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Thursday, December 30, 2021

Man from Atlantis

Back when Sub-Mariner was appearing semi-regularly in Super-Villain Team-Up, a Marvel comic book featuring another water-breather made its debut. Adapted from a live-action television series with the same name, Man from Atlantis ran (or swam) for seven issues (with cover dates Feb.-Aug. 1977). Though set outside the world of superheroes, this new Man from Atlantis shared a few traits with Sub-Mariner, the Prince of Atlantis.

When introduced on TV and in the comics, the Man from Atlantis (a.k.a. Mark Harris) suffered from amnesia—reminiscent of Sub-Mariner, who had amnesia when he resurfaced in Fantastic Four #4 (May 1962). Additionally, Mark Harris was reportedly the last citizen of Atlantis, just as Sub-Mariner long considered himself the sole survivor of Atlantis. During his science-fiction adventures, Mark Harris wore only yellow swim trucks, not unlike the green trunks commonly worn by Sub-Mariner. Whereas Sub-Mariner had pointed ears and winged ankles, however, Mark Harris had webbed fingers and toes, making the characters physically distinct.

The cover of Man from Atlantis #1 (Feb. 1977) shows the character's visual similarities to Sub-Mariner, pictured here on Super-Villain Team-Up #13 (Aug. 1977).
 

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