Monday, September 24, 2007


Ripples Through Time - 167

I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.

Adventure #244 Aquaman Splash Page
Adventure #244 (January 1958) - The Copy Cat Creature

A sea monster encased in ice returns to life and becomes Aquaman's pal.

Quotefile: Aquaman, "Ha-ha! You're a friendly cuss, aren't you! And since all your old pals have been gone for centuries, you can be my friend!"

Aqua-Exclamations: "Galloping Typhoons!"

Glove Color: Green.

Regular Supporting Cast: Topo.

Finny Friends Report: Aquaman again rides on Topo. Aquaman has a school of flying fish eat the locusts that threaten the farms on shore. He has a group of octopus link tentacles to create a living net for the pilot whose plane Myron destroyed. Aquaman has swordfish cut down burning trees near the shore to prevent the fires from spreading. He then has to call in whales to put out the fire that results when Myron knocks down a burning lighthouse into an oil slick. Aquaman has dolphins pull a stranded ship out of the Sargasso Sea, then has to create a lasso made of eels to pull the sailors to safety when Myron tows an old wreck and swamps the original ship. Aquaman rides a whale to rescue the sailors. Aquaman sends a legion of giant blowfish down to the South Pole, where they inhale the freezing air, then gets some fish to play in a waterfall. As Myron copies the fish, playing in his own waterfall, Aquaman has the blowfish exhale the freezing air, trapping Myron in a new iceberg which he then leaves in an icy sea somewhere.

The most basic premise of this story, "sea monster preserved in ice wakes up and becomes Aquaman's friend," is very similar to Adventure #193, but the structure and events in the stories are completely different. In this tale, Myron the monster doesn't attack ships for no reason. And the solution that Aquaman came up with in the earlier story is completely different to the one he comes up with here.

Lots of goofy science here, like blowfish being able to freeze water by bringing cold air from the South Pole. Aquaman himself says that Myron is apparently related to the cat family, because he has a somewhat feline face. It's all pretty typical bad Silver Age science.

Aquaman leaves Myron in another iceberg... but doesn't make sure the iceberg is secured in a climate where it will stay ice. What if Myron floats to warmer climes, like the first time?

Have you read this story? What do you think?

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