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Collecting Namor the Sub-Mariner #1-9, written and illustrated by John Byrne.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #1, Namor has been missing for months and now he is back with a new mission. Where brute force failed in the past, Namor decides to establish Oracle Inc. and fight his enemies with his new corporate might.
I never paticularly cared for Namor as a character, but my opinion changed when I first read this series. This issue makes an attempt to explain why Namor is always flip-flopping between being a hero and a villain. It is all down to his hybrid Human/Atlantean bloodline causing a blood imbalance that will insane if he is out of either environment for too long. A marine biologist and his daughter, Caleb and Carrie Alexander, find Namor on a rampage and help him regain his sanity. Namor then uses sunken treasure to set up Oracle Inc. to fight a battle for ecology.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #2, Namor's corporate enemies aren't happy about the new upstart Oracle Inc., so send the Griffin to take care of him.
In the previous issue, corporate executives Phoebe and Desmond Marrs find out about a mysterious now corporation called Oracle Inc. and set out to find out more about them. Their solution to finding out more is by sending the Griffin to attack them. Of course, Namor is there and tames the Griffin. Namor also brings in his cousin Namorita to help run Oracle Inc. Namor would prefer the world to think that he was dead at this time for some reason. If I remember correctly, he was thought dead after the events of the Atlantis Attacks crossover.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #3, the Marrs twins frame Roxxon for sending the Griffin to kidnap Carrie Alexander and now the corporate bigwigs will see how they like it when Namor unleashes their own monster back upon them.
Namor blows the secret of him not being dead after all when he attacks Roxxon, so I guess that subplot wasn't going to be around for long. Namor will still half-heartedly keep up the pretence for a few more issues, but it isn't long before he drops the idea entirely. The Marrs twins also discover Namor's fondness for the ladies and plot to use that against him in the future. It feels weird to see Namor get involved in corporate shenanigans as that seems to be more Iron Man's sort of thing, but there are still super villains and giant monsters for Namor to fight so I can't complain.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #4, Oracle Inc. is hosting a gala event, but an explosion at sea means that the Avenging Son must fly into action once more.
The Marrs twins hire a radical environmental group called FORCE to sabotage the launch of Oracle Inc's new submarine supertanker. Namor is still pretending that he is dead, so he and Namorita attend the gala in disguise. I love how adorable Namorita looks in her big old spectacles. Namor is wearing a frilled shirt that I find hilarious. Reed and Susan Richards are also in attendance with Tony Stark, so Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman and Iron Man are able to help out when the tanker explodes.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #5, Namor finds himself trapped in the middle of an oil slick caused by the sinking supertanker. Thankfully, Iron Man and part of the Fantastic Four are on hand to help.
Namor finally stops pretending that he is dead in these issues as he gets rid of his disguise to stop the burning tanker. He confronts the leader of FORCE, who ends up blowing herself up to set fire to the oil spill. I don't know how FORCE thought they were going to help protect the environment by causing an oil spill. During Roger Stern's Avenger run, Namor was being sued by various business for all the collateral damage that he had caused in the past, but that dangling thread was seemingly forgotten when Stern was fired from the Avengers. Byrne picks up the thread and we see Namor getting arrested at the end of the issue.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #6, Namorita makes a shocking discovery in the depths of the ocean as Namor faces the media in the aftermath of his arrest.
Most of Namor's legal troubles are handled off-panel as most of this issue is about Namorita being called to investigate a strange mass in the middle of the ocean. Namorita identifies the area as the one where all the rubbish in New York ends up. She is then swallowed up by the mass. Meanwhile, Desmond Marrs manipulates his sister into seducing Namor. I don't know if it is intentional, but there seems to be something a little icky about the relationship between the Marrs twins. Thankfully, nothing explicit is ever made of it.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #7, Namor does battle with the monstrous Sluj as the Marrs twins call in the mysterious Headhunter to plot against him.
Namor discovers that the monster Sluj was created by a pair of scientists that were trying to create artificial life. A madman broke into the lab, scarred one of the scientists with acid and flushed the newly created creature down the toilet. This all turns out to be made up as the creature is actually a clone. Sluj's pollution does end up destroying Namor's ankle wings though.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #8, Namor has little time to adjust to the loss of his wings as the Headhunter finally makes her move against him.
Headhunter had been lurking around the background in past issues. The Marrs twins called on her to help out with an 'inheritance issue' and she is there to collect on the debt. Phoebe Marrs calls on Namor to help when Headhunter takes her brother. I initially thought that Headhunter was a vampire, but it just turns out she is an albino woman that keeps people's heads as corporate trophies. However, that will turn out to not be true as we will find out in the next issue.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #9, Headhunter has another trophy for her collection... the head of Namor. Or does she?
It turns out Headhunter doesn't actually cut off people's heads. She keeps them drugged so she can take valuable business information from them. It is revealed that Headhunter can hypnotise people though. There are a number of subplots running through this issue as well. In the first, Golden Age Human Torch is kidnapped by the Master Man and his goons. In the second subplot, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing find out on TV that Danny Rand is alive (Danny seemingly dies in the last issue of Power Man & Iron Fist).
I have said many times before how John Byrne is one of my favourite comic book creators and this series does little to convince me otherwise. Great writer and art as per usual for Byrne. I can also thank this series for changing my mind about Namor and making me actually like him. I quite like the idea of Namor being a corporate bigwig. At least it keeps him from a creepy stalker around the Invisible Woman. The next story arc involves Namor fighting Nazis and an Invaders reunion with Captain America and the original Human Torch so look forward to reading more about that. Then there is the subplot about Iron Fist mysteriously coming back from the dead. Intriguing!
My rating: 4 stars.
Next time: Young Justice Vol. 2
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #1, Namor has been missing for months and now he is back with a new mission. Where brute force failed in the past, Namor decides to establish Oracle Inc. and fight his enemies with his new corporate might.
I never paticularly cared for Namor as a character, but my opinion changed when I first read this series. This issue makes an attempt to explain why Namor is always flip-flopping between being a hero and a villain. It is all down to his hybrid Human/Atlantean bloodline causing a blood imbalance that will insane if he is out of either environment for too long. A marine biologist and his daughter, Caleb and Carrie Alexander, find Namor on a rampage and help him regain his sanity. Namor then uses sunken treasure to set up Oracle Inc. to fight a battle for ecology.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #2, Namor's corporate enemies aren't happy about the new upstart Oracle Inc., so send the Griffin to take care of him.
In the previous issue, corporate executives Phoebe and Desmond Marrs find out about a mysterious now corporation called Oracle Inc. and set out to find out more about them. Their solution to finding out more is by sending the Griffin to attack them. Of course, Namor is there and tames the Griffin. Namor also brings in his cousin Namorita to help run Oracle Inc. Namor would prefer the world to think that he was dead at this time for some reason. If I remember correctly, he was thought dead after the events of the Atlantis Attacks crossover.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #3, the Marrs twins frame Roxxon for sending the Griffin to kidnap Carrie Alexander and now the corporate bigwigs will see how they like it when Namor unleashes their own monster back upon them.
Namor blows the secret of him not being dead after all when he attacks Roxxon, so I guess that subplot wasn't going to be around for long. Namor will still half-heartedly keep up the pretence for a few more issues, but it isn't long before he drops the idea entirely. The Marrs twins also discover Namor's fondness for the ladies and plot to use that against him in the future. It feels weird to see Namor get involved in corporate shenanigans as that seems to be more Iron Man's sort of thing, but there are still super villains and giant monsters for Namor to fight so I can't complain.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #4, Oracle Inc. is hosting a gala event, but an explosion at sea means that the Avenging Son must fly into action once more.
The Marrs twins hire a radical environmental group called FORCE to sabotage the launch of Oracle Inc's new submarine supertanker. Namor is still pretending that he is dead, so he and Namorita attend the gala in disguise. I love how adorable Namorita looks in her big old spectacles. Namor is wearing a frilled shirt that I find hilarious. Reed and Susan Richards are also in attendance with Tony Stark, so Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman and Iron Man are able to help out when the tanker explodes.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #5, Namor finds himself trapped in the middle of an oil slick caused by the sinking supertanker. Thankfully, Iron Man and part of the Fantastic Four are on hand to help.
Namor finally stops pretending that he is dead in these issues as he gets rid of his disguise to stop the burning tanker. He confronts the leader of FORCE, who ends up blowing herself up to set fire to the oil spill. I don't know how FORCE thought they were going to help protect the environment by causing an oil spill. During Roger Stern's Avenger run, Namor was being sued by various business for all the collateral damage that he had caused in the past, but that dangling thread was seemingly forgotten when Stern was fired from the Avengers. Byrne picks up the thread and we see Namor getting arrested at the end of the issue.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #6, Namorita makes a shocking discovery in the depths of the ocean as Namor faces the media in the aftermath of his arrest.
Most of Namor's legal troubles are handled off-panel as most of this issue is about Namorita being called to investigate a strange mass in the middle of the ocean. Namorita identifies the area as the one where all the rubbish in New York ends up. She is then swallowed up by the mass. Meanwhile, Desmond Marrs manipulates his sister into seducing Namor. I don't know if it is intentional, but there seems to be something a little icky about the relationship between the Marrs twins. Thankfully, nothing explicit is ever made of it.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #7, Namor does battle with the monstrous Sluj as the Marrs twins call in the mysterious Headhunter to plot against him.
Namor discovers that the monster Sluj was created by a pair of scientists that were trying to create artificial life. A madman broke into the lab, scarred one of the scientists with acid and flushed the newly created creature down the toilet. This all turns out to be made up as the creature is actually a clone. Sluj's pollution does end up destroying Namor's ankle wings though.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #8, Namor has little time to adjust to the loss of his wings as the Headhunter finally makes her move against him.
Headhunter had been lurking around the background in past issues. The Marrs twins called on her to help out with an 'inheritance issue' and she is there to collect on the debt. Phoebe Marrs calls on Namor to help when Headhunter takes her brother. I initially thought that Headhunter was a vampire, but it just turns out she is an albino woman that keeps people's heads as corporate trophies. However, that will turn out to not be true as we will find out in the next issue.
In Namor the Sub-Mariner #9, Headhunter has another trophy for her collection... the head of Namor. Or does she?
It turns out Headhunter doesn't actually cut off people's heads. She keeps them drugged so she can take valuable business information from them. It is revealed that Headhunter can hypnotise people though. There are a number of subplots running through this issue as well. In the first, Golden Age Human Torch is kidnapped by the Master Man and his goons. In the second subplot, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing find out on TV that Danny Rand is alive (Danny seemingly dies in the last issue of Power Man & Iron Fist).
I have said many times before how John Byrne is one of my favourite comic book creators and this series does little to convince me otherwise. Great writer and art as per usual for Byrne. I can also thank this series for changing my mind about Namor and making me actually like him. I quite like the idea of Namor being a corporate bigwig. At least it keeps him from a creepy stalker around the Invisible Woman. The next story arc involves Namor fighting Nazis and an Invaders reunion with Captain America and the original Human Torch so look forward to reading more about that. Then there is the subplot about Iron Fist mysteriously coming back from the dead. Intriguing!
My rating: 4 stars.
Next time: Young Justice Vol. 2
Category Story / All
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