Marvel Knights Fantastic Four 1 2 3 4 #3 (2001): "Darkness And The Mole Man"

Jesus, could that title be any more awkward?

So Jae Lee and Grant Morrison. I am not as enamored with either one as many fans are but seeing one or both of those names on a book is always intriguing. Let's see what they had in store for our favourite Atlantean.

Namor's appearance actually began in the previous issue. Susan Storm (the Invisible Woman) and Alicia Masters are chatting about how (stop me if you've heard this one before) Mr. Fantastic, Reed Richards, constantly ignores Sue for one of his fancy Lego sets. Since he always seems to know when Sue is having this conversation, Namor showed up.

The Human Torch, meanwhile, witnessed a giant-ass creature rise out of the ground. He heads to the Baxter Building for reinforcements. Namor, upon seeing his old frenemy, throws the first punch.

Namor increases the intensity of the downpour to the extent that Johnny Storm can't stay lit and falls from the sky. The art is quite pretty here, so much so that it actually escapes my notice that...Namor doesn't normally possess that ability. At least, I have yet to come across it or have no memory of doing so.

Perhaps Morrison dug up something kind of obscure there. Or he pulled it out of his ass altogether. Both options are quite plausible.

Regardless, we then have this exchange:

Just a friendly reminder to Susan Richards that your brother appears to have just plunged to his death as a result of the actions of the man you're chatting with. You've already had this conversation 100 times, maybe you could table it until after you look after Johnny? And to Namor that anticipating a woman's husband's death may not be the easiest path to her heart.

Inexplicably, Johnny Storm did not die. He never even hit the ground. He went down a crevice or something and landed in a puddle which broke his fall of several hundred feet. He ended up in the Mole Man's lair where the Mole Man plans to make Alicia Masters his queen and Johnny his bitch.

But Namor and Sue are done their romancing so they finally show up and Mole Man elaborates on what Doctor Doom's plan actually is.

Now understanding that he is expected to be an equal to a toad like the Mole Man, Namor rejects the offer. He pounds a hole into the ground which causes a tremendous amount of water to enter the cave and drown a load of Mole Man's minions and perhaps the subterranean king himself.

But, romantic that he is, amidst the genocide and destruction that he caused, Namor makes sure to maximize the value of the situation.

"For you, I've changed my mind about participating in a plan which saw your husband murdered, your brother mutilated and one of your closest friends enslaved." Ah, Namor, at the end of day, you always end up doing the right thing!

Ah, but there is a matter of a giant robot that Namor's people delivered on behalf of their prince as part of the deal to land Susan Richards. Its intent is to demolish New York, of course. That's revealed earlier in the book.

I suppose Namor will help the FF deal with that thing next issue (the concluding one) before it demolishes New York city and kills millions of people. All out of love for Sue, of course.