COMIC BOOKS: Namor: Conquered Shores

May 27—Namor, the Sub-Mariner, finally gets his wish.

The surface world is mostly gone. Its inhabitants mostly lost to the waters that flooded the land years earlier.

But Namor, the king of Atlantis, has always been complicated, complex. He fought the "surface dwellers" and he fought alongside the surface dwellers. He's been hero and villain.

So, as an older being, one who has handed the throne to his cousin, Namor should be pleased that his Atlantis reigns supreme. But again, he's a complicated guy.

Rather than be content with the victory, he explores what's left of the surface, even offers aid to some of the surviving surface dwellers.

This is the premise behind "Namor: The Sub-Mariner: Conquered Shores," a five-part miniseries.

Writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Pasqual Ferry look about a century into the future to a water world where most humans are gone, even fewer super-powered beings survive and Atlanteans are supreme.

While "Conquered Shores" looks to the future, it is in many ways a salute to Marvel Comics' origins. Namor was created before Marvel Comics was called Marvel Comics.

So was Captain America. So was the original Human Torch. They are the foundations of what would become Marvel Comics. All three of these characters are among the surviving super-powered beings in "Conquered Shores."

The storyline includes references to those early comics from the 1940s as well as flashbacks when Namor, Cap, the Human Torch, Bucky and Toro fought as the super-team of The Invaders against the Nazis during World War II.

And while "Conquered Shores" is a mini-series, there is enough of an open-ending where the storyline could be visited again in the future.