Customer Reviews

Essential Sub-Mariner, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

FINALLY! I've awaited this volume literally for years since it was announced then held back. At first they were going to run it straight through to SUB-MARINER 12, and I wish they had; now it might well be another long wait for Vol. 2. *MARVEL, PLEASE CONTINUE to produce Essential Subby!* The only reprints ever of the title series were from 1979's TALES TO ASTONISH (the 2nd volume), when you got to collect SUB-MARINER 1-14 -- each with one or two pages cut!! Horrendous days they were... Okay, so here we get a great Wally Wood DAREDEVIL, a long run of Gene Colan (the Colletta inks reproduce adequately, not scintillatingly), a few Kirbys, a fine Dan Adkins run, and a healthy dose of Bill Everett, Namor's Golden Age creator, as artist and sometimes also writer. Roy Thomas is the writer by the end, developing the Destiny storyline that'll be resolved much later in the series. Oh yeah, SUB-MARINER 1 has the regal John Buscema art (depicted on the cover, but interior art too); AND: sandwiched between ASTONISH 101 and the aforementioned debut we also get the legendary, ornery one-shot IRON MAN & SUB-MARINER #1, by Gene and Archie Goodwin, which serves as part 2 of the last tale (no, you don't get the Iron Man 10-pager). This book also has good back-matter bonuses, original pin-ups where they belong, and retains the page #s of each ish. And most importantly, you won't find yourself squinting into the gutter to read the words or gander at the art. Speaking of which, I take off one star because the great Gene Colan's art on this title never came across well for me, and for the usual inconsistencies of Stan's staff-shuffling back then. SUB-MARINER ran through #72, so THREE MORE SUBBY ESSENTIALS, Marvel! Please?

Much like The Silver Surfer or Doctor Strange, Namor's a pivotal & enduring character who since his debut was just too way ahead of his time. So at long last Marvel's first mutant & brooding warlord of the seas get's the essential treatment in all it's black & white glory. These vintage tales from Marvel's early era appropriately sculpted new life & aesthetics into what would eventually become legend & the standard for the Marvel universe. Long before any of the countless crisis' or secret invasions, Marvel's silver age was a very special place to be. This first volume in Namor's post "golden age" era showcases the ambitious & extraordinary talents of Roy Thomas, Gene Colan, Stan Lee, Wally Wood, Bill Everett, Marie Severin, & John Buscema.

This set of Sun Mariner tales contain some of Gentleman Gene's best artwork. His human figures are a joy, expressive faces and great POV camera angles makes these very decently written stories come alive

The stories are the usual mix melodrama, angst and adventure the usual inconsistencies, and repetitiveness of the stories that seems to be in large part from a much of the run being the shorter half-issue format, as the comic at the time was split between two characters. I take off stars because the great Gene Colan's art being destroyed by horrible inking by Vince Colletta, and don't reproduce very well. But the reproduction here in the Essential edition is slightly better than it was in the Masterworks edition.

I want to start off by saying that I liked the 90s series of the Sub-Mariner with John Byrne writing the stories. His comics managed to stay interesting and the Sub-Mariner despite acting rash at times was still a very likable character. That series alone piqued my interest for this Essential. That being said, these stories are simply way too dull and oftentimes repeat themselves over and over with the Sub-Mariner acting like a total jerk. However, I had some enjoyment from viewing these comics at a historical viewpoint, and it was fun to see the rare occasions when the Sub-Mariner interacted with other major characters of the Marvel Universe. The stories that center around Atlantis are just an endless cycle of boredom. How many times do we have to read Dorma and Vashti plead for Namor not to act like an idiot (and sometimes vice versa)?