In an interview prior to the broadcast of THE MAN FROM ATLANTIS, author Harlan Ellison mentioned that he'd pitched an idea for a series to a network executive. The idea, he said, was "about a Prince Namor type of character." The network passed on the idea, but Ellison was convinced that just such a show would eventually materialize. It did. Because I'd grown up reading the revamped SUB-MARINER stories by Marvel Comics, I recognized Namor (that's "Roman," spelled backwards) the moment I saw him. The pilot wasn't bad, but the series itself WAS: in the episode featuring Kareem Abdul Jabbar, for instance, Namor (or whatever they called him to prevent a lawsuit) finds himself pitted against the NBA superstar in INVISIBLE WATER in a desert. Granted, the story lines of many comics are just as far-fetched, but this episode has to be seen to be believed. It's my fervent hope that some day some astute filmmaker will bring to the Big Screen Bill Everett's aquatic super hero, in all his glory. Now THAT would be something to see!
Review of Man from Atlantis
