By Namor Betrayed!

 

I had every reason to expect good things from What If #41 from October of 1983 (which happened to hit the stands around my 26th birthday), given that its premise was to take a different approach to the interference of Paul Destine (the man known as Destiny) in the Sub-Mariner's life, and the man's role in the destruction of the realm of Atlantis where Namor's mother (Princess Fen) and grandfather (Emperor Thakorr) met their deaths.

And yet, I was left disappointed on several fronts after reading this forty-page tale, a story which held promise but for much of its content lacked depth (so to speak). Written by Alan Zelenetz (whom you Conan readers may be familiar with), its artists (Marc Silvestri and Mel Candido) turn in pages that provide Zelenetz with ample opportunity to give this story weight and bring its characters to life; instead, you may find that these characters mostly play to type and offer little to compel any investment on the reader's part. For argument's sake, however, there's very little meaningful characterization to draw on at this particular point in time in regard to the Atlanteans, and to Namor, beyond what we were given in Golden Age stories (barring any development provided to Namor in his time with the Invaders). That's not meant to offer an excuse for the bare-bones presentation offered by Zelenetz... nor imply an effort made to provide the story with some measure of authenticity, which admittedly would be a stretch on my part.

Irregardless, we're left to read these characters as presented. Namor here is much like he was in his reappearance in 1962--quick to pass judgment, seeing things only in black and white, a royal Atlantean at his grandfather's beck and call; Byrrah, deceptive and manipulative with an eye on the throne; Krang, ambitious and as much of an opportunist as Byrrah; and the Atlanteans, a fickle people prone to fall in line and believe whatever well-spun lies are delivered to them in a desperate hour. Descriptions which make the grand two-page introduction of Atlantis itself appear to be a facade, and ripe for disaster.

First, the attack on Atlantis, as it happened in our reality, followed by Namor's subjugation by Destiny:

...and secondly, the point at which those events deviate to that of an alternate reality, where Namor attacks Destine on sight rather than taking a confrontational approach--allowing Namor to accomplish his mission with dispatch.

Namor's success here would normally be all that any Atlantean could hope for, given that in this reality Destine never went on to destroy Atlantis. In our reality, Thakorr and Fen were killed in Destine's subsequent attack, while Namor was rendered an amnesiac and sent by Destine to America, leaving the despondent Atlanteans to abandon the ruins of their realm; but here, Byrrah seizes the moment, slipping the injured Thakorr a drug which would necessitate Byrrah stepping into his place temporarily. Subsequently, Byrrah wastes no time in selling the Atlanteans a bill of goods that poisons their minds against Namor--and once those seeds are planted, he acts to secure his station by having Fen arrested in relation to a trumped-up charge of treason against Namor, and then forming alliances with Krang as well as Kormok, the realm's high priest.  Namor's devious cousin also has plans for the Sub-Mariner, which require Byrrah to implement the fate for Thakorr which he no longer need delay.

So we can now count Lady Dorma, whom Silvestri omits from this story, among those who have turned against Namor. It's curious that Krang, who prior to Namor's reunion with his lost subjects had been insistent that Dorma and himself would marry, didn't raise any objections to Byrrah's union with her; we can simply assume that he would bide his time in response, since he'd planned along with Kormok to move against Byrrah at some point.

This time, however, with no second, more devastating attack by Destine, it would be Namor who leaves Atlantis to wander the seas. And so a meeting between Namor and the god Neptune (though Namor apparently prefers the Greek name for him) takes place much earlier than witnessed in 1973--yet it's a colorless scene by Zelenetz's hand, serving only to move the plot along and containing little of substance. (But don't tell Neptune I said so.)

Meanwhile, the barbarian warlord, Attuma, has his own interpretation of Atlantean prophecy--specifically, the Atlantean Chronicles, which foretell a day when a conqueror's hordes will seize Atlantis. And with Namor in self-exile and Byrrah considered to be ripe for deposing even by his own warlord and high priest, Attuma strikes--news which receives an immediate rebuff from the former prince when appealed to for help. It isn't until a few days later, when Namor has joined the company of a surface scientific expedition, that the news becomes more dire, and personal--and Namor's stance on helping his people takes a sharp 180.

The collective demeanor of the remnants of the Atlantean warriors will prove to be telling in more ways than one--but regardless, the die is cast for Namor, who now faces Attuma and his remaining forces alone. Yet, with only five pages remaining in this story, it's at this point where Silvestri comes up short in page allotment, in that it seems we're to believe that the entirety of Attuma's armed hordes were gathered within the throne room which Namor brought down upon them. If so, then Silvestri's intent here was presumably to avoid having Namor face a subsequent uphill battle and overwhelming odds by portraying the defeat of Attuma's full complement of armed hordes in a purely symbolic sense; otherwise, even taking into account Namor's might, the outcome would have amounted to slaughter, enchanted trident or no enchanted trident.

And so, in its place, four pages are reserved for the Attuma vs. Namor battle to play out--featuring canned dialog that you or I could probably have supplied.

The story's final page renders Namor's victory bittersweet indeed, and can't help but remind us of the sea-prince's final scene in the above-linked 1963 Fantastic Four Annual--only this time, he is present to hear their words of rejection. Fine sentiment from those who ignored their own unwitting complicity in Byrrah's scheme, embracing mob mentality and betraying Namor without a moment's deliberation--and yet, despite my previous criticisms, a fine moment to give credit where credit is due, with Zelenetz and Silvestri on the same page, as it were.