Featuring: Sub-Mariner
Release: March 20, 1940
Cover: May 1940
10 cents
Credits: Bill Everett
10 pages
While The Human Torch stories have been very episodic, the Sub-Mariner stories have formed one continuing saga. Thus there’s no way to jump into them without feeling like we’re missing something. Nonetheless, I’m not looking to review every Golden Age Sub-Mariner story here. Just a couple to give us some context for the Marvel Age stories we are reading.
In this blog, we last saw Namor beginning a war against the surface world for crimes against his people. He’s cooled off and befriended Policewoman Betty Dean. He grew concerned about the war ravaging the surface world, and decided to take part. Sometimes, he seemed sympathetic to the Allied cause and sometimes merely to the cause of peace. He decided to try his hand at being a superhero, to convince the surface world of his good intentions.
He made a deal with the police commissioner to do some good works, but the commissioner still insisted he stand trial for his crimes. The jury found him guilty and sentenced him to death. Well, the electric chair did not kill him… it just made him angry. So his war against the surface will begin anew. That’s where this issue opens.
Namor informs his Emperor of his plans to destroy the entire continent after conquering New York. The Emperor offers the entire Sub-Mariner army, but Namor says he can handle it himself for now, as his vendetta is personal.
At the start of the issue, it’s easy to be sympathetic toward Namor. He tried to make peace with the surface, and they drugged him and tried to electrocute him to death. But that sympathy fades fast, as his rampage is truly destructive.
In one surprisingly brutal moment, he makes an elevated train crash to the ground. There were almost certainly casualties. At some point, the character should be past redemption. Yet Betty Dean will continue to hold affection for him, and decades later, Sue Storm will feel similar affection.
While this story is the natural continuation of the saga so far, the ending is coordinated with the ending of the Human Torch story. They’ve so far been independent works of their respective creators, but with this issue each story ends with the main character being told about the other. These two stories set the stage for the famous conflict to come in issue 8.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 55/100
Characters:
- Emperor of Sub-Mariners
- Prince Namor/Sub-Mariner
- Mayor of New York
- Betty Dean
- Police Commissioner
Story notes:
- Namor plans to conquer New York City and then destroy the entire continent
- Namor decides he will be emperor of America and everybody will be his slave
- Namor destroys an elevated train; likely many casualties
- Namor knocks spire off Empire State Building
- Betty Dean warns Namor that Human Torch will stop him
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