This reprint-fest begins with "The Creatures from Atlantis" by Jack Miller and Ramona Fradon and reprinted from Showcase #30 (1961) During a morning sea-storm, Aquaman and Aqualad come to the rescue of a cargo ship that's been struck by lightning. When Aquaman finds that the cargo hold broke open and crates carrying a new type of poison are drifting out of the ship, Aquaman and his undersea pals collect all the boxes. Ordering Aqualad to bring all the cargo to shore, Aquaman then returns to his home. There he finds fish with a telepathic message from Atlantis asking for help. Thinking of Atlantis, Aquaman recounts his origins: How his mother was an exile from Atlantis who bore a child with a lighthouse worker. As he remembers how his mother revealed his true nature on his death bed, Aquaman decides to go to Atlantis to find out what he's needed for. Upon his arrival, he is suddenly attacked by two giant humanoid sea monsters.
Brought into the city, Aquaman sees that the people of Atlantis have been enslaved by this race of amphibious sea creatures. When trying to demand answers by one of the leaders of these creatures, Aquaman is sentenced to work on the same device the other Atlantians are working on. There he finds out from one of the workers that these creatures came from a "hole" that appeared in the water. Sometime later, Aquaman attempts to start a revolt by summoning an army of sea creatures to come to his rescue, however, the creatures have blowguns which they use to turn back the attackers. Later, hiding in a tube close to the creatures, Aquaman learns the truth: They are criminals from another dimension who are building a device that would melt all forms of resistance from the surface world in their bid to conquer the entire planet Earth. Spotted by the creatures, Aquaman is locked up in a cell but manages to contact his undersea friends, who summon Aqualad with a swordfish to spring Aquaman out of the jail.
Racing to the surface to stop the creatures who are out on a test of their new weapon, Aquaman, Aqualad, and an army of sea life attack the monsters. However, they do not stop the creatures from testing their weapons. After a number of attacks, Aquaman orders an army of seagulls to drop bombs on the creature's vessel rendering it inoperable. The feeling creatures enter an undersea forest, where Aquaman manages to grab hold of their dimensional device and uses it to send them back home. Once the people of Atlantis are free, they reward Aquaman with a Hero of Atlantis medal before Aquaman and Aqualad return to their home in the sea.
Next, we have "A World Without Water" by Joe Millard and Ramona Fradon and reprinted from Adventure Comics #251 (1958). Aquaman is thrown into the year 6958 A.D. by an accidental atomic explosion. There he is revived by Zed-3, a scientist, who informs them they have done limited time travel experiments, but that almost all water on Earth evaporated in a nova eruption 1000 years ago. The sea creatures adapted to life on land, and Earthmen invented pills to replace moisture content, which sustains Aquaman. Just as Zed-3 is about to send Aquaman back to 1958 with a time machine, criminal scientist Dr. Varn breaks in and attempts to hijack the device. Aquaman commands the land-dwelling whales, manta ray, octopi, and flying fish to defeat Varn and his gang. Then Aquaman is sent back to his normal era.
Next up is "The Human Flying Fish" by Robert Bernstein and Ramona Fradon and reprinted from Adventure Comics #272 (1960). One day in a lighthouse, a man named Victor Bragg and Dr. Krill watch as Aquaman uses his fish telepathy in order to catch a number of smugglers making their getaway on a speed boat. Bragg figures that there is no way to beat Aquaman, however, Dr. Krill tells Bragg of a special operation that would turn him into a human flying fish. With new-found powers based on the flying fish, Dr. Krill predicts that Aquaman would not be able to stop Bragg. Bragg undergoes the operation and is transformed into the Human Flying Fish. Soon he is sent on missions to steals sunken treasure and other items of value from under the sea, outperforming Aquaman each time and making his escape in a helicopter that Dr. Krill has waiting for him each time.
Eventually getting wise to the Human Flying Fish's tactics, Aquaman devises a trap for the crook, luring him to appear when he makes a false report of a priceless cargo of uranium that was lost at sea. Taking the bait, the Human Flying Fish attempts to steal the uranium (really an empty container) and is soon incapacitated when Aquaman summons electric eels to his aid. He then uses swordfish to knock down Dr. Krill's helicopter and the two crooks are arrested.
That is followed by "The First Aquagirl" by Robert Bernstein and Ramona Fradon and reprinted from Adventure Comics #266 (1959). While riding in her yacht, a young woman sees through its glass floor that Aquaman has his leg pinned in the mouth of a giant clam. Grabbing an electric torch and jumping overboard, she saves Aquaman's life. Upon returning to the surface, both Aquaman and the girl are shocked to learn that she was under the water for 60 minutes. The girl introduces herself as Lisa Morel, daughter of Dr. Hugo Morel, a famous Ichthyologist. Swimming to meet her father, Aquaman is once more surprised to find that Lisa can also swim at great speeds and up waterfalls. When revealing the discovery to Lisa's father, he dismisses it until she exhibits the ability to command sea life when she orders seals to prevent her father's prized globe from falling into the ocean. Convinced, Dr. Morel asks Aquaman how he acquired his powers, Aquaman explains his origins once more. Since none of the Morel family originated from Atlantis, that theory was ruled out. Aquaman tells them he must return to the sea but he will return the next day.
Upon his arrival, he is met by Lisa, who is wearing a duplicate of Aquaman's costume and calling herself Aquagirl and wants to patrol the seas with Aquaman. Aquaman allows her to follow along, only to ensure that she remains safe from the perils of the sea. After a few missions out at sea, suddenly Lisa's powers begin to fade away and Aquaman must rush her to the surface. Wondering what happened, Lisa is given the answers from Aquaman who found them in his mother's diary. In it, it explains that in Atlantis they eventually developed the ability to breathe underwater, however, there was the occasional "throwback" that were unable to, and so they were sent to the surface so that they can live. These throwbacks were identifiable by their purple eyes. Aquaman explains that Lisa must have been one of these throwbacks and that she gained her water-powers only because she attempted to save Aquaman, and that she would be fated to lose them anyway. Returning back to Dr. Morel's home, he admits that he lied to Aquaman about his daughter's past and that he found her 20 years ago in a lifeboat.
Up next is "The Shark with the Human Brain" by Jack Miller and Ramona Fradon and reprinted from Adventure Comics #203 (1954). Shark Wilson escapes from prison. He heads for the beach where legend has it that the sand will transform men into fish. Aquaman then encounters a real shark with Wilson's face. The shark displays amazing intelligence, but Aquaman and his fish friends defeat it. The shark then disappears, and Wilson is found on the beach. Aquaman wonders whether the legend is true and Wilson was really the shark.
The issue ends with it'\s one piece of original content, "The Island of Fear" is a two-page text story with illustrations by Steve Skeates, Sal Amendola, and Dick Giordano.
Edited by E. Nelson Bridwell.
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