Aquaman #63 (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Dan Jurgens (Superman) begins a sweeping epic that chronicles the fall of Atlantis.

Things have come to a head with the island nation of Cerdia. Defying international law, the tiny country has waged an economic cold war with Atlantis that suddenly becomes hot. With his requests for aid rejected by the United Nations, Aquaman takes to the late night talk show scene in order to appeal to the public.

The TV appearance is set up to be a farce. But during a segment in which King Arthur is asked to talk to the host's aquarium fish reveals that a bomb is underneath the stage, things turn deadly serious.

Meanwhile, the underwater kingdom of Atlantis is in chaos. Dolphin, the bride of former Teen Titan Tempest, has gone into labor as an unknown force of aquatic behemoths made of living coral begins an attack on the kingdom. Alerted to the onslaught Aquaman and his contingent race back to Atlantis just in time to see Atlantis' volatile power core explode in a detonation of unspeakable destruction.

Unspeakable because that's where the story stops with a promise of more to come in next month's issue.

This issue was a thrill ride from the very beginning. The cover was penciled by the fantastic Michael William Kaluta (The Shadow). It shows Aquaman swimming among his deep sea friends as Atlantis gleams in all its glory behind him. In the immediate background, a pair of angelic mermaids bestow a majestic-looking Arthur Curry with a crown.

The interior art was penciled by Steve Epting (Captain America) with Norm Rapmund (The Flash) on inks. While on the surface, both Aquaman and Tempest are dressed in their royal finest; a simple black jumpsuit with splashes of color adornments made of shell, sponges and nets. The battle scenes are explosive, literally. And that opening scene of Aquaman atop his trusty seahorse, Storm surrounded by friends and foe alike symbolizing the glory days of Atlantis was awe inspiring.

The only downside to this issue is that I don't have the rest of the story. Looking at a DC database, this issue was the opening chapter of the final tale that would close out the 1992-2001 series run. But a quick search in Google shopping shows that most issues that round things out can be purchased for $4 or less. For $150 plus shipping, you can bid on some of the original artwork on this issue and issue #65. I don't think I wanna go that route. 

A fantastic voyage to the depths of the Atlantic ocean begins in this issue. Hopefully someday in the near future, I'll have the rest of the run in order to find out what happens next!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars

Completing this review completes Task #23 (Involving Water) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Tom Strong's Terrific Tales Book Two

  
 Alan Moore and friends bring to a close Tom Strong's Terrific Tales. 

   In the Old Tom stories, relive the golden age of cartoons when Tom and his daughter Tesla are challenged to a ghoulish drag race. Then a man dreams what it would be like to be Tom Strong and imagine what the Strong family would be like if they were the Osborne's. Lastly, take a tour of Tom's Millennium City with beautiful illustrations by Michael Kaluta.

    Then Young Tom Strong comes of age on the mystical island of Attabar Teru discovering his origins, being reunited with an old friend, and learning about the opposite sex. Things come full circle by the end of this story line and in a way I'm glad I read this series before Tom Strong as this is full of great backstory and origins. 

    The biggest disappointment are the Jonni Future stories. It's not that these sci-fi adventures  aren't of superior quality. They very much are. But these are literally the last stories of a dynamically titillating series unless co-creators Steve Moore and Arthur Adams craft so further episodes. It's been over a dozen years since the last Jonni Future adventure saw print, so her future isn't so bright. 

     A bittersweet end to a great series...

    Worth Consuming

     Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Time Warp #1

This short-lived, but superb sci-fi anthology featured stories about “doomsday and other strange things.” Each issue featured 8 different tales with twists right out of the EC Comics playbook. Comic legends Denny O’Neil, Paul Levitz, and Steve Ditko contribute. Michael Kaluta did some super cover work that harkens back to some classic 1940s-style pulp art. He missed his calling if he never did a Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon book.

Time Warp only lasted 5 issues and though they weren’t massive hits, they’ve formed a sort of cult status among collectors, especially those of anthology comics. I was lucky to find this copy in a dollar box and I hope to find the other 4 issues. Though, I suspect that I’ll have to cough up big bucks for those.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.