Sub-Mariner #26 : SuperMegaMonkey : chronocomic

1970-06-01 00:05:10
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1970 / Box 5 / Silver Age
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Daredevil #65-66

Issue(s): Sub-Mariner #26
Cover Date: Jun 70
Title: ""Kill!" Cried the Raven!"
Credits:
Roy Thomas - Writer
Sal Buscema - Penciler
Mike Esposito - Inker

Review/plot:
If you want to totally derail an ongoing storyline, there's nothing like having the Red Raven show up.

Last issue had Namor knowing that he needed to act to restore his people's faith in him and to respond to the rejection at the United Nations. But that action turns out to be sneaking into New York again, this time to meet up with Diane Arliss who, along with Dr. Walter Newell (aka Stingray, although he's not in costume this issue), has been studying the aforementioned bird-man. They've only recently discovered him...

...and so presumably this wasn't what was on Namor's mind at the end of the last issue.

Namor has a device from his scientist Ikthon that wakes up the Raven...

...but the guy is a raving loon (no pun intended)...

...and Namor and he wind up in an issue-long fight that ends with the Red Raven discovering that all of his people are actually dead.

During the battle, Diane Arliss is dropped over the ocean and Namor has to rescue her. But since he's trying to keep up with the Raven, he summons and tames a dolphin and leaves her sitting on it for the rest of the issue.

As with the Raven's previous appearance in Uncanny X-Men, a later retcon will say that this isn't the original Golden Age version. This story also goes with the revised origin from that issue, where the Bird People wanted to attack Earth and so the Raven put them in suspended animation because he knew it would be a suicidal attack. This Red Raven dies in flames along with his city in this issue.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

The Red Raven's origin was seen in Red Raven Comics #1 and the revised version was shown in Uncanny X-Men #44.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Inbound References (3): show

Characters Appearing: Diane Arliss, Red Raven II, Stingray, Sub-Mariner

Previous:
Avengers #77 Up:
Main
1970 / Box 5 / Silver Age
Next:
Daredevil #65-66

Comments

Rejected Buscema panels from this issue appeared in Comics Interview #68.

Posted by: Mark Drummond | January 27, 2015 11:20 AM

You'd think Namor wouldn't have to say "whom legends call Red Raven" considering their invaders/Liberty legion time together.

Boy the invaders sure screwed up a lot of old comics.

Posted by: kveto from prague | July 6, 2016 2:17 PM

Mike Esposito was on top of his game inking this issue. Truly a great use of background color combinations.

Posted by: Rocknrollguitarplayer | April 7, 2017 12:59 AM

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