SUB-MARINER #48 (1972)
by Gerry Conway & Gene Colan
Second issue of the three-part team-up between Namor and Doom.
Doom has taken both Namor and his friend Cindy Jones to New Orleans, but he doesn’t want to take the girl further because “women only cause us difficulty”. Ouch.
Namor just takes Cindy and flies away, causing Doom to order one of his underlings to follow him.
Namor has taken Cindy to a specific place in New Orleans; she used to live and work here, and it’s highly suggested that it wasn’t exactly a well-respected job.
When they bump into her former pimp, it’s pretty much said out loud that she used to be a prostitute.
Considering that Namor is bulletproof and super-strong, it’s not much of a match…
…but it’s enough of a distraction to allow Doom’s henchman to kidnap Cindy.
The police tries to arrest Namor, but Doom intervenes to stop them.
This is the first time that he’s given the title of Baron, and weirdly enough it’s Doom himself who presents himself as such. That’s not something he typically does… he either calls himself Doctor or King.
Doom is obviously doing this because he wants to force Namor to work with him… because that has worked SO well for him in the past!
Namor doesn’t have much choice: he’s been away from water for too long, so he’s to weak too fight.
Another look at Doom’s awesome jet.
Interestingly, we get a glimpse into Doom’s thought process. Uncharacteristically for him, he criticizes himself for alienating Namor, recognizing that he would react the same if he were in Namor’s shoes. If Namor wore shoes, that is
Also: I love the effect of Doom’s dark reflection on the radar. Nice touch.
Namor explores the seabed to look for the AIM base. He finds it.
This is apparently all according to Doom’s plan.
Doom’s ship is capable of drilling through the ocean floor and into the AIM base. Not surprising since Doom has machines capable of drilling through entire continents.
That’s when one of Doom’s henchmen attempts to rape Cindy… (!!!)
…and gets punished accordingly by Doom himself.
Meanwhile Namor finds MODOK, who is ready for a fight.
Concludes next issue!
Historical significance: 0/10
Pretty much forgettable when it comes to Namor’s history.
Doom significance: 1/10
First mention that Doom’s title is Baron, and even then I’m being generous with that score.
Silver Age-ness: 1/10
Barely above a zero just because of the randomness of Doom’s henchmen going around with jetpacks.
Does it stand the test of time? 9/10
Just like the previous issue, perfectly serviceable. It could get a lower score because the henchmen are way too forgettable, but Doom’s reflections increase it again.
It was a Doombot all along
No indication one way or the other.
Take over the world & Destroy the FF!
You’ll see next issue why Doom wants the Cosmic Cube, but it’s none of those reasons.
Crazy tech
Once again nothing too spectacular… the jet wins for the second time, by default.