Namor: Last King of Atlantis

Namor is in prison, but he’s fine with that.  With Atlantis in ruins and its people in diaspora – largely through his own fault – its former king is willing to resign himself to an above-ground prison with no intent to return to the sea ever again.  Until he learns of the war that has broken out beneath it.  With his former kingdom no longer the center of undersea power, several new factions have risen up to claim it and that makes this a bad time for everyone on the planet.  That is, unless Namor returns and takes up the mantle of king again.  Which is something that’s easier said than done, even if it assumes that’s something he wants to do in the first place.

Writer Jason Aaron is responsible for the title character’s status quo as a result of his “Avengers” run, so it stands to reason that he’s the best person to get him out of it.  You can’t accuse the writer of thinking small for this eight-issue miniseries:  Not only does it seek to refresh Namor’s origin for the present day, but it also aims to add a lot to his undersea world as well.  Namor’s (anti-)hero’s journey is handled well, with quality art from Paul Davidson in the present and Alex Lins in the past, as the character retains his trademark arrogance even as he’s fighting through the shame of his previous actions.  We also get a lot of new characters and cultures added to Marvel’s undersea realm, which is always appreciated.

My biggest problem with reading this, though, is wondering whether or not any of this will matter?  This isn’t to say that Aaron’s plans for Namor and Undersea Marvel (Sub-Marvel?) are wrongheaded, just that I wonder if anyone will be following up on what was done here or if they’ll go in their own direction afterward.  I’d have more confidence if Aaron was able to stick with the character for longer and make a proper go of this new setup, but I imagine his remit was just to get the character into a workable status quo following his stint in prison.  What’s here is enjoyable enough on its own terms, if you’re a fan of the writer, but it’s hard to feel invested when you’re not sure if any of this is actually going to stick.