Number 838

The man with the "S" on his chest

It's been too long since I posted a Bill Everett story, or a story about the character that got Everett started, Sub-Mariner. In this story Sub-Mariner is easy to spot, even in civvies, because he's got an "S" on his chest.

I notice that Namora wears no civilian clothes. She has a cloak which she wears over her sexy swimsuit. In the last panel Sub-Mariner is wearing a suit and tie, yet when being presented a medal Namora is still in her cloak.

It's obvious by looking at this strip from Blonde Phantom #17, Spring, 1948, that Everett had fun drawing. His villains are great. The "steward" at the bottom of page 3, and the bad guy with the piano teeth are very funny. His artistic approach in "The Case of the Deep Sea Swindle" leans toward comedic exaggeration, and I like it.