Tales to Astonish #86

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

Previous	#601	Next
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

When Krang was controlling the Behemoth, Dorma agreed to marry him to spare Namor’s life. Namor has long since defeated the Behemoth, and now both Krang and Dorma believe Namor to be dead. Why is she still with him?

Krang floods Manhattan. The last person to flood Manhattan was Namor. Though Attuma came close.

Authorities blame Namor. Which I think is fair. As he has flooded Manhattan before. And he is Prince of Atlantis, and Atlanteans are responsible again.

Stan likes to add dialogue to appease censors. Here, Dorma claims no lives were lost. But a city of millions was just flooded. I am very skeptical of that claim.

“But, not even a prince of the blood can possess patience without limit,” claims the narrator. Namor’s patience certainly has a limit, as he loses his temper constantly, often over trivialities.

Namor tips the military to the location of Krang and Dorma. But they still want to trap Namor, and use the captured Atlanteans as bait. Unfortunately Krang’s formula that had let them breathe surface air is running out, and they may suffocate if Namor doesn’t rescue them soon.

This hunt for Krang and Dorma has dominated the last 6 issues, with occasional pauses to deal with Iron Man or the Secret Empire. It should wrap up next issue.

When we left Hulk, a missile was heading for Manhattan. I presume that was resolved before the flooding happened.

Rating: ★★½, 47/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆

Characters:

• Namor
• Krang
• Dorma

Story notes:

• Namor still searching for Krang and Dorma in Manhattan, angry at Dorma for betraying him. Krang still thinks Namor is dead.
• Krang floods Manhattan.
• Namor seeks to help but is blamed for the calamity.
• Dorma claims no lives have been lost.
• Namor attempts to contact Vashti and Atlantean scientists with radio, but it doesn’t work.
• Dorma and Krang overhear from fireman that Namor is alive.
• Namor contacts Air Force about Krang’s ship and a submarine destroys it
• Radio crew sends high voltage shock to Namor.
• Army captures Dorma and Krang based on Namor’s tip.
• Namor’s “accomplices” brought to Columbus Circle, where military trap for Namor waits.
• Krang’s formula is wearing off and he and Dorma are struggling to breathe, and they are turning blue again.

Previous	#601	Next
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