Marvel Mystery Comics (1939) #10 [C Story] | Complete Marvel Reading Order

#173: Marvel Mystery Comics (1939) #10 [C Story]

"Hostilities Renewed"

Title: Marvel Mystery Comics

Editor-in-Chief: Joe Simon

Editor: Joe Simon

Writer: Bill Everett

Artist: Bill Everett

Cover Artist: Alex Schomburg

Cover Date: August 1940

Release Date: June 1940

Pages: 10

Cover Price: $0.10

Times Read: 517

Times Rated: 308

Universe: Earth-616

GOLDEN AGE ORDER

Marvel Mystery Comics (1939) #10 [D Story]

Marvel Mystery Comics (1939) #11 [G Story]

Marvel Mystery Comics (1939) #11 [B Story]

Marvel Mystery Comics (1939) #12 [B Story]

MAIN 616 ORDER

Issue Blurb

Namor returns to the Antarctic but is pursued by Americans intending to put an end to the threat of the Sub-Mariner.

Appearances Reviews Synopsis Comments Trades Updates

20 Comments

Sort:

BasedChad

Feb 2, 2026

Little confused where these Americans came from, kinda wish we knew more about them. The action was great though! Its good to see a competent villain put up a fight for once.

Three Stars.

VikingLegion +2

Aug 21, 2025

LUTHER: Y'all know me. Know how I earn a livin'. I'll catch this Atlantean Prince for you, but it ain't gonna be easy. Bad fish. Not like going down the pond chasin' bluegills and tommycods. This Namor, swallow you whole. Little shakin', little tenderizin', an' down you go. And we gotta do it quick, that'll bring back your tourists, put all your businesses on a payin' basis. But it's not gonna be pleasant. I value my neck a lot more than three thousand bucks, chief. I'll find him for three, but I'll catch him, and kill him, for ten. But you've gotta make up your minds. If you want to stay alive, then ante up. If you want to play it cheap, be on welfare the whole winter. I don't want no volunteers, I don't want no mates, there's just too many captains on this island. $10,000 for me by myself. For that you get the head, the ankle-wings, the whole damn thing.

thumbofanguirus +1

May 18, 2025

Namor goes home to lick his wounds, followed by a bunch of xenophobic dudes from the US. It's great stuff.

Exnihil +1

Mar 23, 2025

An extra point for Gurard the Guard, likely predating any Batman villain for origination of the "predestination by name" trope.

Allencthulhu

Jan 19, 2024

Take Two

Bill Everett shows us what is really good even though most of Marvel Mystery has raised its game.

Luthor? Hello?

Art 4

Story 4

Four Stars.

Dice +1

Nov 28, 2023

I'm very surprised Luther assumed Lynne would survive a hit from a torpedo, but that Namor was probably dead. I'm still not sure how it's even possible that Lynne survived that.

USER +2

Oct 26, 2023

How much money does Luther have in order to pay for all this stuff? I know it's 1940 but 40 men and a submarine can't be cheap.

Anansi2010

Mar 29, 2026

"40 men and a submarine can't be cheap," sounds like the punchline to a dirty joke.

Baron Karza +1

Mar 4, 2022

Although it is not stated, I just assumed Luther had family or friends killed in one of Namor's attacks on the surface world. Namor and Black Widow are deffinitely far above all the other golden age stories we have gotten so far. (I do enjoy some of the others for how off the wall crazy they are.)

Koi +2

Feb 21, 2022

That American ship really was outfitted with everything!

Seriously I'm amazed people didn't realize they would be inviting the entire nation after them for their lil trip tot the Antarctic. But then this seems to happen a lot more than it should in real life!

DerMathze +3

Feb 10, 2022

Lynne: Gets thrown into freezing water, gets shot at with a torpedo, probably gets decompression sickness by moving up and down in the water

Doctor: Yeah, she's fine.

akkratte +5

Mar 20, 2021

Ah, the old "I won't shoot a pistol at my enemy because I might hit the woman I love, but give me 10 minutes and I'll certainly shoot a freaking torpedo at the submarine she's in because it might kill my foe" trick, eh?

towerofatlantis +2

Jan 2, 2021

Namor you are a SIMP for blondes. hahaha.

I like to see Dorna , the emperor and sea planes again. Everett Namor is so unlike other comics. Continuity and long narratives are the key. And the "hero" is a an anti-hero, a villain to surface standards, but a hero to his people...

Luther Robinson is a good antagonist (not villain). It will be interesting to see how this private war goes before the nazi take over the plot...

MaryPoppinsYall +3

Jan 20, 2020

The Sub-Mariner really is head and shoulders above the rest in 1940. Bill Everett is using the same 10 or 12 pages as everyone else, but fills his stories with nuance, and perspectives, and motives. We get "good" humans who are actually just looking for an excuse to kill Atlanteans, while Namor's motives for wanting to dispense with humanity have been laid out in clear and *sympathetic* terms. Bill Everett is a well-respected legend, but my respect grows more as I read through the Expanded Order. He was ahead of his time.

thatsAgoodONE11 +6

Aug 25, 2019

I wish there was a better reason for Luthor to set out to sea to confront Namor. Yeah, he's been a terror to the humans at times, but if he finally left the city, why go after him? It makes sense that people would want to to snuff him out once and for all but I wish that was a little more explicit.

Aside from that minor complaint, this is a great story. The action is fun, the writing style pushes the story forward, and it feels connected to what came before (his duel with Torch) and what comes next (continued stories!).

Like others have said, this is the clear cut winner for best Timely series in 1940.

3/5

stories_stories +1

Jul 2, 2019

I take it the submariners are a task-oriented society.

paflad +9

Feb 8, 2019

What's this? Logical consequences for Subby's previous antics? 'Villains' with a sympathetic reason for their actions? Shades of actual grey? Whatever will they think of next?

I've said it before, but it bears repeating. Golden Age Subby is both Best Subby, not to mentiuon streets ahead of anything else happening at the time. And I include Torchy in that, even if he is showing signs of improvement

Locust75 +3

Jan 4, 2019

3 stars. I like it that some humans are tired of Namor always attacking them, and take the battle to him!

'Nuff Said - "Nice people, you Americans!"-Namor

Shinderu +1

Jan 31, 2018

The expanded order is so incredibly terrible, Namor is pretty much the only series that has some quality.

logan49 +4

Aug 12, 2017

Bet Namor wishes he had a can of Red Bull at the beginning of this story.

Ice +6

Apr 15, 2017

Hmm. It seems to me like a 40's era crew of seamen would be absolutely no match for Golden Age Namor and his people's tech. Also, I was a little disappointed by the way Luthor found Namor RIGHT away. I was thinking some sort of ongoing Moby Dick style story of finding the white whale/sub-mariner would be really fun.