I needed a new superhero. I've kinda grown tired of the bat and Tony Stark, so I bought Marvel Essential: The Sub-Mariner. Years ago, I had The Invaders #1 featuring Namor and that was the only acquaintance I had with the undersea dweller. His mythology is all new to me, and so far I'm enjoying this character and his rebel attitude. From Wikipedia:Never fundamentally either a hero or a villain, Namor has protected his kingdom and sought vengeance on the surface world only when he feels his realm is threatened. Although he has served alongside, or even as a member of, superhero teams — most notably the Defenders, a "non-team" in which through mystical means he was forced to ally with Doctor Strange, the Hulk, and the Silver Surfer, the Avengers, and both the World War II and modern-day versions of the Invaders — Namor remains an outsider.Who is your favorite lesser-known superhero?
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26 comments:
How many superheroes did Marvel and DC have under their "banners"?
We never got half the comics you guys had in our youth. We had the usual Hulk, Superman, Spiderman etc, but I've never heard of "Namor the Sub-Mariner".
Do you know how many in total?? If you do, you should have got out more as a boy. LOL!!
David, I wouldn't have a clue to how many. I spent a lot of time outside playing soldier and adventurer.
I was a huge fan of the Hulk, Daredevil, and Batman. Other lesser known favorites were Sgt. Rock and The All-Star Squadron.
Yes, same here. That's something the kids of today don't do enough of. Too easy for them to sit on their backsides playing on their xbox or playstation!
Regards, mate.
You have named two groups--All-Star Squadron and the Invaders--I really love all because of the World War II setting. Original JSA, too. But there's one that I really dug back in the day that, I would suspect, no one knows: Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew. This was a DC Comics title that images animals in various JLA roles. It lasted only 20 issues, and ended with a JLA crossover. Fun, fun stuff.
Also liked Sgt. Rock (still do).
Scott, I believe you are an early odds on favorite to win most forgotten comic. Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! Good lord! I checked and sure enough there is a Wikipedia entry.
Hmmmm...never really was a comic book geek. Kind of skipped that part of my life and went straight to the schlocky t.v. superheroes of the 70's/early 80's (think "Greatest American Hero" or "Isis" or "Shazam")
More of a classic comic strip guy and the only superheroes I would follow now are all of the pseudo strange ones that came out in the 90's.
Powdered Toast Man from "Ren & Stimpy" comes to mind.
I'm sure this comment can easily be passed over as a mere blip in the road of a potential thoughtful conversational topic.
So consider this to be similiar to a slightly off-balanced comment from a weird street person that you simply shake your head at.
My intro to Sub-Mariner was in early issues of Fantastic Four, when he was NOT seen as a superhero, but as a tragic menace to mankind. Only later did I learn of his Golden Age hero roots. In whatever role, he's always an interesting character. WAY more interesting than Aquaman.
You didn't skip anything, G. Maybe you didn't read the comics but THE SECRETS OF ISIS starring JoAnna Cameron was a superhero that I was a big fan of. Same goes for Shazam! that Cameron crossed over on for several episodes. Good shows for young kids.
Evan, Reading Sub-Mariner makes Aquaman even more of a sad and lame character.
Up until a few years ago I would have said Power Man and Iron Fist. They were about as "street" as a kid from a small Maine town could get. It's hard to go wrong when you mix blaxsploitation and kung-fu.
Thankfully they are no longer quite so unknown.
I started reading Daredevil right after Frank Miller took over. Difficult not to get hooked at that point. Sub-Mariner was always an interesting character precisely because I could never figure out if he was a villain or a hero.
Luke Cage Power Man or Spawn.
Dan, I saw an ad for Power Man and Iron Fist in the back of the Sub-Mariner. That would be a new one for me as well.
AC, Daredevil at that time was perfecto. I still have many, many issues in storage somewhere. Hollywood should be cursed for screwing the movie up. Oh, that's right they are.
Anonymous, Spawn was a pretty popular comic at the time. I need to update my collection which I believe is on early DVD.
Spawn is dwindling from public memory in similar fashion as Dr. Strange that vanished. (James)
Hey, I dug the Sub-Mariner (if you can dig in the ocean), and hardly considered him minor...I didn't read the Fantastic Four titles, and found Spider-Man relatively tiresome (all that pseudo-hipster jive, man...as with too many Marvel characters). Hulk and Werewolf-by-Night were my other favored Marvel antiheroes. Among DC's characters, Batman and the Spectre, who should count, and the Challengers of the Unknown. I wouldn't call Manbat a favorite, but he was amusing.
James, Dr. Strange sits next on the list to read. I completely missed this character though he was quite popular when I was growing up.
Todd, I have to agree (though we are in the minority) about Spiderman. Peter Parker was straight up boring and blah. Even as a kid I couldn’t figure what all the fuss was about.
Spectre on the other hand was top shelf quality and is in my top ten along with the forgotten Dr. Fate. I’ve never read Werewolf-by-Night and will add it to my list.
Well, since then (the mid 1970s), Jaime Hernandez's Penny Century (from LOVE AND ROCKETS) and Rachel Pollack's DOOM PATROL have been fun.
I've always loved the X-man character of Phoenix/Dark Phoenix, but she's probably counts as well known among comic book fans.
The Creeper, the Blue Beetle(the second two versions; the first incarnation was the first superhero comic I ever read) and Deadman were some of the lesser known heroes I liked.
Todd, More additions. Thank you.
Sarah, She is a superb character and pretty popular still. Though, I have never read her individual adventures.
Randy, I have never read The Creeper, the Blue Beetle, or Deadman. I just checked the unique history on The Creeper and I will look for some old issues. Gracias.
Sitting here with a puzzled smile...only Superman ventured out into the cornfields of Nebraska.
Did Sub-Mariner come before Aquaman?
I don't know if they count, but The Wonder Twins. :)
'Form of an iceberg...shape of a chipmunk!' LOVE it!
Ron, Well Superman was the biggest name of them all.
Diane, Sub-Mariner (if Wikipedia is to be believed) hit the comics a full two years before Aquaman.
Alyssa, Big chuckles here. Yeah, I always thought it would be funny if they picked worthless animals/insects to morph into. 'Form of an ant' as they battle a giant Aardvark.
I've always had fond thoughts of "Dial H for Hero".
Sinestero Boyfriend was a good attempt at a Charlton satire.
I always thought Namor was an interesting character. My favorite less well known is probably the Green Lantern. I'm going to a comic con this week and will seek out some of those lesser knowns.
Tim, "Dial H for Hero." I've never heard of it and added it to the list. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and leaving a comment.
Charles, Comic Con. Lucky man.
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