Age of Bronze: Aquaman

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Take a Dip with Aquaman

The current Back Issue magazine, no. 108, is devoted to the character Aquaman. It sports a cover I drew, featuring the king of the ocean. Inside many articles discuss the differing treatments of Aquaman throughout the years.

Aquaman swam across my drawing table a couple times in the 1980s, when I drew the Secret Origin of the Justice League of America and I inked Curt Swan's pencils for The Legend of Aquaman Special, and once in the '90s, when I inked an Adam Hughes Aquaman cover. John Trumbull interviewed me for an article inside the magazine.

Back Issue is published by TwoMorrows and is available in print now at your local comic store and digitally online from the publisher at this link.

Friday, March 23, 2018

Legend of Aquaman

New graphic novel includes The Legend of Aquaman.

Nearly thirty years ago I was asked by DC Comics to ink a project drawn by legendary Superman artist Curt Swan. Swan had penciled a new origin for Aquaman, plotted by Keith Giffen. I'm not sure what prompted them to ask me, but I'd just finished The Forgotten Forest of Oz and was waiting to begin The Elsewhere Prince, so I was perfectly happy to take the job.

The result was the one-shot special The Legend of Aquaman. It was scripted by Robert Loren Fleming and colored by Tom McCraw, who'd been my assistant colorist on The Secret Island of Oz. I guess The Legend of Aquaman sold well enough, because it was followed by a five-issue Aquaman series. I don't remember whether I was asked to ink the series, too, but if I was, I'm sure my schedule was filled with something else. The series was inked by Al Vey.

DC Comics recently collected The Legend of Aquaman and the following series into graphic novel format as Aquaman: The Legend of Aquaman. John Trumbull recently did an interview with me for Back Issue #108, coming soon from TwoMorrows, about this long ago job. My own Aquaman artwork is also the cover image for Back Issue #108.