Moore's portrayal of Namor could stand a bit of work, though. There's nothing overtly wrong with how Namor is characterized. He's the same proud, haughty monarch who cares deeply for his people. The problem is that Moore doesn't build from there. Admittedly the present setup of the book isn't necessarily ideal for deep characterization, but given the entertaining work Matt Fraction has done with Namor in recent months, Moore should be capable of bringing a little more humor and flavor into his writing. The script sporadically provides narration from Namor, but it rarely has much to add to the story or to Namor's portrayal. This goes back to my general complaint about the framework of the series. Moore writes a competent first issue. I just don't sense a larger plan in the story yet, nor the intention to really dig in and explore Namor's character. Given how quickly some of Marvel's recent ongoing books have folded, Moore really needs to give this series a clear sense of identity and pu Read Full Review

Visually, I feel like Im supposed to be enjoying myself, but Im not. Painted comics are always good to look at, but when the artist uses Photoshop to reuse the same sea creature in many pages of the comic book, I start to feel like Im watching an old Flintstones cartoon where the background kept being reused every five seconds while Fred and Wilma are driving by. I think modern readers deserve more care and attention in their comic books. I can understand reusing artwork for dramatic effect, but using the same fish all over makes the artists look sloppy. Read Full Review

Namor is not your typical hero. He's cocky, conceited, and an unimaginable bastard, but in an industry drowning in Typical Heroes, is Namor's demeanor necessarily a bad thing? I don't think so. Despite Olivietti's adequate artwork, this is a comic I'm going to stick with for a while, if only to see what Moore can do with it once this vampire storyline is concluded. Read Full Review

Aside from Namor vanquishing a vampire squid -- you read that right -- by ripping off one of its tentacles, this issue meanders about, showing Namor as an oafish brat. His strength, nobility, and character are never put on display, and the story suffers for their lack. Moore and Olivetti attempt to infuse some of the wonder and diversity from the ocean's depths, but that gets muddied up by vampires and paper-thin plotting. I had pinned my hopes high that this time Namor might stand a better chance to thrive in a title of his own, especially given the sales boost the X-emblem Namor wears would provide. Unfortunately, my hopes were quickly dashed beneath the surface of this book. Maybe I'll track down the stories mentioned in the "Namor Files" at the back of this issue to find some satisfactory tales of Imperious Rex! Read Full Review