This article has been corrected since its publication.
Via Syfy Wire, Marvel have announced “King in Black: Namor,” a five-issue series tying into Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman’s upcoming event, also beginning in December. Written by Kurt Busiek with art by Ben Dewey (“The Autumnlands”) and Jonas Scharf (“Avengers of the Wastelands”), the comic will explore the backstory of a new group of villains, and their tragic history with Namor, Lady Dorma, Attuma, and the Swift Riders.
Busiek said, “[Editor] Tom Brevoort roped me in on this one, telling me about the big ‘King In Black’ event, which sounds big and earthshaking and amazing. And specifically about a new group of villains — an ancient, dangerous Atlantean threat — that figured into the story, and Marvel wanted to do a special project for them, to flesh out just who they are and where they came from and all that.”
He added it was fun “getting to establish a new set of villains, to work them into Atlantean history, and to get to write Namor back when he was still a teenager, and not the imperious monarch we know today. Namor is Marvel’s first hero, going back even to before there was a Timely Comics, and he’s such a vivid, visceral character that he’s always fun to write. But writing teenage Namor in the 1930s, dealing with alchemists in Murmansk, and worse — it’s been too much fun.”
The writer also expressed excitement at collaborating with “The Autumnlands” co-creator Ben Dewey again, saying, “The designs he’s done on these new characters are just great, and he’s bringing them to life on the pages beautifully.”
“King in Black: Namor” #1 releases in December. You can check out Leinil Francis Yu’s alternate cover for the first issue, featuring present day Namor and the transformed Swift Riders, at Syfy.
