Alpha Flight (1983) #39, "The Invasion of Atlantis"

Continuing a theme of team-ups involving the multiple teams Namor has been on over the decades, I must admit that this one was not part of the original plan.

I'd originally planned to read/review Avengers #118 which, as you can see at right, co-starred a Defenders team which included the Avenging Son.

After taking it in, however, I realized there is no point. Namor shows up in crowd shots and that is about the extent of his contribution to the story. I don't believe he has even one line of dialogue.

As a result we find ourselves cheating a little bit with Alpha Flight #39 instead. Namor has never been a member of Alpha Flight but he participated in a few of their adventures during the John Byrne years and developed a relationship with one of their members, Marrina. He's not a member, but he's certainly an ally, so close enough.

Off we go then!

Alpha Flight is returning from an exhausting mission to find a guest at their mansion, none other than the Atlantean Byrrah, Namor's cousin. Byrrah explains that he has been sent by Namor to seek help.

Byrrah has an unusual method of asking for help. It's difficult to believe that he was Namor's best option.

Alpha Flight is told that Attuma has taken over Atlantis and is holding Namor's beloved hostage. That, of course, is Marrina, so Alpha Flight is compelled to step up regardless of the possibility of starting yet another war with Atlantis.

As they near Atlantis, their aircraft is shot down and they begin a long underwater battle against the armies of Atlantis. They are barely hanging in until the reinforcements arrive.

As the two teams plan their approach, Namor announces the he no longer seeks the throne of Atlantis. Rather...

Bah, that's weak...

So in order to rescue Marrina, they become the attackers and take the battle to Atlantis.

Well at least here Namor shows he still has hair on his balls after that sad speech earlier.

The fight is rather brief, however, as the two teams (Marrina included) are surrounded by Atlantis soldiers and the book ends on that note. The story is to be concluded in Avengers #272, which we'll get to another day.

This was a fairly simple story and it was entertaining enough if you could overlook the frequent hand-wringing internal dialogue of the various members of Alpha Flight, courtesy of Bill Mantlo. Its art is by Dave Ross.

Something else to note; his name is spelled Byrrah in this book but in the Sub-Mariner's first series  it was spelled Byyrah. Either mantlo got it wrong or someone else did in the past and the new spelling stuck. Whatever the cause, this is why the character appears under two tags in the "Atlanteans" category at right.