The King of Atlantis swims through his own Shakespearean saga of backstabbing and political intrigue in Namor #1.

At the risk of being reductive, Namor #1 —the first chapter of Jason’s Aaron’s “the Last King of Atlantis” arc— essentially places its titular character in the role of Hamlet. (Or, if you wanna be sillier about it, The Lion King.) While imprisoned and cast aside from his home, civil war breaks out in the waters of the world, with seven regents battling it out to assume Namor’s vacant throne. Obviously, Namor is none too pleased to hear this, and seeks to reclaim his title before it’s too late.

Having also delivered a fairly respected and epic run on Thor: God of Thunder, allowing him access to similar themes and character types, Aaron has the chops for this sort of story. Namor #1 is very dense and detailed in its writing, lingering in the high stakes of the events depicted. This narrative is told between two eras of Namor’s life —the current as well as his pre-kingdom childhood— with one purporting to inform the other in ways that will presumably be seen. (Also, this aspect really reminds me of Lion King as previously stated, which I find very amusing.)

Artists Paul Davidson & Alex Lins contribute a lot to the story through their art, trading off between the contrasting time periods. Donaldson’s present is scraggly and grimy, reflecting Namor’s situation in the now, while Lins takes a softer smoother angle befitting that of a young person’s life, even if under intense scrutiny as Namor’s. Color artist Neeraj Menon alternates between each era as needed, which helps them feel of a piece with one another while also distinct. Color art can be such a subtle tool in comic art, and this is a great example of it.

4.99