No, I haven't abandoned this.....just been doing other things. I still have things to cover, in relation to The Invaders and the early Marvel Universe heroes. Given that one f the few people, aside from Roy Thomas, making reference to the past heroes was John Byrne, it is fitting that we return to a series of his, featuring one of those characters. As we saw before, in West Coast Avengers West Coast (that's not a typo, but a reference to the pointless name change of the series, to emphasize "Avengers"), he played around with the return of the Original Human Torch, Jim Hammond, just as he and Roger Stern had revisited Baron Blood, Union Jack and Spitfire, in Captain America. Now, he was writing and drawing a new Namor, The Sub-Mariner series. It was there, among stories with an ecological theme (see, the Super Friends were ahead of their time!), he brought back some more old favorites.



In the middle of a storyline about a corporate fixer, known as The Headhunter, which teased body-horror and ended up delivering a weird bondage twist to the villain (as in imprisonment, rather than a John Willie story), Byrne inserted a couple of teasers, for an upcoming storyline/reunion. In issue #8, we get a prologue, set in 1961, as some Nazis, in East Berlin, check in on an experiment, before hightailing it across the border, to escape the Berlin Wall and the STASI.



They leave the secret lab, with the STASI on their heels and make it across the border, with the doctor getting shot. They murder an American GI, so that there is no record of them crossing, since they are wanted war criminals (we can assume, as they were backed by Baron Strucker, who was wanted for war crimes). After we move into Byrne swiping ideas from Dynasty and Dallas, in terms of how corporations work.



Issue #9 has an interlude that follows Jim Hammond and Ann Raymond, the widow of Thomas "Toro" Raymond (the Torch's sidekick), on a day out, in Los Angeles, when they are attacked by two men, with German accents.....



The second man is Master Man, the former Nazi ubermensch. He grabs Ann an uses her as a hostage, to hold off Hammond and distract him from seeing the other German sneak up and zap him with some device, taking the pair prisoner and sweeping them from the public area (without police ever showing up)

The rest of the issue shows Namorita helping to fee Unca Subby, as it turns out Headhunter's victims are not heads, kept alive without their body; but, are, in fact, her prisoners, locked into body restraints, while their heads stick out through the wall, like trophies....



...hence the "weird bondage" reference. Even Eric Stanton would find that a bit......strange.

So, with the kinky stuff finished and two teasers, it's time to fully reunite The Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner, and a few other war buddies.



Now, first off, you may be asking, what is up with that art on display? Well, a certain percentage is due to the reproduction in the comic and some bad scanner settings....I think. However, if you experienced Byrne's art in this period, you know he was using Duo Shade art boards, including on Namor. Duo Shade was a brand name for a board that had special patterns built into them, which were brought out by applying a chemical solution to them. Wally Wood used to use them to great effect. However, they had some issues with the process, if exposed to too much light and they reproduced with reddish brown tones, in some cases, in comics. This added to the murky quality of Byrne's art, in the late 80s and early 90s. In top of that, he did a lot of visual effects with debris and similar objects, to emphasize power, much like Ridley Scott's use of CGI to depict flying debris, in battle, in both Blackhawk Down and Gladiator (and shaky-cam effects, to suggest chaos). Byrne was inking himself, which made a stark contrast to his previous work, in conjunction with inkers like Terry Austin and Karl Kesel. The end result wasn't high on a lot of favorites lists, myself included. In fact, I thought it looked sloppy, at the time....but, what did I know. John Byrne was a genius....just ask him.

Anyway, the storyline begins in 1945 as Berlin is under siege by the Red Army, while the Western Allied Forces hold back (letting the Russians take the brunt of the casualties to take Berlin, hoping that it would weaken them, in the end, but also because of an agreement with Stalin, because of the brunt of the effort they fought off, from the Germans).



Baron Strucker has organized a pair of secret facilities to preserve part of the resources of the Third Reich, including its most powerful warriors.....



...Master Man and Warrior Woman!

Note that Byrne gave them a bit of a makeover, though the basic lines of their Invaders costumes are there, especially Warrior Woman's dominatrix look, except Byrne preferred red to basic black leather. I don't see changing Master Man from blue to grey is an improvement. The whole thing is kind of ironic, since Byrne, by his own testament, is color blind, so they always looked grey, to him. Now they do, to us.

_Yippee.......

So, the rest of the story features Namor looking over a newspaper, as it talks about the reunification of Germany, which Byrne, via Namor, seems to suggest isn't necessarily a good thing, as he invokes memories of Nazi aggression (and Imperial aggression before that). To be fair, Namorita expresses the optimism of the future, though Byrne depicts her as naive, not just here, but throughout the series. He seems to believe that a reunited Germany would bring back fascist ideology of elite rulers, racism & bigotry, attempts to control the populace through reproduction laws, attacks on intellectuals and liberal ideologies and the rise of charismatic, but self-destructive leaders. Of course Byrne got it wrong.

He got the wrong country.

So, as Namor is being troubled by ghosts of the past, he goes to see someone who experienced that past, as he did and visits with Captain America.

I would like to point out that at the start of the series, Byrne did a babyface turn with Namor, giving him a blood transfusion that stabilized the imbalance in his body, caused by his hybrid Atlantean/homo sapien physiognomy, so he is less of a Type A butthead jerk.

Cap agrees that he, too is uneasy, given that two generations fought wars with Germany, which unsettled the entire world, and there might be elements in a reunified Germany that might welcome a third go-round. Namor decides to go to Berlin to poke around, since he has corporate holdings there.

Oh, yeah, Byrne made Namor a capitalist corporate baron, like Lex Luthor. Byrne was never one to just use an idea once.

Namor and Namorita go over to Germany, on a corporate jet (Namor lost his ankle wings and ability to fly and doesn't have an Atlantean flagship) and stay in a luxurious hotel, which is in no way shape of form "bugged," by Dr Mabuse....



Namorita is sent to the hotel to rest and run into Peter Van Eyk and Namor walks around Berlin, where he misses master Man and the ld doctor, and some other Nazis, in one of the secret labs, where they are attempting to revive Warrior Woman, but there has been damage, to to the neglect caused by their escape to the West. Master Man ad tailed Namor and Namor caught a glimpse of the car he used and he spots it again. He searches and finds the location of the lab and interrupts the rejuvenation process, as the doctor intends to use Jim Hammond's blood to help revive Warrior Woman and heal any brain damage caused by her hibernation. The doctor decides he can't wait and revives WW, in the middle of the fight...




(Cue Danny Elfman....)



Man, I miss Oingo Boingo!

While Namor is busy namen annehmen und den Arsch treten, he gets sucker punched by Warrior Woman and knocked unconscious, while Master Man gloats....



In the next issue (with the really ugly cover, thanks to the Duo Tone boards), Namor is a prisoner, sealed in a block that is draining him of all moisture, making him weaker and weaker, causing him to hallucinate and lose all sense of time, like waiting for a delayed flight, in an airport.



He recalls his time with the Invaders, battling Master Man and Warrior Woman, then his time as a derelict, his memories stolen by Destiny. He traces back to the present, as Ann Raymond talks to him and focuses his mind, before being slapped around by some Nazi Big Bertha (because all Nazi women were either Aryan dominatrices or hulking, ugly frauleins, with the build of a linebacker who has been retired for ten years).

Meanwhile, Herr Wilhem und Frau Julia Lohmer (Master Man und Varrior Voman) meet their New Generation Nazi benefactor, Herr Nacht....



The Master Race has a mullet? I don't think so!

(Okay, it's less a mullet and more long hair combed backwards and behind the ears; but, still.....)

Warrior Woman is acting strange and can't bear to be touched, especially by Master Man, though that was true in 1945, too. Poor Willie never got any.

He charms Frau Lohmer and she seems able to bear his touch and he puts on some Kraftwerk und goes on about a new powerful Germany, with him as der new fuhrer.

Fraulein Schample continues to bully Ann and Namor finds the strength to break out of his prison and sock her one, in the mush, then gets shot by a bunch of neo-Nazi skinhead types, ironically armed with Israeli Uzis (or as best as Byrne can draw them, as weapons weren't his forte).

Shouldn't neo-Nazis be armed with good old German Heckler and Kock MP5s? Or even Walther MPLs?

Namor is dragged off and one of the Aryan A-holes grabs Ann (clad in only a t-shirt and white cotton panties) for some fun, and Namor starts tossing saur-Krauts around. He is still hallucinating though, believeing he is smacking around their fathers/grandfathers, and he gets knocked down, by some hardened steel, since he is heavily weakened. Then, the Invaders turn up, in the form of Spitfire, Union Jack and......Namora?



Herr Nacht receives an alarm, at his skyscraper corporate HQ and dispatches Master Man to deal with it, with Doktor Krauss suggesting that Frau Lohmer is too unstable, at this point, to risk. So, off the blond butthead goes.

Issue #12 picks up with Namor battling what he believes to be German soldiers of the Wehrmacht (or Waffen-SS) and then seeing the Invaders and his cousin, Namora. This leads to a flashback, to explain things. We switch to West Bromwich, in England, where an old woman has been called into the hospital, about a patient brought there. the woman is Lady Jacqueline Crichton nee Flasworth, the former Spitfire, in WW2 (the hero, not the fighter plane). She was called in by Inspector Kitchener (does Byrne know any other names, besides famous British directors and heads of the Imperial Army?), of the Special Flying Squad (Flying Kitchener of the Yard?)..



He shows her to a room, where an injured Namorita is recovering. She then launches into a further flashback, to explain how she got to the UK, in such a state.

A flashback within a flashback.....some bad storytelling going on here.

Namorita followed Uncky Namor and got attacked by the neo-Nazi punks, and busted a few heads, but numbers were against her and she fled West, looking for help, but crash landed in the UK, where she was brought in. The Sikh doctor (because, of course he is) explains that in her delirium, she kept calling out the name "Jacqueline Falsworth," and one of the more experienced (older) nurses knew that it was Lady Crichton's maiden name and she was contacted. Namorita is brought home with Lady Jacqueline and the she tries to contact Captain America, via the Avengers, but Jarvis said he is out, polishing his shield or something (probably attending a VFW meeting). Jacqueline makes another call, then shows Namorita a secret, hidden out in an old stable....



Someone saw Raiders of the Lost Ark and went looking through aviation history books for experimental designs!

It is an experimental VSTOL aircraft, built at the end of the war, for use by the Invaders (they had Namors, VSTOL jet flagship...why would they need a prop plane?).

Namorita then meets the current Union Jack, in his new era butt-ugly costume....



He's been imbued with the Power of the Pendragon, by the Green Knight, so he's got that going for him. Apparently, the prcoess sucked out his sense of style, though. They take off in the aircraft and head east, then land in Berlin and head for the secret lab and bust in and rescue Namor. He starts to come out of it and recognizes Namorita and then sees the much older Jacqueline. Introductions are made all around and Namor douses himself with water from a water cooler, which happens to be nearby. Then Master Man turns up.

Meanwhile, Herr Nacht is "annexing the Sudetenland".......



Or perhaps making his own "Anschluss" is more appropriate. She is receptive, though she still resists...to a point and Herr Doktor Kraus tells Nacht that it is part of the brain damage (fidelity is brain damage?) They continue on with their plan, as Nacht reveals Master Man was sent on a suicide mission.

Namor and Master Man throw down, while Jacqueline leads Ann out and Union Jack gives a Glaswegian greeting to the neo Nazis....



Stetch thas, Jammie!

Master Man is holding his own, but suddenly grows weaker and reverts back to the weak Willie Lohmer form he had, before the brain Drain transformed him into Master Man. Herr Nacht emerges, in a new costume, as the new Master Man, complete with matching black BDSM outfits for himself and Warrior Woman (minus her whip and probably matching ballgags). She grabs Namorita and he tries it on with Namor, who slings him into a wall. Jacqueline and Ann revive Jim Hammond, but are interrupted by Doktor Kraus. He points a gun at them; but, he is old and Jacqueline still has a bit of (relative) speed in her....



Namor is distracted and Herr Nacht gets a good shot in and then Captain America turns up, because of course he does.



Cap and Namor take turns beating up Nacht, while Union Jack watches and Namorita grabs Warrior Woman, and gets planted into a wall, for her trouble. Dr Kraus' life-preserving mechanism is damaged and he rapidly degenerates into a corpse, as his original wound had been fatal. Jacqueline wasn't faster than a speeding bullet, though, and is mortally wounded and is slipping fast. She reminds Jim that he was in love with her, during the war (while she mooned over Captain America). Jim is determined to save her life and tells Ann to help him move her to the table.

Willie Lohmer appeals to his wife and is belittled, and distracted, as Namorita sucker punches her. Willie has had enough of being humiliated and activates the self-destruct mechanism, which blows him to messy Byrne-drawn debris. Cap tells union Jack to get everyone out, as the whole lab is going up. Warrior Woman swats away Namorita, then is caught in another blast. The rest escape into the chamber where Ann, Jacqueline and Jim Hammond are, and Namorita rescues a pair of skinheads and Cap says Nacht and Warrior Woman were at the heart of the blast. They find Jim Hammond on a table, next to Jacqueline, and she sits up, recovered from her wound....



We then cut to a ceremony to honor the fallen Jim Hammond, with Cap, Namor and Jacqueline speaking of him and Johnny Storm lighting an eternal flame, in his honor. Hank Pym explains to the group of friends how Torch's blood rejuvenated Jacqueline, because of a longer transfusion (uh-huh) and then we get the reveal that Jim Hammond is alive and well, with Ann Raymond, but has been de-powered. The deception was in case Master Man and Warrior Woman survived, as no bodies were found (hint-hint). Namor offers Jim the job of head of security for Oracle Industries (well, he was a cop) and he accepts and continues to make time with Toro's widow, which isn't creepy at all.

Thoughts: It's a pretty decent story; but Byrne is pretty bad at structuring a mystery and Namor discovers the secret lab pretty easily, after seeing Master Man, which is something he doesn't depict, just states in dialogue. We don't learn anything about Master Man's revival, or why he reverted form, other than it was a convenient plot device. Why Jim Hammond would be de-powered because of a blood transfusion is also not explained. Just Byrne doing a bit of continuity fix to leave only one Human Torch. no idea if it was his idea or Marvel's. Hammond continues as a supporting character.

On the whole, I like the story, though I am not keen on the messy visuals and the redesigned and colored costumes. Byrne isn't responsible for Union Jack, but he did mess with Master Man and Warrior Woman and the outfits that Herr Nacht and Warrior Woman wear are pretty dull, compared to her wartime duds, as created by Frank Robbins.

Byrne dedicates the story to Frank Robbins, which is nice, though he makes no mention of Roy Thomas. Which figures, as there was animosity there, and a threat of a lawsuit (or implication of one).

So, that kind of covers things, for a bit, until Roy returns and decides to revisit the Invaders, which is our next subject, the mini-series he did, in the mid-90s.

ps Herr Nacht was going to create a new Reich, with modern Germans......



You'd have to get them out of the disco, first!