Aquaman #33

May 1967 · DC · 0.12 USD

📊 ~36,140 copies sold its debut month

☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free

“Aqualad's Deep-Six Chick!”

★ 1st appearance — Tula

About this Issue

Aquaman #33 is the definitive origin point for Tula — the Aquagirl who actually stuck. While two earlier, throwaway Aquagirl characters had appeared in Adventure Comics (1959) and World's Finest Comics (1963), neither was given a name, a backstory, or a return engagement; Tula was introduced as a fully realized Atlantean with a royal pedigree, a romantic dynamic with Aqualad, and clear potential as a recurring supporting player. That potential was fully realized: Tula spent nearly two decades as a fixture of the Aquaman family and Teen Titans before her death at Chemo's hands in Crisis on Infinite Earths #9 (1985) — one of the few Silver Age-born characters whose death genuinely resonated and was not quickly reversed, leaving a lasting mark on Aqualad's characterization for years. The issue also captures DC's Silver Age coastal optimism at its most charming, with its underwater discotheque villain, mod-era slang (Aqualad's persistent 'Aquachick' instead of Aquagirl), and a story structured in three tightly interlocking chapters — a craft showcase for what the Haney-Cardy team was doing at the height of their collaboration.

writer Bob Haney · artist, inker Nick Cardy · cover Nick Cardy

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VG) $31

CGC 9.6 · 3 in census $1,941*

CGC 9.4 · 5 in census $994*

CGC 9.2 · 7 in census $542

CGC 9.0 · 12 in census $372

CGC 8.5 · 16 in census $268

CGC 8.0 · 16 in census $222

Show all 21 grades ▾

CGC 7.5 · 12 in census $160

CGC 7.0 · 12 in census $160

CGC 6.5 · 10 in census $115*

CGC 6.0 · 16 in census $71

CGC 5.5 · 12 in census $71*

CGC 5.0 · 5 in census $71*

CGC 4.5 · 5 in census $64*

CGC 4.0 · 2 in census $63*

CGC 3.5 · 5 in census $50

CGC 3.0 · 4 in census $41*

CGC 2.5 · 1 in census $36*

CGC 2.0 none in existence

CGC 1.5 none in existence

CGC 1.0 none in existence

CGC 0.5 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

Find on ebay

Search eBay for Aquaman #33 ▸

No confirmed live listings for this exact issue right now — this opens an eBay search.

Read it digitally

DC Universe Infinite DC’s subscription reader ▸ Amazon Kindle Buy the digital edition ▸

Opens a search on each platform — digital availability varies by title.

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 ▸

Fast, fair offers · we handle grading & shipping

History

The issue was written by Bob Haney and drawn — pencils, inks, and cover — by Nick Cardy, the same team that had been the creative engine of the Aquaman solo series since its 1962 launch. It was edited by George Kashdan, who had shepherded the Aquaman book from the beginning and would depart DC in 1968 amid a company-wide editorial restructuring. Notably, Haney and Kashdan were simultaneously writing scripts for the Filmation animated series The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, which premiered on CBS in September 1967 — just months after this issue shipped to newsstands on March 2, 1967 — meaning the creative team was thinking about expanding and refreshing the Aquaman cast on two fronts at once. Cardy himself drew the first 39 issues of the solo series and all of its covers through the final issue (#56), making his fully-rendered, expressive linework on this issue representative of one of the longest and most consistent artist-character partnerships in Silver Age DC.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Aquagirl (Tula), the definitive and most enduring version of the character, distinguishing her from two earlier one-off Aquagirl characters (Lisa Morel in Adventure Comics #266, 1959, and Selena in World's Finest Comics #133, 1963) who never returned.
Written by Bob Haney; full art (pencils, inks, and cover) by Nick Cardy — the regular creative team on the Aquaman solo series throughout its Silver Age run.
Edited by George Kashdan, who launched and oversaw the Aquaman series from 1962 through 1968.
Published on-sale March 2, 1967, with a May–June 1967 cover date; shipped bi-monthly at a cover price of 12 cents.
The main story, titled 'Aqualad's Deep-Six Chick!', runs 22.5 pages across three chapters and features Aquaman, Aqualad, Mera, Aquababy, and the one-time villain Doctor Dorsal alongside Tula's debut; Tula is referred to as 'Aquagirl' only in captions — Aqualad calls her 'Aquachick' in dialogue throughout.
The issue also contains a short 'Meet Aqua-Girl' lead piece credited to Nick Cardy, a 'Cap's Hobby Hints' humor strip by Henry Boltinoff, and a letters column; the colorist and letterer of the main story were uncredited.
Tula went on to become an honorary member of the Teen Titans and later led a rebellion that saved Atlantis during Aquaman's absence; her death by poisoning in Crisis on Infinite Earths #9 (1985) was one of the event's most emotionally weighted casualties.
The issue was reprinted in multiple international editions (German, French, Australian, and Spanish) and was collected in Showcase Presents: Aquaman Vol. 3 (DC, 2009) in black-and-white.