Sub-Mariner: The Depths (2008) #1

This will be a brief review but not due to a lack of quality. Quite the opposite. This book's art, by Esad Ribic, is beautiful and the premise is plenty interesting. There is just little to no Namor content to discuss.

The gist of the story is that in the 50s, a notoriously skeptical researcher named Randolph Stein is called upon to search for Atlantis. More specifically, he is to retrace the steps of an earlier explorer named Marlowe. It seems Marlowe might have actually found Atlantis on his second attempt (that's him in the above image) and if so, the American government doesn't want those dirty reds beating them to it.

Namor, throughout this whole issue, is treated as an urban legend and so his presence is peripheral only. He doesn't appear directly, at least this early in the series.

That approach is well executed but it clashes with Namor's history. Namor was an ally during World War Two. Marlowe's first exploration is said to be in 1939.  If the Americans are concerned about the Russians finding Atlantis, that would suggest that the second expedition took place no earlier than 1948 or so. By then, Namor should have been well-known and not believe to be a creature of myth.

Setting that aside and just enjoying the book on its own merit is easy enough, however. This is well-crafted product which makes Namor "feel" legendary and if you're a fan of the character, you have to appreciate that.