Namor #1 Review: Aaron’s Sub-Mariner Is Leagues Above the Rest

You know how in comic book movies, every once in a while, it feels like we get an absolutely perfect pairing of character and actor? Robert Downey Jr. and Iron Man are now inseparable. Deadpool is forever Ryan Reynolds. You’ll never bring up Wonder Woman and not talk about Lynda Carter. The actual comic books can be that way as well, at least from the perspective of a character and the writer behind them. The Hulk and Al Ewing are now eternally linked; the modern Captain America doesn’t exist without Ed Brubaker; Thor wouldn’t be Thor without the work of Jason Aaron. And now Aaron looks to pull off that kind of feat once again, this time with the Sub-Mariner.

Namor #1 marks Aaron’s return to Marvel Comics, and the first time he’s handled the former Atlantean king outside the pages of team books. This first issue feels a lot like his first foray with Thor back in 2012, like a creator who was meant for that character at a specific moment in time. Namor is such a tricky character to get right, but Aaron’s take soars from the opening pages, delivering a Sub-Mariner that is both true to the anti-hero we love and revolutionary in ways that we don’t quite understand yet.

Aaron’s take on Namor begins with the Sub-Mariner imprisoned at sea, separated from the water that gives him power, with no intention of going back underneath the surface. He has resigned himself to a life of solitude after realizing that he might have done his people more harm than good. When the prison is attacked, Namor learns the truth of what has happened in the seas since he gave up his throne as King of Atlantis: World War Sea.

That’s literally how the all-out battle for oceanic dominance is referred to in the issue, and the smile on my face could not be contained when those three words appeared on the page. Seven kings have staked a claim for the throne, and the world on land is just waiting for an excuse to hate the water-dwellers. With so much at stake, Namor is challenged to get over himself and realize that, problematic or not, he is the only hope Atlantis has at this point. 

This new Namor series tells the titular character’s story in two different timelines, with Paul Davidson handling the present-day art, while Alex Lins takes over for the flashbacks to Namor’s past. It’s incredible to see these two different artists work so cohesively, even while telling two completely different tales. You can tell the art changes, but the styles don’t clash in any way. They’re fully complimentary, feeling more like one artist setting time periods apart rather than two separate individuals.

When the story goes back in time, the edges get a little less rigid, the colors get a little brighter, and there’s almost a boyish charm to things. You can see just how those flashbacks would fit into the memories of the exact version of adult Namor on the page. I really can’t say enough about how well Davidson and Lins compliment one another throughout this book, taking the entire project to a new level.

Even in the middle of two great art styles, what really sticks out here is Aaron’s pitch-perfect characterization of Namor. Namor is an anti-hero who has no problem taking the low road. He’s also charismatic and wildly likable, but not in the “wink at the camera and flash a sexy grin way that lets you know he’ll always eventually do the right-and-hot thing.” Namor can be a bad guy, but there’s always a noble element to his actions that can’t help but seem endearing. He’s easy to dislike and distrust but impossible not to love. When he speaks, you should be a little mad at him while also saying to yourself, “He’s not wrong and, frankly, I’d run through a brick wall if he asked me to.”

Aaron understands every bit of that rambling nonsense I just spewed at you. He understands it at a deeper level than just about any other writer that has touched the character over the years. It makes sense, given what Aaron did with a character like Loki throughout his Thor run, but it’s still refreshing to see such life and tenacity given to a character that gets the short end of the stick far too often.

The writing of Namor’s inner monologue alone is worth the price of the comic book. 

“I feel my blood become a storm-tossed sea.”

“Every night, I say a prayer to Neptune. I pray… for desiccation. I pray to be a beached whale rotting on a sunbeat shore.”

“Here lies the Last King of Atlantis, who died with his back to the sea.”

I mean, come on. On top of being the perfect level of brooding for a character like Namor, this dialogue is undeniably cool. At the end of the day, superhero comics should make you cheer under your breath and cause involuntary fist-pumps at the end of a good page. Namor had me doing both on a consistent basis.

There’s a lot more going on under the surface of Namor in this series, as Aaron is only just putting all the pieces into place. There’s so much still to come and we don’t yet know where it’s headed. But that’s the beauty of this book. Looking out onto Namor’s horizon fills you with nothing but unbridled joy; not because you’re expecting some grand twists or big character reveals, but because these initial pages did all of the little things right.

This is the Namor we’ve dreaming of and, if Aaron’s history is any indication, this might be the start of a run that redefines the character forever. Strap in and hold on tight.

Published by Marvel Comics

On July 17, 2024

Written by Jason Aaron

Art by Paul Davidson and Alex Lins

Colors by Neeraj Menon

Letters by Joe Caramagna

Cover by Alexander Lozano