NAMOR: THE FIRST MUTANT #1
“THIS ISN’T A BATTLE ANYMORE. THIS IS SURVIVAL.”
After the events within The Death of Dracula, the vampires are united under his son Xarus who is planning on increasing the vampire ranks with mutants to create an unstoppable force. The X-Men formulate a plan to bring Lord Dracula back from the dead to fight his son Xarus however first they must retrieve his severed head from the darkest depths of the ocean.
Namor volunteers to retrieve the head from the deepest ocean depths. Dracula’s head is inside the “The Vault of Law” a special mystical box that only the King of Atlantis could open. Namor retrieves the head however its bait to lure him into an ambush with the Aqueos. After the short battle, the Lord of Aqueos declares war on all Atlanteans on land and sea.
Writer Stuart Moore brings underwater vampire pets into the fray to add tension to the story for Namor and his company. Artist Ariel Olivetti (Cable) provides a nice touch for the opening issue. However the overall story is a prelude to the events in X-Men #3 where Dracula is put back together. If this was a one-shot comic then I would recommend this issue however nothing really is compelling to justify a Namor series.
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT – 3 OUT OF 5
