Marvel Masterworks: Sub-Mariner, Vol. 1

Rating:
Summary: Probably the only really good Sub-Mariner stories
Review: This is truly the good stuff from the Silver-Age. By the time Sub-Mariner got his own comic, the stories had degraded to mush. But this collection of stories is a very good read. The opening plotline of Sub-Mariner's "quest" for the Trident of Neptune is the best of the bunch. Sub-Mariner was not this good in the 1940s and John Byrne's version in the 1990s was not this good. If only Marvel would issue the Incredible Hulk in a Masterworks Edition featuring the Tales to Astonish stories. What a bargain the kids of the 1960s got with Tales to Astonish! This is a must buy in the Masterworks collection.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Marvel Masterworks
Review: WOW! I love this book! Back in the early seventies I came across a giant Sub-Mariner special which featured the first issues of Prince Namor from Tales to Astonish. I was in awe of Gene Colan's (Adam Austin) art. Buying this Marvel Masterworks edition reminded me how much of an influence it was on my own work. Stan Lee's stories are full of grandeur and excitement. Prince Namor, The Sub-Mariner wasn't an easy character to like but once you got use to his regal manner you were hooked into his under seas adventures. Jack Kirby and Bill Everett (Namor's creator) show up later in the series on art chores. However it's Gene Colan's amazing rendition of life under water that makes this strip work as well as it did. I seem to recall that Gene wasn't very fond of the work he did on Namor. The book suffers only in it's reproduction. The film negatives used seem very thin and fail to capture Vince Colletta's finer ink lines. The coloring, though great, is too harsh on the glossy stock Marvel seems insistent on using. A matte surface would really do justice to the work. For those of you who missed out on these tales, buy this book. Stan Lee's revival of Prince Namor is legendary.