Saturday, October 14, 2006
Comic Art
He is the reigning ass in Marvel comics, he is King of Atlantis, he 
is one of the originating members of The Defenders - He is Namor, the Sub-Mariner. Interestingly, Namor is also the first comic hero that made me go "Yeah...right". He is a half-breed, the product of a mating between an Atlantean and a "surface-dweller" - that such would produce a being capable of breathing in water or air makes perfect sense to me, but where does the super-strength come from? And then there is the matter of those wings! You see them, those little things on his ankles? Don't get me wrong, they are cool looking, but from where did they spring in that bit of genetic manipulation?Then there is the whole question of the physics of flying and the physiology of making them work. How can he have the muscles to operate them and still have
otherwise normal ankles? And how, oh how, are they anything approaching aerodynamic?OK, enough with that rant - it's not like comics are supposed to be real or anything, but even as a child Namor bothered me on this account.
The most remarkable aspect of the character has always been his attitude - he has always been just a little too cool for the room. Some of it is his nature, and some of it is the fact that in his world, he is a king - he forgets that in the "surface world" they don't care much. I have always found that very unappealing, but having said that, I find it fascinating the DC's undersea character (Aquaman) has moved his character in that same direction over the years. Which must mean I am weird in my distaste for the character.
That said, I much prefer the appearance of the Namor character to Aquaman, he just looks cool, in the greek mythology sort of way. I also think he was the perfenct "Defender" - one must remember that the concept behind the Defenders was a team of people that had no business being on a team. Namor is that is spades - he ticks off people that love him, let alone those he just has to work with! I have always loved the fact that he was harder to deal with than The Hulk. That's amazing if you really know these characters.It looks like there is going to be a Namor movie. That's gonna be fascinating. I have to think they will soften him up, or they will play his love triangle with Susan Richards of the FF, but then it would be more a FF sequel than a Namor picture. Anyway, should be fun.
Related Tags: comics, comic books, comic art, Namor, The Defenders
