The following article contains spoilers for Namor: Conquered Shores #1, now on sale from Marvel Comics.
Just in time for the Sub-Mariner's debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel released Namor: Conquered Shores #1 (by Christopher Cantwell and Pasqual Ferry). The creative team put together an excellent opening issue that gives Namor his own post-apocalyptic mythology in the same vein as Old Man Logan and is filled with so many exciting and promising ideas.
Namor: Conquered Shores #1 imagines an alternate future where ecological disaster has swept the surface world, with most of Earth's land submerged by the sea. Atlantis has been thriving in these conditions, transforming into a vast, technologically-advanced society. But on the flip side, humanity is locked in a bitter struggle for survival, lacking supplies and subjected to dire living conditions. Namor is torn between his home in Atlantis and helping what little remains of the human race, raising the question of where his loyalties lie.
Namor is Marvel's Newest 'Old Man Logan'
Cantwell and Ferry's expansive world-building throughout this first issue is particularly impressive. The story spans over several locations, with Namor traveling from the utopian kingdom of Atlantis to an underwater human colony and the ruins of New York. Each scene adds to the comic's rich lore, with Namor encountering older, wearier versions of Steve Rogers and Luke Cage, both clearly struggling under the looming threat of human extinction. Cantwell and Ferry effectively situate Namor within Earth's troubled future, where the impact of environmental catastrophe is being felt everywhere.
Another noticeable strength of this issue is Namor's characterization. Cantwell's writing excellently conveys how his brash personality conceals his vulnerability, troubled by the deteriorating state of the surface world. Ferry's cover depicts the Sub-Mariner in a pose eerily reminiscent of the Thinker statue, and it perfectly sums up this futuristic version of him. Cantwell and Ferry's grizzled Namor is completely weighed down by his thoughts, providing an incredibly fascinating angle for the issue.
The Past and Future Collides in Namor: Conquered Shores
The story does a great job building on Marvel's extensive continuity, as Atlantis' long-running rivalry with the surface world plays a big part in Namor: Conquered Shores #1. This tension re-emerges during the comic's climax, with Luke Cage attacking Namor, angered by the Atlanteans' neglect of humanity in their time of crisis. Luke also alludes to the underwater kingdom's invasion of New York during the Atlantis Attacks crossover, showing that he's not willing to let go of the past.
Namor's comic book history is the driving force of this issue, with its tantalizing cliffhanger featuring the return of the original Human Torch. In essence, Namor: Conquered Shores #1 offers a whole new spin on the Sub-Mariner, finding himself at the center of a world-threatening environmental crisis. With such a strong set-up, it will be interesting to see what Earth's future holds for the rest of the series.