What do you think?
Rate this book
Essential Sub-Mariner, Vol. 1
Ten years after the last issue of the Golden Age's Sub-Mariner Comics, the Avenging Son finally claimed a monthly feature in Tales to Astonish, the entire run of which is presented here! Namor's on an undersea quest, braving the Seaweed Man, the Demon of the Diamonds, and other oceanic oddities for the power to protect his kingdom from his perennial would-be usurpers: Attuma, Byrrah, and Krang! But even if he reclaims his crown, Puppet Master and the Secret Empire want him as their puppet king! Plus: Namor learns secrets of his past, but does his future lead only to...Destiny? Guest-starring Daredevil, Iron Man, and the Hulk! Collects Daredevil #7, Tales to Astonish #70-101, Tales of Suspense #80, Iron Man & Sub Mariner #1, and Sub-Mariner #1.
- GenresComicsSuperheroesMarvel
512 pages, Paperback
First published May 10, 1968
2 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Stan Lee
7,567 books2,336 followersStan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.
With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 1, 2016
Even though it was 500 pages of silver age comics, I could have read it in less than a week if I were super enjoying it. But it was a slog, and I spent months reading it. It's not bad story and art - some of the best 1960's Marvel (non-Kirby, non-Ditko). But Namor is such a dick that I can only handle a few pages at a time, no matter how pretty those pages may be.
I left it as bathroom reading, and even that didn't help. I kept taking other books into the bathroom and reading them instead.
On a more positive note, I got my money's worth. In modern comics, I would have blown through this 500 pages in a day or two. So that's something.
I left it as bathroom reading, and even that didn't help. I kept taking other books into the bathroom and reading them instead.
On a more positive note, I got my money's worth. In modern comics, I would have blown through this 500 pages in a day or two. So that's something.
December 3, 2010
Reprints Daredevil #7, Tales to Astonish #70-101, Tales of Suspense #80, Iron Man & the Sub-Mariner #1, and Sub-Mariner #1. Namor tries to rule Atlantis while fight the surface world and his past. Namor stories always were a bit more interesting because the writers had to find a balance between villain and hero. Namor isn't really a villain but he attacks the world. The character has a long history and some of the later stories go into Namor's missing years which provides interesting context.
March 14, 2017
This book collects the Sub-mariner's guest appearance in Daredevil #7 and then his half book length stories in Tales to Astonish #70-101 (exception is a full book length crossover with the Hulk in Issue 100), Tales of Suspense #80, and Iron Man and Submariner #1 and the first issue of the Silver Age Submariner comic book.
The book has its weak spots. The Daredevil crossover is odd and it feels like it was included to get the book over 500 pages in length. The villains are probably the biggest one. His villains aren't horrible, but they aren't memorable. Warlord Krang dominates the first half of the book and he's like a character out of Flash Gordon, undersea villains Attuma and Prince Byrrah are serviceable. Then Namor ends up fighting other characters' second tier villains like the Plunderer and the Puppet Master. The most interesting villain and the one who we don't actually fully understand even by the end of the book is "The Man Called Destiny" who claims to have defeated the Sub-mariner before.
What works about this book? To start with, there are the characters. Lady Dorma grows throughout the book. She starts out as a somewhat gullible and fickle female who helps Krang rise to power because of Namor's interest in Sue Storm, but she becomes a strong voice of reason which Namor really needs. I was somewhat annoyed that she seemed to fade from the reader's attention around Issue 95. It's a shame because she's probably one of the best female characters of the Silver Age.
Then there's Namor himself. To be honest, he's not quite as well written as he was during the Golden Age or even the Atlas era during the time he's written by Stan Lee, but he's still a fascinating character. He's a hothead, arrogant, prone to rash acts of violence, and has a chip on his shouler. On the other, he's also a noble character who truly seeks to do the right thing for his Kingdom. He's a warrior but resists ill-timed wars on the Surface World. He remains utterly unpredictable which makes him fun to read.
What I also like about the book is that everything Namor does has an epic nature to it, including his frequent shouts of, "Imperius Rex." It doesn't matter that he's mostly fighting second tier villains. The way he fights them is epic and the art really helps here. There are a variety of artists who work on the book but they all capture the Sub-mariner's fighting style which makes for a very vibrant style.
So, in conclusion, while this isn't the greatest Marvel book of the era, it is actually well-worth reading. It has a noble but unpredictable protagonist, some great art, and a great female lead in Lady Dorma. With all that, why was anyone above the age of 10 reading Aquaman rather than this in the 1960s? 'Nuff Said.
The book has its weak spots. The Daredevil crossover is odd and it feels like it was included to get the book over 500 pages in length. The villains are probably the biggest one. His villains aren't horrible, but they aren't memorable. Warlord Krang dominates the first half of the book and he's like a character out of Flash Gordon, undersea villains Attuma and Prince Byrrah are serviceable. Then Namor ends up fighting other characters' second tier villains like the Plunderer and the Puppet Master. The most interesting villain and the one who we don't actually fully understand even by the end of the book is "The Man Called Destiny" who claims to have defeated the Sub-mariner before.
What works about this book? To start with, there are the characters. Lady Dorma grows throughout the book. She starts out as a somewhat gullible and fickle female who helps Krang rise to power because of Namor's interest in Sue Storm, but she becomes a strong voice of reason which Namor really needs. I was somewhat annoyed that she seemed to fade from the reader's attention around Issue 95. It's a shame because she's probably one of the best female characters of the Silver Age.
Then there's Namor himself. To be honest, he's not quite as well written as he was during the Golden Age or even the Atlas era during the time he's written by Stan Lee, but he's still a fascinating character. He's a hothead, arrogant, prone to rash acts of violence, and has a chip on his shouler. On the other, he's also a noble character who truly seeks to do the right thing for his Kingdom. He's a warrior but resists ill-timed wars on the Surface World. He remains utterly unpredictable which makes him fun to read.
What I also like about the book is that everything Namor does has an epic nature to it, including his frequent shouts of, "Imperius Rex." It doesn't matter that he's mostly fighting second tier villains. The way he fights them is epic and the art really helps here. There are a variety of artists who work on the book but they all capture the Sub-mariner's fighting style which makes for a very vibrant style.
So, in conclusion, while this isn't the greatest Marvel book of the era, it is actually well-worth reading. It has a noble but unpredictable protagonist, some great art, and a great female lead in Lady Dorma. With all that, why was anyone above the age of 10 reading Aquaman rather than this in the 1960s? 'Nuff Said.
September 16, 2025
Stan Lee is verbose as ever, spurring children to read all.the dialogue and adults with cash to afford these comic books to speed read while paying attention to the visuals.
The joy of the golden age of Marvel Comics is that guys like Stan Lee knew that comics were essentially for children, and wrote appropriately. Later authors and artists would move the goal list to teenagers and adults, but Marvel has always been essentially a pulp magazine outlet.
This collection, though printed in the 1969s, has a more 1940s noir aesthetic, typical of the early pre-Jack Kirby pencilling. The comics are fun and a breeze, especially for speed readers (aka skimmers) such as myself...
The joy of the golden age of Marvel Comics is that guys like Stan Lee knew that comics were essentially for children, and wrote appropriately. Later authors and artists would move the goal list to teenagers and adults, but Marvel has always been essentially a pulp magazine outlet.
This collection, though printed in the 1969s, has a more 1940s noir aesthetic, typical of the early pre-Jack Kirby pencilling. The comics are fun and a breeze, especially for speed readers (aka skimmers) such as myself...
February 8, 2015
Namor, the Sub-Mariner, first appeared in Marvel Comics #1 in 1939. The son of Captain Robert McKenzie, an icebreaker commander assigned to the Antarctic area, and Princess Fen of Atlantis, Namor possessed hybrid vigor that made him stronger than any ten humans or Atlanteans, the ability to breathe both water and air, and tiny wings on his ankles that allowed him to fly. (Best not to think about that too hard.) Despite his mixed heritage, Namor considered himself an Atlantean first and foremost.
When surface-dwellers’ actions threatened Atlantis, Namor decided to conquer them to put an end to this. By himself. This didn’t go exactly as planned; while individual surface-dwellers were puny (but often decent people) en masse they were extremely dangerous (and hostile.) After a massive battle with the original Human Torch (one of comics’ first crossovers) Namor chose to concentrate his ire on the most evil surface-dwellers, criminals and Nazis. Thus he became superhero comics’ first successful antihero feature.
After the war, superhero comics were on the wane, and Namor stopped being published in 1949, with a brief revival in 1954-55 that did not pan out.
By 1962. however, superheroes were back in force, and Namor reappeared in Fantastic Four #4, when the new Human Torch found him as an amnesiac derelict in the Bowery district of New York City. Exposure to the Torch’s flame and being dunked in the ocean revived many of Namor’s memories, and the Sub-Mariner swam home to Atlantis, only to find it flattened, supposedly by surface-dweller atomic tests. Incensed, Namor once again became an enemy to air-breathing humanity, battling the Fantastic Four and the Avengers (and accidentally helped bring back Captain America.)
Eventually, it was discovered that most of the Atlanteans were still alive, if scattered, and Prince Namor brought them together to build a new Atlantis. He also met Lady Dorma, who would be his romantic interest for some years. This softened Namor’s approach somewhat, and Marvel decided it was time for the Sub-Mariner to get his own solo feature. Which brings us to the volume at hand.
Essentials are the Marvel counterpart to the DC Showcase volumes I’ve reviewed previously, thick volumes of black and white reprints for a reasonable price.
The storyline begins in Daredevil #7, with Namor trying to resolve his dispute with the surface-dwellers through legal means, randomly selecting the law firm of Nelson & Murdock. Sadly, Namor doesn’t really understand the American legal system and has the patience of a cranky two-year-old, so he’s soon on a rampage that Matt Murdock has to contain as Daredevil.. It’s a severe mismatch, as Daredevil is basically a very acrobatic middleweight boxer and Namor can throw down with the Hulk. It’s a pity this one is in black and white, as it’s the first appearance of DD’s red costume.
We then go to Namor’s solo feature, which took up half of Tales to Astonish while the Hulk had the other half (due to a distribution deal with DC Comics, Marvel could only print so many titles a month, and so many of them were timeshares.) We learn that while Prince Namor was in the Big Apple, Warlord Krang seized power in Atlantis. Namor decides on a dangerous quest to get proof of his right to rule, assisted at points by senior citizen Vashti (who is made vizier in gratitude.)
Namor cannot get a moment’s peace. Even after regaining the throne, he must deal with crisis after crisis. If it is not some surface-dwellers accidentally endangering Atlantis, it’s an Atlantean pretender to rulership who wants to overthrow Namor and sit on the throne himself. There are epic clashes with Iron Man and the Hulk, as well as classic villains Puppet Master and the Plunderer.
In 1968, Marvel Comics finally got its own distribution, and it opened up space for the Sub-Mariner to get a full-length book of his own. As a lead-in, there is a plotline in which Namor is banished from Atlantis, and finally decides to pursue the question of just how he came to be an amnesiac derelict for several years. This turns out to have been the work of a powerful villain calling himself Destiny, who also destroyed the first underwater Atlantis. Destiny temporarily defeats Namor, who then spends the first issue of his own title recapping his origin.
And that’s where we leave off. There are some pages of original artwork, a spare cover from a story that was not printed in this volume because it only had one panel of Namor, and Namor’s Who’s Who entry.
This was the era of bombastic Marvel dialogue, as Stan Lee was writing (to a degree) most of the line’s output. This gives us such gems as “Eternal Atlantis! How my very heart leaps at the sight of its undersea beauty! This is the land I was born to rule, and nothing that lives shall ever rob me of my birthright!” There’s also some great art from the likes of Jack Kirby, Gene Colan and Bill Everett (who designed Namor back in the Golden Age.)
Namor’s greatest weakness is not fire, which weakens his powers and saps his health, but his own overweening pride and hair-trigger temper. Time and again, he leaps to conclusions, or reacts violently to minor slights, which leads to unnecessary battles and mutual distrust with the surface-dwellers. Still, he does not wish to kill unnecessarily, and often goes out of his way to spare or save individuals who may not deserve it.
If you don’t mind a hero who consistently makes boneheaded decisions based on losing his temper, this is great stuff, and classic Marvel action.
When surface-dwellers’ actions threatened Atlantis, Namor decided to conquer them to put an end to this. By himself. This didn’t go exactly as planned; while individual surface-dwellers were puny (but often decent people) en masse they were extremely dangerous (and hostile.) After a massive battle with the original Human Torch (one of comics’ first crossovers) Namor chose to concentrate his ire on the most evil surface-dwellers, criminals and Nazis. Thus he became superhero comics’ first successful antihero feature.
After the war, superhero comics were on the wane, and Namor stopped being published in 1949, with a brief revival in 1954-55 that did not pan out.
By 1962. however, superheroes were back in force, and Namor reappeared in Fantastic Four #4, when the new Human Torch found him as an amnesiac derelict in the Bowery district of New York City. Exposure to the Torch’s flame and being dunked in the ocean revived many of Namor’s memories, and the Sub-Mariner swam home to Atlantis, only to find it flattened, supposedly by surface-dweller atomic tests. Incensed, Namor once again became an enemy to air-breathing humanity, battling the Fantastic Four and the Avengers (and accidentally helped bring back Captain America.)
Eventually, it was discovered that most of the Atlanteans were still alive, if scattered, and Prince Namor brought them together to build a new Atlantis. He also met Lady Dorma, who would be his romantic interest for some years. This softened Namor’s approach somewhat, and Marvel decided it was time for the Sub-Mariner to get his own solo feature. Which brings us to the volume at hand.
Essentials are the Marvel counterpart to the DC Showcase volumes I’ve reviewed previously, thick volumes of black and white reprints for a reasonable price.
The storyline begins in Daredevil #7, with Namor trying to resolve his dispute with the surface-dwellers through legal means, randomly selecting the law firm of Nelson & Murdock. Sadly, Namor doesn’t really understand the American legal system and has the patience of a cranky two-year-old, so he’s soon on a rampage that Matt Murdock has to contain as Daredevil.. It’s a severe mismatch, as Daredevil is basically a very acrobatic middleweight boxer and Namor can throw down with the Hulk. It’s a pity this one is in black and white, as it’s the first appearance of DD’s red costume.
We then go to Namor’s solo feature, which took up half of Tales to Astonish while the Hulk had the other half (due to a distribution deal with DC Comics, Marvel could only print so many titles a month, and so many of them were timeshares.) We learn that while Prince Namor was in the Big Apple, Warlord Krang seized power in Atlantis. Namor decides on a dangerous quest to get proof of his right to rule, assisted at points by senior citizen Vashti (who is made vizier in gratitude.)
Namor cannot get a moment’s peace. Even after regaining the throne, he must deal with crisis after crisis. If it is not some surface-dwellers accidentally endangering Atlantis, it’s an Atlantean pretender to rulership who wants to overthrow Namor and sit on the throne himself. There are epic clashes with Iron Man and the Hulk, as well as classic villains Puppet Master and the Plunderer.
In 1968, Marvel Comics finally got its own distribution, and it opened up space for the Sub-Mariner to get a full-length book of his own. As a lead-in, there is a plotline in which Namor is banished from Atlantis, and finally decides to pursue the question of just how he came to be an amnesiac derelict for several years. This turns out to have been the work of a powerful villain calling himself Destiny, who also destroyed the first underwater Atlantis. Destiny temporarily defeats Namor, who then spends the first issue of his own title recapping his origin.
And that’s where we leave off. There are some pages of original artwork, a spare cover from a story that was not printed in this volume because it only had one panel of Namor, and Namor’s Who’s Who entry.
This was the era of bombastic Marvel dialogue, as Stan Lee was writing (to a degree) most of the line’s output. This gives us such gems as “Eternal Atlantis! How my very heart leaps at the sight of its undersea beauty! This is the land I was born to rule, and nothing that lives shall ever rob me of my birthright!” There’s also some great art from the likes of Jack Kirby, Gene Colan and Bill Everett (who designed Namor back in the Golden Age.)
Namor’s greatest weakness is not fire, which weakens his powers and saps his health, but his own overweening pride and hair-trigger temper. Time and again, he leaps to conclusions, or reacts violently to minor slights, which leads to unnecessary battles and mutual distrust with the surface-dwellers. Still, he does not wish to kill unnecessarily, and often goes out of his way to spare or save individuals who may not deserve it.
If you don’t mind a hero who consistently makes boneheaded decisions based on losing his temper, this is great stuff, and classic Marvel action.
August 30, 2017
The Sub-Mariner has never been one of my favorite Marvel characters, and these issues didn't do anything to change that. But, I do have a soft spot for Silver Age Marvel and I enjoyed seeing Namor being developed.
December 14, 2022
There’s some good art here by Colan, Everett, Adkins, Severin, but no good writing and Namor is a boring, insufferable character. I slogged through this one, and basically skimmed toward the end.
August 31, 2013
Namor il Sub-Mariner è un personaggio che ho sempre trovato interessante: innanzitutto nasce come avversario della specie umana, e come ecologista, già alla fine degli anni '30 del secolo scorso. Una vera e propria anomalia nel panorama del fumetto super-eroistico americano; di carattere iroso e scostante, volubile e facile a cedere al fascino femminile, tremendamente sciovinista ed a tratti anche razzista, riesce a presentarsi bene anche come eroe nel serial personale su Tales to Astonish qui raccolto, e nelle prime storie della sua prima testata personale.
I disegni sono di Colan, Everett ed altri disegnatori, tutti buoni. Le storie sono un poco troppo ripetitive, certamente verbose, tipiche degli anni '60 ed inizi dei '70. Una lettura consigliabile a chi vuole conoscere il perché del successo di un personaggio tanto anomalo.
I disegni sono di Colan, Everett ed altri disegnatori, tutti buoni. Le storie sono un poco troppo ripetitive, certamente verbose, tipiche degli anni '60 ed inizi dei '70. Una lettura consigliabile a chi vuole conoscere il perché del successo di un personaggio tanto anomalo.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews