Aquaman: Time and Tide was a four-issue limited series in 1993 meant to clear up some backstory undergrowth to clear the way for the ongoing series that would start immediately thereafter (and last a solid five years). Written by Peter David, the strength of this limited series is the scripting: it's clear and easy to follow and has a great sense of humor. However, the series is let down by some really inferior artwork (and I'm one of those people who don't really notice the art unless its really good or really bad). As a whole, I'd say the series is fine, but I'm not a big Aquaman fan and this series didn't convert me or make me want to read the ongoing.
Issue # 1 is humorously (to me, anyway) labelled a "1st Issue Blockbuster!". Aquaman is reading his mother's journal and concludes that she must have been literally insane. I'm guessing this is some ret-con work to clear up some messy pre/post-Crisis stories, but I don't really know. The bulk of the issue is a flashback to Aquaman's first encounter with the surface world, as he helps the Flash stop the Trickster. It's pretty good, and has the virtue of being self-aware that it could seem a bit cheesy compared to the "EXTREME!" vibe plaguing comics in the 1990s.
Issue # 2 tells how, as an infant, Aquaman was abandoned on a reef and raised by a school of dolphins! This story could be super cheesy, but Peter David's just good enough to make it work. Mostly.
Issue # 3 has a teenage Aquaman living in Alaska. He saves a girl from a bear, but has angered a goddess by killing the bear and is driven out of the community. Also, I think maybe his half-brother Orm appears? Don't ask me Aquaman questions.
Issue # 4 has present-day Aquaman writing about his first encounter with Ocean Master and brooding over his half-brother and the future. It sets up some nice backstory and I can see how it would lead in naturally to the ongoing series. Still . . . that art! Ugh.
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