“See, your makeup is fine.”
Adventures In The DC Universe #0
DC Comics (September, 1997)
Aquaman: “Family Matters”
Power Girl: Rolling On The River
WRITER: Steve Vance
PENCILER: John Delaney
INKER: Ron Boyd
COLORIST: Bob LeRose
LETTERER: Tim Harkins
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Frank Berrios
EDITOR: KC Carlson
In the main story, Aquaman chases off a pair of mob enforcers trying to drown an accountant accuse of diverting weapons to a rival mob. (This will be important later.) It’s a distraction from Aquaman’s real mission, to find Ocean Master’s submarine. Too bad for Orn he had to deal with idiots for crewmen, so Aquaman catches up easily. The shuttle is destroyed in the fight while Aquaman barely escapes.
What they got right: I like how the talky dolphin is used to give the kid-friendly version of Aquaman’s story at this point, including the stupid harpoon hand. You have a reason for the idiot crew (the good ones got off at port rather than fight Aquaman).
What they got wrong: The “comic relief” with the sharks really wasn’t necessary as a result. I thought it was goldfish that were supposed to have short-term memory but these three must have shark Alzheimer’s or something, but to the ultimate level.
In the Power Girl feature, she’s called in to stop a prison break using the aforementioned stolen weapons, including an “infrasonic cannon” (and apparently infrasonic is a real word…see, you DO learn through comics), to break their boys out of Belle Reve Prison. Thanks to a well-meaning river patrolman, the boat is stopped before it gets where the cops wanted, and Power Girl has to save the poor guy. He returns the favor by distracting the boss of the operation working the cannon. The boss turns out to be one of the enforcers, who framed the accountant. And with his other boss now in jail, there’s an unhappy reunion coming. A good short adventure.
Recommendation: A good story overall, that’s worth adding to your library if you want to see the DC heroes in a more fun light.
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