It’s interesting how heavy this issue is with continuity. In the first few pages, we get references to numerous other books on sale at the time, firmly placing this book in continuity. I do love how Marvel used to do that back before the 1990s-they’d reference all this other stuff, but if you didn’t know about it, you still could easily understand the comic you held in your hands. It always worked for me as a marketing ploy-I always felt like I needed to get those other stories.
Of course, as this website proves, I’m a complete obsessive.
Anyway, Namor and Namorita are living on Hydrobase with the Amphibian people from Sub-Mariner #62. While there, Wundarr crash-lands in the ocean off the edge of the island. Remember him? The Superman clone from Adventures Into Fear with Man-Thing #17?
See what I mean about lots of continuity? Namorita and Wundarr talk baby talk to each other as he learns his first words.
Anyway, the story gets silly from there. Namor chases Wundarr away, then Namorita explains to Namor that Wundarr wasn’t doing anything wrong. Wundarr ends up in Manhattan fighting Thing, so Namor goes there to help and we get a brief Namor-vs-Thing fight before we learn that Wundarr’s home planet wasn’t destroyed, as we were led to believe in Fear #17. His home people, the Dakkamites, arrive and tell Wundarr that his father was a crazy person who was wrong about the planet being doomed, and he was put to death for causing such a stir. Now, the Dakkamites are here to kill Wundarr because they’re afraid he’ll try to get revenge on the government. In the end, of course, Namor and Thing fight off Wundarr’s pursuers, and Wundarr ends up in Thing’s arms.
Because, remember, Wundarr has the mind of a small child. That’s why Thing is saying he doesn’t want to be a babysitter.
It’s odd that the other Dakkamites aren’t also beings of extraordinary power. They make a few more appearances in the 1970s and ’80s, but never really become a force to be reckoned with.
This is another one of my all-time favorite Marvel Comics- I just wish that this series had been able to maintain the momentum established in the first seven issues by the late, great Steve Gerber throughout it’s entire eight year, one hundred issue run. A hundred issues as solid as “The Stalker From the Stars”-?? Ha! Hardly! Gerber sure could write great comics, though, God rest his soul. As noted above, this story benefits from strong continuity support, ( a lot was happening in Marvel World in late 1973, apparently ) and as also noted above, this is a convention that Marvel most definitely got completely away from by the 1980’s and 1990’s. That was a damn shame, because Marvel built it’s brand on the interconnected Marvel Universe, with all it’s superfolks constantly running into each other, no matter what was going on with any of them, at any time. Good storytelling. Too bad Marvel has abandoned this practice! Today’s Marvel ( and DC ) sucks! But, anyhow- “The Stalker from the Stars” boasts that rare combination of elements that makes a Marvel Comic perfect! Strong characters in the Thing and the Sub-Mariner, ( the sequel to 2018’s “Black Panther”- “Black Panther-Wakanda Forever” opens up next week, and as it features the LONG OVERDUE big-screen debut of the Sub-Mariner, I will be watching it with guarded enthusiasm- really, Coogler/Feige- an HISPANIC Sub-Mariner-???? Sheesh! Imperious Mex!!! ) a truly unique catalyst character in Wundarr, some seriously mean invaders from outer space and their menacing mechazoids, a cameo appearance by the Human Torch, ( too bad the Torch missed the action by just a few moments ) a dazzlingly beautiful leading lady in Namorita, Namor’s bitchin’ new ( at the time ) bluish-black battlesuit, gripping artwork by the Master of the Human Form Gil Kane, ( also RIP ) and a rather clever indictment of the Distinguished Competition’s flagship character, which Marvel did at every opportunity back in those days-all packed into thirty-two fast-paced pages!! No, no, Mr. Ekko- “The Stalker from the Stars” is as close to a perfect Marvel Comic as it GETS!!! And it did NOT require a twelve-part multi-series Magnum Opus to DO it!!! This single-issue of ‘Marvel-Two-In-One’ is Marvel Magic at it’s Maximum!! Oh, and NO SUB-PLOTS!!! Your grade of ‘C’ is most egregious- I say, an A+ !!! Hell yeah! Word up!!!