Namora #1

Jeff Parker & Sara Pichelli

These one-shots that Marvel has been issuing have been sort of hit-and-miss, but Jeff Parker always seems to do a nice job on his Agents of Atlas characters.  This book features the strong-arm of the team, Namora, Atlantean princess and champion.  She also happens to be my favorite member of the team, which doesn't hurt.  I'm happy to see a story focusing on her, and Parker really packs it into this story without it seeming too cluttered or overly complicated.  Immediately, we get a good does of action as a submarine has sunk to the bottom of the ocean, demanding Namora's attention, aided by her friends of the deep.  Then Namora tracks a community of Atlanteans that she tries to convince to move to a new stronghold for her people, relocating them from a mineral vent that seems to keep them healthy and strong.  While Namora investigates this phenomenon, she has an encounter that touches base with the character's past, on how she ended up with the Agents of Atlas, and on her lovely daughter Namorita, who was killed at the beginning of Civil War.  It's a good dose of history for the character that also highlights why she's so cool via the action sequences and how she handles herself when faced with a challenge.  Jeff Parker really hit it home with this one-shot, making it quite apparent why Namora is a force to be reckoned with in the Marvel Universe, and such a great hero in general.  Pichelli's art is suited well for a title such as this, accompanied by bright colors courtesy of Rachelle Rosenberg that do real justice to the beauty of the underground world that Namora navigates through here.  The art is cartoony, and well suited for the tattooed, blue-skinned Atlanteans she encounters, and really shines in bright moments with her daughter.  Pichelli's designs for the Atlantean kingdom are pretty beautiful too, as are her designs for the monsters of the deep.  Overall, this is a really compelling self-contained story that's definitely worth the cover price.  Great for people new to the character, and those who can't get enough of the Atlantean.