.

Aquaman convinces Manta that, if the oil is left unchecked, it will wreck the sea for hundreds of miles...leaving nothing for Black Manta to plunder. Would they, could they, work on the same side just this once?

Manta agrees, and soon the denizens of the sea spy something remarkable: Aquaman and Black Manta working together!:

By their combined efforts, the oil geyser is capped, stopping the flow of oil. Aquaman then commands a group of microbes to gobble up as much of the remaining oil as they can.

With the disaster halted, Aquaman takes a moment to thank Black Manta, who climbs back into his Manta Ray sub and disappears. Aquaman then addresses all of his subjects, telling them that while they've achieved a brief victory, there is much more work to be done:

...The End!


Deepwater Disaster is a great little book: a good story, well told. Writer J.E. Bright works in most of Aquaman's powers, plus Black Manta, with more than a dollop of Real World significance.

The book is hardcover, and comes with a character bio of Manta, biographies of the people who made it, a glossary of terms, plus a page of discussion questions and writing prompts. With its full-color illustrations and double-page spread endpapers, it makes for a very handsome little volume.

Aside from all that, its simply fantastic that Aquaman is getting a solo shot like this: for decades, he's almost never been featured by himself in any sort of mass merchandising effort; now he's had two in less than a year. A banner time for the Sea King!


Aquaman: Deepwater Disaster makes a fine book for any of you Aqua-Fans out there with kids who love superheroes and love to read; the Shrine heartily recommends you pick up a copy!

Extra special thanks to Dan Schoening for his fabulous work on the book, and for sending a copy to the Shrine!

Two Aquaman Covers

Here's the cover to Emperor Aquaman #1--the first solo Aquaman book in almost five years--on sale tomorrow!

Run, don't walk, to your nearest LCS and buy a copy or three, Aqua-Fans--I don't wanna hear any of this "I don't like these big crossovers, waaah" crap. We've been waiting for ages to get the Sea King back in his own book, and even though this isn't the "actual" Aquaman and his new ongoing is already on the way, the only way us Aqua-Fans can show that Aquaman can support a book is to buy it when they make one!

Also coming out (though not until July 5) is the Aquaman: Death of a Prince trade, reprinting Aquaman's mid-70s solo run in Adventure Comics, seven issues of his solo book, and some other stories from that time.

This cover was helpfully provided to the Shrine by none other than Friend of the Shrine Paul Kupperberg, who wrote several of the stories contained herein!

You can pre-order the book via Amazon at a hefty discount just by clicking below:

...by doing so you'll be throwing some undersea loot at the Shrine as well as Mr. Kupperberg ("Tell the world, amigo! I'm on royalties on this puppy!")! This is a great collection and belongs on the shelf of every Aqua-Fan!


Update: I forgot mention this other Aqua-related book that hits shelves tomorrow, The All-New Batman: Brave and the Bold #8, starring Batman and...Aquaman!

...it's a big week for the Sea King!