Face-to-Face with Prince Namor, the Mighty Sub-Mariner
Featuring: Human Torch
Release: January 10, 1963
Cover: April 1963
12 cents
Plot: Stan Lee
Script: Larry Lieber
Art: Dick Ayers
13 pages
I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: The Human Torch vol. 1.
Dick Ayers is again the main artist. Kirby will be back next issue, but they will trade art duties for the remainder of the series. This is the pattern we have been seeing. Kirby is still around and will sometimes provide the art for the series he pioneered, but will be rotating with other artists. Heck has Ant-Man and Ayers has Human Torch.
This fairly useless series continues. The Fantastic Four series hasn’t once yet acknowledged anything about this series’ existence, including Sue and Johnny’s home in Glenville. In contrast, this series references lots of things about the Fantastic Four. The whole team has a cameo in this issue and there are references to the FF battles against Namor. You can tell which series is the ugly stepchild.
As the story–such as it is–begins, we find the three adult FF members had a meeting while Johnny was in school. They were taking notes on next month’s adventure, while Sue typed them up. It’s a bit odd, as most FF adventures are their responses to crises. It’s not clear what they’d be planning a month in advance.
The current issue of Fantastic Four came out a week earlier. We haven’t read it yet, because issue 14 picks up where it leaves off, so I’m reading it last this month. That adventure is a trip to the moon. Which does take some planning; however, in the issue itself, the trip is a surprise to the rest of the team. Only Reed had been planning it and had been planning not to take the others. So they must be referring to something else.
Anyways, Johnny is mad they had a meeting without him, so he figures a battle with Sub-Mariner will prove himself.
His flame dies out flying over the ocean, so he has to rest on a boat. They accuse him of being a stowaway and make him mop the decks.
Sub-Mariner uses many of his powers: flight, ability to find ancient statues with hypnosis powers, inflating like a puffer fish, becoming electric like an eel, and being able to spin around fast enough to drill through rock.
In the end, Johnny wins by going supernova, hot enough to even swim while aflame.
Rating: ★★½, 45/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
Characters:
- Johnny Storm/Human Torch
- Ben Grimm/Thing
- Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic
- Susan Storm/Invisible Girl
- Prince Namor/Sub-Mariner
Story notes:
- Johnny returns home from school to find everybody at his and Sue’s Glenville house.
- FF had been working on notes for next month’s adventure. Sue typed them up. Do they plan these in advance?
- Reference to previous issue and threat of Torrid Twosome.
- Sue has photo of Namor in her room.
- Story takes place on a Friday
- Sue thinks Johnny is going to garage
- Namor can: fly, inflate like a puffer fish; shock like an eel
- Namor finds ancient statue with hypnotic powers
- Namor uses asbestos glove to punch Torch
- Johnny goes supernova; can swim by evaporating water
- Namor can spin fast enough to drill through rock
#57 story in reading order
Next post: PRELUDE: Marvel Mystery Comics #7
Next in order: Fantastic Four #13
Previous: Tales of Suspense #40
I assumed the notes were for them to give to marvel comics, to produce next months issue of fantastic four. Its next months adventure comics wise, but for them its already happened
Dominic, that makes sense. I may have misread their intention. I like your interpretation.
That was my reading as well. You’re way too generous both with your rating and significance.
Slam, fair on all counts.