COMIC DETAILS
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Comic Description:
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Aquaman 33 Universal
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Grade:
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9.6
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Page Quality:
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OFF-WHITE TO WHITE
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Pedigree:
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Pacific Coast
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Certification #:
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0089638008
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Owner:
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Mississippi Mudcats
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SET DETAILS
Owner's Description
Issue #33 features the first appearance of Aquagirl. In “Aqualad's Deep-Six Chick!", Aquaman and Aqualad help rescue passengers from a jet plane that crashed into the ocean. Aqualad keeps the younger survivors calm by getting them to engage in a sing-along. Moments later, Aqualad meets Tula, a girl he once remembered as a "gawky pig-tailed kid". Tula is all grown up now and has set her sights on Aqualad. She convinces him to abandon his position as Aquaman's sidekick to spend his days dancing and partying with her-seems like a good move to me LOL. Aqualad dubs her "Aquachick" and brings her back to Atlantis. He tells Aquaman and Mera that he is leaving and Mera explodes with anger. Aquaman calms her down and tells her that Aqualad must make his decisions.
Aqualad and Aquagirl go to an underwater discotheque (wow?) operated by a man named Doctor Dorsal. Dorsal is secretly a water-breather like them, but hails from another dimension. Impressed with the teens' skills, he hires them on as his house dancers. Aqualad and Aquagirl become huge hits and earn the admiration of their deep sea diving, air-breathing peers.
But, of course, there is more to Doctor Dorsal than meets the eyes, as after his dance club closes, he brings Aqualad and Aquagirl into his private office where he uses two special eels to hypnotize them. He decides to use them commit grandiose thefts on his behalf.
Bringing their new Go-Go friends with them, they first go to King Pier and rob the amusement park's ticket booth. Later, they raid a yacht and rob the patrons of their cash and jewels. Aqualad and Aquagirl have no use for the money, and are only committing the crimes for kicks. Dorsal continues to have them commit petty thefts, solidifying their fates as career criminals.
Some time later, Aqualad, Aquagirl and the Aqua-Kids are on the beach, hiding out from the Coast Guard. They encounter an elderly shell picker who warns them that the Coast Guard has learned where they are hiding. Deciding that this shell picker is their new friend, they decide to bring him along to Doctor Dorsal's lair. Dorsal suspects that the man is actually a spy and keeps a close eye on him. His suspicions prove correct as he finds the shell picker trying to send a message to the Coast Guard.
Doctor Dorsal sends his hypnotized thieves out on their most ambitious plot yet - to rob a Naval submarine base. He warns Aqualad and Aquagirl about the shell picker and they decide to bring him along to keep an eye on him. While swimming towards the base, they come upon an electrified mine field. Aquagirl grabs the shell picker and throws him into the mines, causing them to detonate, seemingly killing the old man in the process. As they inspect his body, Aqualad discovers that the old man is actually Aquaman in disguise. The horror of seeing his mentor breaks Dorsal's hypnotic hold over him and he returns to normal. Aquagirl is likewise freed from the hypnosis and the two race back to Dorsal's lair to mete out their revenge. Doctor Dorsal manages to escape capture, however, by diving through a dimensional portal back to his native realm.
But Aquaman is dead! Sorry false alarm, as he shortly appears before them, revealing that the mine field only stunned him. Aqualad and Aquagirl are grateful to see Aquaman again and agree to return to Atlantis.
Our 9.6 comes from the Pacific Coast Collection and is the single highest graded copy ever certified by CGC. It is also the 17th pedigree copy from the Pacific Coast Collection in this set. The Pacific Coast Collection is generally considered to be the greatest Silver Age collection to ever surface. It was brought to market by Robert Roter after he discovered portions of it for sale on E-Bay in 1999. The books were marketed through PCE over the next several years and contained over 7,000 comics and magazines that included Marvel, DC, and Gold Key among others, covering a time span between 1961 and 1977. Many of the highest graded Marvel and DC issues from the early '60s hail from this collection with exceptional page quality. The books do not exhibit any distinguishing markings.
We acquired the book in a private transaction with another collector in May 2022.
2014 Update: OK, this one really does hurt, as we paid a lot to pry our 9.6 copy oout of the seller/collector’s hands. But in checking the census we discovered that there is now a second 9.6. @#$T&*))I*^$#%^&
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