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comicavalcade · 10 months

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Submariner Summer 23

Hey hey everyone its time for #SubmarinerSummer read through, part 23. Diving into Tales to Astonish #90: To Be Beaten By BYRRAH! The cover paints quite the tableau, too. Byrrah, a Golden Age rival of Namor, now makes his Silver Age debut to bedevil our sea prince once more.

On the Title page, we are quickly reintroduced to him just as his long-laid plans to destroy Namor are ready to begin. The fiend! Truly an appropriate antagonist for issues with art by Bill Everett, and I'm sure that's no coincidence. Also dig those Forbush water ballets! 🤭

Fair warning, I'm likely to get a little ranty since this ish leans on a key element of Namor lore that deserves highlighting. Case in point: racism. Namor has faced it his whole life from other Atlanteans, including and perhaps especially from other royal Atlanteans

Being mixed-race has been a challenge he's had to struggle with; his arrogance, insisting on his own worth and excellence, is a *response* to that struggle. He'll show them who's a "mongrel" "half-breed"; and of course, his physical power has been his avenue to that validation.

Of course its no easier for him on the surface; he doesn't even pass for *human*, let alone white (he's typically described as looking asian, traditionally, if he's described in human terms). He is absolutely always an outsider there. So why is Namor so angry all the time? Lol. Rofl. LMAO, even. Why *wouldn't* he be?

ANYWAY, back to Byrrah, blond racist of Atlantis. He's been biding his time, using his aristocratic influence building up trust and influence with people and connections that will help him take control for his own selfish gain

Now he sees his chance, and starts a full public relations campaign, painting himself as peace-loving and Namor as a warmonger, as well as a "freak" who's just dumb and strong because again, metaphorical racism. And it seems to work well as people start to call for a plebiscite

Of course, he's pulling this little Game of Thrones move while Namor is away. Luckily, Lord Vashti comes to let him know. Namor doesn't believe it could work, but Vashti disavows him of that, so Namor returns to Atlantis to try and counter Byrrah.

Byrrah had planned for just that, and takes the opportunity to demand a royal challenge for Namor calling him a coward. This seems counterintuitive, since Namor is more powerful, so Dorma is suspicious, as is Vashti, but Namor is Namor, and Byrrah knows him well...so its on!

Incidentally, this is like the third trial by combat we've seen; seems pretty ingrained in Atlantean culture. Makes for exciting stories of course, but also lends context to Namor solving things by insisting on fighting about it since he sees himself as embodiment of his culture.

At any rate, it doesn't take long for Byrrah to start using loopholes to gain an advantage on Namor. Namor has advatages of his own, of course, but Byrrah was two steps ahead, and doses Namor with a strength-draining chemical applied via saw-fish. Ah yes, oldest trick in the book, saw-fish injection

Now weakened, Namor is unable to take down Byrrah, who takes the offensive and delivers the knock-out blow on Namor. Imperius Rex?

Namor is devastated, of course. But not because of his loss so much as that the people have turned against him and cheer his enemy. Dorma and Vashti try to comfort him, but Namor is worried that all his enemies will now team-up, dooming Atlantis and then the rest of the world!

Call me crazy, but I like the internal Atlantean politics stories, bringing back the racism against Namor that would pop up in the Golden Age and will pop up in future stories, delivered by a Golden Age adversary that's fun to dislike as a low schemer in Byrrah.

The art really works for the story too, Everett hasn't lost a step. The man knows Atlantis, and he adds in little details that remind me of the Golden Age Atlanteans/"submariners", which is cool to see if you've read Namor's oldest stories.

But, our cliffhanger left Namor at this low point, and NEXT we'll see what happens in the reign of Prince Byrrah of Atlantis in Tales To Astonish 91: Outside The Gates Waits Death!

#submariner summer #submariner #namor the sub mariner #namor #namor the first #namor of atlantis #byrrah of atlantis #lord byrrah #byrrah #lady dorma #dorma #lord vashti #vashti #trial by combat #to be beaten by byrrah #tales to astonish #marvel comics #marvel #silver age comics

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comicavalcade · 10 months

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Submariner Summer 22

Alright all doing this #SubmarinerSummer read through part 22 with Tales to Astonish #89: The Prince And The Power!

Hulk vs. the Stranger on the cover. In part 2 of this throwback tale by Lee and Everett, our Title page shows the alien robot Attuma tells to conquer Atlantis. Imperius Rex!

The 'bot easily bursts in and starts causing destruction. Lord Vashti cautions Namor on the danger it poses; Namor heeds and orders an evacuation but is determined to stop the robot himself.

Namor orders his palace guard to be pulled back since their weapons have no effect, and tells Vashti to guard Dorma. Then he dashes into action to defend his people, their fate in his hands: "Namor now strikes for Atlantis!" He then uses his speed to avoid the robot's deadly attacks...

...but his own attack is as fruitless as the rest. So he decides to play for time, giving his people the chance to get to safety by talking to fish.

Well, sure, sharks, but that's still fish.

So the sharks delay the robot, while Attuma taunts from outside; then Dorma appears!

Clearly her presence gives Namor an idea, and he sends her for a special camera from the imperial chamber. Meanwhile, Namor continues to try and delay the robot as best he can, this time by trying to pull a Jonah on it, but the robot proves too strong for the whale

With that plan gone awry and Dorma returning, Namor switches to octopi game. First fish, then mammals, now mollusks. Namor's going all out! Still it ultimately it comes down to just him and his strength, but the robot really seems invulnerable, when suddenly...a wild dome appears!

The dome picks up the robot and takes it away; on the surface, we see that the aliens who'd dropped the robot in the first place came back to retrieve it, told of its presence there by the camera projection Namor had Dorma carry out. Namor had assumed the robot's true owners would come looking for it since it couldn't really be Attuma's.

His plan foiled, Attuma flees. Now its Namor's turn to taunt, telling him that Atlantis will never fall to him as long as Namor is there to defend it. Imperius Rex!

So our quick stand-alone two-parter ends, the status quo restored and Namor showing he can out-smart and outmaneuver as well as out fight another member of his rogues. The art is classic and has some cool use of sea creatures. But speaking of Namor's rogues, what happens when the rogue comes all the way from the Golden Age? Well, we're about to find out!

NEXT time, we'll catch up with one of Namor's Golden Age rivals, as another royal Atlantean seeks the throne! That's right, its none other than Namor's cousin and step-son of Emperor Thakorr, Byrrah of Atlantis, in Tales to Astonish #90: To Be Beaten By BYRRAH!

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