Episode 1718 Talkback - Spotlight on Namor the Sub-Mariner
Adam_Murdough
Posts: 506
Up from the murky depths of comics history arises this seaworthy Spotlight on the very first Marvel Comics character: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner! Lend your pointed ears to Grand Admiral Chris Eberle and Frigate Lieutenant Adam Murdough as they chart out 80 years of stories starring the Avenging Son: his divided heritage; his turbulent, oft-interrupted reign over the peoples of Atlantis; his key alliances and rivalries; his tempestuous love affairs; and the fine line he has always walked (or swum) between the arbitrary roles of 'hero,' 'villain,' and 'anti-hero.' It's an aquatic anniversary acclamation for Atlantean aficionados of all ages! Imperius Rex!! (3:09:11)
Listen here.
Listen here.
Comments
Namor is a special and enduring character, and I thank you for covering so much of his vast history. However, due to the limitations of your audio format (and no video version of the podcast), I thought I'd contribute a little visual addendum to your coverage.
THE MANY FACES OF NAMOR: Subby's loyalties weren't the only thing to shift over the years. More than any other superhero, the Sub-Mariner's physical appearance has varied so dramatically, has been so consistently INconsistent (or, as we say in the biz, "off-model"), it truly has to be seen to be believed....which is where I come in.
First of all, here's Subby as those of us here in the so-called "modern era" know him. Taken from two of my favorite covers, we've got Namor's green Speedo look alongside the regal dark-blue jumpsuit he often wears. Both looks are consistent in their general look (wrist bands, ankle wings, arrogant body language), yet there is enough variation in his eyebrow arch, hairline and head shape to hint at the eye-popping permutations of earlier times.
In this snippet from his first cover appearance (Marvel Mystery Comics #4, 1940), Namor's facial features and head shape look fairly normal, with his pointed ears and angular eyebrows the only sign of his exotic heritage. Ah...but check out that funky light brown hair...an odd look for a character better known for a steely-black head of hair.
By 1941, Namor's face begins to take on a much more exaggerated, almost elvish appearance, as seen here on the cover of the second issue of All-Winners Comics. Topping it off (literally) is a crop of fiery red hair (must have been from all those fights with the Human Torch)!
Four years later, on the cover of All-Winners Comics #17, Namor's face had become so elongated...so harshly angled, that it looked more like an African Fang Mask than the regal undersea scion we met back in 1939.
Incredibly, like some sort of Golden Age Michael Jackson, Subby's already bizarre face became even more crazy and extreme by 1946. As you can see in these excerpts from All-Winners Comics #19, Namor's head became an eerie, utterly inhuman abstraction.
Forget about his human/Atlantean heritage...by this point, Namor looked like a cross between an alien, Dick Tracy villain Flattop, and Charles Burns' Big Baby character!
Mercifully, the post-WWII collapse of the superhero genre yanked this rather demented version of Namor off stage. After a several year hiatus, the Sub-Mariner briefly resurfaced during the mid 1950's...this time with a much less cartoonish cranium and a major league hatred for Commies.
Following this brief return, Namor once again vanished from the newsstands... and wouldn't return until Stan Lee and Jack Kirby reintroduced him in Fantastic Four #4 (1962). So...with his transition to the more refined Silver Age of comics, Namor's bizarre facial distortions became a thing of the past, right? Eh....not quite.
Oh, and before I wrap things up, I wanted to post an excerpt from FF #9 showing Namor as a Hollywood mogul. Murd mentioned that he'd never seen this story, so BEHOLD! The Avenging Son sporting an ascot and cigarette holder!
Don't forget Jae Lee's 90's version of the Submariner. Mega muscles, and headbanger hairdo.
Re: the pronunciation of Lloyd Jacquet, Murd was spot on. It's pronounced like “jacket”.
I couldn’t find an original page set underwater, but here’s page from that era which makes use of the Craftint Doubletone effect @wildpigcomics brought up (Craftint was the name of the company, Doubletone was the name of the of the chemically treated paper—renamed DuoShade when the company was later sold to Grafix). Everett and other Timely artists like Burgos and Russ Heath would use the technique quite a bit for Marvel’s war and horror comic covers during the 1950s.
Still have more than half the episode to listen to, but great job so far.
While Hickman has been busy writing for the development of the East of West TV series, he has not been completely absent from comics. He’s still been putting out creator-owned work: the previously mentioned East of West series and the great Black Monday Murders series. And, of course, he finished up the long stagnant SHIELD series recently.
McGuinness? Drawing Orka? Here you go, @Adam_Murdough:
I will add that Namora's resurrection came in the AGENTS OF ATLAS series a few years back. A time displaced Namorita also was brought back in the later issues of the Abnet & Lanning run of NOVA. Some might frown on the stunt but I always loved the character and didn't want her to be just a write off character from the beginnings of CIVIL WAR.
I don't think either of the characters have been used since but I could be wrong.