Aquaman Chronicles 21.Pdf
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1 Happy Anniversary “It's a simple formula: do your best and somebody might like it.” - Dorothy Baker Compiled and Edited by John Schwirian Acknowledgments Special thanks to Russell Burbage, Chuck Dill, Richard Duncan, Tony Isabella, Andy Luckette, Shaun McLaughlin, Joe Mello, Steve Peterson, Steve Skeates, and Christine Zeigafuse The Aquaman Chronicles #21 is published by John Schwirian. 700 Mayton Court, Bel Air, Maryland, 21014. [email protected] First Printing. May 2012. Printed in the USA. All material printed here-in is for historical purposes and for literary criticism and review. It is not designed to plagiarize or otherwise infringe on the rights of any copyrighted material contained herein. Aquaman and related characters are ™ and © 2012 by DC Comics. Other characters are ™ and © 2012by the current copyright holders. All legal inquiries should be made to the publisher, John Schwirian. i 2 1…Aquamail 35…Aqua Puzzles By Steve Peterson 2…On the Other Hand… Words of wisdom by ye olde editor. 38…Tiny Titans – Tossed Out! John Schwirian explores the final fate 3…Current Events of the award winning series. Brightest Day, Flashpoint and beyond. 41…Steve Says… Steve Skeates clears up misconceptions 14…Aquaman in the New 52 about Sub-Mariner #72. By Chuck Dill 51…Christmas at 22,300 Miles… 19…Sneak Peaks with the Toyman by Andy Luckett New releases in toys and collectibles 59…Fans Across America 23…The Atom Age Track the Chronicles in mail boxes John Schwirian reviews Adventure around the country. Comics #130-135. 60… Into the Aquaverse 30…Tony’s Tips Crosswords from Richard Duncan Tony Isabella’s plans for Aquaman in 1976. 62…A Busy Birthday By Christina Zeigafuse 32…Collectibles Corner Make your own Aquaman tissue box 73…the Origin of the Aquaman courtesy of Leisure Arts Chronicles John Schwirian. 34…Why Aquaman? Commentary by Steve Peterson ii 3 John... Also, I'm never sure which Namor I'm I am enjoying the heck out of this getting, the super hero or the enemy of fanzine. Is it available to the general public? surface dwellers everywhere. At least Because I'd like to write about it in my blog. Aquaman is always a friend. As for an Aquaman or Sub-Mariner Tony Isabella movie... that idea both excites and scares me. Marvel has done well with its Avengers True to his word, Tony series, but considering how Warner Bros. has sang praises about issue handled its super hero franchises, I'd rather #20 in his blog on Monday not see them mess things up Yup, best leave December 12, 2011 old Arthur in the comics. http://tonyisabella.blogspot.com/ 2011/12/monday-meanderings.html And be sure to check The following comments arrived via out Tony Isabella's The Facebook: Grim Ghost published by Atlas Comics. It reminds Hey, I've been meaning to write and me of the way stories were thank you for sending along the latest issue told in the good old bronze of the Aquaman Chronicles! A letter from age of comics. me, an article by me, and a piece about a Hi John-- character I created -- wow, my ego loves this ish, and the rest of me rather likes it too! Congrats on the latest issue. Admittedly, Best of all, I had of course heard that others since the age of five I've been more of a made use of Thanatos but didn't know Sub-Mariner fan, but at this stage it's hard to exactly how they did so! Now I know! deny that Aquaman has entered the national language and consciousness more than Stephen Skeates Prince Namor has. It may well take a movie- -either "Aquaman" or "The Sub-Mariner"-- to move the goal posts further. Chronicles Dig the new " "! Best wishes, Shaun McLaughlin Roy Thomas While I have always like Subby, I never really considered him to be in the same cate- Thanks so much for the new issue of the gory as Aquaman. Aside from Atlantis and Aquaman Chronicles. I caught my mom water action, the two are nothing alike. reading it! :) Namor is more like Superman than Aquaman. Jeffrey P. Worthen 1 Eleven is One Louder... You know, when I started the Aquaman Chronicles back in 2001, I expected it would be about 25 pages an issue, come out four times a year, and last maybe two or three years. Little did I know that, twenty issues later, the fanzine would have survived eleven years averaging two issues a year at an average of 66 pages each. I also thought that it would really just be a silly thing, filled with self-indulgent fiction and art on my part. How was I to know that so many fans and pros alike would jump on board and contribute to the This Is Spinal Tap development of the Chronicles. I am amazed to be here, eleven years Nigel Tufnel: The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across later, with twenty one issues under my belt, the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and... still plugging away with no end in sight. I Marty DiBergi: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten? Nigel Tufnel: Exactly. still have plenty of material to explore, with Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder? at least ten more issues planned at the Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, moment. Who knows when this will end? most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten Of course, I am certain that you are here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on wondering - Why is the anniversary issue ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where? coming out after eleven years instead of ten? Marty DiBergi: I don't know. Nigel Tufnel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that Well, as many of you have probably extra push over the cliff, you know what we do? guessed, based on my track record, things Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven. happened that delayed the arrival of issue Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder. twenty (which was supposed to ship in Marty DiBergi: Why don't you just make ten louder and make December of 2010) which of course pushed ten be the top number and make that a little louder? back work on this issue (planned for Nigel Tufnel: [pause] These go to eleven. February 2011). And that is why we are here, a year past the traditional tenth anniversary, instead celebrating our eleventh year in print. Sort of like the Image Comics Tenth Anniversary hard back that shipped in 2005, three years after the official tenth anniversary date. Well, better late than never I always say. As Nigel Tufnel said in This Is Spinal Tap, "These go up to eleven." 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 approach. We see great opportunities to Another worthy complaint by long time tell new, contemporary, cutting edge stories comic collectors is the cancellation of that make up each of the title's back histories Action and Detective Comics only to restart ... aggressively reaching the widest possible with new number one issues. Both titles audience worldwide." were approaching the epic 1,000th issue Sounds too good to be true. Let's take a mark (Action ended at #904 and Detective at closer examination of this. First of all, while #881). Why destroy these upcoming it is true that this creates a great jumping on landmark, once in a lifetime events? DC point for new readers, however, it won't stay stated that they "thought long and hard about new reader friendly for long. As we have this. It was a decision not taken lightly. A seen, the new number ones all kicked off a partial renumbering would not have had the six-issue storyline, so readers are still facing same impact we needed to showcase the the problem of not being able to jump on at amazing changes and direction we have any single issue in a series history. planned for the new DC Comics universe of Secondly, why did you need a restart in characters. Counting issue numbers is order to tell "contemporary, cutting edge focusing on the past, not the future." So, stories?" Lastly, as the distribution system now the focus is on the future, not the past, has not changed, how is this "aggressively" despite having stated that they are "building reaching a wider audience? The answer: by on the past"? making the stories available for purchase as One other statement bothers me more computer downloads. Wasn't that possible than any other. "We've asked the best before the New 52? creators in the industry to modernize, update Personally, I'm not against the restart. and enhance the books with new and I've been rooting for one for years. exciting tales." Really - the absolute best in Unfortunately, this one just rings hollow. It the field? More like creators who worked sounds more like a publicity stunt than a for Jim Lee's WildStorm and those few who truly well-planned attempt to bring in new were personal favorites of the current upper readers while still pleasing the old fans. management. Many awesome writers and Despite all of DC's spin-doctoring, the New artists found themselves unemployed by this 52 alienated a large number of long-time move and were replaced by people relatively DC die hard readers.