namor – Coke ⊕ Comics

PRELUDE: All-Winners Comics #19

The Crime of the Ages!

Featuring: All Winners Squad
Release: July 24, 1946
Cover: Fall 1946
10 cents
43 pages

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Human Torch #8	PRELUDE	Marvel Mystery Comics #92
Fantastic Four #56	Reading order	Fantastic Four Annual 4

Dictators! We’ve had enough of them! Atomic power must be used for peace, not war! It must be used to make life better for all people! The coming Atomic Age is not for one man– it is for the common man– for all mankind!

No credits are given. The GCD credits the writing to Batman/Green Lantern co-creator Bill Finger and some of the pencilling to Syd Shores. The Bill Finger credit comes from the writer’s own recollections in the 1960s, related to historian and “father of comic book fandom” Jerry Bails.

I’d been debating when to read this. We’ve done some overview read-throughs of Captain America and Sub-Mariner, and are in the middle of one for the Human Torch. The other main characters to appear in this issue are Miss America and the Whizzer, whom we haven’t met yet. And I don’t have a good reason to introduce them anytime soon. The best excuse will probably be their return in Giant-Size Avengers #1 from 1974, but this blog won’t be getting there anytime soon at the rate I’m going.

This would also pair well with the introduction of the Invaders, but that’s not until 1975.

So let’s read this now along with our Human Torch read-through. It’s an important comic in Marvel history. We’ll just try to figure out who Miss America and the Whizzer are as we go. Something something mongoose something.

Roy Thomas described this comic as “a great idea whose time had gone.”

PRELUDE: Human Torch #8

Human Torch vs. Sub-Mariner

Featuring: Human Torch
Release: June 26, 1942
Cover: Summer 1942
10 cents
52 pages

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Marvel Mystery Comics #31	PRELUDE	All-Winners Comics #19
Fantastic Four #56	Reading order	Fantastic Four Annual 4

You two big lugs oughta be ashamed of yourselves! Spies are all around, threatening our country! The Python is on the loose! Democracy is in danger– and you fight each other instead of fighting the common enemy!

No credits are given. The GCD discusses the research into who is behind this based on later interviews, recollections, art analysis, etc. They credit the writing to Mickey Spillane and Ray Gill. They credit the art to Allen Simon, Harry Sahle, Al Gabriele, and possibly Eddie Robinson, Carl Pfeufer, and others.

Mickey Spillane is best known for his graphicless novels featuring Mike Hammer.

Notably, Torch creator Carl Burgos, who told the first few years of Torch stories is not involved, because he’s off fighting in World War II.

PRELUDE: Marvel Mystery Comics #17

Fighting Side by Side!

Featuring: Human Torch and Sub-Mariner
Release: January 13, 1941
Cover: March 1941
10 cents
By Carl Burgos & Bill Everett
26 pages

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Human Torch #2	PRELUDE	Marvel Mystery Comics #31
Fantastic Four #56	Reading order	Fantastic Four Annual 4

“Are you ready to fight for Uncle Sam under any conditions?”
“You know I am!”

We’ve now seen Namor and the Human Torch battle twice. But between those two encounters, they were sometimes on the same side. This is the story of their first team-up. Their first meeting since that first epic battle.

Usually, this title features a Human Torch story and a Sub-Mariner story. This issue combines them into a single double-length feature that both creators worked on together.

It’s not clear to me precisely which creator did what.

What unites them? Why, patriotism and love for America, of course.

Tales to Astonish #87

Moment of Truth!

Featuring: Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner
Release: October 11, 1966
Cover: January 1967
12 cents
Story: Stan (The Man) Lee
Illustration: Wild Bill Everett
Lettering: Adorable Artie Simek
12 pages

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Tales to Astonish #86, Story B	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #87, Story B
Tales to Astonish #86, Story B	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #87, Story B

Rise, my lady! Let your head be lifted– avert not your eyes! From this moment forth–by imperial decree– the Lady Dorma may never again kneel in the presence of her liege! She stall stand at my side–with all due honor– as one who shall someday be princess of the realm! –As one who is truly a peer! And, know you, my lady– whatever befalls– the gratitude– the trust– and the heart of your prince shall be yours– while Atlantis endures!

Big day for Bill Everett, creator of the Sub-Mariner. He had half-returned to his creation, supplying finishes to other artists’ pencils. But starting this issue, he becomes the regular artist on the character who in any world with sensible laws would have belonged to him all along.

We’ve been following not quite a story, but let’s call it a sequence of events that has propelled us from issue 77 to here. Across 11 issues, Namor has had a lot of misadventures unified by the scheming of Krang, and his kidnapping of Dorma, which Namor mistook for Dorma’s betrayal. It finally comes to and end, and we can put Namor’s arc down for a while.

Krang and Dorma have been captured by the military. Krang’s serum has worn off, revealing their blue skin, and leaving them unable to breathe on land. Namor comes to them, but the military has a trap for him. Because they blame Namor for Krang’s flooding of Manhattan.

Tales to Astonish #86

The Wrath of Warlord Krang!

Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner
Release: September 1, 1966
Cover: December 1966
12 cents
Story by Smilin’ Stan Lee
Pencilling by Merry Jerry Grandenetti
Inking by Wild Bill Everett
Lettering by Adorable Artie Simek
12 pages

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Tales to Astonish #85, Story B	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #86, Story B
Tales to Astonish #85, Story B	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #86, Story B

But, not even a prince of the blood can possess patience without limit!

Grandenetti is a new name to us, and really to me as well. This is one of very few Marvel works; we’ll see him again on Sgt. Fury in the near future. He got his start assisting and ghosting for Will Eisner on The Spirit and has been working comics at DC since the early 1950s, focused on war comics, and has lately started to do some side work for Warren, Charlton, Tower, and apparently Marvel at least once, sometimes ghosting for Joe Orlando. Here’s a sampling of his art.

Boy Meets Girl #2, Lev-Gleason, 1950
Western Comics #27, DC, 1951
All-American Men of War #127, DC, 1952
House of Mystery #8, DC 1952
The Brave and the Bold #1, DC, 1955
Strange Adventures #63, DC, 1955
Our Fighting Forces #62, DC, 1961
Our Army at War #115, DC, 1962

Tales to Astonish #85

–And One Shall Die

Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner
Release: August 2, 1966
Cover: November 1966
12 cents
Script written by: Stan Lee
Drawings pencilled by: Gene Colan
Inking rendered by: Bill Everett
Panels lettered by: Artie Simek
Confusion compounded by: Irving Forbush
12 pages

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Amazing Spider-Man Annual 3	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #85, Story B
Tales to Astonish #84, Story B	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #85, Story B

“Who is it, Phil?”
“We’ll probably never know! From the looks of things, I’d say he was pretty much beyond recognition!”

Colan has been the regular penciller on Namor’s adventures of late. Bill Everett is the creator of Namor, and this is his second time working as Colan’s inker on the series.

Where were we? The head of the ruined Secret Empire had tricked an amnesiac Namor into being his pawn, until a blast from Krang’s ship sent Namor into the ocean, where he regained his memory. We pick up with Krang flying away, thinking he has killed Namor.

Dorma has been with Krang for a while now. Originally she had agreed to marry him in exchange for saving Namor’s life. Namor doesn’t know this and is mad at Dorma for betraying him. Krang keeps trying to kill Namor anyway, and Dorma keeps staying with him, so it’s all a bit confusing.

Also confusing that Number One blames Hulk for the destruction of the Secret Empire, when the Hulk had nothing to do with it. It was a combination of internal strife and infiltration by Gabe Jones of SHIELD that took them down.

Tales to Astonish #84, Story B

Rampage in the City!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: June 30, 1966
Cover: October 1966
10 pages
Script… Stan (The Man) Lee
Art… Almost the whole blamed bullpen
Lettering… Artie (Smarty) Simek
Therapy… Honest Irving Forbush
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #84	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #85
Tales to Astonish #84	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #85

Can a green-skinned introvert, with anti-social tendencies, find happiness and fulfillment in a modern materialistic society?

I leave it to your eagle eyes to determine who drew what in this issue. Some artwork may or may not be due to Bill Everett, Jerry Grandenetti, Gene Colan, Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, John Tartaglione, Mike Esposito, Sol Brodsky, or others.

Can a green-skinned introvert, with anti-social tendencies, find happiness and fulfillment in a modern materialistic society?

We’d seen a similar question posed at the beginning of Hulk’s current series in issue 60.

Can a man with green skin and a petulant personality find true happiness in today’s status-seeking society?

In this issue’s Namor story, we learned Hulk was in the city. And this story is conveniently titled “Rampage in the City”.

Hulk thinks saving Betty from Boomerang means people won’t hate him anymore. Good luck with that.

Hulk used to be an Avenger, so he goes to New York to ask them to help him find Betty.

Tales to Astonish #84

Like a Beast at Bay!

Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner
Release: June 30, 1966
Cover: October 1966
12 cents
Fabulous script: Stan Lee
Fascinating art: Gene Colan
Fantastic inks: Dick Ayers
Free-hand lettering: Sam Rosen
Fancy haberdashery: Irving Forbush
12 pages

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Tales of Suspense #84, Story B	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #84, Story B
Tales to Astonish #83, Story B	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #84, Story B

You are too conspicuous, walking around the city in that manner! Find the nearest clothing store…

In Avengers #17, the Avengers search for the Hulk, and end up vaguely near him, but not meeting him. But it’s sort of a crossover. Not really, but sort of.

In this issue, Namor is searching for Hulk, because he’s been brainwashed by Number One of the former Secret Empire, who wants revenge on Hulk for destroying the Secret Empire. Even though Hulk has never met the Secret Empire and had nothing whatsoever to do with their demise.

I would suggest the writer of the Namor stories hasn’t been reading the Hulk stories, but both series are allegedly written by Stan Lee.

Tales to Astonish #83

The Sub-Mariner Strikes!

Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner!
Release: June 2, 1966
Cover: September 1966
12 cents
Script: Smilin’ Stan Lee
Pencilling: Jolly Jack Kirby
Inking: Darlin’ Dick Ayers
Lettering: Adorable Artie Simek
And, in the unlikely words of Irving Forbush: Imperius Rex!
12 pages

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Tales to Astonish #82, Story B	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #83, Story B
Tales to Astonish #82, Story B	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #83, Story B

…My Secret Empire may yet rise again!

Jack Kirby takes on another issue of the Sub-Mariner. Perhaps Gene Colan remains out sick.

I had a choice here. I’ve got this comic, Tales to Astonish #83 in my hand. I could read it in order, as any normal person would. Starting at the first page, and then turning the pages in order until I reach the end.

Or I could realize that the story makes no sense if I do that, so instead turn to halfway through this comic to the Hulk story, read that, and then flip back to the beginning to read the Namor story.

The story makes slightly more sense to do it that way, but it doesn’t really make sense no matter how I read it. And certainly no kid picking this up in 1966 would have known to jump to the middle. Maybe some did anyway because they are big Hulk fans.

So I’m going to start this comic from the beginning, get very confused, then eventually get to the end of the comic, and resolve some, but not all, of that confusion.

Namor just had his big brawl with Iron Man, and then left to continue to pursue Krang and Dorma. As far as I know, the last thing Hulk did was rescue Betty Ross from Boomerang, who escaped with some goons from the Secret Empire, who as far as I know remain an active threat. As are Them/AIM.

Dorma is with Krang because he agreed to spare Namor’s life. But now he’s trying to kill Namor. So maybe that’s grounds for an annulment?

But Dorma hadn’t read the fine print. Krang agreed to spare Namor from the Behemoth, not to spare him generally. Again, I would just leave him now and find a lawyer to discuss the contract with.

Tales of Suspense #80

When Fall the Mighty!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: May 10, 1966
Cover: August 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee, Sovereign of Script
Gene Colan, Prince of Pencilling
Gary Michaels, Imperator of Inking
Artie Simek, Lord of Lettering
12 pages

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Tales of Suspense #79, Story B	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #80, Story B
Tales of Suspense #79, Story B	Tales of Suspense	Tales of Suspense #80, Story B

At last! I’m at the peak of my power! This is the moment that makes all the agony of the past more than worthwhile! This is the supreme sensation which no other living being can ever experience– the feeling which none can ever fully comprehend– the triumphant moment when the strength of a thousand transistors flows thru me and I stand once more ready for battle– as the invincible Iron Man!

Namor attacks Iron Man. Superheroes do that when the meet, generally. And Namor has always walked that superhero/supervillain line.

Superhero brawls are a well-established trope by this point. A one-on-one battle between Namor and Iron Man was due. Of course they’ve fought before, but then Iron Man had all the Avengers on his side. And Namor still held them at bay.

The battle will exploit their respective weaknesses. They both need the occasional charge. Iron Man needs to plug in. Namor needs water.