14 Days to Christmas
Sub-Mariner #46
by Gil Kane
Cover Date February 1972
There were actually quite a few Gil Kane covers with Namor to choose from. Not only did he did he do an epic cover run on Subby's own title after Sal Buscema left to the end of the series, including some covers during Everett's run that "Wild Bill" inked, but Kane also did a bunch of Invaders and Defenders covers, as well as some Super Villain Team Up covers. IIRC, Kane really admired Everett, and I suppose, his signature creation, Namor -- or Kane just did a HUGE amount of Bronze Age covers.
IOW, I was torn on which one to pick. So, I went with a cover that immediately reminded me of the high tragedy within. Yes, this was the peak of Gerry Conway angst, where he'd put poor Namor through the meat grinder, and tore everything away from the Prince. It was a heart breaking read, but especially for kid me.
Kane was a master of the dynamic superhero anatomy. You could see every muscle in their exaggerated poses. He didn't have a variety of body types or faces, and he did have a few stock poses -- but every cover was polished and perfect. Even when he was saddled with a heavy inker, or a Romita Sr. alteration, his style still shone through boldly.