Thursday, April 7, 2022

All Hail Attuma--Ruler of Atlantis!

 

One villain whom we can always count on to remain a villain and never be reformed is surely the undersea barbarian known as Attuma, who goes as far back in Marvel history as late 1964 when he made his first appearance in Fantastic Four--and claiming a spot in their rogues gallery as one of their "most famous foes" for his trouble.


I don't know if Attuma would even rate an appearance on the FF's top 10 list of foes, much less as one of their "most famous." Yet he made the rounds often enough over time to cement his status as a viable threat for not only the Sub-Mariner but for other team books such as the Avengers and the Defenders, an aggressor which would add scope to a conflict as well as, it goes without saying, hordes of barbarians for our heroes to somehow fight their way through.



That would also be the case in a 1986 series of stories which pits Attuma against Namor, the Avengers, and Alpha Flight--a two-title/two-team crossover which centers on Marrina, the amphibious member of Alpha Flight whose future, sadly, is a tragic one, especially when taking into account Namor's proposal of marriage to her. For now, however, all we need to know are a few facts going in: Following Namor's second abdication of the throne of Atlantis, a triumvirate of Atlanteans acted to assume control and rule in his stead. But as Namor learns from his cousin, Byrrah, who has approached Namor in earnest while on the surface as a member of the Avengers, Atlantis then erupted in civil war when one of the triumvirate turned against the others--a vulnerability which drew the attention of Attuma, who then tried a different approach to conquering the realm.



Namor's pride and rage are a familiar sight to many of us who have followed his adventures through the years--yet Byrrah proves to be correct, when both lead to near-disaster for him when he arrives in Atlantis to free Marrina only to find that Attuma's propaganda strategy has successfully turned his former subjects against him. And despite his undeniable power when in his element, Namor is left with only one choice.




As Byrrah observes, it's evident that despite Namor's clarion call to his people to join with him in opposing Attuma, he is adamant in his desire to distance himself from the throne of Atlantis, his only concern now being to rescue his lost love.

And so to the Avengers he returns to petition for their aid, while Byrrah seeks out Alpha Flight to join in the effort--developments which will eventually lead to Vashti's prediction of Namor not letting this matter drop, and, consequently, another Attuma cover to add to the barbarian's credentials.




On approach to Atlantis, we find a more orderly and strategic posture on the part of the Avengers--Namor included--than what took place in the previous assault on Atlantis. And while we learn more of Marrina in the process (events which came about thanks to our old friend, the Master of the World), Captain Marvel, who would one day lead the Avengers, has reservations about Namor's motives in this affair.



Nevertheless, it's a united front the Avengers present when they reach Atlantis, where Captain Marvel's scouting mission has allowed the team to circumvent any front line buildup and resistance on the part of defense forces. That's not to say that the tactic will make this battle any less of a struggle against the combined forces and weaponry of Atlantean troops and those of Attuma--but it's provided the Avengers an opportunity to scatter their opposition almost immediately and remain on the offensive.





It seems almost ridiculous that not one of these undersea fighters has realized that targeting the Avengers' helmets and oxygen tanks would cripple them to a man and effectively nullify their offensive (with the exception of Captain Marvel or the Sub-Mariner, though the latter having demonstrated that he has no chance alone)--and equally astonishing that Attuma has not issued orders to that effect, having been alerted to the approach of Namor's "air-breathing friends" in advance. Even if he had chosen to, say, face the Avengers in a might vs. might contest, why would Attuma, a warlord and a barbarian, even think twice about not taking advantage of such a vulnerability?

There are even more helmets to target when Alpha Flight arrives; but Captain Marvel's lightning-quick and devastating strikes continue to prove to be an asset for both teams, leaving Namor and Attuma to eventually face off.





But when his troops come to his rescue, Attuma manages to rally his forces--to no avail, however, as the two teams renew their own assault, giving Namor the chance to make clear to the opposition that this operation isn't at all a coup but rather a rescue mission. Once that point has been driven home, and in light of the fact that Alpha Flight and the Avengers have already seen to that rescue, the hostilities finally come to an end.




Yet the story doesn't end well for either Marrina or Namor--the former acknowledging her monstrous existence and fleeing one and all, while Namor decides to leave the Avengers in order to pursue and help her as best he can. And that he manages to do, in time; but when Marrina undergoes further transformation to a leviathan and begins to cause havoc on and under the sea and lives are threatened, it becomes clear that no one can help her, and Namor is forced to take her life using the Black Knight's sword. To make matters worse, the tragedy unfortunately produces a cascade effect on the Avengers and leads to their eventual demise under the corrupted leadership of Dr. Druid, whose tenure the PPC has profiled in a prior post.


7 comments:

  1. You couldn't face dealing with April '97 then, Comicsfan?
    Fair enough (;

    -sean

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  2. That's an unusual cover for Avengers #154 - normally the floating heads on covers merely observe the unfolding events but on this occasion they are commenting on the action too.

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  3. Now now, sean, you wouldn't want the PPC to be predictable, would you?

    Colin, that is an excellent point--maybe we can just shift their nomenclature to "talking heads" for now, eh? :) (Which reminds me, it's well past time to roll up the sleeves on cranking out a floating heads compilation.)

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  4. Hey, that wasn't a complaint earlier Comicsfan.

    I guess theres nothing quite like the thought that now it could be Marvel '97 here AT ANY TIME to keep your readers on their toes...

    -sean

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  5. Attuma is one of those famous, but not so great villains that I loved merely because of their potential. He should be like an undersea Genghis Khan or Attila the Hun. That's a great concept. But the actual depiction in real comics never came close. So I like him more for what I imagine he should be like than the actual stories he's been in.

    And as great an artist as John Buscema is, Avengers # 272 proved that like so many artists - he just can't draw undersea scenes worth a damn. Other than a few wavy lines to indicate its water, the poses and actions are almost completely identical to what they'd be on the surface. Everyone is STANDING on the ocean floor. We rarely see people actually swimming, and if we do it's more like as if they are flying. And the Atlanteans seem to believe building a WALL will somehow keep people out of their city even though any creature in the sea can just swim over it.

    Now, I'm actually not hard on Big John for this. Almost EVERY artist who has drawn the Sub-Mariner and Atlantis falls into this trap. I can't think of anyone who doesn't although I think a few over the years have done a little bit better (in the back of my mind I think John Byrne did a little better in his Namor run, and I think Wally Wood might have had a few intriguing panels). Hoping someday some artist finally "gets" how underwater scenes need to be shown, and thereby shows everyone else how it's to be done.

    Chris

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  6. I can't help but agree with you on the subject of undersea artistry, Chris; Captain America battling through foes as if he were still dependent on land-based gravity for his moves does border on the absurd. You might be more pleased with the story of the Brethren (which also featured the hordes of Attuma)--the initial tale rendered by Dan Adkins (who even supplies air bubbles, though I'm not sure why Atlanteans would be processing oxygen), with its follow-up drawn by Bill Everett. Even so, Atlantis is still depicted as some sort of massive citadel, with troops advancing or retreating on foot, and the ever-present walls treated as a deterrent that must be breached. (I think I've even spotted stairs within structures from time to time.)

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  7. I have to second Chris on Attuma. As a barbarian nomad sea power, one would think Attuma and his hordes would be a constant threat to the air-breathers. If Namor declares war on the surface world occasionally, I'd imagine Attuma would pillage-attack-loot-punish shoreline cities on a regular basis.

    Or maybe that's been explained away in some comic. I really don't know any continuity with Attuma.

    (It also looks distinctly odd that Attuma is full, fancy plate armour against Namor in nothing but speedos. Who's the barbarian?)

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