Customer Reviews

Marvel Masterworks: The Sub-Mariner, Vol. 1

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

 

 

I love old comics, and the older submariner tales from the golden age were great and often more fantasy than the solid more grounded in a universe of characters approach. It's hard to imagine how much of a creative explosion that stan lee and the rest of the marvel crew were behind in the sixties. The sub-mariner isn't a really easy character to write for either. That being said the first 40 or so issues of this series were great stuff. The sub-mariner remains the arrogant but somehow decent character that you can still enjoy and not hate! It was wonderful to be able to read these stories and to enjoy the great artwork inside. Painted comics are fine; but I really wish that they'd put out some old style four color comics like these again too, but on good paper too. The art of Gene Colan really shines in this volume , the man is a incredible fluid artist and is highly underrated! For a added bonus you get two Jack Kirby drawn stories that are maybe more rushed than some of his work of the day; but a rushed kirby job still is a fantastic piece of work! And we even get a Bill Everett drawn story! Not to mention the great Wally Wood's Daredevil number 7 reprint. The masterworks series can really bring out how good the artwork is too because it's not on cheap old comic book paper. And Wood's art is just so ecclectic and wonderful by any standards. Another artist also lays down a decent story too , jerry G, These artists are all gone now : but not the great work they left us. And lets face it comics are a great artform in themselves; that are as good as ever to enjoy and admire.

This is truly the good stuff from the Silver-Age. By the time Sub-Mariner got his own comic, the stories had degraded to mush. But this collection of stories is a very good read. The opening plotline of Sub-Mariner's "quest" for the Trident of Neptune is the best of the bunch. Sub-Mariner was not this good in the 1940s and John Byrne's version in the 1990s was not this good. If only Marvel would issue the Incredible Hulk in a Masterworks Edition featuring the Tales to Astonish stories. What a bargain the kids of the 1960s got with Tales to Astonish! This is a must buy in the Masterworks collection.

I am glad Marvel is publishing paperback versions of their Masterpiece collections... this book is great and does present the best of the Sub-Mariner storys. I love watching the progression of Gene Colons work (under several different inkers) and the Jack Kirby drawn tales. Love the paper and coloring as well... thank you Marvel.

This book reprints the first 18 stories from the Sub-Mariner series in Tales To Astonish, plus Namor's appearance in Daredevil #7 which directly lead into the series. One missing story that should be here is the Iron Man story from Tales Of Suspense #80, which is the first part of a two part Sub-Mariner vs Iron Man battle that concluded in Tales To Astonish #82. Most of the book is taken up by an extended serial, complete with cliffhangers, where Krang takes over Atlantis and Namor fights to get his throne back. Very good Silver Age comics in a high quality hardcover book with good paper.

As much as I admire Stan Lee's work on the early X-men and Daredevil comics, I have to say I don't think he was a good fit for Sub-Mariner. Lee's strong points were always his wonderfully quirky witticisms, which are conspicuously absent in Namor's constantly serious mood.

That said, the single issue where Namor meets Daredevil is pure genius. In addition, though in the back of my mind my old Latin professor is shaking his head, after a few issues you find that Stan's nearly random exclamations of "Imperius Rex!" start to grow on you.

All in all, a decent, if not impressive, read for Silver Age comic fans.

the sub-mariner .... what makes him so unique is that he is a man of honnor, whether he is a hero or a villain, when he's a villain , he's not a lowly bank robber , he's world conquering, but very respectful of his foes , but nevertheless fights them with honor,he's like the hero but sometimes the anti-hero, he's just a very unique individual, Bill Everett and Stan Lee did a fantastic job in creating and writing the character highly recommended , most high IMPERIUS REX!!!!!!!