Namor the Sub-Mariner is getting another mini-series! Hopefully, this one will stick!
NAMOR GETS ANOTHER MINI-SERIES!
Released in July is Namor #1 (of 8), according to the most recent Marvel Comics release! Here’s the description:
War rages beneath the waves, from the lost cities of the Secret Seas to the fathomless depths where the Elder Whales reign. Seven kings, old and new, fight to rule the watery realm. But where is Namor, the once mighty Sub-Mariner? He’s sitting behind bars on the surface, with no intention of ever setting foot in the seas again. So begins an oversized Atlantean event that will forever reshape the landscape of the undersea world while at last laying bare the dark history of Atlantis and its fiercest, most infamous defender. An epic that will redefine the King of the Seas in the manner of Jason Aaron’s PUNISHER series!
The creators will include Jason Aaron (writer) as well as Paul Davidson and Alex Lins (artists). The cover price will be $4.99 and the initial issue will be 40 pages in length. The title/subtitle is “Last King of Atlantis.”
It wasn’t all that long ago that Namor was being scripted by Christopher Cantwell with art by Pasqual Ferry. That five-issue mini-series was called Namor the Sub-Mariner: Conquered Shores. It showed us Namor 100 years in the future in an Earth taken over by the Kree. He ran into Cap and the Torch, among others. I wondered out loud if that incarnation would “take,” perhaps leading into more by that creative team. Apparently, that wasn’t the case since we have another and different storyline coming our way soon.
Namor could stand some success, honestly.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT NAMOR
The last time I talked about the Sub-Mariner was in a column back in late 2022. That was when I talked about Namor at some length, hoping that would be a landmark series for him.
Let’s be real—Namor has been a fundamental character for Marvel (and pre-Marvel) for decades. He was an important part of the Invaders way back in World War II, and though he wasn’t really an ally of the United States, the fact that he considered the Nazis so bad that he would temporarily put aside his differences with the U.S. and the Allies in order to take the ultimate baddies down.
The truth of the matter is that I’m naturally drawn to larger-than-life comics characters. Most of the time, that means I’m enjoying DC heroes and all because they are much more iconic. I mean, Spider-Man is always hiding from his landlord, never paying rent and yet never getting evicted from his apartment. Honestly, that kind of thing is what many of us have to deal with in real life, so getting even more of that in the comics doesn’t appeal to me all that much.
Granted, I have never actually met anyone considered royalty in real life, but Namor acts very much like those people would, in my opinion. He’s used to people bowing before him because he can make life miserable for the people he rules or even worse!
My favorite Marvel heroes are indeed Namor, the Black Knight (if someone can please explain to me exactly what is going on with Dane Whitman these days, I’d appreciate it), Stingray, and a few other D-listers. They have more to prove while having strong powers and all, so I like that!
The other side of the royal coin is Aquaman, particularly in the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Arthur was a huge braggart there, and as a king, I guess he could get away with that.
I’m not sure we really understand royalty all that much, but when you are in charge of the vast majority of the planet, well, that gives you the ability to throw your weight around a lot!
PART OF NAMOR’S PROBLEM IS HIS COSTUME
As much as I am intrigued by Namor, I think a big problem he faces is that he wears different costumes/uniforms. Initially, he seemed to wear red swimming trunks, and that was all! When he reappeared in Marvel decades later, he switched to green trunks. Being an underwater character, I get that he would likely wear less rather than more. When he was a Luthor-esque businessperson, he wore black suits and ties all the time.
The next big change I noticed was his more recent black-and-gold kind of leathery uniform that at least made him seem more like royalty.
The sad thing is that he often alternates between the trunks and the leather outfit, so I’m never quite sure why he’s wearing what he’s wearing!
He’s not as bad as Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp, who had a different and new costume every day of the week, but I’d find it a lot better if he would settle on one outfit and stick with it! Then, in the future, he wore ANOTHER black uniform! Which one is it?
In my last column, I talked about my troubles pronouncing “Sub-Mariner,” so you add the costume switches to it, and it’s decades of confusion for me!
BACK TO BASICS?
Way, way back in Fantastic Four #4, Namor was discovered suffering from amnesia in New York City by the Torch. In the upcoming mini-series, Namor is described as being “behind bars on the surface, with no intention of ever setting foot in the seas again.” In fact, one of the covers for that initial issue shows Namor in a hospital bed, the tar apparently beaten out of him. Where did his ankle wings go in that cover, anyway? Is Mr. Aaron and company returning the Sub-Mariner to his “fantastic” roots?
I never did read Jason Aaron’s Punisher series, so I’m not sure what to expect from this upcoming story. However, as a long-time Namor fan, I’ll be reading what happens, hoping it means good things for the future of the Sub-Mariner!
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