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| Bound by Herring and Robinson Book Binders, 2012 |
Written by Peter David, originally
published by DC Comics as two miniseries: The Atlantis Chronicles
(1990) and Aquaman: Time and Tide
(1993-1994)
This
is part of that
most recent order of library-bound comics that I got back from the
bindery in the past few weeks. I've mentioned my early love of
the character of Aquaman
several times in this blog, most
notably here I believe, as well as my decades-long disappointment
with how the character was treated – basically from the mid-late
1970s until very recently. Among the most distasteful developments,
for me at least, were those presided over by Peter David in the 1990s
resulting in what I called a “character … quite unrecognizable to
me – angry, long-haired, bearded, half-naked, sporting a harpoon
instead of one of his hands” – and started with the two
mini-series that I have now bound for my personal library. Whyever
would I do such a thing?
Well,
as I briefly explained in the first previous post referenced above,
“although I did not like what little I knew [from his guest
appearances in other comics and so forth] about where … David would
ultimately take [Aquaman] in the 1990s, I had heard nothing but good
things about [these] two miniseries … with which he began his
several years' association with the character. Most specifically,
the podcasters at Comic Geek Speak
recommended them in their “Spotlight on Aquaman” episode (#840,
5 May 2010). In my recent … renewed enthusiasm for the character,
I decided to acquire the issues and bind them....” And over the
past couple of weeks I've read them. Here are my thoughts.
The Atlantis Chronicles
This
hefty seven-issue miniseries – each issue is double the length of a
standard comic –, drawn by Esteban Marato, purports to be a
comic-book adaptation of newly-discovered historical writings from
the lost civilization of Atlantis … after
it sank beneath the waves thousands of years ago.
#1
(Mar 1990), “Chapter
One: The Deluge,”
begins the story of Orin and Shalako, brothers, king and priest,
embodying a conflict between science and religion in the advanced
continental civilization of Atlantis. His ruling city of Poseidonis
being constantly assaulted by barbarians, Orin oversees the
construction of a protective dome. Shalako predicts that this will
bring the wrath of the sky-goddess Suula – which seems fulfilled
when an asteroid seeming to bear the visage of a death's-head strikes
the ocean, sending the waters to overwhelm Atlantis.
A text
page consists of a memo between members of DC Comics' editorial regarding the adaptation of the newly-discovered writings, which the
discoverer Prof. R. K. Simpson has been unable to get published by a
scholarly press. After various “big-name” writers reject the
job, Peter David gets it largely by default: “O.K. If he's the
best you can do – Dick [Giordano]” ROFL!
#2
(Apr 1990), “Chapter
Two: The Vanished Sun,”
takes up months later, when life in the darkness of the ocean's
depths is slowly driving the people of Poseidonis insane, although
they had survived the disaster because of the protective dome and
manufactured air. In the midst of this, Shalako leads his followers
away from Poseidonis to the ruins of the city of Tritonis, where he
constructs a hard-water dome by concluding a murderous pact with “the
dark gods” to whom he now gives his allegiance.
Sometimes
the issues have more than one chapter – “Chapter
Three: Transfigurations.”
Expeditions he sent out to determine if any land remains above the
waves having vanished, Orin's scientists devise a way to mutate the
Poseidonians into amphibious air-/water-breathers, freeing them from
their imprisonment within the dome. Orin offers the same serum to
the new Tritonians – who take it against the will of Shalako.
Their prophet curses them for it – and their mutation continues
such that they are fish-scaled from the waist down. The Tritonians
rise up and kill Shalako and his family – all but his son Dardanus
who disappeared into the city's catacombs.
#3
(May 1990), “Chapter
Four: The Flowering of Youth, the Rightful Sinking of Age.”
Fifteen years on, intense prejudices have developed between the
Poseidonians and the Tritonians. Shalako's son Dardanus comes out of
hiding, pretty obviously as insane as his father had become, stirring
up the hatred. At court in Poseidonis, Dardanus attacks Bazil, the
fiancé
of Orin's daughter Cora, and is banished. But he returns to rape her
on the eve of her wedding, fathering a fully-scaled humanoid monster
named Kordax – but we don't find that out until later. The
Poseidonians themselves continue to mutate, although not so radically
as the Tritonians had. They are getting more dependent on constant
hydration (up until now they had retained an air-breathing
environment inside the dome, moving back and forth into the water at
will), and developing fins on the backs of their calves. Orin begins
considering the practicalities of flooding the dome.
Text
pages resume with this issue, from here on out: Here is the first of
two parts dealing with religion in ancient Atlantis and its worldwide
impact, embodying a clever mix of reality and fiction even in its
faux
bibliography.
#4
(June 1990), “Chapter 5:
Full Scale War,”
focusses more on Cora and Bazil's daughter Fiona and the current
Chronicler, Regin, who are lovers. Regin writes on the eve of
battle, tracing the history of how the Poseidonians and Tritonians
eventually came to war. Although it was perceived that the
Atlanteans' lives are also extended greatly by the serum, dehydration
was increasingly a problem. But the Tritonians had it worse, because
their second generation were born with fully fused fish-tails rather
than scaled legs, making them a merpeople absolutely unfit for an
air-environment. Dardanus blamed Orin, who orders the flooding of
both the domes, which are retained to keep larger predatory
sea-creatures out of the cities. Cora's life-long torment is exposed
when the Tritonians discover Kordax, who had been exposed as an
infant and presumed dead – a fully-scaled blond-haired mutant who
can mentally control sea-creatures. Orin abdicates kingship to make
Cora queen – but when Dardanus demands Kordax be recognized as her
heir instead of Fiona, and threatens war, Cora happily obliges. A
cliffhanger ending has a mysterious giant sea monster attacking the
Poseidonians at Kordax's command.
#5
(July 1990) contains two chapters. The first, “Chapter
6: The Stuff of Legends,”
recounts the climax of the family feud between Orin and Shalako, told
in mythic terms that it's strongly hinted may be the Chronicler
Regin's molding mundane events to give the Atlanteans new beliefs
that unify the peoples. There is an extensive exchange between Regin
and Fiona, years later, that bears quotation:
Regin:
“I tell them the origins
of our beliefs. I tell them what happened, how it happened, and
why.”
Fiona:
“And that's all you have ever
done, Regin? Merely reported what you saw?”
Regin:
“Well, of course. What else?
… I am not sure I understand your implications.”
Fiona:
“You understand perfectly.”
Regin:
“We're not going to discuss this again,
are we? … I saw what I saw. And the people of Atlantis believed
because ...”
Fiona:
“Because they wanted to
believe. … For many years I have refrained from discussing this
with you, beloved Regin. … I
was there too, remember. And while you spun your very convincing
tale of epic struggles between godly messengers … I found small
pieces of rock caught in Dardanus' armor. Rock that could
have been the remains of several large boulders you,
in your anger, pushed down
upon Dardanus after he killed Orin. … And then you could have
moved Dardanus' body
away from the
landslide, so that you could claim the wrath of Shalako had crushed
him. … There are rational explanations for all
things, if one allows oneself to look.”
Regin:
“Fiona … I do not create history. I report
it. What you suggest … it would be inappropriate. … Although...”
Fiona:
“Although...?”
Regin:
“Just at the battle's eve … Orin spoke of how Atlanteans no
longer believed in the gods since we sank. Nor even believed in
ourselves! … And how
we would consume
ourselves if that did not change.
… The people wanted something
to believe in. … Certainly there are rational explanations. There
always are. But
sometimes, to survive, people need to cling to the irrational.
… To think of matters greater
than themselves. … And if I had
taken a cowardly, backstabbing assault on Orin … and a subsequent
rockslide … and used it to weave a tapestry of belief … Not that
I did … But if
I had … I would like
to think … that Orin would have approved
of being the stuff … of which legends
are born.”
The need to believe. It
reminds me of these
words of wisdom from Secondhand Lions
–
Hub
McCann (Robert Duvall): “Sometimes the things that may or may not
be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That
people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean
everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that
good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember this, that
love … true love never dies. You remember that, boy. You remember
that. Doesn't matter if it's true or not. You see, a man should
believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing
in.”
“Chapter
7: First Encounter.”
Generations later, the blond Atlan brings back evidence of the now-legendary surface world to Atlantis.
Text
page: Focusses on Atlan's mother Lorelei, a mysterious figure of
whom much more is made of her mystery in the text page than in the
story itself. Makes me wonder if this was originally meant to be a
longer miniseries and if editorial decisions gutted it.... Or
perhaps David followed up on it in the ongoing series that started
four years later...?
#6
(Aug 1990) “Chapter 8:
Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”
begins a story told by an old Egyptian priest to the Greek Solon in
more detail than Plato would later relate. Because here, the framing
story impinges on history. Solon was, of course, the great Greek
lawgiver ca. 600 BC who, according to the philosopher Plato
– the historical ur-source for legends of Atlantis
– writing over 200 years later, brought back the tales to Athens as
he heard them in Egypt. Anyway, the Atlanteans attack the surface
world, coming from the North, bringing up the question of Where
was Atlantis? More comments
later.... The attack is led by King Honsu and his and Lorelei's
warrior eldest son Kraken; Atlan is the second son, generally in
self-exile from Atlantis because of his blond hair, ever since Kordax
considered an ill omen; the third, peace-loving son, is Haumond –
who ends up captured by the proto-Egyptians. Haumond meets the
ancient survivor of one of Orin's exploratory expeditions, now
worshipped as a god in Egypt.
Text
page: An interview with the professor who discovered the Atlantis
Chronicles.
#7
(Sep 1990) “Chapter 9:
Death and Life.”
Okay, I'm getting a little more confused. The Atlanteans are the
“North Sea Peoples” to the Egyptians, which could simply mean
they come from the Mediterranean to the north of Egypt. But then they go
through
Egypt to get to Athens?
…? … Anyway, Kraken challenges the Athenians to a single combat
with their champion to decide the war – and is killed … by the
Athenian champion Haumond,
his brother. Haumond foresakes Atlantis and the sea. A little
predictably (at least, I predicted it) Haumond turns out to be the
aged priest relating the story to Solon centuries or millennia later,
visited on his death bed by Atlan, who is still youthful. Atlan
returns his brother's body to the sea.
“Chapter 10:
Tails of the Sea” is
a short interlude about sailors with Christopher Columbus in 1492
spying mermaids.
“Chapter 11:
Birthrite” begins with three
Atlantean children including King Trevis' brother and heir Uri
finding what is obviously a drum of surface waste, opening it – and
Uri is killed by the toxic contents. By now, the power of the
Monarchy has devolved to a council that seems rather dominated by a
Shalakan zealot doomsayer Kalandro, but this still causes a crisis
because Trevis and his queen Atlanna are childless. Then Atlanna has
a dream or vision of Atlan impregnating her and bringing about the
union of Orin and Shalako's lines. Atlan furthermore prophesies:
“[Your
son] will know joy and sorrow, … darkness and light, for the blood
of Orin and Shalako will run through him. … From Orin's line he
will have wisdom and leadership. He will be a great warrior. …
From Shalako's line, he inherits dominion over the sea creatures. …
He will leave Atlantis and return. He will produce a child with a
woman from the world of the Dark Gods … and they will both leave
him. … He will battle the inner uncertainty caused by his mixed
heritage. And he will battle … his half-brother whom I shall also
sire, with a woman of the surface. For two brothers must always
struggle for Atlantis. That is fate. … The brothers will meet and
battle – the surface brother Orm and your son, whom you shall name
Orin. They will battle many times. … And when they battle for the
final time, the outcome will determine the ultimte destiny of
Atlantis … Either it will rejoin the surface world … … or be
forever … destroyed.”
As
Atlanna swells with her pregnancy, fish revere her … but when it
comes it is a breech birth, and the blond baby boy must be delivered
by Cesarian. Blond – the sign of Kordax. Trevis takes the
ill-omened babe to be exposed at low tide, then suicides. The last
scene is the child being raised by dolphins.
And
the issue ends with a genealogical chart from the brothers Orin and
Shalako through the generations to Orm … and Aquaman.
Despite
its somewhat dated style, both in writing and art – and the fact
that I'm not a huge fan of Peter David – I really enjoyed this
tale. It is a marvelous work accomplished on a broad
historical/generational canvas drawing in a lot of real world lore
and legend, giving it all a twist in an attempt to transform
Aquaman's story into a mythological, almost Biblical epic. Esteban
Marato's art is good, while limited by pre-millennial printing and
not helped by the rather garish colors that resulted. It is a shame
that DC has never seen fit to reprint this miniseries as a
collection. Were they to do so, recoloring it with modern technology
could result in a work of real visual beauty that would better convey
the sense that most of this epic takes place in the ocean's depths.
One
thing to bear in mind. Although it was not marked as such, it is
definitely an adult story. There is bloody violence, yes, but also
quite a bit of sex including nudity, particularly in the last issue.
But even earlier, Dardanus' rape of Cora is depicted quite brutally.
Aquaman: Time and Tide
Four years later, David would return to Aquaman, this time to
stay for about seven years. A new ongoing series was kicked off by
this four-issue miniseries – four standard-length issues, so it
reads very quickly compared to the tome that it belatedly picks up
from.
#1 (Dec 1993), “Flash Back,” begins with Aquaman alone in
his cave reading the Atlantis Chronicles, specifically the ending
written by his mother Atlanna, whom he believes to have been
delusional in her tales of ancient gods and prophecies. He starts
adding his own remembrances, beginning with the first time he was
called a “hero” after getting caught up in a confrontation
between Barry Allen Flash and the Trickster. This is basically
Aquaman's introduction to the modern surface world. (Barry's the one
who dubs him that.)
More so than the Atlantis Chronicles, it's immediately
apparent that here Peter David indulges in a bit more of his
trademark offbeat humor. Although it's an aspect of his writing that
I don't really care for, I must admit that there is a hilarious bit
with Aquaman talking to sharks, playing on the lack of short-term
memory that fish apparently have.
#2 (Jan 1994), “Fish Tales,” continues Aquaman's attempts
at writing his own history, mainly telling how he was raised by
dolphins after surviving exposure as a newborn on “Mercy Reef,”
up to his learning a cruel lesson of the reality of the “circle of
life” under the sea. His first encounter with humans results in
his dolphin “brother” being accidentally caught in a ship's
screws, mortally wounded, and necessarily being left to be eaten by
sharks.
#3 (Feb 1994), “Snowball in Hell.” Between issues #2 and
#3 we know from his inner'logue that as a teenager he took up with
Arthur Curry the lighthouse-keeper – who then abandoned him. He
wandered north to Alaska, where he saves an Eskimo girl named Kako's
life from a polar bear – evidently pissing off some kind of goddess
who curses him that those who love him are doomed. He and Kako fall
in love, so of course Kako is the first victim – being attacked and
left for dead by her cousin Orm, the bastard son of her aunt (if I
understand correctly). Young Aquaman has a vision in which he
contends with the northern goddess and manages to save Kako's life
again – but when he tells the tale of what he thought was just a
dream, the shock of the implications in his defying the goddess
Nuliajuk kills Kako's grandfather who had grudgingly taken him in.
The family drives him away; when he returns after a time, their home
is abandoned.
#4 (Mar 1994), “King of the Sea.” Years later, when
Aquaman is king of Atlantis, on the day of Arthur Jr.'s birth, Orm
returns as the Ocean Master and challenges him for kingship of the
sea. Not knowing who he is – he never encountered him before –
Aquaman ridicules him and drives him away. But Ocean Master returns
with a huge submarine to attack Atlantis. He captures Aquaman and
Aqualad, then subjects them to the stereotypical villain's boasting –
whereupon Aquaman realizes the truth of who Ocean Master is and what
he had done to Kako. Meanwhile, Mera's interference in effecting a
rescue inadvertently keeps Aquaman from killing Orm right then and
there – and Ocean Master escapes, obviously to beleaguer our hero
again in the future. … And ruminating on these events, Aquaman
realizes perhaps his mother was not insane. Or perhaps he is.
As
much as I liked the Atlantis Chronicles,
and even enjoyed Time and Tide
on its own terms, I prefer the more traditional origin – of an
Atlantean princess-in-exile taking up with Tom
Curry the lighthouse-keeper and bearing him a son – which has more
or less been “retro-retconned” back into play by Geoff Johns over
the past couple of years. I'm sure there's a way most elements of
the Atlantis Chronicles
could still be made to work with that origin, but I don't know if
that's the way things will play out.
As to
Time and Tide itself,
along with the somewhat satirical tone that I don't care for (a
personal shortcoming, I know... ;-) ), I find the art 'way too
cartoony, much more dated than AC.
And it ain't helped overall by the “present-day” Aquaman's
mullet, which looks laughable in itself.
Oddly
enough, however, I did enjoy reading it. I won't be in a hurry to
reread it though.
Atlantis Chronicles,
on the other hand, may well be reread sooner rather than later.
And,
given that I now know, after looking at ComicbookDB.com, that Peter
David's subsequent monthly series which launched out of this within
six months with the long-haired, bearded Aquaman, has by issue
#2 already had piranhas chew off his hand and replaced it with a harpoon –
to me the visual symbol of an “Aquaman” who is in no way “mine”
– I don't think I'll bother continuing down this road. The current
series by Geoff Johns is too good to sully with that image. And
there are the three Showcase Presents
volumes that I largely haven't read, bringing his adventures in the
Silver Age up to the point where I was reading in 1968, where I have two
years (1968-1969) similarly library-bound. In fact, with 2011's
publication of the collection, Aquaman: Death of a Prince,
they have left only a couple of years' gap in reprinting his Silver
and Bronze Age adventures up to the event that, for me, started
transforming a beloved character into something I no longer cared to
read. I haven't counted pages, but it seems to me that at least
another Showcase Presents
volume is warranted. Better yet, a couple of color reprint volumes
to precede Death of a Prince ….
– Hello? – DC? – Anybody listening...?
Cheers!,
and Thanks for reading!
* * *
Note: This is the first of my library-bound comics volumes that I have blogged about as if it were a "real" book. I'm not sure I'm going to go into such intensive detail in future (he says in vain). At eleven comics, this one is relatively thin. More typically, my bound volumes contain upwards of twenty, once even as many as forty, issues. But if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know how I can blather on....
