JulianPerez
07-02-2006, 04:42 AM
Ever notice how there are some characters that have powers that they just haven't used in decades? Thor at one point had an ability to create "forgetfulness" in mortals. The Wasp also had powers in her first appearance involving her now disused antennae that have utterly fallen into limbo forever since. I guess they just don't make antennae like they used to!
The master of this phenomenon at the House of Ideas has to be Namor, the Sub-Mariner, who in most of his stories is usually played as being an ultrapowerful, bulletproof guy who can breathe underwater and has crazy little wings at his feet. At the same time, though, he has demonstrated on many occasions a number of other abilities.
I'm not just talking about Namor's command of eccentric sealife that obviously doesn't exist in our world through various technological means, such as seaweed patches hard enough to crush subs, the horn that summons Giganto, and Giant Clams. I'm talking about honest true-blue superpowers.
For instance, back in FANTASTIC FOUR, Namor demonstrated that he could, like the electric eel, absorb and redirect current, a power that has been mentioned a few times since.
It was mentioned in several Golden Age comics, and various issues by Roy Thomas, that Namor has eyes that are sensitive to the blue-green portion of the spectrum, giving him greater sight underwater as well as in the dark.
In several FANTASTIC FOUR stories, Ben Grimm says, when trying to grapple Namor, that he is "slippery as a blasted eel!" I don't know...does being slippery count as a superpower? It certainly counts as being weird, that's for sure.
The story where the Avenging Son uses the most strange powers has to be "Suddenly, the Sub Mariner" by Roy Thomas in AVENGERS #40. Here in this story alone, Namor is able to detect underwater signals and follow them to their point of origin. EXACT QUOTE:
"My HYBRID SENSES detect a MESSAGE - which the humans are relaying to their place of ORIGIN!"
"Thus, I will follow this radio beams to their DESTINATION, and DESTROY all craft there..."
It should be significant to note that radio, to the best of my knowledge, does not work underwater. A possible explanation may be that 1) it was another form of communication and Namor fudged it into "radio," 2) the sub, which was not shown in that particular panel, may have surfaced, making use of the radio possible.
Namor uses another seldom-used power later on in that very issue: Namor is actually able to telepathically command fish and sea creatures, instructing them to conduct a search of the sea floor to find the Cosmic Cube for him. His thought waves are described as being "irresistable mental commands."
Maybe Roy the Boy confused Namor with a certain...OTHER fish guy? It should be noted that Roy Thomas wanted the Earth-2 Aquaman to be a regular member of the ALL-STAR SQUADRON before he was outvoted.
The master of this phenomenon at the House of Ideas has to be Namor, the Sub-Mariner, who in most of his stories is usually played as being an ultrapowerful, bulletproof guy who can breathe underwater and has crazy little wings at his feet. At the same time, though, he has demonstrated on many occasions a number of other abilities.
I'm not just talking about Namor's command of eccentric sealife that obviously doesn't exist in our world through various technological means, such as seaweed patches hard enough to crush subs, the horn that summons Giganto, and Giant Clams. I'm talking about honest true-blue superpowers.
For instance, back in FANTASTIC FOUR, Namor demonstrated that he could, like the electric eel, absorb and redirect current, a power that has been mentioned a few times since.
It was mentioned in several Golden Age comics, and various issues by Roy Thomas, that Namor has eyes that are sensitive to the blue-green portion of the spectrum, giving him greater sight underwater as well as in the dark.
In several FANTASTIC FOUR stories, Ben Grimm says, when trying to grapple Namor, that he is "slippery as a blasted eel!" I don't know...does being slippery count as a superpower? It certainly counts as being weird, that's for sure.
The story where the Avenging Son uses the most strange powers has to be "Suddenly, the Sub Mariner" by Roy Thomas in AVENGERS #40. Here in this story alone, Namor is able to detect underwater signals and follow them to their point of origin. EXACT QUOTE:
"My HYBRID SENSES detect a MESSAGE - which the humans are relaying to their place of ORIGIN!"
"Thus, I will follow this radio beams to their DESTINATION, and DESTROY all craft there..."
It should be significant to note that radio, to the best of my knowledge, does not work underwater. A possible explanation may be that 1) it was another form of communication and Namor fudged it into "radio," 2) the sub, which was not shown in that particular panel, may have surfaced, making use of the radio possible.
Namor uses another seldom-used power later on in that very issue: Namor is actually able to telepathically command fish and sea creatures, instructing them to conduct a search of the sea floor to find the Cosmic Cube for him. His thought waves are described as being "irresistable mental commands."
Maybe Roy the Boy confused Namor with a certain...OTHER fish guy? It should be noted that Roy Thomas wanted the Earth-2 Aquaman to be a regular member of the ALL-STAR SQUADRON before he was outvoted.