vashti – Coke ⊕ Comics

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 #81

When a Monarch Goes Mad!

When a Monarch Goes Mad!
Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner
Release: April 5, 1966
Cover: July 1966
12 cents
Amazing story: Stan Lee
Astonishing art: Gene Colan
Astounding inking: Dick Ayers
Agonizing lettering: Sam Rosen
12 pages

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Tales to Astonish #80, Story B	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #81, Story B
Tales to Astonish #80, Story B	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #81, Story B

The color of one’s skin is but a chance accident of fate! It alters nothing else about the person!

Namor was fighting a Behemoth last issue, and Krang convinced Lady Dorma that Namor’s only chance for survival was for him to relinquish his control on the Behemoth, which he would only do if Dorma agreed to wed him.

This issue picks up right where that left off. Dorma had told Vashti she was to wed Krang, but not why. And Vashti has just delivered the news to Namor.

Namor declares the mention of Dorma’s to name to be treason. Rational. Namor claims he has the fury of youth. He had been a youth 25 years earlier when introduced in 1939. Not sure how long he can use that excuse. Vashti notes Namor had been the gentlest and noblest of monarchs. I am not sure that is true.

Tales to Astonish #80

To the Death!

Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner!
Release: March 3, 1966
Cover: June 1966
12 cents
Story by Smilin’ Stan Lee
Pencils by Grinnin’ Gene Colan
Inks by Dazzlin’ Dick Ayers
Lettering by Snarlin’ Sam Rosen
12 pages

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Tales to Astonish #79, Story B	Reading order	Avengers #26
Tales to Astonish #79, Story B	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #80, Story B

I am still the Lord of the Seven Seas!

Where were we. Krang and Puppet Master have teamed up to control the Behemoth. Hank Pym and Janet were around at some point. We’ll catch up with them next time in the pages of Avengers.

We’re supposed to believe that because Krang is controlling the Behemoth through the clay puppet, the creature has better reflexes than it would otherwise. That makes little sense to me.

Tales to Astonish #79

When Rises the Behemoth

Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner
Release: February 3, 1966
Cover: May 1966
12 cents
Now this is a story! By: Stan Lee
Now this is pencilling! By: Adam Austin
Now this is delineation! By: Bill Everett
Now this is lettering! By: Artie Simek
12 pages

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Tales to Astonish #78, Story B	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #79, Story B
Tales to Astonish #78, Story B	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #79, Story B

Back, you mortal rabble– back!!

Without much fanfare, we have Bill Everett inking Gene Colan. Bill Everett is the creator of the Sub-Mariner. Of course, for whatever reason, it’s the publisher and not he that controls the character. So Marvel gets to publish and profit off Sub-Mariner stories, and he only gets paid if he does more work. So here he is inking Colan’s pencils with Stan adding dialogue. Once Everett wrote and drew Namor’s adventures entirely on his own.

He’s slowly coming back to do more work for Marvel. The last thing he did for them was create Daredevil. But his Daredevil comic was drawn with immaculate detail and unfortunately not within deadline. So he got immediately removed from his own character, and only now 2 years later is starting to get regular work with Marvel again.

As of last issue, he’s the regular finisher on the Hulk stories within this title. He’s just filling in on this Namor story, but will be returning to Namor regularly soon.

I was down to two choices for the pull quote at the top of this quote. I went with one that best exhibited Namor’s personality. I could have gone with the more standard Stan Lee heroic purple prose: There is a time to flee– and a time to fight! While life endures–I shall ever choose the latter course!

I’m never quite clear on what the powers of all these characters are. Namor sometimes seems like Superman. But we see here he’s not bulletproof. He gets shot in the shoulder, and is wounded and losing blood.

Tales to Astonish #77

To Walk Amongst Men!

Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner
Release: December 2, 1965
Cover: March 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee, writer
Gene Colan, penciller
Vince Colletta, inker
Sam Rosen, letterer
12 pages

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Tales to Astonish #76, Story B	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #77, Story B
Tales to Astonish #76, Story B	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #77, Story B

Supreme is the head that wears the crown! The decision must be Namor’s alone to make! Imperius Rex!

A secret has been revealed! Not to us, because I spoiled it when he first showed up. But this is the first time Gene Colan’s name has shown up in the credits. Yet it’s clearly the same artist as last issue, drawn by “Adam Austin”. So Adam Austin must be Gene Colan!

Just like superheroes have secret identities, artists do too. In this case, it was likely to disguise the fact that he was moonlighting for both DC and Marvel. Some comic artists used pen names so that their lesser comic work wouldn’t get conflated with the great novels or works or art they were one day to create. For many, it may have been to make their names sound less Jewish.

Since Namor got his own series back in issue 70, he’d been on a continuous quest to retake his kingdom from Krang. Last issue was almost a clean ending to that quest, save for the final pages. Namor was now the ruler again, with Lord Vashti his Grand Vizier. But then an earthquake strikes, and Namor suspects atomic tests of the surface world are responsible. He resolves to go to the surface world to sort this.

If Namor is the ruler of Atlantis, why is he Prince Namor? Why not King Namor? The Atlanteans must do it differently.

Vashti sits on Namor’s council and offers the wisdom that the choice of action is Namor’s, as the absolute monarch. Then why even be on the council, Vashti? Namor knows it’s his decision. Advise him!

This next story arc is going to get quite convoluted. The last one was relatively clean. Krang had taken the throne. Namor needed to recover some ancient artifact to reclaim it and followed a series of clues. This story begins with an earthquake and Namor’s plan to go to the surface world to get them to stop the tests. Let’s see where it goes from there.

Tales to Astonish #76

Uneasy Hangs the Head…

Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner
Release: November 4, 1965
Cover: February 1966
12 cents
Story: Stan Lee
Pencilling: Adam Austin
Delineation: Vince Colletta
Lettering: Sam Rosen
12 pages

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Tales to Astonish #75	Reading order	Sgt. Fury Annual 1
Tales to Astonish #75, Story B	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #76, Story B

Where Namor was Prince of the Blood, Krang would have been tyrant! Where Namor ruled by divine right, Krang would have ruled by terror!

The ruler of Atlantis by birthright is again on the throne. Yay for monarchy.

The story was almost over as this issue began. Dorma saved. Krang defeated. It’s been a 7-part arc, but it’s over by page 5 of this issue.

Tales to Astonish #75

The End of the Quest!

Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner
Release: October 5, 1965
Cover: January 1866
12 cents
Story by: Smilin’ Stan Lee
Pencilling by: Admirable Adam Austin
Delineation by : Valorous Vince Colletta
Lettering by: Sagacious Sam Rosen
12 pages

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Tales to Astonish #74, Story B	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #76
Tales to Astonish #74, Story B	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #75, Story B

Though I hold life most dear to me, I shall show how a Prince faces death!

It turns out abandoning the quest was the way to complete the quest.

Per Neptune: Every attribute of a Prince is yours… courage, strength, honest… and, most important of all… a heart which can love… a soul which can sacrifice!

Tales to Astonish #74

When Fails the Quest!

Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner
Release: September 2, 1965
Cover: December 1965
12 cents
Devastating drama by: Stan Lee
Shattering spectacle by: Adam Austin
Explosive embellishment by: Vince Colletta
Cataclysmic Calligraphy by: Sam Rosen
12 pages

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Tales to Astonish #73, Story B	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #74, Story B
Tales to Astonish #73, Story B	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #74, Story B

Though I am an Ancient of Atlantis, this one last deed can I do for the land we hold so dear!

After five pretty repetitive issues, finally we’re getting somewhere. Still two more issues after this one to resolve Namor’s dust-up with Krang, but at least the structure is starting to change.

Namor has abandoned his quest to save Dorma from the Faceless Ones. Since he had no idea where to go next in his quest anyway, why not.

Tales to Astonish #71

Escape… To Nowhere!

Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner
Release: June 1, 1965
Cover: September 1965
12 cents
Superlative story by: Stan Lee!
Sensational art by: Adam Austin!
Spectacular inking by: Vince Colletta!
Sufficient lettering by: Artie Simek!
12 pages

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Tales to Astonish #70, Story B	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #71, Story B
Tales to Astonish #70, Story B	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #71, Story B

For, no matter how long the quest shall be–no matter how deadly the dangers I face–naught but victory can be mine! I was born to rule!! I was born Namor, the Sub-Mariner!

His second issue and Namor gets the entire cover. Take that, Hulk.

Expected structure continues. Last issue, Namor found the first clue, met a threat, and it was to be continued. This issue, he resolved that threat, found the second clue, met a new threat, and now it’s to be continued.

Let’s see where next issue goes.