Lookit that, it's November 1972's SUB-MARINER #55, written and drawn by Namor creator and comics legend Bill Everett! I grabbed a digital copy after seeing @DarrellEpp describe it as Everett's masterpiece, and it's pretty wall-to-wall excellent. A thread:
20th century cousin-crushes aside, it's worth noting that Namor doesn't actually face the camera until page 4. But you don't really notice it - his design is iconic from all angles, like the Human Torch or the Silver Surfer. Even from behind, who else would he be?
Breaking up is hard to do. It's cool that Everett includes this shot of the crew on the imperiled ship, making sure there's a human element to a page that's all long shots otherwise- particularly important since the crew's lives are what the drama of the story revolves around
The MOST iconic Namor expression, and our first front-facing close up. Everett's original recipe Sub-Mariner is obviously my favorite version - a super buff Slytherin with a noble heart, when he remembers he has one.
The way Everett gives this murky texture to the underwater scenes is really impressive... I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the way he did this is by quickly scratching a razor blade across the finished inks. The CAJONES. That's the confidence of 30+ years experience for ya.
