Set Description:
Synopsis: This is a complete set of 63 books with a minimum grade of 9.0. Highlights of this set are the first 10 issues, all of which are highest graded examples with Issues #1, #2, #5 and #8 topping the census alone. The set also contains the single highest graded example of the first appearance of the Black Manta (Issue #35). Sixty-one of our books are highest graded examples with 25 books single highest graded and almost half of our books come from pedigree collections. And FWIW, there are only four books out there currently that would upgrade this set. This is thus one of our best set in terms of the census of any set this size.
Background: Aquaman was created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger and debuted in More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941). Aquaman's appearances in More Fun Comics continued until issue #107, after which all superhero stories were replaced with humor features. In 1946, Aquaman was transferred to Adventure Comics with issue #103 along with the other superhero features from More Fun Comics. Aquaman would continue to feature in Adventure Comics for the next 15 years, making him one of the few DC superheroes to appear continuously throughout the 1950s.
Aquaman appeared in 1960 as a founding member of the Justice League of America in Brave and Bold #28. In 1961, Aquaman starred in a four-issue Showcase run in issues #30–33. These Showcase issues are notable as Aquaman's first cover appearances in any comic. Simultaneously, the Aquaman backup feature ended in Adventure Comics with issue #284 and was transferred to Detective Comics with issue #293.
Soon thereafter, the first Aquaman solo series began, with the first issue cover-dated February 1962, the same month, the backup feature in Detective Comics ended with issue #300. Simultaneously with the solo series, an Aquaman backup feature was also published in World's Finest #125–139 (May 1962 to February 1964). The solo series Aquaman would last 56 issues in its initial run until 1971. Then, after a three-year hiatus, Aquaman returned as a backup feature in Adventure Comics for issues #435–437 before becoming the main feature in issues #441–452. This run transitioned into a revival of the Aquaman solo series in 1977, resuming the initial run's numbering at #57; however, the series ended after just seven issues with #63 in 1978, which is the last issue in the set below.
In the comics, Aquaman was the son of a human lighthouse-keeper and the queen of Atlantis. Aquaman is the alias of Arthur Curry, who also goes by the Atlantean name Orin. His villains include his archenemy Black Manta and his own half-brother Ocean Master, among others.
Aquaman has been featured in several adaptations, first appearing in animated form in the 1967 The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure and then in the related Super Friends program. Since then he has appeared in various animated productions, including prominent roles in the 2000s series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited and Batman: The Brave and the Bold, as well as several DC Universe Animated Original Movies. Actor Alan Ritchson also portrayed the character in the live action television show Smallville. In the DC Extended Universe, actor Jason Momoa portrays the character in the films Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League and its director's cut Zack Snyder's Justice League, Aquaman, the HBO Max series Peacemaker, and, most recently, in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Aquaman in the Registry and Market: Compared to the other founding members of the JLA, Aquaman has been an unloved character:
https://youtube.com/shorts/4EHfouNp8Qc?si=gfobEYHO3N
Currently, the most valuable Aquaman issue in terms of registry points is a #1 9.8, which merits only 17,600 points. By comparison, the most valuable SA Flash, Showcase #4 in 9.6, receives 600,000 registry points, while the most valuable SA Green Lantern, Showcase #22 in 9.4, receives 124,000 registry points. Admittedly, both of those books came earlier in time, but of the original JLA members, Aquaman seemingly takes a backseat to every JLA member with the possible exception of the Martian Manhunter, despite enjoying a relatively successful solo movie. And if you compare Aquaman #1 to Amazing Fantasy #15, which it predated by eight months, the AF #15 in 9.6 receives 1,833,000 points, making it more than 150 times as valuable as an Aquaman #1 in 9.8.
Looking at the marketplace, the highest reported sale on GPA of an Aquaman #1 is $38,400 for a 9.6 in August 2019, which is well over three times the registry points awarded. The registry points for a couple of minor Aquaman keys, Issue #11, featuring the first appearance of Mera, and Issue #35, featuring the first appearance of Black Manta, also appear to be out of whack. In the case of Issue #11, the Pacific Coast copy graded 9.4 sold for $26,400 in August 2019 in a CC Auction, while that book receives just 630 registry points. Similarly, a 9.6 copy of Issue #35, again the Pacific Coast copy, but ranking second in the census, sold in June 2019 for $9,000, while that book receives just 500 registry points.
I think these differences could probably be attributed to the fact that high census titles get adjusted more frequently because CGC responds to the squeaky wheels and adjust points when they receive requests from owners. So registry points for books from titles such as ASM and Daredevils track the market far more closely, because they are adjusted to reflect most recent sales; while high-grade Aquamans and some other titles where high grade examples rarely come up for sale, receive no point adjustments since there is no recent data to use for lobbying CGC. Consequently, the rarer the books, the more likely they are to be undervalued by the Registry.
While obviously there has never been a precise correlation between value and registry points, perhaps Aquamans deserve a little upward adjustment by CGC.
Our Collection: I realize we have benefitted from the fact that these books are generally unloved and nobody else seems to be actively trying to complete this set, but this is still a collection about which we are very excited. It may not be our best set in terms of the census, but it’s a really strong set and has now topped the registry by a wide margin for five years. Prior to that time, we had long owned high grade copies of Showcases #30-33, but only had them registered in our Showcase set. We changed our focus several years ago away from upgrading existing sets to starting new ones, which is much more fun to be honest and generally far less expensive.
What generally motivates us to start collecting a new title is the auction of one or more complete collections. In the case of Aquaman, in 2018-2019, the two collections previously topping the registry were both sold: the first set in a CC auction and the second in a CL auction. The books in the first auction went at pretty low prices and we were able to add a number of high-grade books at very reasonable prices. The second auction was more competitive, but the two auctions together allowed us to jumpstart this collection and leap to the top of the registry. We completed this set in April 2023 with the acquisition of high grade examples of Issues #12, #35 and #36 in a private transaction.
But what really sets this collection apart is a recent acquisition of twelve more single highest graded books in what was a very complicated deal involving both book swaps and cash, which brings the number of single highest graded books in the set up to a total to 22, or basically a third of our books. Moreover, almost half of our books come from pedigree collections with the majority being Pacific Coast copies.
The biggest weakness in this set now is our Issue #11 9.0, which is only third highest graded. Still, it is one of the five highest graded copies out of 486 certified by CGC. Finding a better copy of that one would move this set up to the level of our Flash, Green Lantern, JLA and Atom sets, so if anyone out there reads this and has one, we’re interested. Outside that flaw, this set rocks, as the minimum grade is 9.4 with over half our copies 9.8s and well over 90% being highest graded examples!
2024 Update: From out of nowhere, a large cache of pristine raw Aquamans were submitted to CGC and graded this year, presumably by a dealer who immediately sent such books to Auction. Much to our chagrin, those newly-graded books bested five of our previously single highest graded books and tied five more. We were fortunate enough (I’m not sure that’s the right choice of words, they certainly were not free LOL) to acquire the five books that bested ours, which raised the number of 9.8s in our set to 49 with 12 9.6s, and a single 9.4 and a single 9.0. The number of single highest graded books now is back to the 25 we had prior to the emergence of these books. They did, however, reduce the number of pedigrees in our set, since both our #5 9.6 and #8 9.6 that were bested emanated from the Pacific Coast Collection, books that we were bragging about recently acquiring above (and which we will undoubtedly now take a loss on when we sell). So basically, we expended a lot of time and money to stay where we were, as we are still 660 registry points from having a perfect set based on the current census data, with the same two slots filled by non-highest graded books.
As I have said many times, census changes rarely work out in a collector’s favor. The same thing happened to us last year in another collection, as after finally achieving our goal of having highest graded copies of the first 25 JLA issues, a #2 9.8 emerged from CGC, besting our 9.6. The one difference there was that book never hit the market or I am sure we would have done the same thing. But occurrences like this are why I would advise anyone just starting out to stick with Marvels, as their values are not as heavily dependent on the census.
I guess if one is trying to find a bright side, we are now much better protected from having the same the happen in the future, as we upgraded two 9.4s and three 9.6s. Also, it looks like these books have a pulse, as they were not cheap. But it sure is a lot more fun to fill empty slots than using your limited acquisition budget to upgrade Pacific Coast pedigrees, which were themselves recently acquired. We will doubtless think long and hard before doing the same thing again.
Current Stats:
63/63 Books
49 9.8s-All Highest Graded
14 9.6s-13 Highest Graded
1 9.4-Highest Graded
1 9.0
30 WP
26 OW/W
9 OW
25 Single Highest Graded
61 Highest Graded
1 Second Highest Graded
1 Third Highest Graded
28 Pedigrees (including 22 Pacific Coasts)
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The gallery tab shows only items with images. Click the thumbnails to enlarge. |
Slot: |
Aquaman 1 |
Item: |
Aquaman 1 Universal |
Grade: |
CGC |
Cert #: |
4278360006
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Owner Comments
Obviously, Aquaman #1 features the start of the Silver Age run of Aquaman in his own magazine after four try-out issues in Showcase (#30-33). It also features the first appearance of Quisp, an undersea creature blessed with magical powers. In the story, "The Invasion of the Fire-Trolls", Aquaman and Aqualad come into contact with a water sprite named Quisp, who asks for their help because his undersea home is being terrorized by fire trolls that were unleashed during an undersea volcanic eruption. After a quick battle, the fire trolls begin heading for the surface world. With the help of Quisp and the army, Aquaman and Aqualad attempt to fight back the fire trolls, but their attacks have no effect. Figuring that maybe a new experimental freeze device would be powerful enough to stop the creatures Aquaman uses the device against the fire trolls.
Spraying the trolls with the chemical, they soon find that it doesn't work, but Aquaman and Aqualad find that their legs have been frozen in place. To save their lives, Quisp uses his magical powers to shrink Aquaman and Aqualad down to size in order to get away. Finding themselves weakened due to their time away from water, the two battle many miniature menaces in an attempt to find water.
Tricking a pelican to drop it's meal (spilling the water in it's mouth on them) Aquaman and Aqualad soon find that the effect of Quisp's magic is wearing off and they resume their normal size. Returning to the sea they're met by Quisp who informs them that the fire trolls stole some experimental rockets in a plot to turn the surface world into a blazing inferno that they will rule. Aquaman sends Quisp to trick the fire trolls to the surface to destroy a lab that supposedly has an even more powerful freezing solution than before. On the surface, they are sprayed with the remainder of the freeze solution, which immobilizes them long enough for Quisp to use his magic powers to shrink the creatures in size.
Gathered up and restrained, the fire trolls are returned to the underworld via a crack in the ocean floor that's later sealed with the help of Aquaman's undersea friends. After the trolls defeat, Aquaman and Aqualad bid their new friend Quisp farewell.
Our 9.8 with OW/W pages is currently the only one in grade with three 9.6s. We acquired the book in a private transaction in 2023 and submitted it to CGC ourselves.* As with the case of many of our early Aquaman books, we have been the only registered owner of this one. Not long after acquiring it, we sold our 9.6 on Heritage for $45,600. So while nothing like as valuable as the most valuable JLA, Flash or Green Lanterns, this book probably warrants more than the 17,600 registry points it currently receives.
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Aquaman 2 |
Item: |
Aquaman 2 Universal |
Grade: |
CGC |
Cert #: |
0994403005
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Owner Comments
Issue #2 features a story entitled "Captain Sykes' Deadly Missions". While out patrolling the ocean searching for the cargo of the ship S.S. Vulcan, Aquaman and Aqualad board the ship S.S. Seahawk, owned by Captain Sykes. Sykes explains that he has captured the Vulcan, its cargo and its crew, and refuses to release them to Aquaman until Aquaman gets two items that Sykes is looking for.
While searching for the first artifact, they smash open a hollow cavern which exposes a number of sea creatures to a gas, which makes them grow in size and attack Aquaman and Aqualad. Thinking quickly, Aqualad exposes himself to the fumes making himself grow in size as well to fight off the fish. Eventually, the fumes wear off and all effected by them revert to normal allowing Aquaman and Aquaman to retrieve the first artifact, a treasure chest.
Their next quest takes them to an island protected by a giant sea monster, which the two heroes sneak past by hiding in a school of fish. On the island they are seized by the natives, who will only allow Aquaman to take the second artifact, a giant-sea shell, if he finds a way to defeat the sea monster. Aquaman manages to trick the monster into chasing after him, and uses electric eels to shock the creature out of the boundaries it protects, causing the creature to disappear. He is then awarded with the sea shell.
Taking it back to Sykes, Aquaman refuses to give it to him until he's shown where the Vulcan is hidden. After being taken to the ship, Aquaman gives over the sea shell to Sykes. Sykes explains that the shell controls a flying genie sea-horse that's contained in the box, and plans to use the creature to defeat the them and take whatever he wants.
Attempting to use the shell to summon the creature, nothing happens. Aquaman reveals that he suspected something fishy was up, and so switched the sea-shell with a fake. He and Aqualad make short work of Sykes and his goons. After turning them over to the police, Aquaman and Aqualad destroy the real shell so the creature can never be used again.
Our 9.6 copy of Issue W2 is the single highest graded copy of this 1962 issue. We acquired the book from a friend and fellow collector in a private deal in May 2023.
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Aquaman 3 |
Item: |
Aquaman 3 Universal |
Grade: |
CGC |
Cert #: |
1101079004
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Owner Comments
Issue #3 features a cool cover as Aquaman travels to the mythical Atlantis. In the story, "The Aquaman from Atlantis,"
an Atlantean criminal named Pomoxis lures Aquaman into a trap using a device that sends him backwards in time some 2,500 years. There Aquaman encounters the armies of Greece, who mistake him for the sea god, Poseidon. Meanwhile in the present, Pomoxis attempts to conquer Atlantis by dressing up as Aquaman. Aqualad realizes Pomoxis is not his mentor, and fights against him until such time that Aquaman can return to the present. Commanding an army of fish, Aquaman and Aqualad manage to defeat Pomoxis' battalion and restore order to Atlantis.
Our WP 9.8 copy of Issue #3 is tied with four other books for highest graded, which is an unusual high number of high-grade books for a 1962 printing. We acquired our book off an E-Bay listing on 6/13/2019.
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Slot: |
Aquaman 4 |
Item: |
Aquaman 4 Universal |
Grade: |
CGC |
Cert #: |
2051715011
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Owner Comments
Issue #4 features a story, "The Menace of Alien Island", in which a race of aliens known as the Suvians lands their space ship in the waters near a coastal community. Aquaman and Aqualad investigate only to discover that they are in fact a race of scientifically advanced conquerors, in control of a powerful weapon. Quisp the water-sprite, appears and aids them in combating the alien forces. It appears as if the aliens kill Quisp, but the sprite manages to survive and aids Aquaman in driving the invaders off.
Our 9.8 gem is one of the highlights of our Aquaman collection, being the single highest graded copy of this 1962 issue. We acquired the book from the 9/9/2019 CL Auction.
2024 Update: A second 9.8 of this issue with OW/W pages was graded by CGC in April 2024 and auctioned off by Heritage in June 2024, knocking our book down to 1/2 highest graded. As usual, the second book went for almost 50% less than the first 9.8. We considered buying it and averaging down, or at least bidding and hopefully driving the price up, but there were too many books we wanted in the auction to spend our money on duplicates. Again, the hazards of buying a single highest graded book strike again. You may think that a 60-year old book will be immune from such things, but it happens far too frequently.
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Slot: |
Aquaman 5 |
Item: |
Aquaman 5 Universal |
Grade: |
CGC |
Cert #: |
4418768013
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Owner Comments
A Scorcerer sends a group of killer whales against Aquaman and Aqualad on the cover of Issue #5. In "The Haunted Sea",
Aquaman and Aqualad investigate the mysterious disappearances of several sea vessels. They witness an ocean liner consumed by a gigantic hand made out of water and follow the ship's watery descent only to find themselves trapped inside of bubbles of air. They eventually break free and encounter a sorcerer who calls himself Baron Debois. Debois and his colleagues are trapped inside the microscopic confines of a drop of water. Debois befriends Aquaman but quickly turns on him, using his mystical powers to shrink the two in size. The Baron's true name is Merder, and he is a dark sorcerer who places Aquaman within a dungeon in Red Coral Mountain where he meets the crew of a sunken freighter.
Aquaman managed to escape and finds a serum that will return all of the prisoners to normal size, while Mercer employs his thunder-rod to take control of all life in the sea. But Aquaman discovers that a strong jolt of electricity is enough to free the creatures from Merder's spell. After setting them free, Aquaman and Aqualad hide inside the mouth of a whale shark until they can get close enough to Merder to apprehend him, after which they use his own technology to return him and his followers to their microscopic prison.
Our 9.8 is the single highest graded copy in the census and replaced our Pacific Coast Collection 9.6, which had previously topped the census. We acquired the book from the 6/22/2024 Heritage Auction. Of course, as almost always happens, the 9.8 copy of Issue #5, being single highest graded, went for roughly twice as much as the 9.8 copy of Issue #4. Again, such things are one of the drawbacks of collecting DCs, you do not see anything close to as dramatic with Marvels, as there are more collectors and far fewer single highest graded books.
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Slot: |
Aquaman 6 |
Item: |
Aquaman 6 Universal |
Grade: |
CGC |
Cert #: |
0994441004
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Owner Comments
Issue #6 features a Quisp appearance along with the first appearances of Quirp and Quink. In the story, "Too Many Quisps!", Aquaman and Aqualad are astonished to discover that their Water-Sprite ally, Quisp, has turned evil as Quisp attacks them and hijacks a cargo ship. They soon learn however, that this is in fact, not the real Quisp, but his twin brother - Quink, who is working alongside a pirate named Captain Slade. Slade manipulated the impressionable Quink into believing that Aquaman was evil and set him off to defeat him. Meanwhile, a third Water-Sprite, Quirk is found conducting mischievous acts of his own. Aquaman convinces Quink that Captain Slade is the true pirate, and together they join forces to stop him.
Our 9.8 comes from the Pacific Coast Collection, which 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.
Our book is currently tied for highest graded with one other copy. We acquired the book from a friend and fellow collector in a private transaction in May 2023.
2024 Update: There was a third 9.8 in the recent cache of high-grade Aquaman auctioned off in June 2014 on Heritage. As a third 9.8, the book made just $1,200 plus BP at auction. Again, census is everything in these books, as the sales price was 1/3 of that of the single highest graded Aquaman #5 9.8. Unfortunately, while I very much like these books, there is probably more downside risk than upside promise, as census changes almost always go against the collector’s interest.
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Slot: |
Aquaman 7 |
Item: |
Aquaman 7 Universal |
Grade: |
CGC |
Cert #: |
4242420001
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Owner Comments
Aquaman battles the Creatures from Atlantis in Issue #7. In "The Sea Beasts from Atlantis", Pomoxis embarks upon another daring plan to seize control of Atlantis. He works with the surface pirate, Captain Clay, and provides him with a special variety of seafood. Clay plants the food on several cargo vessels, which lures several large sea beasts to the area. The beasts attack the ships for the food, and Captain Clay comes along later to steal any booty he can find.
Stamar, the ruler of Atlantis, tells Aquaman and Aqualad of the various disasters and they swim off to investigate. When they attempt to calm down the destructive sea creatures, Pomoxis makes his move and takes command of Atlantis and arrests both Aquaman annd Aqualad throwing them into a dungeon. But Aquaman uses his telepathy to summon the sea beasts to aid him, who break down the prison walls allowing Aquaman to once again defeat Pomoxis, after which Stamar is reinstated as ruler of Atlantis.
Our 9.8 comes from the Pacific Coast Collection, which 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.
Our book is currently tied with one other copy for highest graded. We acquired the book in the August 4, 2019 Heritage Auction.*
2024 Update: The copy of Issue #7 in the new cache of books only graded 9.6, so our book is still one of two highest graded.
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Slot: |
Aquaman 8 |
Item: |
Aquaman 8 Universal |
Grade: |
CGC |
Cert #: |
4418768005
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Owner Comments
Issue #8 features the "The Plot to Steal the Seas", in which Lemur and his band of alien thieves arrive on Earth and begins stealing large volumes of water from various lakes. Aquaman and Aqualad investigate, but quickly fall prey to Lemur's attacks. Lemur announces his plans to bring the stolen water back to his home planet, Phrygia. Another alien named Syx - sympathetic to Aquaman's plight, helps him to escape, and together they travel to his home world of Phryigia to reclaim the stolen water. After several daring mishaps, the crew returns to Earth with the water, whereupon Aquaman rounds up Lemur and his gang.
Our 9.8 is the single highest graded copy in the census and replaced our Pacific Coast Collection 9.6, which previously topped the census. We acquired the book from the 6/22/2024 Heritage Auction. Of course, it and the #5 9.8 were the two most expensive Aquamans out of the new cache of Aquamans Heritage auctioned.
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Slot: |
Aquaman 9 |
Item: |
Aquaman 9 Universal |
Grade: |
CGC |
Cert #: |
1101079005
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Owner Comments
Issue #9 features the Secret Mission of King Neptune. In the story, a sea captain named Crane discovers a map that leads him to the kingdom of an ancient sorcerer known as King Neptune. Crane transforms into the living embodiment of Neptune and begins wreaking havoc. Aquaman and Aqualad investigate and find that Neptune is attacking all of the main shipping lanes. Neptune transforms Aqualad into a hideous crab creature and forces him to fight with Aquaman. But Neptune has actually taken control of Crane to prevent a volcanic ecological disaster. Once his mission is complete, he reverts back into the form of Captain Crane and Aqua-Crab transforms back into Aqualad.
Our copy is the single highest graded example and was acquired in the December 18, 2019 CC auction.
2024 Update: A second 9.8 of this issue with OW/W pages was graded by CGC in April 2024 and auctioned off by Heritage in June 2024. I guess I need not tell you that it sold for less than 1/2 of what we paid for our book, ugh!
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Slot: |
Aquaman 10 |
Item: |
Aquaman 10 Universal |
Grade: |
CGC |
Cert #: |
0994441007
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Owner Comments
Issue #10 features appearances by Quisp and Quirk. In "The War of the Water Sprites", Quirk invents a device that can steal power from other water sprite's and turns the weapon against his own brother, Quisp, removing all of his magic. Quisp swims away to seek the aid of his old friend, Aquaman. When Aquaman and Aqualad return with him to Quisp's kingdom, Quirk's gang attacks Aquaman and succeeds in capturing him. They then imbibe a special form of seaweed that transforms them into giants. More powerful than ever, Quirk and his cohorts prepare to invade the surface world.
Aqualad manages to escape from his prison and frees Aquaman. Aquaman catches up with Quirk's gang and recovers the item responsible for stealing Quisp's powers. He attempts to use it on him again in the hopes of restoring the sprite's magic, but it renders him unconscious instead. Aquaman and Aqualad then consume the same magic seaweed to transform themselves into giants to fight Quirk. Quisp eventually recovers and helps them to end Quirk's threat once and for all. The growth formula effect eventually wears off, and Aquaman and Aqulad return to normal size, while Quisp regains his magic powers.
Our 9.6 comes from the Pacific Coast Collection, which 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.
Our book also makes five of the first ten issues from that Pedigree, and is one of four highest graded copies. We acquired the book in a private transaction with a friend and fellow collector in May 2023.
2024 Update: The statement above about the number of Pacific Coast copies is no longer true since we upgraded our #5 PC 9.6 and #8 PC 9.6.
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Slot: |
Aquaman 11 |
Item: |
Aquaman 11 Universal |
Grade: |
CGC |
Cert #: |
0191708013
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Owner Comments
Issue #11 features "The Doom from Dimension Aqua", which starts out on a watery world known as Dimension Aqua, where a criminal named Leron seizes control of the kingdom, deposing the reigning queen, Mera. Mera is exiled and flees to the Earth dimension where she enlists the aid of Aquaman and Aqualad.
Leron pursues Mera to Atlantis and engages in battle with Aquaman, Aqualad, Mera and the water sprite, Quisp. He captures them all and brings them to Mera's homeland. But Aquaman discovers that traces of lead commonly found in oil, can remove the hard-water super-powers of people from Mera's home dimension. He makes use of this knowledge and succeeds in defeating Leron. Returning to Earth, Aquaman invites Mera to stay with him in Atlantis.
Issue #11 is a mini-key, in that it features the first appearance of Mera, who was a prominent figure in the Aquaman movies and played by the now infamous Amber Heard. Because of the black cover, it is a particularly tough issue to find in high grade and tends to be the most expensive of any Aquaman issue, excluding #1. The top copy in the census, a 9.4 Pacific Coast pedigree (now 1/2), recently came on the market and sold for about $30,000. While this copy was much cheaper, it is currently one of the four highest graded copies by CGC (now 6). We acquired the book in the September 19, 2019 CC auction.
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Slot: |
Aquaman 12 |
Item: |
Aquaman 12 Universal |
Grade: |
CGC |
Cert #: |
4418768007
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Owner Comments
Aquaman and Aqualad tangle with the Cosmic Gladiators in Issue #12. In "The Menace of the Land-Sea Beasts", a
Lab assistant named Kirk, uses the technology of his employer, Dr. Cyrus Beard to evolve lab animals into hideous creatures. Taking control of them, he stages several attacks on sailing vessels, looting the ships after the creatures destroy them. Aquaman arrives in time to stop Kirk and returns the animals back to normal.
Issue #12 also contains a full-page ad for Flash Annual #1 and is one of the toughest to find in high grade-it was one of the last three issues we acquired to complete this set. Our WP 9.6 came from the newly graded cache of Aquamans auctioned in June 2024 by Heritage. It is also the single highest graded copy in the census and replaced our WP 9.4, which was previously 1/2 highest graded. Obviously, we acquired it in the 6/22/2024 Heritage Auction. Of note, even though the book is single highest graded, it sold for less than half of most of the 9.8s in that auction. Obviously, while census is important, it does not overrule grade, at least not entirely.
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Slot: |
Aquaman 13 |
Item: |
Aquaman 13 Universal |
Grade: |
CGC |
Cert #: |
0994442002
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Owner Comments
Issue #13 features the second appearance of Mera. In “Invasion of the Giant Reptiles", a gigantic seaquake opens a multiple time-warp that admits aquatic dinosaurs from the ancient past and Niccol and other criminals from the year 2098 into Aquaman's present. The seaquake is even felt in Mera's fourth-dimensional world, and she comes to Earth to investigate. The criminals take control of Mera and the dinosaurs with a thought-control ray from their era and briefly turn them all against Aquaman and Aqualad, until they seize the weapon and free them from the villains' domination. The dinosaurs and criminals are restored to their proper eras, and Aquaman destroys the futuristic weapons.
Our 9.8 comes from the Pacific Coast Collection and is the single highest graded copy in the census. 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 a friend and fellow collector in May 2023.
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Slot: |
Aquaman 14 |
Item: |
Aquaman 14 Universal |
Grade: |
CGC |
Cert #: |
4418768008
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Owner Comments
Issue #14 features the Tyrant King of Atlantis, in which Aquaman suffers a concussion that causes him to believe he is the tyrannical king of Atlantis, and that Mera is his queen.
Black covers are always exceptionally hard to find in high grades and this book is no exception. We owned the single highest graded copy of this issue, which was just a 9.4, until it was supplanted by this 9.6 in April 2024. We won this gem in the 6/22/2024 Heritage Auction. For whatever reason, it cost us twice as much as the single highest graded #12 9.6. Again census changes, NOT GOOD!
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Slot: |
Aquaman 15 |
Item: |
Aquaman 15 Universal |
Grade: |
CGC |
Cert #: |
0994442004
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Owner Comments
Issue #15 features “Menace of the Man-Fish", in which Aquaman and Aqualad are present when Dr. Deering, a scientist, is turned into a water-breather by a backfired experiment. Deering, who has also created a gigantic underwater construction machine, is maddened by his fate, and uses his machine to steal skyscrapers, and then builds a "city" of his own beneath the sea. When he tries to populate it with persons from a stolen ship, Aquaman and Aqualad intervene. Deering captures them, but Mera arrives on a visit from her world and frees her friends. Finally, Deering's ability to breathe underwater wears off, as does his madness, and Aquaman saves his life, while Aqualad helps put back the skyscrapers with Deering's machine.
Our 9.8 comes from the Pacific Coast Collection and is the single highest graded copy in the census. 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.
There is also just a single 9.6 in the census, which we swapped, with a little money, to get this book in a private transaction with a friend and fellow collector in May 2023. This book is also our seventh Pacific Coast copy and the first of six straight books from that collection (Issues #15-20).
2024 Update: A second 9.8 of this issue with OW/W pages was graded by CGC in April 2024 and auctioned off by Heritage in June 2024. It goes without saying, the second book was relatively cheap.*&^%$#@!)*&^%$#
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