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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 1, 2014 23:21:23 GMT -5
I had planned to say something about Tharok because the influence seems obvious, but it was late and I guess I forgot to mention it before I finished writing.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 1, 2014 23:57:10 GMT -5
The Incredible Hulk #138 - April 1971
Roy Thomas, Herb Trimpe, Sam Grainger (my favorite Trimpe inker, even though he only did a few issues)
The Hulk washes up on a beach as Roy Thomas fills a page with William Butler Yeats. Hulk turns into Banner and starts looking for Betty, who is recovering from a nervous breakdown at an isolated hospital. (In a dream sequence, the Hulk smashes her father, Talbot and Banner into oblivion. The first panel shows her sleeping as little ghostly versions of Hulk, General Ross, Talbot and Banner prance about on her body. A very effective sequence. One of the little scenes that makes every issue of this run memorable.)
With Jim Wilson's help, Banner sneaks into the hospital and meets up with Betty to discuss the future. (Does Jim have some mutant power that enables him to get past any security? He seems to be the go-to guy for this kind of thing.)
Who should show up but the Sandman! He's suffering from a condition that's turning him to glass and he threatens the staff unless they give him a complete blood transfusion. And the only patient in the hospital with the same blood type is ... Betty Banner!
You can see where this is going. The Sandman and Betty are transfused with each other's blood. After the procedure, Betty weakly says she's all right, prompting this charming little speech from the Sandman ...
With my blood in your veins ... you ain't NEVER gonna be the same again. Hey, maybe you'll gain the same power as ME .. then they can call you the SAND-WITCH! What a team we'd make, you and me, huh? OR MAYBE YOU'LL JUST PLAIN ... DIE!
The pressure gets to Banner and he turns into the Hulk and fights with the Sandman until the military picks them up with some kind of high-tech cage attached to a helicopter and then drops them in the ocean where the Sandman is swept away by a Hulk-created whirlpool.
And Betty has been turned to glass!
Betty turned to glass is going to be a "thing" for a few issues. Everybody is going to be all worried all the time because they know Hulk is going to get into some mischief and start fighting somebody and if he's too close to the hospital, Betty might get shattered in the confusion!
And the Sandman is so great here! He's one of the better villains in the Marvel Universe, mixing it up with Spidey or the FF or the Hulk. And they're usually pretty careful with his chronology. There's an explanation that Sandman's "demon with the glass hand problem" started in Hulk #114 (which I haven't read) and that the Wizard cured him temporarily (for FF #94) but the problem's coming back.
He is a surly jerk here. There was no reason to harass Betty that way after the transfusion. He'll be back! Is Marvel Team-Up #1 his next appearance? |
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Post by fanboystranger on Jun 2, 2014 0:53:01 GMT -5
Not a big fan of the Hulk outside of Peter David's run and Planet Hulk, but I picked up the Crossroads tpb tonight because it's such a wild idea. (Also, some early Mignola art, and anything that might get some money to the Mantlo family is worth it.)
Do love Trimpe's art, though. He's the definitive Hulk artist, in my opinion. Sorry, Sal. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 2, 2014 17:23:18 GMT -5
Not a big fan of the Hulk outside of Peter David's run and Planet Hulk, but I picked up the Crossroads tpb tonight because it's such a wild idea. (Also, some early Mignola art, and anything that might get some money to the Mantlo family is worth it.)
Do love Trimpe's art, though. He's the definitive Hulk artist, in my opinion. Sorry, Sal. I bought every issue of the Hulk all through the "Crossroads" era but all I remember about it was how much I wanted it to end.
I would probably like it now. But back then, I had liked the Hulk the way it was and I didn't like the change.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 2, 2014 17:47:54 GMT -5
The Incredible Hulk #139 - May 1971
Roy Thomas, Herb Trimpe, Sam Grainger
The Leader, after a long period of brooding over his many defeats at the hand of the Hulk, comes up with a plan to defeat ol' Jade-Jaws by enhancing his own mental powers and tricking the Hulk into thinking that all his old foes are attacking one after the other. The Leader surmises this will cause the Hulk to have a heart attack.
But he needs to use a military installation where they have been working on a device called the Brain-Wave Booster, so he persuades Ross and Talbot to trust him and let him use the facility. (Because that work out so well previously when the Leader betrayed them and almost destroyed the world (Hulk #115, #116 and #117).
But Ross is careful about covering his ass so he gets permission directly from President Nixon himself! Says Nixon:
It sounds INSANE -- but I've got FAITH in you, Ross. You haven't let me down YET.
I'm trying to figure out what Ross has done that makes Nixon think so highly of him. It can't have anything to do with capturing the Hulk! (It makes me wonder if Ross ever had anything to do with CREEP or E. Howard Hunt or Operation Artichoke.)
(And also, by the way, they're in upstate New York, not so far from the hospital where Betty is still a glass statue. And also also, Jim Wilson is hanging out, sitting at the base of a large artillery gun, in case they need him to calm down the Hulk or something. And he makes a reference to Flip Wilson.)
So the Hulk fights telepathic projections of dudes like the Rhino, Xeron, Namor, the Missing Link, the Glob, the Night-Crawler and etc., and he gets closer and closer to the hospital and the ground shakes and glass Betty trembles a little.
Jim gets worried and decides to take matters in his own hands and uses his amazing mutant power to breach all the security to sneak into the facility where he messes with some wires. Soon, the Leader is being attacked by the Hulk, then the Hulk again and yet another Hulk, until he's catatonic. The Abomination disappears in mid-swing and the Hulk jumps away and Betty is saved!
I first read this as a reprint in a Marvel Treasury Edition in the 1970s and it's remained one of my very favorite comics through the decades. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 2, 2014 19:18:08 GMT -5
The next three issues are key issues, first appearances and stuff. They are all some great stories and everybody should read them. I'm just going to give quick plot summaries and a minimum of commentary because Essential Hulk, Volume Three, is going back to the library soon.
The Incredible Hulk #140 - June 1971
Roy Thomas, Harlan Ellison, Herb Trimpe, Sam Grainger
In a story that continues from Avengers #88, the Hulk is shrunk down to sub-microscopic size by the alien villain Psyklop and he ends up on a world of giant pig-dogs and green people, where he actually seems to fit in. Wizards enable the Hulk to have Bruce Banner's mind and he is all set to marry Jarella, the queen of the green people. (This is Jarella's first appearance, which was kind of a big deal in the Bronze Age. She kind of reminds me of Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time.) Banner/Hulk uncovers some palace intrigue before Psyklop finds him and returns him to his old self on Marvel-Earth. (It doesn't do Psyklop any good.)
The Incredible Hulk #141 - July 1971
Roy Thomas, Herb Trimpe, John Severin
The first appearance of Doc Samson! The Hulk is captured and the energy from his body is extracted and stored, thus curing Banner of being the Hulk. Some of this energy is used to cure Betty so that she's not made of glass anymore. And the supervising psychiatrist uses some of the remaining energy to turn himself into Doc Samson. Samson and Betty start hanging out and Banner gets jealous and ... turns himself into the Hulk again.
Yeah. OK. Let me get this straight. In #126 and #138, with the grave threat staring him in the face (Night-Crawler in #126 and Sandman in #138), Banner is torn about becoming the Hulk and hesitates. (It's especially bad in #138 because he hesitates long enough for the Sandman to exchange his blood with Betty, and she turns to glass!) But in #141, he gets jealous and won't even talk to Betty, and his solution is to turn into the Hulk because he can't think of any other way to compete with Doc Samson! (Writer Roy Thomas got some Hulkplaining to do!)
So they fight and the Hulk wins, but Betty is worried over Samson because he's injured. So he really loses.
The Incredible Hulk #142 - August 1971
Roy Thomas, Herb Trimpe, John Severin
This issue is so awesome! Great art, great story, the second appearance of the Valkyrie! Tom Wolfe is in it.
The Hulk is in New York, and some wealthy socialites - with the help of their radical feminist daughter - persuade the Hulk to come to their apartment for a party held in his honor to raise money for the cause, in tis case, to raise money for the Hulk, who they consider to be an oppressed minority.
It's one of the most amusing issues of the Hulk ever, with a bunch of trendy socialites fawning over the Hulk and complimenting the Parringtons for their socially conscious coup. And dialogue like:
Hulk:
If this is all a TRAP, Hulk will SMASH -- smash you all!
To which the hostess responds:
Isn't he ADORABLE, Lizabeth? He's been saying that all DAY. Of course, he doesn't really mean a WORD of it.
The Enchantress, looking on from another realm, sees her chance for revenge on the Hulk (from Hulk #102) and turns Samantha Parrington into the Vaklyrie!
So the Hulk and Val fight for a few pages until the spell of the Enchantress wears off, and both combatants return to their human identities and wander off confused.
The art on this is KILLER! |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jun 2, 2014 22:42:35 GMT -5
Now,these issues of Hulk I remember. Way back then,when Harlan Ellison contributed, it was an event.IMO he always delivered the goods.And now Severin on inks it was looking better than ever. Unlike some others here,I thought much of the previous issues were very routine,but these 3 rocked
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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 2, 2014 23:17:48 GMT -5
Hey, Ish! You can count me among the people who think Harlan Ellison is pretty awesome! I'll have to tell you all about the time I met him at a comic book store and talked to him for a while and didn't realize who he was for about ten minutes. (But not right now.)
I forgot to put this in the JLA thread: JLA #89 has a writer character named "Harlequin Ellis" and it's all about his "dangerous dreams." He doesn't seem to be very much like Ellison but I guess the "dangerous dreams" refer to "Dangerous Visions."
I was going to read the JLA story again tonight, a little more slowly, to see how he's like Ellison.
(And that reminds me! I put "Again, Dangerous Visions" aside six months ago to take a little break and I never got back to it! Time to pick it up again. Jeez Louise, I think I was in the middle of a story!)
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jun 3, 2014 0:01:24 GMT -5
Hey, Ish! You can't count me among the people who think Harlan Ellison is pretty awesome! I'll have to tell you all about the time I met him at a comic book store and talked to him for a while and didn't realize who he was for about ten minutes. (But not right now.) I forgot to put this in the JLA thread: JLA #89 has a writer character named "Harlequin Ellis" and it's all about his "dangerous dreams." He doesn't seem to be very much like Ellison but I guess the "dangerous dreams" refer to "Dangerous Visions." I was going to read the JLA story again tonight, a little more slowly, to see how he's like Ellison. (And that reminds me! I put "Again, Dangerous Visions" aside six months ago to take a little break and I never got back to it! Time to pick it up again. Jeez Louise, I think I was in the middle of a story!) Looking forward to your Ellison story.I'm aware he's a love-him-or-hate-him character.Curmudgeon,braggart,litigious,opinionated,irascible But I find some of those characteristics make himhighly entertaining.And here was a guy in the 1960's,well known and respected,who spoke up for the comic book format with love and actually would contribute from time to time.Plus he was the writer of my favorite Star Trek episode "City On The Edge Of Forever" plus some other great episodes of The Outer Limits and Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea.And finally ,of course some great short stories in the 60s and 70s along with the landmark Dangerous Visions. His collection,back then,of his TV review column,The Glass Teat was a riot.Its a shame his work is hard to find these days. Thankfully I bought most of it back when The Hulk should be very proud Ellison contributed to his story with a major issue |
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Post by the4thpip on Jun 3, 2014 3:35:54 GMT -5
Not a big fan of the Hulk outside of Peter David's run and Planet Hulk, but I picked up the Crossroads tpb tonight because it's such a wild idea. (Also, some early Mignola art, and anything that might get some money to the Mantlo family is worth it.)
Do love Trimpe's art, though. He's the definitive Hulk artist, in my opinion. Sorry, Sal. I bought every issue of the Hulk all through the "Crossroads" era but all I remember about it was how much I wanted it to end.
I would probably like it now. But back then, I had liked the Hulk the way it was and I didn't like the change.
They did bring back the Moby Dick in space characters in one Crossroads stories, I seem to remember. |
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Post by paulie on Jun 3, 2014 11:14:00 GMT -5
The Incredible Hulk #139 - May 1971
Roy Thomas, Herb Trimpe, Sam Grainger
The Leader, after a long period of brewing over his many defeats at the hand of the Hulk, comes up with a plan to defeat ol' Jade-Jaws by enhancing his own mental powers and tricking the Hulk into thinking that all his old foes are attacking one after the other. The Leader surmises this will cause the Hulk to have a heart attack.
But he needs to use a military installation where they have been working on a device called the Brain-Wave Booster, so he persuades Ross and Talbot to trust him and let him use the facility. (Because that work out so well previously when the Leader betrayed them and almost destroyed the world (Hulk #115, #116 and #117).
But Ross is careful about covering his ass so he gets permission directly from President Nixon himself! Says Nixon:
It sounds INSANE -- but I've got FAITH in you, Ross. You haven't let me down YET.
I'm trying to figure out what Ross has done that makes Nixon think so highly of him. It can't have anything to do with capturing the Hulk! (It makes me wonder if Ross ever had anything to do with CREEP or E. Howard Hunt or Operation Artichoke.)
(And also, by the way, there in upstate New York, not so far from the hospital where Betty is still a glass statue. And also also, Jim Wilson is hanging out, sitting at the base of a large artillery gun, in case they need him to calm down the Hulk or something. And he makes a reference to Flip Wilson.)
So the Hulk fights telepathic projections of dudes like the Rhino, Xeron, Namor, the Missing Link, the Glob, the Night-Crawler and etc., and he gets closer and closer to the hospital and the ground shakes and glass Betty trembles a little.
Jim gets worried and decides to take matters in his own hands and uses his amazing mutant power to breach all the security to sneak into the facility where he messes with some wires. Soon, the Leader is being attacked by the Hulk, then the Hulk again and yet another Hulk, until he's catatonic. The Abomination disappears in mid-swing and the Hulk jumos away and Betty is saved!
I first read this as a reprint in a Marvel Treasury Edition in the 1970s and it's remained one of my very favorite comics through the decades. An absolutely crazy issue of the Hulk. The Leader uses Hallucinogens to 'attack' the Hulk. I wonder if Roy was making some sly commentary on the 60s counterculture here? A nice pairing of Herb Trimpe and Sam Grainger as well. |
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Post by the4thpip on Jun 4, 2014 8:21:34 GMT -5
I loved that issue with Valkyre, too. Does anybody have a scan of the Hulk trying to score some hors d'oeuvre from a snobbish butler?
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Post by Jesse on Jun 6, 2014 9:27:02 GMT -5
Speaking of Hulk scans does anyone have a scan of the scene from the Jack Kirby Stan Lee mini series where Hulk is jumping away from a group of soldiers. I can't find one on google and I forget which issue it was in.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 24, 2014 14:50:22 GMT -5
For some reason, I've been singing the Hulk cartoon theme when I walk the dogs. You know the one:
Here's the lyrics:
Doc Bruce Banner, pelted by gamma rays,
Turns into the Hulk!
Ain't he unglama-rays!
Wreckin' the town With the power of a bull, Ain't no monster-clown, who is as lovable
as ever-lovin' Hulk! Hulk!
(I love that last, dispirited "Hulk"!)
So I was singing this classic of the 1960s as I was walking the dogs when I realized there was an elderly man walking on the sidewalk right behind me, and he must have heard every word (including my awful awful attempt to sing like the woman that says "Ain't he unglama-rays!"). One of the dogs has a bad leg from a long-ago wound so we walk very slow at times and this guy had been walking very quietly but very quickly on his morning constitutional. So he sort of snuck up on us.
I stopped because the dogs were very interested in some foliage and I nodded but the guy just walked by without any acknowledgment of us.
He's probably calling the cops!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2014 16:02:05 GMT -5
He's probably telling his forum about thr crazy guy he saw walking dogs.
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