Namor the Sub-Mariner Appreciation 2020

[Electricmastro]

What a great splash page that is.

Yeah, I know the third was technically an act, but I felt like sharing it nonetheless since it looked cool. Buckler drew Namor well even though he apparently swiped a lot from Kirby.

[Thor-El]

From the Timely Comics Facebook Group:
Sketch – an unpublished splash page sketch probably by Carl Pfeufer intended for the Sub-Mariner Comics #6, summer 1942 (first option).

[Reviresco]

From the Timely Comics Facebook Group:
Sketch – an unpublished splash page sketch probably by Carl Pfeufer intended for the Sub-Mariner Comics #6, summer 1942 (first option).

This has to be the oldest prelim / thumbnail I've seen! If it is Pfeufer, it's thankfully before he starting giving Namor the space alien look. I always find prelims interesting, because they give an insight into the artist's choices and thinking, as well as show an energy that may not be in the polished, finished product.

This one is seems to favor Namor punching some Nazis as the most important thing -- entirely appropriate for the era ... and the character. LOL!

[Reviresco]

The Invaders are a close second for me, but unquestionably, The Defenders. They just suit Namor's "I'm not part of your surface-dweller's system" vibe.

Attachment 96390

That is so true! The whole non-team thing, but banding together to save the world is totally like Namor.

Defenders also is one of my favorites, because I was actually reading and collecting the book when it was coming out. I always had a problem with Frank Robbins art, so I didn't follow Invaders like I did the Defenders.

As for the team of the week, I'm all for another SVTU. But next would be Invaders since they go back to WWII days

Of course, SVTU! ;p

It has been way too long.

[Reviresco]

Jae Lee is my favourite Namor artist doing my favourite Namor run.
Attachment 96395

This is a very underappreciated run, IMO. The dark fantasy storyline by Harras was perfectly illustrated by Jae Lee. It's one of my favorite storylines for Namor.

Jae Lee has such a memorable style but it has changed over the years though. He later revisted the character of Namor in the mini series Fantastic Four 1234


This is one of my favorite Namor moments, when he is repelled by the fact that Doom views Namor to be on par with the Mole Man.








The only thing I didn't like was Morrison revisiting the Namor / Sue pairing.

I didn't care for the Namor / Sue stuff being dragged up again, but it's definitely one of the hottest versions of that pairing ... or any other. Plus, I don't think this was in continuity, and Morrison seemed to be going for an iconic snapshot of the essence of the FF, closer to the beginning of their existence, and that definitely includes Namor and Sue.

And yes! That scene with Moleman ... it's arrogant Namor to a tee!

Jae Lee's art has definitely evolved over the decades. But I think it's always been visually interesting and different from most comic artists. Even when he was doing EXTREME 90s stuff, it was different from everyone else's.

The Dr Doom he drew for the Namor was most impressive!

[Reviresco]

Thinking about the Morrison FF 1234, makes me wonder if we could have ever gotten a Morrison Namor book?

He clearly had an interest in the character at one time. He had considered making Namor a teacher or headmaster at Xavier's school -- though I can't remember if that was his idea or his editor. And he created / wrote Marvel Boy, which is basically an update on Namor. Perhaps he had said all he wanted to on the character with that?

[K7P5V]

This is a very underappreciated run, IMO. The dark fantasy storyline by Harras was perfectly illustrated by Jae Lee. It's one of my favorite storylines for Namor.

Agreed. Jae Lee's artwork from the '90s will always be a favorite. IMHO, dark fantasy was right up his alley:

I didn't care for the Namor / Sue stuff being dragged up again, but it's definitely one of the hottest versions of that pairing ... or any other. Plus, I don't think this was in continuity, and Morrison seemed to be going for an iconic snapshot of the essence of the FF, closer to the beginning of their existence, and that definitely includes Namor and Sue.

And yes! That scene with Moleman ... it's arrogant Namor to a tee!

Jae Lee's art has definitely evolved over the decades. But I think it's always been visually interesting and different from most comic artists. Even when he was doing EXTREME 90s stuff, it was different from everyone else's.

The Dr Doom he drew for the Namor was most impressive!

This would be my favorite version of Jae Lee's Doom:

[ImperiusWrecked]

I've been a bit busy and I almost forgot to post this here. The_Shaun_Mariner on Instagram is doing Namor for the month of Mermay #maymor He's posted a few arts already. Link

Thinking about the Morrison FF 1234, makes me wonder if we could have ever gotten a Morrison Namor book?

He clearly had an interest in the character at one time. He had considered making Namor a teacher or headmaster at Xavier's school -- though I can't remember if that was his idea or his editor. And he created / wrote Marvel Boy, which is basically an update on Namor. Perhaps he had said all he wanted to on the character with that?

Hmmm Not really a fan of Morrison and was even less of a fan when I read about his intent to have understones that Sue and Johnny wanted to be in an inc*stous relationship in 1234 and how he used Namor as a stand in for Johnny. Like it just feels to me that he doesn't understand Namor's character at all if he thinks Johnny and Namor are in any way similar or that they are a linked pair. I love Jae Lee's art alot though.

I've worked out this whole Freudian ****. The incest thing in The Fantastic Four. What you've got is a family. There's Reed and Sue, the Mom and Dad. Johnny's the big brother and Ben's the little crazy baby. But in that situation you've got Johnny and Sue -- brother and sister! So there's an incest thing that the Fantastic Four hides.

I looked at it and said, okay, Sue actually wants to **** Johnny and Johnny wants to **** Sue. So how do you do that? They make Namor, the Sub-Mariner who is always a linked pair with Johnny. The Human Torch and the Sub Mariner have always been together since the '40s. Namor is the dark, seedy, watery, wet, dirty side of it. And Johnny's bright, mercurial. So he doesn't **** his sister -- but Namor does.

[Iron Maiden]

Agreed. Jae Lee's artwork from the '90s will always be a favorite. IMHO, dark fantasy was right up his alley:






This would be my favorite version of Jae Lee's Doom:

Mine too....and I like to see Namor in that regalia again. Good design IMO. I have that arc from the Namor series and IMO the storytelling by Byrne was top notch. I like how he wrote the fight between Namor and Doom, who really should know better than to try and go one on one in the sea with Namor. And you don't get many sea faring tales with Doom. I just wish they wouldn't go to the amnesia subplot so much with Namor. Didn't he have it like 2 or 3 times, 2 for sure anyway. His return to comics in FF #4 and this arc.

[ImperiusWrecked]

Mine too....and I like to see Namor in that regalia again. Good design IMO. I have that arc from the Namor series and IMO the storytelling by Byrne was top notch. I like how he wrote the fight between Namor and Doom, who really should know better than to try and go one on one in the sea with Namor. And you don't get many sea faring tales with Doom. I just wish they wouldn't go to the amnesia subplot so much with Namor. Didn't he have it like 2 or 3 times, 2 for sure anyway. His return to comics in FF #4 and this arc.

Namor's had amnesia more times than that, lmao. I should make a count of how many times. I love this era, and I wish we could have gotten more of Jae Lee's Doom. I think if I ever got a Jae Lee Super Villain Team Up I would spontaneously combust with excitement. Love the Harras/Lee run so much. I at first wasn't a fan of that version of Namor but the more comics I read over the years the more I see how unique that run was. I wish Marvel would go more dark fantasy with Namor, I really would love for there to be a plot where Doom uses his time machine and he and Namor have to go back to the time just before the Fall of Atlantis for some reason in a buddy time travel road trip. Maybe they would witness the The Great Cataclysm.

[Devaishwarya]

Mine three. Jae's Doom was SAF!!!
I'm not ashamed to admit it but...I only started to read many other characters/books (Marvel and non-Marvel) because of Jae Lee. If Lee was illustrating then I was definitely buying.
Although, I started reading Namor because of Byrne. I loved his appearance in Byrne's classic Alpha Flight so it was an easy sell.

[Doombot]

Welp, looks like I'm in the minority, which isn't unusual for me on this board lol, but I was never a fan of Jae Lee's 90's work. I especially did not like the 90's Namor work and thought the design of the "Sacred Armor of Atlantis" was easily among the worst designed costumes from the 90s. I always felt Jae Lee's "edgy" artwork was partially developed as a way to hide his weak abilities to draw figures and faces as well as those horribly sparse and ill defined backgrounds/environments. All that being said, he has developed greatly over the years and is now a master at his own unique style which I enjoy a lot. This very much reminds me of Mike Mignola, who has admitted his style originated (with heavy stylized black inking) as a way of hiding his weaknesses as an artist, only to eventually develop into a comic art master.

[Phoenixx9]

Imagine Namor and other WW II HEROES on this 75th V-E day. There would be a ceremony where they get medals, ribbons and the like. They could meet some of the old, still surviving heroes of the war.

[Iron Maiden]

Thinking about the Morrison FF 1234, makes me wonder if we could have ever gotten a Morrison Namor book?

He clearly had an interest in the character at one time. He had considered making Namor a teacher or headmaster at Xavier's school -- though I can't remember if that was his idea or his editor. And he created / wrote Marvel Boy, which is basically an update on Namor. Perhaps he had said all he wanted to on the character with that?

I don't know that there were ideas being kicked around about adding Namor in his X-Men run. And I forgot about his Marvel Boy series. That was pretty good too. Didn't he end up being locked away in the same extreme maximum security holding facility with Clyde Wyncham aka the Master of Doom? I thought these two were linked somehow, even if Wyncham was spawned from Millar's 1985 mini series.

One thing about Morrison is that he is extremely loyal to DC after all these years. I'd like to see him tackle a Marvel project some day and Namor might be a good one for him.

[Iron Maiden]

Namor's had amnesia more times than that, lmao. I should make a count of how many times. I love this era, and I wish we could have gotten more of Jae Lee's Doom. I think if I ever got a Jae Lee Super Villain Team Up I would spontaneously combust with excitement. Love the Harras/Lee run so much. I at first wasn't a fan of that version of Namor but the more comics I read over the years the more I see how unique that run was. I wish Marvel would go more dark fantasy with Namor, I really would love for there to be a plot where Doom uses his time machine and he and Namor have to go back to the time just before the Fall of Atlantis for some reason in a buddy time travel road trip. Maybe they would witness the The Great Cataclysm.

Jae Lee on a SVTU title with the O2 of Doom & Namor would be something I'd buy in a heartbeat. I keep hoping that Namor will have a guest shot in Cantwell's Doom series. Going by his Doom/Kang team up, it could be filled with a lot quirky humor in the way they interact with each other