Great first issue. Love the second/third page of Namor coming out of the water. Also loved the explanation of Namor's rages. The Marrs twin had a great introduction. It was a great way to start off the series.

Believe it or not I had some issues with this series. Having been a JB fan since FF 211 or so, I read and studied everything JB did. In fact, JB taught me everything I know (or knew) about drawing faces and bodies. However, I was a 20 year old hormone, I felt vaguely uneasy studying the two page spread of a nearly naked man. Now, in my old age, I feel a bit foolish about it.

Also, not having read a lot of the old FFs I kind of scoffed at idea of Namor becoming rich off sunken treasure, but now I see it not only had a precednt, it was also an absolutely perfect comic book plot point. I also enjoyed the Alexanders and the way they tied into the old Namor...but refresh my memory, was that Namor's origin story?

Namor # 1 left me very excited after I read it.  My only disappointment is that the first issue did not have any action - no real conflict or fight, but it did its job in setting up the direction of the series so that subsequent issues leaped into the plots.  I especially liked the "blood imbalance" theory - an utterly bogus explanation that came out of nowhere, but did its job so that we could concentrate on Namor being the hero and not menacing out.

I greatly enjoyed JB's work on the series.  I think it's one of his career highlights.  I can't remember a clunky issue of the book, and there were some great moments - the Invaders reunion and the return of Iron Fist.  I especially like the Atlantean science and Savage Land connection.

The only fault is that the actual level of corporate intrigue was low.  Yes, we had the Marrs twins and the occassional cameo of Roxxon, but I was hoping to see the presence of many of Marvel's old villain (or even benign) corporations in cut-throat competition.  The thought of seeing companies seeking Namor's help in a corporate alliance, or the power of Roxxon Oil in attempting to crush him thrilled my li'l heart back, but I never got that.

I stopped buying when JB dropped the art chores, but I honestly thought he was no longer on the book at the end of Namor # 25, and the art did not attract me.  Perhaps later were the stories I thought would happen.