Marvel Mystery Comics #82

Marvel Mystery Comics #82 (1947)
written by unknown
pencils by Ken Bald
cover by Bob Powell

Because it’s about to become relevant in the anniversary retrospective, let’s jump ahead a few years for the introduction of a new Sub-Mariner.

It’s 1947, so even a superstrong woman has to be depicted as the damsel in distress on the teaser page.

We begin with some criminals scheming to attack Atlantis. I assume they’re led by a Neanderthal.

They’re doing this because Namor is busy elsewhere. I see that the tradition of Atlantis being invaded five minutes after he’s left goes waaaaay back.

Namora has the same origin of Namor, but the races of the parents are reversed: her father is Atlantean while her mother is human (the opposite of Namor’s).

Another long tradition: Atlantis having terrible security.

Not exactly a first fight for the ages, Namora.

Once Namor shows up, she’s basically crying on every single panel.
Wait, how the heck is she crying like that UNDERWATER???

Namor being her cousin will be introduced later. Either that or he really, REALLY doesn’t pay attention at family reunions.

Technically speaking Namora is not her name.
But I guess “Aquaria Nautica Neptunia” would’ve been too long for the cover.

One of the names used by the criminals was “Stoop”, which conveniently is such a rare nickname that Namor is easily able to find out who it is.

Aawww, look at Namor being so immersed in human culture to recognize slang! Kind of makes you forget he declared war on humans.

“We should separate, for no reason at all”.
Seriously: it’s a plot point later, but WHY???

They follow a lead to the casino where the criminals are playing.
Namor, why are you pretending to be a swashbuckling adventurer? You’re strong enough to lift a whale and YOU CAN FLY!!!

What do you mean by “lady fish”, she looks like a regular woman with a silly hat!
But notice she has the same tiny ankle wings Namor has; they’re not always easily visible.

Namora continues to be an embarrassment, but Namor isn’t much better.
What are your future Defenders teammates going to think, Namor?

Yep. Told you, the 40s can’t help themselves.

Namor gets back at the kidnappers with radio. Got to admit, I did not expect THAT.

The message is not really for them, it’s for Namora.

That’s of course a callback to the moment when they got separated.
Man does she have a weird face in this art style!!!

Oh so NOW you remember you’re super-strong?

But… you came out of the ocean like a minute before you got yourself kidnapped… how does THAT work???

Namora needs a new home now that her father is dead (why exactly?), so Namor sets her up with his love interest.

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Historical significance: 7/10
This would’ve been very low until a few years back, but Namora has had an unbelievable resurge of popularity.

Silver Age-ness: 6/10
No seriously, how DID she get kidnapped that easily?

Does it stand the test of time? 2/10
Its naivete has some charm, like a sort of fairy tale. But it’s hard to take Namora seriously as a hero when she’s this incompetent.

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How close is this to the modern character? 4/10
Basically nothing of the original version remains other than the blonde hair: she has a different outfit, a VERY different personality, and a WAY more effective power set.
She’s basically turned into an exact replica with Namor with slightly better anger management.
But how DID she get to the modern era?

Bill Everett integrated her into the Namor series, where she gets a new design. From now on, her costumes are typically blue.

But she doesn’t lose the habit of being kidnapped.
(in her defense, Namor is also kidnapped in the same story)

She even gets a couple of covers. Sub-Mariner #28 is probably her best Golden Age image, and Sub-Mariner #29 even includes her on the title.

Sub-Mariner Comics #39 is the one to establish they are cousins, in a story set in Namor’s past.
Which I guess also retcons her name being Namora from the start, although later stories still use “Aquaria Nautica Neptunia” as her birth name.

She even receives her own series in 1948, although it only lasts 3 issues.
That’s STILL her longest-running solo career: she has a one-issue special in 2010.

Following the end of the Golden Age, her existence wouldn’t be acknowledged until a 1971 cameo on Sub-Mariner #33.
Do I even have to tell you that it’s written by Roy Thomas?

Sub-Mariner #50 introduced her daughter Namorita, who will get her dedicated review right after this one.
And in Sub-Mariner #51, Namorita is the one narrating the fate of her mother: she was murdered by Llyra, the Namor villain who is ALSO responsible for killing Dorma. 

With Namorita growing into a recurring character on the Namor series first and later in the New Warriors, for the longest time it looked like Namora would stay dead.
She even skipped showing up on the Invaders!!!

The seeds for her return were planted on What If? #9 from 1978, of all places, in a story that created the 1950s Avengers.

Obviously that story is not canon, but it was well-remembered enough to be referenced several times. And most importantly, to become the basis of the 2006 “Agents of Atlas” series.
That’s when she was resurrected: Llyra’s poison didn’t really kill her, just freeze her.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Namorita had been killed off in 2006 during Civil War.
And since Agents of Atlas proved to be reasonably popular, Namora got to stay around and interacting with the rest of the Marvel Universe.
Including having a thing with Hercules, because why not?

I’m still disappointed they let Namorita stay dead (kind of: more on that in her review), because I really liked her as a character and she died in a stupid way… but Namora is alright.

She’s basically Namor with less baggage and a different type of sex appeal, and sometimes you just need a superstrong badass who gets things done.