The ComiXology version I have only features the debut of Namorita. The stories featuring Human Torch (the android version), Miss America, the Young Allies, and Captain America are sadly not here. It’s a Golden Age comic so you shouldn’t be surprised there’s more than one story here. At least I had a reading break.
You invited a robot whose power is being on fire to your pool party?
Marvel Mystery Comics #82
Marvel Comics (May, 1947)
Apparently the story was reprinted in two separate Agents Of Atlas books and Giant Size Marvel Adventures: The Avengers #1.
“The Coming Of Namorita”
By Ken Bald and George Klein
“Stoop” Richards leads a gang in a submarine to steal Atlantis’ giant pearls, but there is one survivor when Namor returns. She takes on the name Namorita (her real name being Aquaria Nautica Neptunia) and asks to help with her swimming skills and intelligence. The two heroes manage to find Stoop but they are able to overcome Namor and take Namorita hostage. Using the news and comments Namorita made earlier about a location they originally planned as a meet-up point, Namor leads Stoop and his men into a trap, finally defeating them. With her home lost Namor finds a place for her to stay with his reporter friend, Bette Dean.
Yeah, you can tell this is a different period in Marvel history, before Namor became the enemy of the surface world, though I have a hard time believing a bunch of gangsters could shoot up Atlantis and kill everyone even with “underwater machine guns”. Also, this means Atlantis wasn’t very populated if they managed to kill them all at one part save Namorita. I’m also not sure why she didn’t just go by Aquaria. “Sub-Mariner” is more of a nickname than a secret identity for Namor even at this point and Aquaria is a nice name. This is the first time I heard she had a real name and it does make sense that she wasn’t born Namorita.
Once you get past that the story is fairly decent for the time period. Namorita isn’t as strong as Namor but she is as strong a swimmer and shown to be rather intelligent, plus she can fight okay when she isn’t overwhelmed or at gunpoint. Overall it’s not a bad Golden Age introduction, though some retconning would come about to make her Namor’s cousin, not to be confused with his other cousin Namorita…I think. At any rate here’s the Marvel Database entry on the full comic for a summary of the stories ComiXology didn’t reprint with this story.
BW Media Spotlight 