Adventure Comics # 200, May, 1954

Apes again. This issue's AQUAMAN story is the highlight though with AQUAMAN, MICROBE HUNTER presaging FANTASTIC VOYAGE by a dozen years with essentially the same plot. Ramona Fradon continues on the art.

Adventure Comics # 199, April, 1954

 
While DC continued to publish innocuous but entertaining material, this same month saw their sort of spin-off company, EC, publish the CRIME SUSPENSTORIES cover with Johnny Craig's infamous axe murderer which would be discussed soon enough in the Congressional Hearings that were just around the corner.

Adventure Comics # 198, March, 1954

These guys on the cover and in the SUPERBOY story this issue remind one of later Legion of Super-Heroes rejects. Both cover and story are drawn by future LSH artist Curt Swan (with inks by future PHANTOM artist Sy Barry).

Adventure Comics # 197, February, 1954

THis was the issue that was on the stands for Christmas of 1953, as witness the BINKY PSA and the now-legendary ("You'll put your eye out, kid.") Daisy ad on the back cover.

Adventure Comics # 196, January, 1954

Although published in late '53, this is now the January, 1954 issue. Comics in the real world were in big trouble in 1954 from parents, psychiatrists and even Congress! and The Comics Code was just around the corner. By this point, however, DC had homogenized its stories and art so much that little or no changes would be necessary when the Code arrived. 

For a company known for its gorilla stories, the one in this Superboy tale is probably the worst-drawn one I've seen from DC.

Green Arrow and Johnny Quick had their one-off sci-fi turns so now its Aquaman's turn.