Tales to Astonish #78
In "The Prince and the Puppet!", Namor finds himself caught in a deadly game when the Puppet Master hijacks his mind during a tense standoff with Hank and Jan over an underwater drilling operation. Forced to obey the villain’s commands, the Sub-Mariner is sent to New York to rob a bank, returning with a stack of unbreakable treasury bonds—only to be ordered back for cash, now pursued by the military as he tries to return to Atlantis. Written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Adam Austin with inks by Vince Colletta, the story’s eerie tension is captured in Gene Colan’s striking cover art.
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Namor is confronting Hank and Jan about a drilling operation that is causing earthquakes in Atlantis when he comes under the control of the Puppet Master. The villain commands him to come to New York and rob the nearest bank to replenish his dwindling coffers. Namor brings back a stack of non-negotiable treasury bonds and an angry Puppet Master sends him back for the cash. As Namor returns to the scene of his crime, he is waylaid by the army. The Puppet Master gives Namor a command to fight to the death if need be.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).