NAMOR Vol.2 #1, Marvel Comics, June 2003
Marvel Comics' strategy when it comes to 25¢ issues is to make them part of a normal run. Sometimes, it's a number #316, sometimes it's a #1, but either way, they're designed to be free jumping-on points (I pity the stores that want their 8¢ profit so badly, they actually charge the quarter) that hook you into the series.
Such is the 2003 Namor series' premiere issue (the first of 12). This was a beautifully drawn oceanic extravaganza taking us back to Namor's youth. In fact, most of the comic takes place in the 20s and stars a buck naked baby Sub-Mariner.
He meets a girl his age you just know he's destined to romance and can't wait til he grows up. I really like the Kid-Mariner (despite his lack of costume), but sometimes, writer Andi Watson puts words like "Cool!" into his mouth which suit neither the character, nor the 1920s.
Be that as it may, the real star of the show is the Salvador Larroca's detailed, lyrical artwork. His rendering of Atlantis (in the Pacific Northwest, rather than the usual Atlantic) looks like a coral reef:
As a fan of the Blue Planet documentary series, I loved the moment where Namor wants to join a tuna fish feeding frenzy. The whole thing makes you believe that Atlantis has a culture and that it lives and breathes in a realistic environment. Beautiful stuff. By the time you get to Namor's teen years, he's wearing a thong and has that brooding attitude we're used to. Well, he's not that dark, but then his cousin Bobo (I'm not making that up) gets eaten by a shark.
So did the 25¢ hook reel me in? 'Fraid not. Back then, I was only buying trade paperbacks, not the "rags". I wouldn't be adverse to getting it in TPB form, mind you. So while there is natural temptation to give the comic the Jumped the Shark rating, neither Bobo nor the comic did.
Marvel Comics' strategy when it comes to 25¢ issues is to make them part of a normal run. Sometimes, it's a number #316, sometimes it's a #1, but either way, they're designed to be free jumping-on points (I pity the stores that want their 8¢ profit so badly, they actually charge the quarter) that hook you into the series.Such is the 2003 Namor series' premiere issue (the first of 12). This was a beautifully drawn oceanic extravaganza taking us back to Namor's youth. In fact, most of the comic takes place in the 20s and stars a buck naked baby Sub-Mariner.
He meets a girl his age you just know he's destined to romance and can't wait til he grows up. I really like the Kid-Mariner (despite his lack of costume), but sometimes, writer Andi Watson puts words like "Cool!" into his mouth which suit neither the character, nor the 1920s.Be that as it may, the real star of the show is the Salvador Larroca's detailed, lyrical artwork. His rendering of Atlantis (in the Pacific Northwest, rather than the usual Atlantic) looks like a coral reef:
As a fan of the Blue Planet documentary series, I loved the moment where Namor wants to join a tuna fish feeding frenzy. The whole thing makes you believe that Atlantis has a culture and that it lives and breathes in a realistic environment. Beautiful stuff. By the time you get to Namor's teen years, he's wearing a thong and has that brooding attitude we're used to. Well, he's not that dark, but then his cousin Bobo (I'm not making that up) gets eaten by a shark.So did the 25¢ hook reel me in? 'Fraid not. Back then, I was only buying trade paperbacks, not the "rags". I wouldn't be adverse to getting it in TPB form, mind you. So while there is natural temptation to give the comic the Jumped the Shark rating, neither Bobo nor the comic did.
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