The rumors have set Marvel’s oldest character’s key issues on fire, and his Silver Age moments are proving to be the most popular among collectors. Here are three Silver Age Sub-Mariner books that you should be watching.

NAMOR, THE MCU IS CALLING

As I mentioned in the Golden Age Namor keys post, the hot gossip is that Tenoch Huerta will be announced as the MCU’s Namor, the Sub-Mariner. Considering Namor has been in comics for 82 years now, his live-action debut would be a long time coming.

Although he made his debut in 1939, once Namor became part of the all-new, all-different Marvel Comics universe, the King of Atlantis would be featured often in those early days of Marvel. He would transition from villain to anti-hero depending on how Stan Lee and Jack Kirby decided to use him for that particular story. That is why it would make sense for Marvel Studios to add him to the mix initially as an adversary before making the hero turn, a la Loki.

With that in mind, here are three Silver Age Submariner comics that collectors have high on their wish lists as we wait to find out if the casting news is indeed true.

FANTASTIC FOUR #4

In 1962, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby resurrected the Submariner, forever tying him to the Fantastic Four as he abducted the Invisible Woman. Despite all of Namor’s efforts alongside Captain America and the original Human Torch, this would establish him as a villain in the infancy of Marvel Comics. 

Although it is cheaper than any of Namor’s major Golden Age appearances, Fantastic Four #4 is by no means a dollar-bin find (unless someone made a colossal error in judgement). The lowest grade sold in 2021 was a 0.5 missing the back cover that brought $997 in May. The most recent sale was a 2.5 that sold for $2,750 earlier this month.

FANTASTIC FOUR #6

To solidify the Submariner’s standing as a villain, he would be paired with Doctor Doom two issues later. Along with being the second Silver Age appearance of Namor and the second overall appearance of Doctor Doom, this would mark the very first villain team-up in Marvel Comics.

If you are looking for a low-grade Namor or Doom key at a reasonable price, this may be your answer. Granted, this is not a cheap comic, but what would you expect for an early FF key issue like Fantastic Four #6? Still, you can collect anything up to a 1.8 for well under $1k; less than a week ago, one sold for $576. If you are willing to dip into the 1.0 range, the last one to sell brought $330 in November.

SUB-MARINER #1

Sub-Mariner #1 has been the biggest seller among Silver Age Namor collectors. Much of that can be attributed to its price range, which is far less than some of those other 1960s appearances. Still, having the first issue for Namor’s debut Silver Age self-titled Submariner series does come with an increasingly higher price tag, so don’t hesitate or they’ll be out of range before you know it.

The 9.0, which has been the highest grade sold this month so far, earned over $1k in the last two sales. On the plus side, you can still get as high as a 7.5 for just over $500. For an important Namor key such as this, that is not a bad price.

With a character as old as Namor, there are plenty of key issues to be had. Even better, you can find some to fit virtually any budget.