Issue(s): Sub-Mariner #12, Sub-Mariner #13
Cover Date: Apr - May 69
Title: "A world against me!" / Death, Thou Shalt Die!"
Credits:
Roy Thomas - Writer
Marie Severin - Penciler
Marie Severin / Joe Sinnott - Inker

Review/plot:
Namor catches up with Karthon at the Panama Canal...

...but soldiers interfere with their fight and Karthon is able to capture Namor and hypnotize him with some sub-sea pods. At some point it will be revealed that Namor is one of the few people with the willpower strong enough to resist the Purple Man's controlling powers, but he gets mentally controlled fairly often in these issues.

Karthon returns to Lemuria and gives the crown to Naga, who is insane. There's a segment about Naga incorrectly thinking that the crown is restoring his youth, but it isn't important to the plot (which actually makes it a nice touch).

Naga puts Namor through a number of trials before fighting him personally. In the end, after seeing how crazy his boss is, Karthon, who has been portrayed as a noble guy, helps Namor defeat Naga.

After resisting the call of the crown himself, Karthon helps Namor bury it with Naga's corpse (i'm not sure this was the best idea either), and Karthon becomes the leader of the Lemurians.

Quick question: What good are city walls and a spiked gate to an underwater kingdom where anyone can just swim over them?

The difference in art between issues #11 and #12 really demonstrates the importance of a good inker. Severin's inking over her own pencils makes the artwork look rough and sketchy. Sinnott's inking in #12 gives the book a much cleaner look. The artwork still isn't fantastic but it's better.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 4 - conclusion of the original Serpent Crown saga.

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Tales To Astonish #12, Tales To Astonish #13

This plotline really seems like Thomas doing a sword-and-sorcery book disguised as a superhero story. And there's a surprising amount of death and destruction for a code-approved title of the time period.

The title from #13 is a quote from John Donne's sonnet "Death, be not proud".