LEST AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT: NAMOR AND SUE A LA MORRISON (#3 in a Series)

[alschroeder3]

Third in a series, looking at the recently deceased Namor the Sub-Mariner. The other two are here and here.

Namor had many relationships. His most enduring one during the Golden Age was with policewoman Betty Dean, blessedly normal, brave, a champion swimmer and able to talk Namor out of his sometimes murderous rages, a Jane Foster to his noble princely ways. Betty was the normal human touchstone which let us relate to this sub-sea prince.

But his great love during the early Silver/Marvel age was Sue Storm, before she married Reed Richards...

And sometimes...after.

From Marvel Knights, Fantastic Four, "1234", 2001. Doom has a plan, using his robot, the Prime Mover, and several FF foes, to mousetrap all the Fantastic Four. Story by Grant Morrison, art by Jae Lee.

It's hard to see Namor as a seductive figure, with his odd eyebrows, his pointed ears. But here Sue enumerates what is attractive about him. Royal. Proud. A bad boy in swim trunks.

One thing I love about this story, is that when Sue is invisible, you can't see her. You only know she's there by what she moves or disturbs. It sounds like that would make her more negligible--but anyone remember the old Invisible Man movies, the CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED version of the Invisible Man, the Invisible Man in LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN? If Griffin had been outlined into dotted silhouettes, the way Sue traditionally was, he would have been much less impressive. When it comes to invisibility, less is more.

You can't experience invisibility by seeing her. In this story, Sue was truly invisible when she wanted to be. It allowed her to surprise Doom AND the reader later in the story.

Of course, it makes no sense for her to be invisible while having dinner with Alicia, who can't see, but it's still a great scene.

That's the Mole Man sneaking behind Alicia. He's going to make her his blind queen far underground.

Somehow, Sue, I don't think he cares if you're married or not...

Later Namor tries to talk Sue into joining him...forever.

"Love is the name we use to prettify a savage genetic imperative"...now THERE'S a unique pick-up line.

Especially after Namor has just defeated the Torch (Johnny Storm, not Jim Hammond) and delivered him to the Mole Man.

Later, Mole Man tries to make Alicia think she's ugly--so ugly that only a monster like the Thing could love her...and tries to convince her to blind Johnny. Sue and Namor show up, and Namor is repulsed at being allied with such a whining self-pitying figure as the Mole Man...that Doom equated Moley's kingdom with his own, that Doom felt the two of them were on the same level.

Why is that oddly...romantic?

Doom had used Namor and the Atlantean navy to bring a giant Doombot to fight Reed. The Thing is no more, just an age-regressed Ben Grimm who's lost a limb. Johnny's feeling useless...and Sue? She's turning to Namor...for help, not comfort.

Morrison's final take on their relationship?

Still loyal to Reed, and still drawn to Namor.

Next: Sue and Namor a la Claremont.

Comments

[bradygirl_12]

I love Invisible Sue dining with Alicia! :)

So Sue can calm the Storm in Namor? Nice play on words there, Sea Prince! :)

[alschroeder3]

But can Namor calm the Storm in Sue?

[cricharddavies]

There was a similar thing in the New Fantastic Four story (the one where Spidey, Logan, the Hulk and Ghost Rider form a team). De'lila, a Skrull, adopted various guises to seduce the members of the FF before settling on Sue's guise, and she used Namor's appearance on Sue.