Sub-Mariner Comics #33

The Origin of the Sub-Mariner

Explorers are sailing along the oceans of the Antarctic to salvage the ruins of a sunken ship. However they find that ship itself has been looted of all it's valuables, the only thing found on board being a knife that surprisingly had not rusted. The captain sends down his men Carley and Nelson in diving gear to explore the ship some more. Down below they are shocked to encounter the Sub-Mariner, as he is swimming through the ship looking for his lost knife.

Thinking the men are robots, the Sub-Mariner attacks cutting their oxygen lines and killing the two men before fleeing the scene. Above the water, realizing what happened the captain sends down another man to investigate but only finds the two dead divers.

In nearby Atlantis, the Sub-Mariner meets with his grandfather the Holy One and his mother Princess Fen to tell them about the "robots" he encountered. However, Fen points out that they were not robots but surface men and tells Namor of his half-human half-Atlantean heritage. She explains that many years ago an exploration ship sailed over their kingdom and used charges to blast through the ice, unknowingly causing damage to Atlantis below.

The Holy One sent Fen up to the surface to investigate, and she boarded the ship. There she was discovered and brought to the captain of the ship, Leonard McKenzie. McKenzie took personal care over Fen, teaching her how to speak English and the two eventually fell in love and were married aboard the vessel. At night however, Fen returned to Atlantis to report to her father. When the explorers were planning on returning back to America, Fen tried to stall for time until her people could get revenge. However this never came to be and on the night the American explorers blasted themselves free of the ice and headed home, Fen dived overboard leaving Leonard to believe that she had died. Months later she gave birth to Namor and they determined that due to his mixed heritage he was stronger than the others and able to breath both on land and in the water.

With the story told, Fen tells her son that he is to be the enemy of the surface men and sends him out into the world to get revenge for his people.

Recurring Characters

• Sub-Mariner

• Holy One

• Princess Fen

• Leonard McKenzie

Continuity Notes

• This story is a retelling of Namor’s origins from Marvel Comics #1. The only difference here is that when Princess Fen tells Namor about his mixed heritage it is accompanied by a flashback whereas in the original story there was no flashback sequence. The events depicted in the flashback are on par with most tellings of Fen and Leonard McKenzie’s pairing. It differs from the previous story told in Sub-Mariner Comics #31.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

In New York Harbor sits a number of decommissioned ships that were used in World War II that have been moth balled. One night the guard on duty has troubles staying awake and falls asleep at his post. Just then there is a massive explosion and one of the ships sinks. The explosion is felt by the Sub-Mariner who is passing by and goes to investigate, saving the guard before he can drown in the water. Learning that the sinking ship was caused by an explosion, Namor dives back into the water to investigate.

In the waters he comes across a communist sub and attacks it. The sub tries to retaliate by firing a torpedo at him. Namor however is faster moving and manages to redirect the torpedo back at the enemy sub, destroying it. Returning to shore he tells military officials that they don't have to worry about anymore attacks.

Recurring Characters

• Sub-Mariner

The Flying Saucer Invasion

Chief Wilson is ushering out another apparent crank case, named Mr. Mantis who has come with a dossier about supposed UFO activity just as the Human Torch, Toro and his daughter Betty arrive. Wilson explains to the Torch that the crackpot claims that the "Flying Saucer" attraction at the local carnival are real. Intrigued, Betty suggests that they go and check it out. They go and see the exhibit with it's mechanical aliens and everyone believes it to be nothing but a hoax until suddenly the flying saucer takes off and flies into the air.

Curious, the Torch and Toro flame on and fly after it. As they land on the alien ship a doorway opens and the aliens inside grab the Torch and Toro in their tentacles. Pulled inside the ship their flames are extinguished with a strange green ray. When they come to they find themselves in a cell controlled by green rays and the aliens reveal that they also have Betty as their prisoner. Realizing that they are now immune to the green rays, the two heroes flame on and destroy their alien kidnappers, realizing that they are really machines. The duo free Betty and get her to safety and then destroy an entire flee of alien ships.

Returning to Chief Wilson's office they find that Mr. Mantis is back once more spouting his tales of aliens and flying saucers. He suddenly reveals that he was part of a plan to test out their rays as part of an invasion of Earth. However they found that the weapons only worked while humans were in a state of fear. With mission a failure and his people doomed to extinction Mr. Mantis suddenly pulls out a gun and shoots himself in the head, revealing that he was a robotic constructs just like the Martians they found aboard the ships.

Recurring Characters

• Human Torch

• Toro

• Chief John Wilson

• Betty Wilson

Continuity Notes

• Although the aliens in this story are identified as Martians, they are probably not from Mars. Martian was a colloquial term for an alien from outer space at the time this story was written. This is evident by the fact that the Human Torch does not associate these aliens with the ones he met back in Marvel Mystery Comics #2 that specifically identified that they were from Mars (they were probably lying also, but whatever)

King Crocodile

With reports of a giant crocodile, dubbed King Crocodile, found in the jungles of Brazil, the Sub-Mariner and Betty Dean decide to go an investigate the situation. They book a ship to Brazil and tag along with Betty's reporter friend Tony Parker who is ecstatic to get a photo of King Crocodile for his newspaper. Also interested in finding the beast is a hunter named Jonah who seeks to hunt and kill the beast.

Jonah finds the beats first and it attacks his guides when he tries to shoot it. However, the beast suddenly stops it's attack when a woman calls for it's return, puzzling Jonah. Elsewhere, the Sub-Mariner and Betty have gotten a boat to take them to the location of King Crocodile but the pilots refuse to go the entire way as they fear King Crocodile. Undaunted, the pair take a canoe to make it the rest of the way up.

When they are attacked by regular sized crocodiles, Betty is saved from the crocs by King Crocodile himself. Jonah and his men catch up with the beat and explain their intention to kill it. Unwilling to let Jonah succeed in his mission, the Sub-Mariner defends King Crocodile and the gigantic crock eats Jonah. Suddenly a girl comes out of the jungle, horrified that King Crocodile killed somebody. Betty recognizes the girl as Sherry Carle daughter of a famous zoologist and calms her by telling the girl that King Crocodile acted in self defense. Sherry explains that her father was shot and killed by Jonah while they were out searching for King Crocodile. She then explains that she got lost in the jungle and found the giant reptile and found it to be quite friendly and since been trying to protect it.

Knowing that the King would not be safe as long as he was in the wild, Namor and Betty arrange to help Sherry have the giant reptile transported the Tropical Reptile Gardens in Florida.

Recurring Characters

• Sub-Mariner

• Betty Dean