—King Namor the Sub-MarinerThe surface has developed creatures and men with great power! They will attempt to destroy not only Atlantis, but Vodan as well! I will not allow it! We can't allow it!
Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Council of Atlantis (First appearance)
- Atlantean Army
- Machan (First appearance)
- Kataw (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Vodani Army (First appearance)
- King Okun (First appearance; dies)
- The Skrilkrak (First appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Avengers (Mentioned)
- Kallthro's grandfather (Mentioned)
- Defenders of the Deep (Mentioned)
- Luftwaffe (Only in recap)
- U.S. Army (Only in recap)
- Unidentified aliens (Only appearance; death)
- Unidentified killer (Deceased)
- Princess Fen (Mentioned)
- Leonard McKenzie (Mentioned)
- Nazis (Referenced)
- Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd) (Behind the scenes)
Races and Species:
- Atlanteans / Vodani
- Mutant Atlantean-Human Hybrids
- Fish
- Whales
- Turtles
- Sharks
- Comb Jellies (First appearance)
- Unidentified alien species
- Ul'lula'ns
- Humans (Mentioned)
- Giant Squids
- Zenn-Lavians (Behind the scenes)
Locations:
- Prime Marvel Universe (Main story and recap)
- Milky Way (Main story and recap)
- Solar System (Main story and recap)
- Earth (Main story and recap)
- Atlantic Ocean
- Pacific Ocean
- France (Only in recap)
- Earth (Main story and recap)
- Vodan (First appearance)
- Canyons of Sorrow (First appearance)
- Solar System (Main story and recap)
- Milky Way (Main story and recap)
Items:
Vehicles:
- Namor's submarine
- Train (Unnamed) (First full appearance)
- Silver Surfer's Surfboard
Events:
- Avengers World Tour (Mentioned)
- World War II (Only in recap)
Synopsis for 1st story
King Namor struggles to unite the council members of Atlantis in his war against the surface. Namor’s current plan is to recruit the ancient offshoot of the Atlanteans known as the Zodani. No one likes this plan, so Namor strikes off on his own, eventually winding up in Zodan after traversing a dark and twisty tunnel. Once in Zodan, Namor is attacked by the royal family, who are not happy that Namor is there to recruit them. They give Namor one chance to prove himself by killing a dangerous monster. Namor goes with Zodan’s princess and kills the monster, then the king tries to kill Namor since the test was actually just an excuse to murder him. Namor flies the king to the surface to fight, but instead finds that Zodan is actually another planet and the tunnel a portal. The king dies of oxygen loss and falls back down to his horrified daughter, but Namor is saved at the last moment by the Silver Surfer’s surfboard.
Solicit Synopsis
“THE BEST DEFENSE” PART TWO!
• The Monarch of the Oceans has declared war once more on the surface world in the pages of AVENGERS. And if this is a war that Namor means to win, he is going to need allies to stand beside him!
• The Sub-Mariner’s quest for a lost tribe of sea-dwellers carries him further than he ever thought possible—and to a reckoning both strange and wonderful!
• And hey, what’s up with that weird apparition in the sheet, anyway?