Tales to Astonish #98
...To Destroy the Realm Eternal!
Completely unaware that the Plunderer has sought to attack Atlantis, and worse still his people (thinking that he's sided with the notorious pirate) have exiled him from his kingdom, the Sub-Mariner bids farewell to the Swamp People and returns to the ocean. Namor decides to pay final respects to his mother's grave before vowing to get revenge on the surface world for his mother's death. He is suddenly attacked by a Killer Whale and beats it into submission. He then orders the whale to take him back to Atlantis so that he might rally an army to deal with the Plunderer.
The Plunderer and his minions meanwhile have come to attack Atlantis, firing their vibra-rays at the city, decimating portions of it. The Atlanteans fight back, however, their shots bounce off the Plunderer's submarine and explode near a passing US submarine. The captain of the ship believes that they are being attacked by the Atlanteans and orders his men to drop depth charges.
the Sub-Mariner arrives and begins to attack the Plunderer's ship, unaware that he has been exiled from Atlantis. Before he could attack further, both he and the Plunderer's sub are struck by one of the depth charges. This blast causes the Plunderer's sub to spring a leak and in an act of cowardly self-preservation the Plunderer flees in an escape craft. After a clash with the Sub-Mariner, the Plunderer manages to escape and Namor is knocked down into the city below. Spotting a lone boy in danger, Namor saves his life and learns that his people have forsaken him.
Before Namor can go to his people and explain everything the remainder of the depth charges dropped by the US sub smash into the city, causing massive amounts of damage and knocking the ousted prince unconscious. Seeing this as an outright attack from the surface world, the Atlantean army sends a number of vessels off to destroy the sub in an act of war.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner, Lady Dorma, Vashti, Seth, The Plunderer
Continuity Notes
Namor visits the ruins of Atlantis and the grave of his mother. Namor isn't clear on the circumstances of that led to this. As revealed in Sub-Mariner #1 Old Atlantis was ruined by Destiny and his Helmet of Power.
The Puppet and the Power!
Tricked into doing the bidding of the Lords of the Living Lightning, the Hulk attacks the Air Force base. General Ross begins a counter-attack, but not before confining Betty to quarters so that she is not put at risk during the counter-attack against the Hulk.
While the army is otherwise busy dealing with containing the Hulk, the Lords are able to storm the base and take Betty hostage and force General Ross to surrender his base over to them. While at the same time, the Hulk is knocked out by a powerful gas. In order to ensure the continued co-operation from General Ross, the leader of the Lords of Living Lightning shows Ross that they have locked his daughter Betty in the same cell as the Hulk who is just now reviving from the knockout gas.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Betty Ross, General Ross, Major Talbot, Lords of the Living Lightning
