• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

What was Aquaman's first comic book cover appearance?
1 1

46 posts in this topic

I posted this question over the SA board but I think there is more firepower on this board so I'm curious to see if anyone can answer the question:

I think we all know that Aquaman was featured on ZERO comic book covers of the Golden Age.  Green Arrow got covers on More Fun (so did Jonny Quick), but Aquaman nada.  Heck, Vigilante and Shining Knight appeared on many more covers than Aquaman.  Even Robotman had more covers.  Aquaman was so lame he was not invited to join the JSA or the Seven Soldiers of Victory. 

Which begs the question:  What was Aquaman's first comic cover of the Silver Age?  The conventional answer is BB 28, the first big break of Aquaman's career when he somehow was miraculously picked to be part of the JLA.  (Probably because he can talk to fish!)

But, that's not the correct answer.  I believe that Aquaman's first comic cover was in a non-U.S. Silver Age comic which predates BB 28.  

C'mon Aquaman fans:  Anyone own it? 

Anyone even know what it is?

This comic should be an Aquaman grail.  

(cue the Jeopardy music)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/4/2022 at 9:33 PM, sfcityduck said:

Brave & The Bold 28 was February 1960.  

But, there were non-US covers in the 1950s!  The candidates I know of are all English language comics.  

Did not put much effort into it but gave it a shot

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well Aquaman got his revenge with his own feature movie! Beat out Vigilante, Spectre, Green Arrow and Robotman on that score! It's hard to believe that they haven't done something with the Spectre; seems like that could be a mind bending movie if done properly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/5/2022 at 4:45 AM, telerites said:

COLOR GIANT # 1 GOLDEN AGE AUSTRALIAN COMIC 1957

At least the pics match

https://www.comics.org/series/80257/

https://ausreprints.net/issue/2646

I bid on the one that closed recently on Ebay.

s-l1600.jpg

Winnah!  That's one of two candidates!

I'll give folks a chance to come up with the other candidate.

Neither are rare or expensive

I forgot to bid on that one you did.  But that's what got me thinking about this topic.

Edited by sfcityduck
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sheet!  Over on the SA Board, they came up with a third contender for the first Aquaman cover, also an Australian comic supposedly dated October 1956 (problem is that month info is missing for some contenders):

The Hundred Comic Monthly

Edited by sfcityduck
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/5/2022 at 1:16 PM, sfcityduck said:

To make sense of one of the second hint image, here's Color Giant 2 (also an Aquaman cover, not in the running for first because it came out in 1957):

 

Still waiting to see if anyone gets the other contender.

I have seen the other on the Australian Comics FB page but I cannot remember the title.

This one though precedes the one I posted as it is believed to be printed in 1956.

page-1-big-four-kg-murray-1956-series-2-

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/5/2022 at 1:32 PM, telerites said:

I have seen the other on the Australian Comics FB page but I cannot remember the title.

This one though precedes the one I posted as it is believed to be printed in 1956.

page-1-big-four-kg-murray-1956-series-2-

NOW WE HAVE FOUR 1956 Aquaman covers!

The one you posted is 1956 from what I can tell.  

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/4/2022 at 9:08 PM, sfcityduck said:

I posted this question over the SA board but I think there is more firepower on this board so I'm curious to see if anyone can answer the question:

I think we all know that Aquaman was featured on ZERO comic book covers of the Golden Age.  Green Arrow got covers on More Fun (so did Jonny Quick), but Aquaman nada.  Heck, Vigilante and Shining Knight appeared on many more covers than Aquaman.  Even Robotman had more covers.  Aquaman was so lame he was not invited to join the JSA or the Seven Soldiers of Victory. 

 

What a D-Lister, even Wildcat and Mr. Terrific made it on to the cover of All-Star #24. He joins Airwave in the loser club.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/6/2022 at 4:14 AM, circumstances said:

He could have been on the cover of UK, Australian, Scottish, Irish, Canadian, More Fun #73 and every issue thereafter back in the 1940s, and his first cover appearance would still be Brave and the Bold #28.

So what I'm hearing is that Aquaman has been an international star since the 1940s.

Maybe it's like how rock bands used to go and tour Japan to make it big there before they would become big in the US. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
1 1