Issue(s): Super-Villain Team-Up #9
Cover Date: Dec 76
Title: "Pawns of Attuma!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Jim Shooter - Penciler
Sal Trapani - Inker

Review/plot:
The Avengers, loosely mind-controlled by Attuma's slave collars, show up at Hydrobase to fight Namor, only to find Dr. Doom instead. He wipes the floor with them and makes them cry, for he is Doom.

Tamara and the Hydrobase amphibians help Doom when they hear the Avengers say that they are there to fight Namor.

Meanwhile Namor and Shroud, caught by the fake Doom at the circus, find out that "Doom" is really Prince Rudolfo.

Rudolfo gives Namor a vial of the antidote that Doom created to cure Namor's inability to breathe out of water.

Shroud decides to stay and help Rudolfo fight his rebellion against Doom's army, but Namor wants nothing to do with that. As he's leaving the country, he runs into some Russian fighter pilots, who, after a little altercation, warn him that Attuma is running amok again. Namor heads to Hydrobase, despite the fact that he will die out of water without the next dose of Doom's serum.

Beast shows up at the Whizzer's hospital room and recruits Whizzer and Wonder Man to come with him to fight Attuma.

The red-skinned alien Tamara that has been hanging out with Namorita briefly wonders if the Vision, who has red skin like her, is one of her people.

This issue keeps referring to Namorita as Namor's sister, not his cousin. She even calls him "my big brother". I guess they're so close they feel more like brother and sister than cousins.

Stiffly written and stiffly drawn by yet another new creative team. Jim Shooter's art isn't terrible, but there are a lot of awkward moments, especially in the action scenes.

Adding the scene that William refers to below. This happens before the Avengers attack and Tamara and Namorita go back to siding with Namor against them.

The shadowy figure looks like the Red Skull, who we know has also employed a spy to investigate Doom's kingdom, per this scene:

The Red Skull will be revealed as the "orbiter" next issue, after the crossover with the Avengers continues in Avengers #155-156.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Part of a cross-over with the Avengers; takes place between Avengers #154 and #155

References:

• Prince Rudolfo's first attempt at overthrowing Doom was depicted in Astonishing Tales #1-3.
  
• When the Avengers show up to fight him, Doom claims immunity due to the non-aggression pact he signed with the US in Super-Villain Team-Up #6.
  
• Tamara's race was destroyed in Sub-Mariner #56.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Shooter might have developed as an artist. It's better than Mark Gruenwald's art, I'll say that. (Gruenwald's Hulk issue was too poster-like, IMO.) Still, it's probably best he stuck to writing/editing.

Who was the shadowy "Client" that was on Doom's wrist TV screen?

I've added the scan William refers to above. It might be the Red Skull, who was maybe working multiple angles as part of his takeover of Latveria for next issue, but the MCP doesn't list the Skull as appearing in this issue.

Thank you for adding those scans! Red Skull, that makes sense

Shooter's art isn't horrible. The bigger problem with it is that it's an Avengers team-up, which means Shooter's art comes between George Perez and George Perez, and even early Perez is eons better, so it makes Shooter's pencils look worse. Also, it may be a difference in scans, but the inking seems a lot better on Avengers as well.