The Aquaman animated series begins with the classic Aquavillain Black Manta, a guy with a oval-shaped opaque helmet whose "eyes" blink when he talks. In the comics, he is Aquaman's brother--here, he's just a bad buy. Bob Haney, a classic DC writer, bring us this story.
The whole Aquafamily are out on their seahorses when a whale starts running berzerk due to Manta's electronic wizardry. Aquaman's famed fish telepathy doesn't work against it, so they all scatter. Mera is dropped into a giant clam to keep her safe (?!?), and they fight the whale. The Sea King sees matching antenna on Manta's ship and the while, so he calls in a hammerhead shark to take it out. Manta's henchmen attack but are easily taken out, so Manta makes sea urchins ensnare our heroes. Aquaman calls on a jellyfish to poison them (nice--killing one sea creature with another). Manta creates a coral net to trap ships for plunder, but Aquaman calls on Sawfish to take it out, and then trap the Mantamen in it. Manta attacks them directly, but his ship is destroyed in a blind canyon, so it's hand-to-hand combat. Manta falls into a trench to fight another day. Mera is saved from the giant clam, who harangues the Sea King as we fade out.
Some things to look for:
- Aquaman's nickname for Aqualad count: Tadpole (2), Squirt
- Aqualad catchphrase attempts: Holy Hurricanes, Mumbling Morays, Bumbling Blowfish
- When viewed from the back, Manta's henchmen look like they have blankets on the their head
- Of course, Mera rides a pink seahorse with long eyelashes
- Mera at one point loses her nose--sloppy work, Filmation!
- Quote: "The fish are trying to tell me something!"
Our second story gives us a little more info on Atlantis--in this continuity, they are air breathers who depend on a pressurized dome (so why stay under the sea?). This brings up a bigger question--how did the Aquafamily gain the ability to breathe underwater? George Kashdan, another DC writer, brings us this story.
Aqualad comes upon the eponymous Reptile Men attacking the hydropower plant, but is discovered and taken prisoner. Tusky goes to warn Aquaman, who is in the fabulous Aquacave. Meanwhile, the Reptile Men damage the plant, and set a trap for the Sea King. They blow a hole in the plant's wall, forcing our heroes to save it--a giant sea turtle is called in to seal the hole. Aquaman finds a tunnel in the ocean's floor, which leads to an underground city of Reptile Men. Aquaman is trapped in a net and tied to a stake to die from lack of water (he must access water once an hour--or every 24 hours, depending on the story--or he dies). He telepathically sends Storm to find Aqualad, who returns and saves him. Aquaman calls in some random fish and an octopus to help them retreat, and whales knock boulders into the tunnel to seal them in.
Some things to look for:
- Aquaman's nickname for Aqualad count: Tadpole (3), Squirt (2)
- Aqualad catchphrase attempts: Suffering Catfish
- We hear a second Aquaman theme, also used in the end credits, which sounds like it's time for the Sport Report
- The Aquacave is clearly a ripoff of the Batcave. Keep in mind this series exists because of the success of the Adam West TV series. In the comics, the Aquacave is just a place for them to hang out.
Remember, you can play along by watching the show on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, or VUDU. You can also buy the DVD on Amazon.