Nick Peron

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Sub-Mariner Comics #37

Sub-Mariner

The heartland of America is in a crisis as strange fires whip across the mid-western United States, as the fires spread and emergency crew struggle to keep the fires at bay, both coasts of the United States are jammed with refugees. Hearing of the crisis, Namor and Namora lead a fleet of Atlantean aero-subs to help put out the fires.

However as the Atlanteans put out the fires a lone man, secretly a communist spy, in the chaos curses Namor for his interference. He then begins trying to convince the victims of the fires that Namor was responsible for the fires. The authorities are soon convinced and Namor is taken prisoner and arrested on the charges of murder and arson and is locked away. However despite Namor being locked up the fires start up. Seeking to free Namor, Namora crashes her aero-sub into the jail to free the Sub-Mariner.

Taking control of the ship, Namor flies up into the sky where he spots his fleet battling it out with fly saucers, the real cause of the fires. One of the flying saucers slips away and heads to the ground to explode and causing a fire. Namor and Namora try to capture it, but the communist spy tries to stop them. He grabs the ship and escapes, Namor grabs the rope as well and tries follows him up into to the ship. There he knocks out the spy and bails out just as the UFO explodes.

With the flames dying out and the flying saucers destroyed the refugees return to their homes while Namor and Namora turn the spy over to the authorities. Namor and Namora then quickly dive into the nearby ocean where the ship Namor was in exploded and crashed. There they uncover the body of the hideous alien piloting the ship and bring it back to the police station. There the communist spy becomes incredibly horrified by the ugly aliens he called the "Unseen", saying that his government made a deal with them to turn capitalist countries into slave states, but that to look upon the creatures meant death the man suddenly dies in Namors arms, leaving a mystery: If seeing the corpse of the Unseen killed the communist how did it not kill them?

Recurring Characters

  • Sub-Mariner

  • Namora

Flashback!

At the agent of 12, Namor's mother Princess Fen agrees to take Namor to see one of the sunken deselects that sank near Atlantis. Fen agrees and takes the boy out to the ship, unaware that Byrrah, jealous of Namor decides to do something about it.

Byrrah attempts to pin both Namor and Fen under a ship mast, but only pins Fen under it. Fearing getting into trouble, Byrrah hides out in one of the ships cabins. Fen tells Namor to help pull her free, but Namor doesn't believe he is strong enough. But surprises even himself when he is able to lift the mast off his mother.

Fen hears someone crying for help, and Namor comes to the aid of Byrrah who found himself trapped. Byrrah confesses what he was up to and Namor decides to let it go, figuring that he has learned his lesson and the three return home.

Recurring Characters

  • Sub-Mariner

  • Princess Fen

  • Byrrah

Continuity Notes

  • The events of this story are revisited and expanded upon in Saga of the Sub-Mariner #2.

Double Trouble

The docks of New York are rocked by exploding ships and soon the city itself is attacked by what appears to be Namor. Horrified that her friend has reverted to his old ways, Betty Dean goes to Namor's dock side hideout and confronts him. The Sub-Mariner has no clue what Betty is talking about and realizing that somebody is posing as him vows to get to the bottom of things. Betty doesn't believe him and when she returns home she is captured by Namor's double.

The impostor takes Betty to the docks and ties her up, as the impostor leaves the real Namor spots him and chases after his doppelganger. Namor fails to stop it from sabotaging more ships but follows it back to where it has kept Betty Dean. There Namor easily defeats his opponent and frees Betty. When Betty asks who the impostor is, Namor pull's it's head off revealing it to be nothing more than a robot.

Suspecting who is responsible, Namor sends Betty to clear his name to the authorities while he confronts the man responsible. In Atlantis, Byrrah is furious that his Namor robot failed to frame his hated foe and smashes his equipment before Namor arrives. When the Sub-Mariner returns to Atlantis he attacks Byrrah for attempting to frame him. Byrrah denies framing Namor and invites him to look in room. Namor searches Byrrah's chambers and finds no trace of the equipment used to control the robot and decides to let the issue drop without any proof that Byrrah was involved.

Recurring Characters

  • Sub-Mariner

  • Betty Dean

  • Byrrah