Aquaman #23
Aquaman #23 marks the birth of Arthur Curry Jr. — nicknamed 'Aquababy' — making Aquaman the first Silver Age superhero to father a child during the course of publication. At a moment in 1965 when virtually every costumed hero in comics was single and unattached, the Aquaman titles had already broken ground with Aquaman and Mera's wedding in issue #18, and this issue pushed that domestic experiment further still, depicting pregnancy, birth, and the immediate social pressures of parenthood within a single story. The child introduced here would grow into one of the most consequential figures in Aquaman's long-term narrative arc: his murder by Black Manta in Adventure Comics #452 (1977) shattered the royal family, ended Aquaman and Mera's marriage, and set the emotional stakes for Black Manta's role as Aquaman's defining nemesis. The issue's formal name — 'The Birth of Aquababy!' — was also Arthur Curry Jr.'s only identifier for over a decade; he wouldn't be formally called Arthur Curry Jr. until Adventure Comics #446, eleven years after his first appearance.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 22 grades ▾
Find on ebay
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was edited by George Kashdan at DC's National Periodical Publications and carries a cover date of October 1965 (on-sale date registered as July 15, 1965). Art — both pencils and inks — was handled entirely by Nick Cardy, the Hall of Fame artist who drew the first 39 issues of the Aquaman solo series and defined the visual language of the Silver Age underwater world; Cardy had also drawn the couple's wedding in issue #18, giving this birth story a visual continuity across the family's milestone moments. The main story's writer credit has not been definitively confirmed in the Grand Comics Database (listed as '?'), though the Aquaman series during this period was scripted primarily by Bob Haney and Jack Miller; letters were by Ira Schnapp. A 'Little Pete' humor backup strip by Henry Boltinoff also appears in the issue.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Aquababy (Arthur Curry Jr.), son of Aquaman and Mera, born in the story titled 'The Birth of Aquababy!'
- Cover date: October 1965; on-sale date (per copyright registration): July 15, 1965; published by National Periodical Publications (DC Comics)
- Art (pencils and inks) by Nick Cardy; edited by George Kashdan; letters by Ira Schnapp; main story writer unconfirmed in GCD
- Aquaman is identified by the DC Database as the first Silver Age superhero to sire a child during publication
- Arthur Curry Jr. was not formally named in this issue — he was introduced only as 'Aquababy,' a nickname that stuck for roughly a decade; the formal name 'Arthur Curry Jr.' was not used in print until Adventure Comics #446
- Aqualad (Garth) plays a key supporting role, joining Aquaman on the dangerous quest for the antidote that saves Mera and the newborn
- The character introduced here was murdered by Black Manta in Adventure Comics #452 (July 1977), a story arc known as 'Death of a Prince' that permanently altered Aquaman's mythos and the marriage of Aquaman and Mera
- The story was reprinted in Aquaman Classics (Classics/Williams, 1969 series) #2536 (1974) and in Showcase Presents: Aquaman Vol. 2 (DC, 2008); it also appears within the Showcase Presents: Aquaman Vol. 2 trade paperback collecting Aquaman #7–23
Cast · 6 characters
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints House of Secrets #74 (1965)
Reprinted in Superman Presents Wonder Comic Monthly #11 (1966), Aquaman #9 (1971), Aquaman Classics #2536 (1974), Showcase Presents: Aquaman #2 (2008), Relatos Fabulosos #98
Key issues in Aquaman
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.