It’s because I’m part American! I– and only I– of all the Sub-Mariners, can live indefinitely out of water!!!
The next 3 issues feature stories from Namor’s childhood. This is a short and simple story, but shows us the rivalry between Namor and Byrrah goes back to childhood.
The Sub-Mariner’s loyalty to his own native race, whose home lies beneath the vast ice fields of the South Polar region, is often brought to a severe test when it comes in direct conflict with his almost equal loyalty to the people who inhabit the surface of the Earth! Frequently such conflicts have occurred– but never sone so terrible, nor so heartbreaking, as the incident known and recalled by Prince Namor with bitterness, as the Invasion!
This was during the attemped 1950s superhero revival by Marvel, where they brought back Captain America, Human Torch, and Sub-Mariner. Sub-Mariner had the most successful revival, his revived title lasting 10 issues, Sub-Mariner #33-42, coming out bimonthly over the course of a couple years. In contrast, Captain America and Human Torch lasted 3 issues apiece.
Before he makes his triumphant Marvel Age return, I felt now would be a good time to meet Prince Byrrah.
Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner Release: December 8, 1966 Cover: March 1967 12 cents Story by Smilin’ Stan Lee Art by Wild Bill Everett Lettering by Adorable Art Simek 12 pages
I? I am Prince of the Realm! I am Atlantis! Thus, here do I stand!
Recall that passing aliens accidentally dropped a robot on Earth, which landed in the ocean. Attuma has taken control and turned it into a weapon against the Sub-Mariner. I think that’s literally all that happened last issue.
This issue Namor actually fights the robot.
My life belongs to the people– to the Realm Eternal! I do what I must– I cannot do less!
Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner Release: November 3, 1966 Cover: February 1967 12 cents Written by: Stan the Man Lee Illustrated by: Wild Bill Everett Lettered by: Swingin’ Sammy Rosen 12 pages
There must be no new battle till our fighting strength has been restored! Else, the death knell of fair Atlantis may be at hand!
We read the second half of this issue some time ago. It’s a thing that happens. Namor and Hulk share a title. When there are ongoing stories, I try to group a few issues together, looking for decent pause points within the series. But what happens when a good pause point for Namor isn’t a good pause point for Hulk?
Well, I make the reluctant decision to read an issue ahead for one of the characters. Even though that means picking up this comic, flipping to the middle, putting it down, then later picking it up again and reading from the beginning. Almost certainly what nobody reading this comic in 1966 did.
Ah well. I try to balance a lot of things when choosing the reading order and some things have to give.
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.”
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.
“Are you ready to fight for Uncle Sam under any conditions?” “You know I am!”
We’ve now seen Namor and the Human Torch battletwice. 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.
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
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.
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
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.
“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.
