Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane are investigating reports of fish attacks against local shipping. Bibbo, Lois’s contact at the docks, agrees to take her and Jimmy out in his boat, but personally describes the reports as a “bunch of hooey.” Clark Kent managed to weasel out of the assignment by claiming sea sickness, but Jimmy is relishing the chance to take photographs of the sea-life. Their causal day-out is abruptly ended when Bibbo’s boat is attacked by a pair of killer whales. Their sustained attack causes the boat to take on water and the crew cling on in fear for their lives. Jimmy uses his signal watch to alert Superman to their distress. The Man of Steel tricks the whales into knocking each other out before flying the boat back to port.

Later, Lois and Jimmy’s investigation takes then to the local Aquarium where its director, Doctor Cardy, assures them that there was probably nothing usual about the whales’ attack. He suggests that they may have been protecting a calf, but Lois’s questions are cut short when Cardy is called away by his pager. Lois’s suspicions about the Doctor’s answers are confirmed when she sees Lex Luthor’s car in the Aquarium’s parking lot. Luthor is also there to complain about the escalating nature of the fish attacks. He reminds Cardy that they both know what is responsible for the attacks and orders Cardy to move “it” further inland.

Lois overhears Cardy and Luthor’s conversation and sneaks into the Aquarium’s basement to find the cause they were talking about. She is surprised to find a blond-haired man held captive in a large cylindrical-tank of water. Lois is on the telephone to Jimmy (who is still in the parking lot) when Cardy interrupts them at gun point. Lois recognises the blond-haired man as Aquaman – a nearly mythical ocean superhero. He tells her that he had come to the “surface-dwellers” world to prevent the death of millions! Lexcorp’s explosive tests in international waters have caused extensive damage to Atlantis, Aquaman’s home. He tried to put a stop to the tests, but his peaceful overtures were met with violence and he ended up a specimen in Doctor Cardy’s laboratory. Luthor is furious that Cardy has taken Lois Lane prisoner as he know that she will only precipitate Superman’s involvement. He orders the scientist to dispose of them both.

Meanwhile Jimmy is having trouble with Lois’s car. He only has a learners permit and almost collides with the Lexcorp truck carrying the bound Aquaman and Lois out of the Aquarium. Cardy takes them to Metropolis City Dump where he intends to kill them. However, their execution is cut short when a flock of sea gulls attack Cardy and his gunmen. Aquaman later tells Lois that he is able to communicate telepathically with the creatures of the sea. He called the gulls to their aid and it was his telepathic calls for help which have been turning the local sea life violent. Lois and Aquaman to make their escape on a motorcycle and evade their pursuers by diving into the ocean.

Superman arrives shortly afterwards and carries the water-logged Lois Lane back to dry land. Aquaman does not stay around for introductions and leaves Lois to inform Superman of their discoveries. Superman barges into the bridge of Luthor’s ship, but the billionaire claims he’s fully within his rights to conduct tests in international waters. Before Superman can stop the actual test he’s called away to help Aquaman fight off Luthor’s divers. Lexcorp’s powerful underwater machines hold the heroes at bay for a time, but Aquaman’s aquatic allies tip the balance. The test is finally cancelled when a massive Atlantean submarine surfaces alongside Luthor’s vessal.

Superman assures Aquaman that he has disabled Lexcorp’s bombs, but Aquaman is still unhappy. He is also the King of Atlantis and is fed up with the surface world polluting and damaging his Kingdom. He wants to make an example of Lexcorp, but Superman manages to calm him down. The Captain of Luthor’s vessel is less reasonable and tries to harpoon Aquaman the moment his back is turned. The Atlantean Navy retaliate by destroying Luthor’s ship in a barrage of canon fire. The billionaire escapes to safety in his private helicopter, but he leaves Superman to save his ship’s crew. Aquaman he warns Superman that the surface world had better respect the sovereignty of his seas otherwise the Atlantean Navy will return and finish what they started.

Aquaman

Aquaman first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941). In his original incarnation Aquaman was more of a classic adventure hero – the son of a famous, but unnamed ocean explorer. Today he is considered something of a joke character, but that belies his surprisingly high recognition factor with non-superhero fans. A lot of this is a hold over from his own Saturday-morning cartoon series, Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, that ran in the late 1960s. Then in the 1970s he was added to the Super Friends line-up ahead of characters like Green Lantern and the Flash (probably because of his earlier cartoon appearance). Unfortunately these shows have left the public with the image of the bland guy who talks to fish.

Most superhero comics were cancelled by the early 1950s and had to be relaunched in the 1960s when the fashions changed. However, Aquaman has the distinction, along with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, of being one of the few DC superheroes to have been published continually from the 1940s to the 1960s. By this “classic” period in the 1950s/60s he had become a true superhero and had the distinction of being one of the few superheroes with a family. He was the King of Atlantis and his adventures almost always featured some sort of weird or outlandish permutation on sea-life or nautical themes. The tone of his stories are directly parallel to the pre-Julius Schwartz Batman and Superman stories. It was this era that is most familiar as it was the basis for Aquaman’s 1960s and 70s cartoon appearances.

By the 1980s Aquaman’s world was turning darker. His baby son was killed by one of his enemies and he grew distant from the other heroes. His attitude changed from the gentle father to more of a humourless authoritarian. Writer Peter David took the character in a new direction during the 1990s when he started examining what it meant to be the King of Seven Seas. Aquaman ditched the familiar orange and green uniform and took on a Viking-like appearance with long hair, a shaggy beard, and wore a harpoon in place of a severed hand. He became a fantasy warrior-king and his adventures were often mythological in nature.

The bearded-Aquaman was not universally popular. Superman TAS and Justice League producer Bruce Timm commented that,

When we did the Aquaman episode of Superman, we had a knee-jerk reaction to what they were doing with him in the comics, which we didn’t agree with at the time. We were saying, “Oh, no, that’s not Aquaman. Aquaman’s not a guy with a giant hook on his hand. Aquaman’s the seahorse-riding, orange-and-green guy.”

So the Aquaman that appears in this episode is a deliberate throwback to the classic era of the 1960s. At one point the flash from Jimmy’s camera angers a walrus. In the old Aquaman comics he had a pet walrus called Tusky the Walrus. Now, it may just be a coincidence, but I like to think that this particular Walrus is Tusky – a homage to the champion from the comic books. Also the scientist in this episode is called Doctor Cardy. This is a reference to Nick Cardy the artist who drew the adventures of Aquaman for most of the 1960s. Despite all that the actual characterisation of Aquaman in his episode isn’t really that far from the contemporary comic-book version.

Other Notes

Bibbo has been an on-and-off background character in the Superman comics for a while and has appeared in several episodes of the Superman cartoon series. He’s a longshoreman turned bar-owner who considers Superman his “fav’rit” person. He is the Man of Steel’s guide to Metropolis rougher inhabitants. He also bears more than a passing resemblance to Popeye the Sailor, which is probably deliberate. Popeye first appeared in the Thimble Theatre comic strip in 1929 (nine years before Superman’s first appearance). His adventures remain famous to us because of a series of cartoons produced from 1933 onwards by the Fleischer Studios team. Fleischer Studios also produced the 1940s Superman cartoons which were a partial inspiration for the look and feel of Batman The Animated Series.

Luthor’s bodyguard Mercy appears in this episode and is name checked, but does not speak.

Great Moments

Aquaman and Lois Lane’s escape from Doctor Cardy.

Oddities

Where were the Atlantean Navy while the divers where fighting Aquaman.

My thoughts

Now much you like this episode will probably depend on how much you like or can tolerate Aquaman. Personally I’ve never had a problem with the character, but then I didn’t grow up watching the Super Friends. I like the way Lois and Superman recognising him from his “urban myth” reputation. It makes the character more mysterious and less mundane. I also like the quiet intensity that they bring to his character. The story and script for this episode are really quite good and the entire nautical theme gives it a nice tone. For the most part I like the animation as well – its always interesting to see them tackle something different that goons and cityscapes – but it does go a little odd in places. People’s eyes seem to move around independent of their faces in one or two spots and exactly what shape is Luthor’s helicopter meant to be. Aside from all that I thought this episode was a cracking romp.

The Verdict

Other Opinions

• S:TAS “A Fish Story” Trackback (Toonzone Forum) – Weighted poll rating 3.75 from 20 voters (as of time of posting). James Harvey, the forum admin, notes that “The episode was supposed to end with the depth charges going off, and creating a huge tidal wave which would crash through Metropolis. Apparently the budget for the episode didn’t support the cataclysmic ending and it had to be rewritten, which explains the abrupt ending.”
• A Story About “A Fish Story” (The Aquaman Shrine) – Rob relates his memories of a convention appearance by Bruce Timm and co. wherein “A Fish Story” is praised.