Superman & Aquaman Tribute Video

Thanks to ARMquaman for the tip.

JLA Classified #26

Nice use of the Waterbearer Aquaman, presumably this fits in just after Veitch's run and before he changed back into his old costume. He was at loose ends during that time, so JLA activity is probably a good fit. (SPOILER)I think his comments on not messing with nations fit Arthur as King, as he'd hardly want the Justice League to interfere with Atlantis when he ruled it.(END SPOILER) A nice little set-up story. Go read it.

Aquaman Related Books Shipping Today

JLA: Classified #26 will be out today, and definitely features Orin as Aquaman.

Action Comics #842 is also out today, and features Arthur Joseph.

Justice #7 is out today and apparently Aquaman is back in action.

Aquaman Tribute Vid on YouTube

Check it out here, embedding has been disabled, so I can't put it up for you. Which is kind of ironic, since whoever made the video used some of the stuff on this page, as well as what appear to be a whole lot of eBay photos. Eh, it's not horrible.

Emmy and Entourage

Congrats to Jeremy Piven (Ari Gold) for winning an Emmy last night for his work on Entourage!

Random Aquaman Stuff

Otto Binder's Birthday

Otto Binder (rhymes with tinder) was born in 1911 and went on to write tons of comic story scripts, including a large number of Aquaman stories in the Golden and Silver ages.

Aquaman Events Calendar

Happy 59th Birthday, Michael Kaluta!

Cover artist on Aquaman, Aquaman #63-75 (2000-2001).

Aquaman in the Justice League Game

ARM(quaman) reports:

Tegan, allow me to be the first to break the huuge news on the video game front. It was just uncovered in Game Informer magazine that Aquaman will be part of the new Justice League Heroes game for XBOX, PSP, and PS2.

Originally it was only slated for:

-Wonder Woman
-Superman
-Martian Manhunter
-Batman
-Flash
-Green Lantern (John Stewart)
-and oddly Zatanna (well better than dopey Hawkgirl)

Fans poured in requests for more playable DC/JLA characters to compete with Marvel Ulitmate Alliance which featured well over 20 playables and hundreds of cameos.

So D.C. with an incomplete game was able to add before release a confirmed Green Arrow, a somewhat confirmed Captain Marvel/SHAZAM, and now most officially confirmed AQUAMAN as Phieffer/Arcudi's water hand version in the article I will show you. As to others like Black Canary, Atom, or Hawkman showing up I'm not sure.

But here's the article I just scanned and you should post all this Click for larger version.

ENJOY!
-ARMquaman

Aquaman and Tempest Removed from JLA #1 Cover

It wasn't just my imagination. Both of them got booted in favor of other characters, but they aren't the only ones...

A is for Aquaman

A One-Hour Alphabet featuring Aquaman.

Splash Page of the Day

Current Status

Ok, here's a summary:

• Aquaman TV Show: While it may seem like it's in Limbo, it's cancelled. Unless Gough and Millar can convince some network to pick it up, it's dead. There is no sign whatsoever that CW has changed their collective mind about it. So until we hear anything definite, IT'S DEAD. If there is new information, it will probably show up first at AquamanTV.com.


• Aquaman Movie: This is still in the rumor stages. I've heard nothing about it beyond the usual buzz.


• Aquaman Comic Book: Delayed, as indicated here, due to optimistic planning on the part of DC. The next issue will ship Sep 13th, and the collection of the first Sword of Atlantis storyarc is due to ship Nov 15th.


• Various Aquaman Toys: I've added the ship dates for upcoming Aquaman Toys to the sidebar shipping list. Here are the toys still on the way: Aquaman Mystery Box Figure (18 Oct 2006), Aquaman 13" Deluxe Collector Figure (6 Dec 2006), Aquaman and Ocean Master MiniMates (6 Dec 2006), Kingdom Come Arthur Curry Action Figure (21 Mar 2007), and First Appearance Arthur Joseph Aquaman (25 Apr 2007).

Coming Soon (DC Solicits for November)

Solicits for DC Comics due to ship in November have been posted on various websites: Comic Book Resources, Newsarama, and The Official DC Site. Here's the Aquaman stuff I spotted:

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #47 finishes the two-part flashback tale of King Shark versus Orin, with appearances by Vulko and Mera.

And DC Direct once again tries to bankrupt me with a first appearance of Arthur Joseph as Aquaman action figure.

If you spotted something I didn't or have any comments, use the comments link on the post to let me know.

Words Words Words

Excellent Aquaman panel with a nice explanation of what Aquaman is swimming through.

Aquaman Lateness

Kurt Busiek on the Aquaman Lateness, over on the DC Message Board.

Justin Hartley's Photo Gallery

Justin Hartley himself has a nice personal promotion website, which is actually well-designed. He just added some pictures to his photo gallery of scenes from the Aquaman pilot, including (apparently) some stills from un"air"ed scenes.

Be sure to visit his site and check out the full size images. These are severely scaled-down and cropped versions of the images on Justin's website.

As of this posting, by the by, the Aquaman Pilot is at #27 in the video downloads on iTunes, which is impressive considering that it was released almost four weeks ago. There are over 850 reviews, still with an average rating of 4 stars out of five. And I continue to get e-mail asking when the show will be airing. *sigh*

Original Aquaman Artwork

Enjoying the new Aquaman? Want to get your hands on some original artwork from the series?

Dave Karlen Original Art has pages up from Aquaman #41 for sale. If you don't see a page you want, be sure to contact Dave and ask, as he can often get the page you want. In addition, all Butch Guice artwork is on sale for 25% off until August 27th.

Justin's New Role

Justin Hartley as Green Arrow. He looks good, I have to admit. I think I would've preferred him in an Aquaman on-going, but he looks good as Ollie, too. All that green leather...

Cover of the Day

Detroit News on Aquaman Pilot

'Aquaman' a hit at No. 5 on the Web:

Mekeisha Madden Toby / Detroit News Television Critic

It still amazes me what the Internet can do for a failed pilot.

The CW put its prematurely born series "Aquaman" up for sale on iTunes a couple of weeks ago and it debuted in the No. 1 spot.

As of Thursday, the 60-minute superhero drama had dropped to No. 5, but that's still impressive. (A spokeswoman for iTunes says Apple doesn't release how many downloads that equals.)

Could a certain hip HBO dramedy have something to do with the webbed Aquaman's success? No one knows for sure if "Entourage" played a part -- lead character Vince played Aquaman in a fictional movie and passed on the fictional sequel -- but it certainly didn't hurt. I'd like to think that in this cultural zeitgeist, where TV influences the Web, the Web influences TV and both influence movies, anything and everything is possible.

The unknown variable is what will happen to "Aquaman" now. People are clearly willing to pay $1.99 for it, which means they would probably be willing to watch it on television, too.

Al Gough, the show's co-creator, told "Entertainment Weekly" recently that he and his team would be willing to sell the show to another network if one were interested.

Gough, like most of the free world, is obviously familiar with the NBC/YouTube deal that breathed new life into a failed WB sitcom called "Nobody's Watching."

The TV gods could smile on "Aquaman," which starred Justin Hartley, even if no one has picked it up so far.

The CW didn't add the series to its upcoming lineup and says that it has no plans to do so.

The Aquaman Pilot is still getting downloads on iTunes, and is still in the top twenty as of this morning. Hopefully we'll hear more about it soon.

Something for Your Favorite Aquaman Fan

Aquaman Boxers.

Aquaman Pilot Drops out of Top Ten

The Aquaman Pilot on iTunes is now out of the top ten. There are over 800 reviews, and the average rating is still four stars out of five. While I've heard a number of rumors, I don't believe there has been any real progress on getting a network to pick up the show. In addition, should the show be revived, it would likely get new cast members. We'd probably hear rumors of the re-casting about the same time rumors of the show being picked up would hit the 'net.

Again, if you want to keep up on the news, be sure to check AquamanTV.com regularly. They have much better sources than I do for the television side of things.

Mark Wahlberg Talks Aquaman

Entourage's Producer on a possible real Aquaman film.

Aquaman Pilot Update

The Aquaman Pilot continues to linger in the top ten downloads at iTunes video, with over 780 reviews and an average of four stars. I'm getting lots of rumors right now, none from any sources I recognize or trust. As far as I know, the status of the show continues to be the same: canceled by the CW.

If you really want to keep up with the news, bookmark AquamanTV.com and visit it regularly. He's got much better sources than I do, and will no doubt have new information (if any appears) long before I even hear about it.

Aquaman Thoughts

I don't agree with all the opinions in this post, but it does have a fairly nice overview of the last decade or so of Aquaman.

Ramona Fradon Interview

A blast from the past, here's a Ramona Fradon Interview at Sequential Tart, done in May 2000. The interview discusses the origins and creation of Aqualad. Many thanks to Chris Long for the link.

Rumor Control

There are rumors that the CW has decided to show the Aquaman pilot. As yet, I have not heard anything from a verified source about this, but I'm looking into it. Until I have verification, I'm putting this one in the "wishful thinking" column of my rumor list.

Shipping Changes... Diamond Dateline

Yup, this week's Diamond Dateline confirms what ComicList reported last week: Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #44 will be shipping September 13th and Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #45 will be shipping October 4th.

This actually puts the book on the schedule originally envisioned by Kurt and Butch when they took over the series. They asked for two months breathing room, and a May relaunch. Instead, the series simply continued, with the creative team two months behind (because Aquaman had already been canceled when they took over).

If the book had been relaunched in May:
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #40 would've come out in May (shipped Mar 1),
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #41 in June (shipped Apr 5),
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #42 in July (shipped May 17),
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #43 this month, in August (shipped Jul 19),
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #44 in September (now due Sep 13), and
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #45 in October (now due Oct 4).

Despite their best efforts, time caught up with Guice. Reportedly, having an inker on the last issue did not catch up any time at all, as they had hoped.

Good news, though. The two-issue flashback story scheduled to appear right after this first six-issue arc is apparently completely finished and waiting in the wings. So there should be no more delays for a few issues, although there is the chance that DC will push back the solicit for Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #47. We'll have to wait until next month to be sure.

Aquaman Couldn't Survive in It

Researchers report on Ocean "Dead Zone".

Inheritance

I suppose I should report on this prose novel by Devin Grayson, as in includes Aquaman. The novel, Inheritance, has gathered some criticism for its rather blatant subtext. It's supposed to be about the relationship of superheroes to their sidekicks... um. Well... read for yourself (profanity warning). And there is more here.

Galley Cat asked what was up.

So I shot off an email to Grayson and asked her how this all happened. She reminded me that as one of the comic book industry's few openly bisexual women creators, she's enjoyed working queer material into her stories throughout her career. "That said, I am also a contract worker when at DC crafting stories with licensed characters," she explained, "and my job at that time is to stick pretty close to previously established interpretations and guidelines, which is a necessary and satisfying aspect of this kind of work. In the licensed publication novels, we have more room, permission, and need than we usually do in the comics to explore character back story and culture." Despite that additional freedom, she's careful to point out that Inheritance is about father/son dynamics, not gay culture. "But are the characters in Inheritance aware of gay culture?" she asks rhetorically. "Sure. And they get to joke about it, just like I, as the narrator, get to joke about it. I'm joking with the reader, the characters are joking with each other."

I may not really enjoy it, but I do plan on getting a copy. If I do, I'll be sure to review it here for Aquaman fans.

Random Link

Hey Aquaman, Leave the Kids Alone. A Silver Age tale.

Shipping Changes

Ok, here's the scoop. Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #44 is definitely shipping later than originally scheduled. As of last week's Diamond Dateline, it is now scheduled for August 30th. I'll be updating the sidebar and the Aquaman events calendar to reflect that.

However! ComicList reports that Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #44 has been pushed back even further, to September 13th, and that Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #45 has been pushed back to October 4th. Until I have independent confirmation of those new dates (preferably through Diamond Dateline), I won't be changing the sidebar and calendar to reflect them. But ComicList is generally correct, so don't depend on getting the new issue of Aquaman any time soon.

As was mentioned before, when issue #43 was delayed, Aquaman was canceled when Kurt Busiek and Butch Guice took over. They started out two months behind and have been struggling to get the book out ever since. After the first six-issue arc, there will be a two-part story with a guest artist, which will allow Guice more time to catch up with the book. The shipping delays are probably still a result of the book having been canceled without ever actually being canceled. Hopefully they will be resolved soon and we'll get a monthly dose of Aquaman again.

AquamanTV.com Updates

Go check out AquamanTV.com for a couple of updates on the status of the show. The Aquaman pilot was mentioned in both Entertainment Weekly and Variety (again). I particularly like that we've now got a number for the downloads on iTunes: "more than 15,000 copies of the pilot".

Regarding the Aquaman pilot on iTunes... over 700 reviews, still averaging four stars, and still in the top ten video downloads after nearly two weeks of being available.

Sunday Question

Time again for you to answer the burning questions of the day:

What did you think of Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #43?

Well? C'mon, I want some opinions here. What did you all think about that first splash page? And Vulko's revelations on how Arthur Joseph is linked to Orin? And the cliffhanger? Regarding that, I really want to know what advice King Shark got. And you? What do you think of it?

Archive of Sunday Questions.

AquaFest!

From last Sunday's Hi And Lois:

Shipping Changes

Although I'm not yet certain of the extent of the changes, Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #44 and possibly issue #45 also are apparently going to ship later than originally listed. I'll update the sidebar shipping lists when I have more information.

Aquaman Pilot Not Number One Anymore!

The Aquaman Pilot has finally dropped a spot to number two on the video downloads on iTunes. The rating average is still four stars, and there are now over 600 reviews. Over a week as the number one download, still popular with its intended audience... I wonder if that slim hope for the series to get picked up is still holding out?

CBS Blog Report on Aquaman

CBS's Blogophile tackles the question of Aquaman, with quotes from various bloggers about the life imitating art aspect of the possible Aquaman movie.

I'd rather everyone picked up the comic book to check it out, personally.

And, yes, the Aquaman pilot is still the top video download on iTunes, with over 550 reviews now, still running an average of four stars. I think the show would've hit its intended audience perfectly.

One Week Later...

The Aquaman Pilot is still the top video download on iTunes, with over 500 reviews and an average rating of four stars. There's been a bit of backlash, but it's pretty much lost in the reams of lovin' for "Smallville with bikinis".

Perhaps I should just worry about reporting when the show drops out of the number one spot.