tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14947834060500995112024-03-21T13:07:52.036-07:00Herb Trimpe's HulkRadioactive ramblings from the recesses of the Cryptic Critic.The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-66134174563829793142010-10-23T10:48:00.000-07:002011-01-17T09:44:09.007-08:00Incredible Hulk #193. Doc Samson's back.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5GhVMvl2bT4QIjc_16L3J-otiB-UzdgrdWwh9z9QOmYJOmUJgDHBsseS0FgZsL-HhkTV4ONtc_lCpcofDto2_nHzxNvr4lAEH3zSd2A7u48UiMI0JiolETFVLQN3HuWkB3Nkmd2WxKE/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23193+doc+samson.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Incredible Hulk #193, Doc Samson, Herb Trimpe" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531300175074162130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5GhVMvl2bT4QIjc_16L3J-otiB-UzdgrdWwh9z9QOmYJOmUJgDHBsseS0FgZsL-HhkTV4ONtc_lCpcofDto2_nHzxNvr4lAEH3zSd2A7u48UiMI0JiolETFVLQN3HuWkB3Nkmd2WxKE/s400/incredible+hulk+%23193+doc+samson.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 259px;" title="Incredible Hulk #193, Doc Samson, Herb Trimpe" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from November 1975.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"The Doctor's Name Is Samson!"</span></b></span></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Len Wein.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe and Joe Staton.</div><div>Lettering by John Costanza.</div><div>Colours by Glynis Wein.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">I</span>t was hard not to feel disappointed when Doc Samson was <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/08/incredible-hulk-147-leader-and-richard.html">first written out of <i>The Incredible Hulk</i></a>. If ever there was a character whose potential'd been left untapped, it had to be the muscle-bound psychiatrist, a hero almost as strong as the Hulk but with a fully-functioning brain. Therefore I suppose it's ironic that the departure of my favourite Hulk artist coincides with the return of one of my favourite supporting characters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thunderbolt Ross has brought the psychiatrist in to try and retrieve Glenn Talbot's erased mind. To do it Samson needs two things; Gamma radiation and Bruce Banner. Why he needs either isn't exactly clear but of course no sooner have we been introduced to his mighty Gammatron than it goes wrong. It springs a leak and, hey presto, its creator's got his muscles back, his green hair back and is itching for another scrap with the Hulk. Unfortunately, having sent Samson flying with one punch, the Hulk departs before Samson can get back to the battle site, leaving him to crawl from a hole in the ground, vowing vengeance.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Maybe it's me but Samson seems more macho and gung ho than before. OK, he wasn't exactly short of confidence on <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/08/incredible-hulk-141-doc-samson-makes.html">his first appearance</a> but this time he seems to have taken the self-belief up a notch. Maybe his mind <i>is</i> affected by the radiation after all. He also seems to have got more action-packed, his fight with the Hulk being much more mobile than it was on their first meeting, as the pair leap around, fling things about and end up slugging it out atop the World Trade Centre.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Joe Staton's inks are strong in more ways than one, giving the tale a drastically different look to that which we were used to for years. In some ways he's a great inker for Trimpe, lending Trimpe's work a visual depth and dynamism it might otherwise lack. In other ways he almost obliterates Trimpe's own style, leaving just hints of it showing through - however much Staton's modified the penciller's work, the Hulk's teeth for instance are still pure Trimpe. Regardless, there's no denying the result looks pleasing, even if Staton's inks were arguably better suited to Sal Buscema who succeeded Trimpe on the strip.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I suppose it would've been nice if Trimpe had gone out with a multi-part epic, featuring all the things he did best; tanks, planes, spaceships, monsters and giant robots. Instead he goes out with a tale whose main function is to set up future events. In that sense it's a little disappointing but, even if it's a mixture of prepping future events and rerunning past ones, it's entertaining enough and moves the strip towards the more action-packed style to come.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And that's it, the end of Herb Trimpe's run, and the end of the blog. Budd's pointed out to me there's one more Herb Trimpe issue, from around a year later, that I wasn't aware of. Sadly I don't yet have a copy of that. So, until I get my hands on it, the blog's done and dusted. I'd like to thank the people who've stuck with it to the end, no matter how gruelling it might have been for you. And, for anyone new, I might as well give a plug to my other blogs <i><a href="http://spidermanreviewed.blogspot.com/">Spider-Man Reviewed</a></i> and <i><a href="http://mariamckee.blogspot.com/">Maria McKee's Life Is Sweet</a>,</i> the latter of which has pretty pictures even if you don't want to read the text. Will I be back with another blog? Who can know? Right now, after reviewing over 90 issues of the Hulk, I need a break and, when my feeble mind's recovered, I'll see if there's the fuel in the tank to to tackle something else.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-43777864287112255842010-10-21T12:42:00.001-07:002011-01-17T09:46:37.983-08:00Incredible Hulk #192. The Loch Fear Monster<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIav7wy-TbTtmXNEAJKUz_7tcIPPi0fCZpk92D-abNBcFuyT3X-CR_H_KEwCidSjyntk4rWlJ1M7yLmyILSyutQm7fM00suAA_zRvkWoo2YNtJUVLUlPFldvzt5wwjSIWUDerg3HHNMA/s1600/incredible+huk+%23192.+loch+fear+monster+scotland.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530587793585158898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIav7wy-TbTtmXNEAJKUz_7tcIPPi0fCZpk92D-abNBcFuyT3X-CR_H_KEwCidSjyntk4rWlJ1M7yLmyILSyutQm7fM00suAA_zRvkWoo2YNtJUVLUlPFldvzt5wwjSIWUDerg3HHNMA/s400/incredible+huk+%23192.+loch+fear+monster+scotland.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 264px;" title="Incredible Hulk #192, Loch Ness Monster, Herb Trimpe" /></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Cover from October 1975.)</span></i><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"The Lurker Beneath Loch Fear!"</span></b></span></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Len Wein.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe and Joe Staton.</div><div>Lettering by Ray Holloway.</div><div>Colours by Glynis Wein.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">I</span> think we've all at some point wondered just what'd happen if the Incredible Hulk met the Loch Ness Monster.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, OK, I never have but Len Wein clearly had, as at last we get that titanic tussle. Of course, as we all know, the Loch Ness Monster has very good lawyers, and so names have had to be changed. Thus it is that the Loch Ness Monster becomes the Loch <i>Fear</i> Monster and the Incredible Hulk becomes... ...well, the Incredible Hulk.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/10/incredible-hulk-191toad-men-shaper.html">Sent back to Earth by the Shaper</a>, the green grappler finds himself in a version of Scotland that only exists in comic books, where everyone talks like Groundskeeper Willie and hangs around in castles. It seems that local fisherman Angus Mactavish is on a mission to kill the dreaded Loch Fear Monster but evil laird of the manor Black Jaimie Macawber (who's white) is out to stop him, fearing the deed would destroy a local economy that relies on the tourism the monster brings in. Needless to say the Hulk can't stand for such appalling behaviour as protecting the local tourist industry and is soon slugging it out with the chaotic kelpie while Mactavish tries to stick an explosive harpoon in it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It has to be said there are two obvious problems with this tale. The first is its stereotypical portrayal of the Scots. The second is it has its ethics in a twist, as the man we're meant to see as the bad guy is clearly the good guy and the man we're meant to see as the good guy is a raving lunatic. Black Jaimie wants to keep the monster alive in order to save the village and its inhabitants from poverty, while Angus Mactavish wants to kill it because...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well that's the problem. He doesn't seem to have any reason at all to kill the thing. Is it a threat to him? It doesn't appear to be. Has it killed anyone? If it has it's never mentioned. Because of this, it's hard to see why Len Wein seems to think we should be on his side. At least Captain Cybor, way back in <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/08/incredible-hulk-137-cybor-abomination.html">issue #137</a>, had some sort of reason for wanting to kill Klaatu, however demented. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There's also the problem that, for a modern reader, it's hard to read the tale without being reminded of the <i>Simpsons</i> episode where Groundskeeper Willie and Monty Burns try to capture the Loch Ness Monster. Obviously Len Wein can't be held responsible for that - <i>The Simpsons</i> wasn't even a gleam in Matt Groening's eye when this tale was written - but the ludicrous stereotyping of the characters and the OTT melodrama of its climax make it a difficult tale to take seriously. It should also be pointed out that loch monsters are a protected species under Scottish law, so Messrs Mactavish and Banner should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-47721532684620512492010-10-20T12:34:00.000-07:002011-01-17T09:48:19.812-08:00Incredible Hulk #191.Toad Men, the Shaper & Glorian<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvesP7VRz9VdEPVtiEOmhZwUEcHz4ThotT8VQRoDIfPYUK285lhlAnpD5g-04QIpDmbIJvaWBg3HJYYU9Q-k_gQl1NWAqIOouJbAvJNLYAcAgqDREy7WviWYkhwknq-905R07o9-ym4c/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23191+shaper+glorian+toadmen.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530214278553364962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvesP7VRz9VdEPVtiEOmhZwUEcHz4ThotT8VQRoDIfPYUK285lhlAnpD5g-04QIpDmbIJvaWBg3HJYYU9Q-k_gQl1NWAqIOouJbAvJNLYAcAgqDREy7WviWYkhwknq-905R07o9-ym4c/s400/incredible+hulk+%23191+shaper+glorian+toadmen.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 256px;" title="Incredible Hulk #191, Glorian, Shaper, Toad Men, Herb Trimpe" /></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Cover from September 1975.)</span></i><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"Triumph Of The Toad!"</span></span></b></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Len Wein.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe and Joe Staton.</div><div>Lettering by John Costanza.</div><div>Colours by Glynis Wein.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">D</span>id Blondie singer Debbie Harry really know of what she sang when she said dreaming is free?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It'd appear not, as the Toad Men discover there's a high price to pay for trying to get yourself a handful of dreams. Having secured the Hulk and his friends, the Toad Men tell the Hulk that if he doesn't help them capture the Shaper so they can use his dream-weaving powers to conquer the cosmos, they'll kill Crackajack and Jarella.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So the Hulk takes a bomb to a meeting with the Shaper, and its detonation knocks them both out. But when the Hulk and Glorian go to the Toad Men's world to free the Shaper, the Toad Men react with their usual charm by killing Glorian.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The sight of his friend being killed so destabilises the Shaper that he loses control of his illusions, and the Hulk for the first time sees "Jarella" and "Crackajack" as the alien creatures they really are. The loss of his friends sets the Hulk off on a rampage that leaves the Toad World in ruins and the Toad King Torkon in a heap. The battle done, the Shaper sends the Hulk back to Earth while leaving the Toad Men to face their doom on their no-longer functional planet.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's difficult to know what to make of this tale. It's certainly more imaginative than most but you can't ignore the fact that the Toad Men are inherently silly. Writer Len Wein certainly can't ignore it as he makes them ludicrous and nasty in evil measures, an inadequate race who get all their technology by stealing it from other, better races. It also has to be said that both the Shaper and Glorian come across as being so dim you're almost glad to see Glorian get shot, just to see the back of his inane brand of gentility.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, a strange story overall that, in its mixing of the dramatic and ludicrous, reminds me of the kind of thing Steve Gerber might have done. In truth, if this was the first Hulk story I'd ever read, I've no doubt I'd be more than intrigued enough by its oddness to want to read more Hulk comics and, while I'm not sure I'd want to see more Hulk stories in this style, I suppose that means it must have done its job.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-11091480383605681492010-10-19T11:31:00.000-07:002011-01-17T09:50:45.753-08:00Incredible Hulk #190. Glorian, Toad Men & the Shaper<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2WnfgeAF3-1yZwRhaQGuBn6eqsBdpVsCSdA21WCiXYLakDcvUpJJUzP2QqXPxmRF_z4SUMyBGB1phZf8gEcEi6JMyg3EsaeGvWTAane4nJYJLrGHwZkoq9g6mYQuwabrt_X3icEkVRo/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23190+glorian+toadmen.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529827036452475058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2WnfgeAF3-1yZwRhaQGuBn6eqsBdpVsCSdA21WCiXYLakDcvUpJJUzP2QqXPxmRF_z4SUMyBGB1phZf8gEcEi6JMyg3EsaeGvWTAane4nJYJLrGHwZkoq9g6mYQuwabrt_X3icEkVRo/s400/incredible+hulk+%23190+glorian+toadmen.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 263px;" title="Incredible Hulk #190, Glorian, Shaper, Toad Men, Jarella and Crackajack Jackson, Herb Trimpe" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from August 1975.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"The Man Who Came Down On A Rainbow!"</span></span></b></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Len Wein.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe and Marie Severin.</div><div>Lettering by John Costanza.</div><div>Colours by Glynis Wein.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">S</span>till blundering around behind the Iron Curtain, the Hulk meets a man called Glorian who travels by rainbow and takes him to a world that can only be called the Hulk's idea of paradise. It comes complete with the late Crackajack Jackson, Jarella and a whole host of lovely flowers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's not real of course. Unknown to the Hulk it's the handiwork of <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/08/incredible-hulk-155-captain-axis-and.html">the </a><a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/08/incredible-hulk-155-captain-axis-and.html">Shaper</a><a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/08/incredible-hulk-155-captain-axis-and.html"> </a>who's been convinced by Glorian to use his powers to fulfil the dreams of others in order to bring them happiness.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, because it's paradise, everything's fine and dandy for a spell, as the Hulk gets to spend time with his newly-rediscovered friends. But every Eden must have its serpent - or in this case an amphibian - and so it's not long before it all goes wrong, as old foes the Toad Men show up and, looking for slaves, abduct the Hulk and his companions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Writer Len Wein seems to have set himself a challenge to see how many old characters he can get into one issue of a comic book without it getting over-crowded, and so we get the return not only of the Toad Men (whoever thought they'd be showing their faces ever again?) but also Crackajack Jackson, Jarella and the Shaper. The one new face is that of Glorian who I believe made his debut in an issue of <i>The Fantastic Four</i>. I have to admit I've never read that particular tale and so my knowledge of the character beyond what we see here's somewhat limited. He seems a nice enough bloke, though possibly a little too perfect to be someone you'd actually want to meet.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another returning fave is Marie Severin who, several years after she departed the strip, returns just as the Herb Trimpe era's drawing to an end. I have to say I can see more of Severin's hand in the artwork than I can Trimpe's, although there's plenty of pointing going on by the various characters so, in that at least, Trimpe's style shows through. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Leaving aside the hints of a gay subtext running through the tale, it's hard to avoid the feeling the strip's moving into a new era. Neither <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/10/incredible-hulk-189-blind-girl-and-mole.html">last issue</a> nor this feel like Hulk tales had previously. There seems to be more concentration on the Hulk as a character and more of a stylised feel, as though Wein's looking for a new direction for the title. While, on the art front, Trimpe seems to be gradually becoming more marginalised. In the last few issues, Joe Staton's influence on the look of the strip had become increasingly heavy and now we have Marie Severin's involvement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a way, it's a reversal of how Trimpe started on the strip, where he seemed to be being eased into it over a number of issues. He now seems to be being eased out of it the same way. It's a shame. It would've been nice to see Trimpe going out with a full-blooded bang rather than sliding his way sideways out of it but those of us who're Trimpe fans can at least take heart that there's still a few more issues to go before he's receded from the strip completely.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-52708397322508317332010-10-18T10:32:00.000-07:002011-01-17T09:52:43.374-08:00Incredible Hulk #189. The blind girl and the Mole Man<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgno_VNFScDdU3R_kbzOFgmPkxv3FSeSTmn_htPwjFl2xDNDLDhNVSmanp78fSu5_H6WuKz6WWXrsXySGSKV1-dO-OLHOIBbcUt3ePzphx04zERMhAl-OVAW79f_seHWHRiKrvMFCXKgpU/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23189+mole+man.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529440649709480642" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgno_VNFScDdU3R_kbzOFgmPkxv3FSeSTmn_htPwjFl2xDNDLDhNVSmanp78fSu5_H6WuKz6WWXrsXySGSKV1-dO-OLHOIBbcUt3ePzphx04zERMhAl-OVAW79f_seHWHRiKrvMFCXKgpU/s400/incredible+hulk+%23189+mole+man.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 261px;" title="Incredible Hulk #189, Mole man, blind girl, Herb Trimpe" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from July 1975.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"None Are So Blind...!"</span></span></b></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Len Wein.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe and Joe Staton.</div><div>Lettering by Artie Simek.</div><div>Colours by Glynis Wein.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Y</span>et again the Hulk demonstrates his uncanny ability to speak any language known to man, as he finds himself in a Siberian village and understands everything everyone says to him. Just where did such a stupid character get such an incredible gift for speaking so badly in so many tongues?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Having easily survived the destruction of the Gremlin's stronghold <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/10/incredible-hulk-188-droog-gremlin.html">last time out</a>, the Hulk meets a blind girl - Katrina - and befriends her, only to learn her village is raided every night by a horde of strange small creatures who turn out to be the Mole Man's subterraneans. It seems Katrina's scientist grandfather's developed a cure for her blindness and, being all but blind himself, the Mole Man wants it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Hulk's not having any of that and, venturing into the Mole Man's underground kingdom, he takes on the villain's diminutive hordes to retrieve the now-stolen medicine. That done, he returns it to the village where, being a comic book cure, it removes Katrina's blindness within seconds.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But here's the rub. When Katrina sees him for the first time, she sees our protagonist not as the Hulk, an ugly and frightening brute, but as the man he really is inside - Bruce Banner. This prompts the Hulk to leave the village behind, tears streaming down his face because, while Katrina may look into his eyes and see a man, the Hulk can see only a monster.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's a lovely little story that, not for the first time in the strip's history, draws on its <i>Frankenstein </i>roots to engage our sympathies<i>. </i>While that trick might not be new, what <i>is</i> new is the story's told entirely in the First Person by the Hulk. It's a bit of a surprise, given his notoriously foggy memory, to discover the Hulk can actually recall an entire adventure, let alone retell it coherently, but it's a conceit that works and, along with its oddly fairy-tale like mood, lifts the tale well above recent offerings. </div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-24710409969893895582010-10-16T12:24:00.000-07:002011-01-17T09:56:28.528-08:00Incredible Hulk #188. Droog & the Gremlin<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKL9J6nPHaupl1pRy_Sa4fqG19I_bW205Ur-enyEHzOUth6I_j9HPeRgqFQDYIinCPkPXCo2gCB6rWBC0F2Atf2dph9ywWfO-L6Jk9f4HokM_Zm82-Uunfap_LHI58E4dOidtxr6SHiE/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23188+gremlin+droog.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528727834819738578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKL9J6nPHaupl1pRy_Sa4fqG19I_bW205Ur-enyEHzOUth6I_j9HPeRgqFQDYIinCPkPXCo2gCB6rWBC0F2Atf2dph9ywWfO-L6Jk9f4HokM_Zm82-Uunfap_LHI58E4dOidtxr6SHiE/s640/incredible+hulk+%23188+gremlin+droog.jpg" style="float: left; height: 400px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; width: 261px;" title="Incredible Hulk #188, Gremlin, Droog, Siberia, Herb Trimpe" width="417" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from June 1975.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"Mind Over Mayhem!"</span></b></i></span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Len Wein.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Inked by Joe Staton.</div><div>Lettering by Artie Simek.</div><div>Colours by Glynis Wein.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">I</span>ncredible Hulk #188</i> might be memorable for many things but the one that leaps out at you like a sore sauropod is the introduction of Droog, the murderous poetic triceratops of terror.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">With his love of flinging rhyming couplets at you as he tries to kill you, Droog has to be the strangest creation the strip had yet come up with and, bearing in mind this is the comic that once brought us a giant killer mouth in space, that's quite a boast to make. What the thinking was behind Droog's conception is anyone's guess but you can only suspect Len Wein may not have been totally serious when he first proposed it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Still, however bizarre the thing may be, it does guarantee that, once read, the story'll never be forgotten, as the attempt to rescue Glenn Talbot from the Gremlin's fortress continues.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to Clay Quartermain happening to have a bomb concealed beneath his fingernail, the rescue party bust free from their cell and confront the Gremlin who summons Droog to deal with them. As the Hulk fights Droog, the good guys make their escape, just before SHIELD blast the fortress to smithereens.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">You can't ignore the fact that SHIELD's actions in annihilating the fortress seem somewhat irresponsible, as they have no way of knowing whether Ross and his gang have actually got out of the place first. In all honesty, I'm not sure SHIELD overall come across as the most reliable organisation in the world. Every one of their agents that we see this issue seems perhaps a little too "flamboyant" and gung ho for the sake of professionalism.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Still, this is a comic book and we know the good guys win through in the end.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And so, minus the Hulk, our gang return to the US with Glenn Talbot's body. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">His mind however is another matter, as the Gremlin had swapped it for that of one of his own agents before sending it back to the US in the exploding impostor we saw in <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/10/incredible-hulk-185-glenn-talbot-blows.html">issue #185</a>. Because I don't have the intellect of a master-criminal, I don't have the slightest clue why the Gremlin did the mind-swap in the first place. Why didn't he just send Talbot back in his own body? And why was the loyal Soviet agent who now occupies Talbot's body being kept in one of the Gremlin's cells? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, overall, it's a tale that no sense makes,</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But in its insanity, entertainment it never fakes,</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And proves there was some creative steam still, </div><div style="text-align: justify;">With Wein and Trimpe's hands upon the till.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Blimey, it's infectious.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-54221682211651992552010-10-15T11:22:00.000-07:002011-01-17T09:57:33.591-08:00Incredible Hulk #187. The Gremlin's back.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__NKkAPJsBovYV9lCb_v2Q7gm1UVA9_P7JMW4TG8Utb99z0yplfY63lefCigRf0mBhhhX8P5Py4jZbh5cjomq2bN4_jmSJWjRwIeCu-rkRowd-Z60ikB8LOdojSWL03nQ6eWLbBiFjT4/s1600/incredible+hulk%23+187+gremlin.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528340367869723474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__NKkAPJsBovYV9lCb_v2Q7gm1UVA9_P7JMW4TG8Utb99z0yplfY63lefCigRf0mBhhhX8P5Py4jZbh5cjomq2bN4_jmSJWjRwIeCu-rkRowd-Z60ikB8LOdojSWL03nQ6eWLbBiFjT4/s400/incredible+hulk%23+187+gremlin.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 255px;" title="Incredible Hulk #187, Gremlin, Siberia, Herb Trimpe" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from May 1975.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"There's A Gremlin In The Works!"</span></span></b></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Len Wein.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe and Joe Staton.</div><div>Lettering by Artie Simek.</div><div>Colours by Glynis Wein.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">A</span>nyone with a functioning brain could see why a man who turns into an uncontrollable monster whenever he gets excited isn't the man to take along on a life-or-death mission to free Glenn Talbot from a Soviet fortress.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bruce Banner isn't that anyone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Told he can't go, by Thunderbolt Ross, he stows away on the plane and, inevitably, before the flight's even reached its destination, he's got over-excited and turned into the Hulk.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Exactly what Banner thought he could contribute to the mission is anyone's guess. Leaving aside the Hulk thing, he's a scientist, not a commando and hasn't even had access to the fortress schematics.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Happily, the weapons pod he was hiding in's been jettisoned by this point, meaning Ross and SHIELD agent Clay Quartermain can carry on with their plan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And it's a plan that works flawlessly right up until the point where they're about to leave the stronghold with the newly liberated Talbot. That's when Ross hands him a gun, and Talbot promptly points it at them to reveal he's not Glenn Talbot at all. He's a Soviet agent and they're now prisoners of the Gremlin.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After some relatively dispensable stories this is something of a return to meatier ways. That's not to say it's original; re-running as it does <i><a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/search/label/Captain%20Omen">The Incredible Hulk</a></i><a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/search/label/Captain%20Omen"> #164-165</a> in which Colonel Armbruster and co freed Thunderbolt Ross from Soviet captivity - while the Hulk's run-in with the Gremlin and his armour-clad Super-Troupers re-runs the events of <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/09/incredible-hulk-163-gremlin.html">issue #163</a>. There's even a parallel in Clay Quartermain being introduced for the mission, just as Jack Armbruster had been for the Thunderbolt Ross rescue.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Like Armbruster, Quartermain seems rather full of himself and has an annoying gimmick. With Armbruster, it was his pipe-smoking. With Quartermain, it's his rictus grin. Not knowing anything of Quartermain's history before his introduction to the Hulk strip, I don't know what the story is behind it but it don't half make you want to punch him in the face.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Still, despite annoying grins, Bruce Banner's stupidity and a noticeable lack of new ideas, the concentration on the penetration of the Gremlin's fortress makes this a stronger and more focused tale than some we've been getting lately and can therefore be seen as a return to earlier form - even if it rediscovers that form mostly by an act of regurgitation.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-62827443762258166262010-10-14T17:12:00.000-07:002011-01-17T09:58:29.289-08:00Incredible Hulk #186. The Devastator.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEf8pc8nP9jElxRKgzmLHJ5qisgn4kSIz8E5HjtKIAwUDic8SXTt6T4JHJeXyaUV2mDzZAlReVA4R7rWzqnr0siNohtp5M9Tp3iPkIiWwT5CrPA_L-vVLvYjWc2yenstpq-LOY6nabLk/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23186.+Devastator.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527241315651169698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEf8pc8nP9jElxRKgzmLHJ5qisgn4kSIz8E5HjtKIAwUDic8SXTt6T4JHJeXyaUV2mDzZAlReVA4R7rWzqnr0siNohtp5M9Tp3iPkIiWwT5CrPA_L-vVLvYjWc2yenstpq-LOY6nabLk/s400/incredible+hulk+%23186.+Devastator.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 261px;" title="Incredible Hulk #186, The Devastator, Herb Trimpe" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from April 1975.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"The Day Of The Devastator!"</span></span></b></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Len Wein.</div><div>Art by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Lettering by Artie Simek.</div><div>Colours by Glynis Wein.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>o know know know you might be to love love love love you but to know know know Betty Ross is to court complete and total disaster. If you’re not blown up by a Gamma Bomb, you’ll be blown up by a bomb hidden in your body and if you’re not blown up by that, chances are you’ll be blown up by a Soviet agent. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">While Betty frets over <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/10/incredible-hulk-185-glenn-talbot-blows.html">the explosive death of her husband</a>, the entire Hulkbuster Base comes under attack from Soviet cats-paw the Devastator. He’s there to destroy all evidence connected to the death of Glenn Talbot, by flattening the place. Sadly, despite his endless boasting, he’s not destined to go down in the annals of Comic Book History, as his power has to be beamed at him by his communist paymasters and he manages to blow himself up at the tale’s climax.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">With such a short-lived villain, the real meat of the tale involves the relationship between Betty and her father as they have a heart-to-heart over everything that’s happened to them over the last few years. Interesting that Thunderbolt Ross, once the most one-dimensional of creations, has become by far the strip’s most interesting, sympathetic and complex character.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of complex, Glenn Talbot’s out to prove he’s got more twists and turns than a conger eel on a log flume. No sooner have we all got over him blowing himself up than it turns out it wasn’t him at all. It was an impostor, which means the real Glenn Talbot may still be alive.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">One thing you can say about Betty Ross. She might be deadly but at least life’s rarely dull for those around her.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-32655009601853078922010-10-11T11:21:00.000-07:002011-01-17T09:59:35.261-08:00Incredible Hulk #185. Glenn Talbot blows up.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXudbFRwmCzuxHKJZQ6aT7luLTrbMqLcj_ZgfusFhM4s553dCI8cQKme26AbA2l2Jomabtc4LkpAY6wMkIxYx5RirME0cdLWFRMD4OjYIG0FRyMXiVVUu_QmXHPF76a8xFBcpe4Q0lug/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23185+herb+trimpe.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526855682799765314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXudbFRwmCzuxHKJZQ6aT7luLTrbMqLcj_ZgfusFhM4s553dCI8cQKme26AbA2l2Jomabtc4LkpAY6wMkIxYx5RirME0cdLWFRMD4OjYIG0FRyMXiVVUu_QmXHPF76a8xFBcpe4Q0lug/s400/incredible+hulk+%23185+herb+trimpe.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 259px;" title="Incredible Hulk #185, Glenn Talbot explodes, Herb Trimpe" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from March 1975.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"Deathknell!"</span></span></b></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Len Wein.</div><div>Art by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Lettering by Ray Holloway.</div><div>Colours by Glynis Wein.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>here are two halves to this month's issue of <i>The Incredible Hulk</i>, the first one interesting and the second one not so interesting.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Captured at the end of <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/10/incredible-hulk-184-shadow-boxing.html">last issue</a>, Bruce Banner's in a cell at the Hulkbuster Base and, while he's there, gets a visit from the President who's dropped by to check out the base.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But that's when Colonel Jack Armbruster discovers Glenn Talbot's a human bomb on a mission to blow up the President, and both Armbruster and Talbot go ka-boom (or even "Wha-Doomm!") as Armbruster sacrifices himself to save the nation's leader. This prompts Thunderbolt Ross to climb into a very odd contraption and use it to attack the Hulk.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So at last Marvel find a use for Colonel Jack Armbruster which is to kill him. It probably says it all about the lack of point his presence has had in the strip that this is his finest moment. It could be that it was felt that having a character sacrifice himself to save the President was a great bit of drama but my suspicion is Len Wein was simply bored with the character and decided the fastest way to get rid of him was to blow him up.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It'd be nice to say Armbruster'll be missed but, apart from annoying Thunderbolt Ross, it was always hard to see what he was doing there. It's ironic that, only at the moment of his death, thanks to his act of self-sacrifice, does he become an interesting and admirable character who we'd like to know more about.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The second half of the tale's clearly inferior to the first as, such intrigue dispensed with, Thunderbolt Ross reverts to his old-style persona of Man With A Vendetta Against The Hulk. It can be argued he's sent into that mode by the death of his son-in-law but, after his more recent characterisation, it still feels odd - as does his method of stopping the Hulk, which is to, from thin air, produce his own version of J Jonah Jameson's Spider-Slayer, a somewhat clunking, unwieldy device that looks like the wind could blow it over.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On other matters, it's hard to see why Bruce Banner starts the tale in chains as, in his Bruce Banner guise, he's no threat to anyone, and the chains are clearly not designed to hold the Hulk. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If there's anything that reminds us we're reading a tale from the 1970s it has to be the scene where Armbruster's desperately trying to work out how to get one of those new-fangled computer things to produce a print-out. Ah those were the days, when only scientists knew how to do even the simplest task with a computer. Actually I'm starting to miss Armbruster now - and I'm starting to feel a little cheated that we never got to know more about him. If only they'd highlighted his more admirable qualities <i>before</i> the moment of his death...</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-10903555754741769502010-10-10T11:28:00.000-07:002011-01-17T10:00:43.714-08:00Incredible Hulk #184. Shadow boxing.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQjGF9XPv8chLO9JXHDpfoRfTYUk9dbDZZGoUVsuvdm2d2JhSPIyr-x4XBA9ox5LAuMWNO2IAER95OuF3J51r9sjAv6kSpG8ub4lcnV_ReAlMNHilTqYQjVT01_9paXhOVUuMI9pwZEY/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23184+hulk%27s+shadow.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526486434411822978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQjGF9XPv8chLO9JXHDpfoRfTYUk9dbDZZGoUVsuvdm2d2JhSPIyr-x4XBA9ox5LAuMWNO2IAER95OuF3J51r9sjAv6kSpG8ub4lcnV_ReAlMNHilTqYQjVT01_9paXhOVUuMI9pwZEY/s400/incredible+hulk+%23184+hulk%27s+shadow.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 267px;" title="Incredible Hulk #184, Hulk vs his shadow, Herb Trimpe" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from February 1975.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"Shadow On The Land!"</span></i></b></span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Len Wein.</div><div>Art by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Lettering by Artie Simek.</div><div>Colours by Glynis Wein.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">S</span>ome might argue a strip's scraping the bottom of the barrel when its hero starts having to fight his own shadow, but it's <i>The Incredible Hulk</i> and, as I've said before, the less likely things get the more enjoyable it seems to become. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here, Kaa, an alien would-be ruler of Earth, takes possession of the Hulk's shadow in order to further his evil plans. Sadly that's as far as his plot for world domination gets as, instead of setting off to conquer the Earth, he just spends all day long fighting the Hulk. As plans go it doesn't seem altogether thought through and I'm not sure from the story whether Kaa's even able to physically separate himself completely from the Hulk, meaning his plan always seemed to be on rocky ground.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the end, the fiendish shadow's defeated when someone switches on some floodlights and he disintegrates in the multi-directional glare. It's the second issue running a villain from the days of Marvel's monster mags has been revived, and the second issue running said villain's been defeated by an agency other than the Hulk, so repetition could be said to be setting in. Still, the sight of the Hulk fighting his own shadow's fun and, even if there's really not much point to the story beyond that gimmick, it passes the time engagingly enough.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Letterers don't tend to get noticed too much - at least not by me - but credit has to be given to Artie Simek who expands on the theme by giving the Hulk's shadow black speech balloons with white dialogue. I don't know if this was his idea or if it was also used in Kaa's first appearance way back when but, either way, it's effective.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But the real drama this issue comes not from the Hulk's scrap but from the tale's coda, as Bruce Banner shows up at Hulkbuster Base only to be shot, in the second-last panel, by Colonel Armbruster.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I always said he was up to no good.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-16509252792120437422010-10-09T12:36:00.000-07:002011-01-17T10:01:53.059-08:00Incredible Hulk #183. Zzzax is bax.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5YIAL7Y1Es60mPv-ybqRVJJeEzWsgRcCNUvM6tHhLWj06tUuq9N8I6kWZupFvru68eRXv30Y1qVksI6qM2mrTpAhv2eBkjmLD_LYOdttyW8kH89-CMtzd-rUBb3t_Y9JsqPXtU4A_gsk/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23183+zzzax.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526133335046353778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5YIAL7Y1Es60mPv-ybqRVJJeEzWsgRcCNUvM6tHhLWj06tUuq9N8I6kWZupFvru68eRXv30Y1qVksI6qM2mrTpAhv2eBkjmLD_LYOdttyW8kH89-CMtzd-rUBb3t_Y9JsqPXtU4A_gsk/s400/incredible+hulk+%23183+zzzax.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 264px;" title="Incredible Hulk #183, Zzzax returns, Herb Trimpe" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from January 1975.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"Fury At 50,000 Volts!"</span></i></b></span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Len Wein.</div><div>Art by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Lettering by C Jetter.</div><div>Colours by Glynis Wein.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">"H</span>ulk will smash glowing monster into little glowing pieces!"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Argh! Now Zzzax killzz!!"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yes it's the greatest meeting of wits since George Bernard Shaw met Noel Coward, as Zzzax returns. How he gets back is all a bit silly, as a trio of scientists, helped by Bruce Banner, activate a machine designed to recreate the thoughts of long-dead people by means not quite explained. Unfortunately, the dead "person" whose thoughts they bring back is Zzzax and, as Zzzax is basically living thought energy, that's enough to bring his body back too.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, in his attack, he absorbs the thoughts of one of the scientists, who just happens to be in love with one of the other scientists and, deciding he too is in love with her, Zzzax climbs to the top of Chicago's John Hancock Center with her. So far this of course owes nothing to any ape-based movie we might've seen. The Hulk sets out to get her back but, in the end, it's the airplane and not the beauty that killed the beast. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's hard to see it as any more than a not-greatly disguised retread of <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/09/incredible-hulk-166-zzzax-and-hawkeye.html">Zzzax's previous appearance</a> but with Hawkeye removed and the gap filled with elements from <i>King Kong </i>but Zzzax is a fun character and if the way Zzzax is "killed" bears more than a passing resemblance to the way he was "killed" last time out, well, if it works once, you might as well do it again.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So the Hulk's sort of defeated Zzzax, and Bruce Banner's blown his brand new janitorial job. Odd though that Bruce Banner's first instinct when he turns back to Banner at the tale's start is to find employment. Knowing as he does how potentially dangerous he is, I would've thought that, by now, he would've decided the best thing to do in such circumstances is to call General Ross, or the Fantastic Four or Tony Stark or Doc Samson or Peter Corbeau or anyone else with the wherewithal to help him. Is finding a cure really not his first priority in life?</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-17238852041608799232010-10-07T12:12:00.000-07:002011-01-17T10:04:39.994-08:00Incredible Hulk #182. Hammer and Anvil and Crackajack Jackson.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHm8kQEUMc9JYpQ8Nw4Um4aS08KRo58hcLdbDoi68zG-gVuTOFbJ6o0CpI5ilc-K4UkS1CZCZ_M3Ikdpe6sYI6_d9tCZKKZoxCBb2z_iZlNgnZpuM3fU1jBrbN86aAGtyg6Wh9QcZtTfQ/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23182+wolverine+hammer+and+anvil.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Hammer and Anvil and Crackajack Jackson, Wolverine, Herb Trimpe" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525384434823602402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHm8kQEUMc9JYpQ8Nw4Um4aS08KRo58hcLdbDoi68zG-gVuTOFbJ6o0CpI5ilc-K4UkS1CZCZ_M3Ikdpe6sYI6_d9tCZKKZoxCBb2z_iZlNgnZpuM3fU1jBrbN86aAGtyg6Wh9QcZtTfQ/s400/incredible+hulk+%23182+wolverine+hammer+and+anvil.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 265px;" title="Incredible Hulk #182, Hammer and Anvil and Crackajack Jackson, Wolverine, Herb Trimpe" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from December 1974.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">"Between Hammer and Anvil!"</span></span></i></b></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Len Wein.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Lettering by John Costanza.</div><div>Colours by Glynis Wein.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">H</span>ammer and Anvil may sound like a bad comedy double-act but they're no laughing matter - as the Hulk discovers when he meets Crackajack Jackson.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jackson's a travelling musician/tramp who's on his way to visit his son in jail. The trouble is his son's one half of Hammer and Anvil, two escaped convicts who bump into an injured alien and, in shooting it, accidentally save its life whereupon it gives them super-strength by energising the chain that links them. Showing no ambition at all, the pair head straight back to the prison they've just broken out of, in order to fling their weight around a bit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the meantime, Crackajack's encountered and befriended the Hulk, and the pair set off for the prison together. Once there, Jackson's accidentally killed when he touches Hammer and Anvil's chain, and the enraged Hulk defeats the duo by snapping that chain, the loss of which sends them spiralling into total and hopeless madness, leaving the Hulk with nothing to do but bury his late friend.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's arguably the most successful of the Hulk's human interest stories so far. It can be argued that Crackajack Jackson's something of a stereotype, especially in his earliest exchanges but he's also got no agenda. For once the Hulk's befriended someone who isn't a teenager and, for once, the military don't show up to mess it all up. Instead it's the cruel hand of chance that robs the Hulk of arguably the best friend he's ever had. The fact that the Hulk's spent a fair amount of time with Jackson, and is even taught to read and write by him, makes the story more poignant than usual, especially as the Hulk then uses that knowledge to crudely carve Crackajack's name on his tombstone, ensuring that a man who would otherwise have been totally forgotten has a memorial.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The story's also helped by its villains. In the overall scheme of things, Hammer and Anvil may not amount to anything, but the fact they don't like each other and that they cause Crackajack's death by accident rather than design gives them a greater interest than they might otherwise have held. Also, the fact it becomes clear Crackajack's been a negligent parent and is to some degree responsible for how his son's turned out adds depth to his character. He might be the best friend the Hulk's ever had but is clearly deeply flawed. Stories like <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/10/incredible-hulk-181-wolverine-wendigo.html">the Wolverine tale that directly proceeded it</a> may be higher profile and fetch an awful lot more money on Internet auction sites but I'd argue that this is the superior tale and that it's the strongest and most memorable Hulk issue in a long while.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-74429937480788470452010-10-06T13:04:00.000-07:002011-01-17T10:06:51.248-08:00Incredible Hulk #181. Wolverine & the Wendigo.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqZWxGI6eNsNIyZXDWxkQIqNlIelfTeMNVC4BvjI8UOEnZ3o8x1oPpyj5LxvKRUF662XNr-0yKjpICIVfbIa5Kxf2uzcOP9DbMHwwc02KwvVErUIc5yGbASvLfH55XcuyEKN7hCDVeRM/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23181.+wolverine+wendigo.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Incredible Hulk #181 Wolverine and the Wendigo Herb Trimpe" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525027032943018610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqZWxGI6eNsNIyZXDWxkQIqNlIelfTeMNVC4BvjI8UOEnZ3o8x1oPpyj5LxvKRUF662XNr-0yKjpICIVfbIa5Kxf2uzcOP9DbMHwwc02KwvVErUIc5yGbASvLfH55XcuyEKN7hCDVeRM/s400/incredible+hulk+%23181.+wolverine+wendigo.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 268px;" title="Incredible Hulk #181, Wolverine and the Wendigo, Herb Trimpe" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from November 1974.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"And Now... The Wolverine!"</span></i></b></span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Len Wein.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Inked by Jack Abel.</div><div>Lettering by Artie Simek.</div><div>Colours by Glynis Wein.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">F</span>ormer British boxing legend Henry "Splash it on all over" Cooper once said a good big 'un will always beat a good little 'un, which shows he hadn't read this issue, as the newly introduced Wolverine knocks out the Wendigo in double-quick time. On the other hand, Wolvie does "Our Henry" proud by getting nowhere at all with the Hulk before he and the green-skinned one are zapped by a potion whipped up by Marie Cartier.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, before she can transfer the Wendigo curse from her brother to the Hulk, Georges Baptiste takes matters into his own hands and transfers the Wendigo's curse onto himself, taking the wood-beast's place and sparing the Hulk.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It might be Wolverine's first full debut but it feels like a noticeably different character to the one we're used to. His speech patterns aren't the same and he seems to rely on agility and nimble-footedness to fight his foes as much as aggression. There's really little to tie him to the X-Man we're familiar with other than his name, his determination, and his willingness to wave his claws around at any opportunity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As for his foes, maybe it's just me but I'm disappointed the Wendigo's easier to beat than the Hulk. Frankly I'd have been happy to see Wolvie failing to make any impact at all in his fight against either of them, leading to a three-way fight of total futility before Marie finally intervenes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So it all ends unhappily, with Marie Cartier regaining her brother but losing the man who loves her. There's a lesson in here for us all, though I'm not totally sure how we should apply it to our own daily lives, but we can say that Georges Baptiste was the best of our little cast although the one least appreciated by those around him. And, if he were here right now, I'm sure that's a lesson Henry "Splash it on all over" Cooper would heartily endorse.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-86359770237196197412010-10-05T13:46:00.000-07:002011-01-17T10:09:52.403-08:00Incredible Hulk #180. Wolverine's debut & the Wendigo's return.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2J0Y-s2ueG93QK13tNwfKPWWMOOXca2WA5iOFutA1qEXbDsW3_H9EYRCSQ-_42Tm6ZJ83th73vd3dD_IY9yCIiY6iwl3eCLohr1LVsKVur8lb3EoT-AQN1UIKs98fNcT1BD5m87-ULJo/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23180+wolverine+debut+wendigo.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Incredible Hulk #180, first ever Wolverine, Wendigo, Herb Trimpe" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524666963837551874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2J0Y-s2ueG93QK13tNwfKPWWMOOXca2WA5iOFutA1qEXbDsW3_H9EYRCSQ-_42Tm6ZJ83th73vd3dD_IY9yCIiY6iwl3eCLohr1LVsKVur8lb3EoT-AQN1UIKs98fNcT1BD5m87-ULJo/s400/incredible+hulk+%23180+wolverine+debut+wendigo.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 268px;" title="Incredible Hulk #180, first ever Wolverine, Wendigo, Herb Trimpe" /></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Cover from October 1974.)</span></i><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"And The Wind Howls... Wendigo!"</span></span></b></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Len Wein.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Inked by Jack Abel.</div><div>Lettering by Artie Simek.</div><div>Colours by Glynis Wein.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">"H</span>e's a living, raging powerhouse who's bound to knock you back on your emerald posterior." No it's not the rancher we meet at the start of the issue, it's the character we meet at the end of it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But more of that later because, again looking for some peace and quiet, the living raging powerhouse the comic's actually named after fails miserably in his attempts to find it as the Hulk lands in Canada and is promptly summoned to a stone hut by Marie Cartier, sister of the man who's now <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/09/incredible-hulk-162-wendigo.html">the Wendigo</a>. Having done what's presumably a crash course in shamanism, she wants to transfer the Wendigo's curse to the Hulk and thus cure her brother. But, before she can work her magical machinations, the Hulk and the Wendigo start to fight. It's a battle that's going nowhere, with neither party able to gain the upper hand - and that's when the third combatant joins the fray.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">He's known as Weapon X.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">He's also known as...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Wolverine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And so the most famous X-Man of them all makes his first-ever appearance. Admittedly, it's a somewhat limited debut as we only get to see him in the very last panel but at least we see enough to intrigue us as to just who this character is who's happy to take on both the Hulk and Wendigo at the same time. And if his "ears" are a little too small for those of us familiar with later incarnations, it's an appealing story all round, thanks to the Hulk's battle with a hungry wolf-pack, Marie's dastardly scheming, the appalled Georges Baptiste trying to talk her out of it, and a hotchpotch of magic. We also get the Wendigo who's one of my favourite Hulk baddies. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The tale though does contain possibly the silliest panel in the entire history of the strip as the Hulk and Wendigo run into each other head first, reducing their fight to something resembling comedy status. Still, spirits high, given all that's happened in this issue, it seems next issue's likely to be no laughing matter at all.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-60746968176791184052010-10-04T13:45:00.000-07:002011-01-17T10:11:52.741-08:00Incredible Hulk #179. The Missing Link returns<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQmYZoBWDqdhObnpOvQXqxOO2cv_qtJMaw7KR9XJ42mkHyjJElp4YNQb9WNOsgg-b6UG1VBr78A4kmHG2J05xMQh3QcrBMBrJu865YYwnRxWxGNUJnCtmveHNFldSMFyP8mctnuzyMl4/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23179+missing+link.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Incredible Hulk #179, Missing Link returns, Herb Trimpe" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524295241654322130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQmYZoBWDqdhObnpOvQXqxOO2cv_qtJMaw7KR9XJ42mkHyjJElp4YNQb9WNOsgg-b6UG1VBr78A4kmHG2J05xMQh3QcrBMBrJu865YYwnRxWxGNUJnCtmveHNFldSMFyP8mctnuzyMl4/s400/incredible+hulk+%23179+missing+link.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 268px;" title="Incredible Hulk #179, Missing Link returns, Herb Trimpe" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from September 1974.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"Re-Enter: The Missing Link!"</span></span></i></b></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Len Wein.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Inked by Jack Abel.</div><div>Lettering by John Costanza.</div><div>Colours by Glynis Wein.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">W</span>e've seen super-villains reform before but the Missing Link puts a whole new spin on the word, as a character <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/07/incredible-hulk-106.html">we last saw exploding in mid-air</a> returns, his bits and pieces having literally re-formed into the bright pink caveman we all remember.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But if <i>he</i> survived his fall from on high, our other main player has his own plunge to endure.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sent back to Earth by the Recorder, in a spaceship that seems to have been produced from nowhere, the Hulk loses patience with being inside it and smashes his way out, leading him to plummet several miles into the Appalachian landscape. When he wakes up, it's Bruce Banner who finds himself taken in by a local family; the Brickfords. That's when he finds out he's not the only stray they've adopted because they have a lodger. They call him Lincoln.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And he's the Missing Link.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But it's a different entity from the one we encountered before. Whereas his former incarnation was full of rage and fury, this one, having been taken in by the Brickfords and shown kindness by them, has mellowed into a pillar of the local community.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Still, as the Hulk could tell him, when you're a radiation-spawned monster, life's rarely simple and, despite befriending him, Bruce Banner soon discovers the Missing Link's giving off radiation levels that're endangering everyone around him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course it all leads to a fight between the Hulk and the creature, that, like the last one, ends with the Missing Link exploding. But this time he reforms instantly and, his radiation output back to safe levels, goes off with his friends, leaving the Hulk once more alone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is more like it. After the pretensions of <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/search/label/Warlock">the last few issues</a>, we get back to basics as the Hulk comes up against another big ugly monster. Happily, it's more sophisticated than that as we get to see the former menace recast as a good guy, fighting to save his friends from the deadly peril he believes the Hulk to be, while the Hulk thinks he's saving the town from the Missing Link. With its redefining of a former menace, the contrast between the Hulk's outcast status and his foe's acceptance by the society he's found himself in, and the caveman inadvertently posing a deadly threat to his new-found friends, it's easily the best Hulk tale we've seen for a while and, after recent missteps, it's good to see the strip finally back on track.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the face of it, it's not the only one back on track because Glenn Talbot's finally back on American soil.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But what does this mean for his long-suffering wife?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And just how does it connect to Colonel Armbruster's digital watch blowing a gasket?</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-57226627035532777842010-10-03T13:02:00.000-07:002011-01-17T10:13:24.563-08:00Incredible Hulk #178. Warlock reborn<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TohB5oNARrC-yGfHqsS2Mtmv7tz9C9p85lLmi1M8D3juZT8boOo9Xa1uelLM66G8NI7N-CrIha9KDSav9LX4PhEAdcx0PkWhOO010rViupM8ciDHFP00G0xKQNqM-Fp-cbKhDE3wUaI/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23178+warlock+man-beast+counter-earth.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Incredible Hulk #178, death of Adam Warlock, Man-Beast, Counter-Earth, Herb Trimpe" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523912993885802610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TohB5oNARrC-yGfHqsS2Mtmv7tz9C9p85lLmi1M8D3juZT8boOo9Xa1uelLM66G8NI7N-CrIha9KDSav9LX4PhEAdcx0PkWhOO010rViupM8ciDHFP00G0xKQNqM-Fp-cbKhDE3wUaI/s400/incredible+hulk+%23178+warlock+man-beast+counter-earth.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 264px;" title="Incredible Hulk #178, death of Adam Warlock, Man-Beast, Counter-Earth, Herb Trimpe" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from August 1974.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"Triumph On Terra-Two!"</span></span></b></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>Conceived by Roy Thomas.</div><div>Plotted by Gerry Conway.</div><div>Scripted by Tony Isabella.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Inked by Jack Abel.</div><div>Lettering by A Kupperberg.</div><div>Colours by L Lessmann.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">A</span>nyone who read <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/10/incredible-hulk-177-death-of-adam.html">last month's issue</a>'ll know exactly what happens here. Having been executed last time out, Adam Warlock's placed in a cave, comes back to life, gives everyone a speech and then flies off into outer space to continue his good work, on other worlds. In between all this he takes time out to devolve the Man-Beast and his cronies back to the animals they once were. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's definitely a comic of two halves. The bits that don't feature Warlock are entertaining, as the Hulk takes on the Man-Beast, and two people from the Justice Department rescue the real President and his sister from the villain's cells. The bits that do feature Warlock are terrible, dragged down by their clod-hopping sanctimony as we get the Resurrection by numbers. It's not just that it's story-telling without subtlety but also that the fact we know it's doing a beat-by-beat rerun of Christ's Resurrection means at no point are we surprised by anything that happens.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">What is surprising - not to mention baffling - is the Man-Beast's behaviour. Having "killed" Warlock, the villain starts walking around in front of everyone in his true form, in the belief that, with Warlock out of the way, they'll all do what he says because he's the President. Why he should think the US military would happily launch into World War Three on the say-so of a creature they've never seen before - that's not even human, let alone the man the nation elected - is a total mystery and can only be put down to lazy and expedient plotting. The story really needed the duo from the Justice Department to uncover the truth and then convince the military of what's going on; not have the Man-Beast telling them, "Look at me. I'm evil. I want you to destroy your planet for me."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, if we have Warlock being predictable and his nemesis being baffling, at least we can comfort ourselves that a somewhat misconceived tale's over and, happily, next month it's back to the real planet Earth and what the strip does best - two monsters hitting each other.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-81994572008653498132010-10-01T13:52:00.000-07:002011-01-17T10:14:46.281-08:00Incredible Hulk #177. The death of Adam Warlock<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBlW3cctBEd5BHGpTtDANYKg2Qxg0cntvTuVBtWyATwpuF3HMpA4jwKgzxMoAxZiYG02gSlCGuvah6RmH0mAUFIjO_wmXI0Sfal0Ehi0nNsmHJbj-Yp1PAYUJyi0Ogp5Qgfw_1TLMykg/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23177+warlock+man-beast+counter-earth.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Incredible Hulk #177, Death of Adam Warlock, Man-Beast, Counter Earth, Herb Trimpe" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523184251050438898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBlW3cctBEd5BHGpTtDANYKg2Qxg0cntvTuVBtWyATwpuF3HMpA4jwKgzxMoAxZiYG02gSlCGuvah6RmH0mAUFIjO_wmXI0Sfal0Ehi0nNsmHJbj-Yp1PAYUJyi0Ogp5Qgfw_1TLMykg/s400/incredible+hulk+%23177+warlock+man-beast+counter-earth.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 262px;" title="Incredible Hulk #177, Death of Adam Warlock, Man-Beast, Counter Earth, Herb Trimpe" /></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Cover from July 1974.)</span></i><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"Peril Of The Plural Planet!"</span></b></i></span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Gerry Conway.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Inked by Jack Abel.</div><div>Lettering by Artie Simek.</div><div>Colours by L Lessmann.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">I</span>f history repeats itself first as tragedy and then as farce, it seems it can also rerun itself as an XTC song and a super-hero action adventure, as Adam Warlock gets to play Peter Pumpkinhead and the Hulk gets to play...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Doing his usual thing, the Hulk escapes the Man-Beast's captivity but not before the villain's planted a tracking device in Bruce Banner's neck so the Hulk'll lead him to Adam Warlock and his followers. That plan having succeeded, the Man-Beast captures Banner and Warlock and then, before a national television audience, executes Warlock on the White House lawn.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It'd be lovely to say this story's <i>New Testament</i> echoes add a depth and resonance to it that turns it into the classic it clearly wants to be but the truth is it hits you so hard over the head with them they merely create a distancing effect that leaves your heart sinking with every outbreak of Jesusitis. We get the Hulk as inadvertent Judas, a re-enactment of the Last Supper and finally Warlock crucified while calling out, "High Evolutionary -- why have you abandoned me?"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">From what I've seen of the original Warlock run, the biblical side of it was its weakest element and presumably therefore a major contributor to the strip's commercial demise. That in mind, if the Warlock storyline was to be tied off in these pages, it would've been a whole lot better to drop those elements and do something new with it. Gerry Conway may have been credited as writer on this issue but, as the thing was edited by Roy Thomas and he was the one who injected the Biblical element into Warlock's own comic, I suppose you have to assume he was the guilty party here and that, no matter how badly the approach had failed in Warlock's own mag, Thomas just wasn't willing to let it go.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The one good thing about this issue is the Man-Beast looks a lot more menacing and a lot less cuddly than he did <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/09/incredible-hulk-176-warlock-man-beast.html">last month</a>. But, in the end, the greater appeal of the Man-Beast alone is sadly not enough to overcome the alienating weight of the story's references.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-1214701248181266762010-09-30T12:55:00.000-07:002011-01-17T10:15:47.913-08:00Incredible Hulk #176. Warlock, the Man-Beast and Counter-Earth<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoccjRe8ifx2HvAGofN_Dm-KX6gOhuMk7FpdhyyPw7LyvSN2o1HtN8ptCm-FLO3zaWU19hc6TUaPu5UocTRPy-Sqe8RWr4G398-EDohRLs1dzcwZ9niM46ihmTRuBPGiJJX0wznko4cY/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23176+warlock,+man-beast+and+counter-earth.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Incredible Hulk #176, Adam Warlock, Man-Beast, Counter-Earth, Herb Trimpe" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522798161113901890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoccjRe8ifx2HvAGofN_Dm-KX6gOhuMk7FpdhyyPw7LyvSN2o1HtN8ptCm-FLO3zaWU19hc6TUaPu5UocTRPy-Sqe8RWr4G398-EDohRLs1dzcwZ9niM46ihmTRuBPGiJJX0wznko4cY/s400/incredible+hulk+%23176+warlock,+man-beast+and+counter-earth.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 266px;" title="Incredible Hulk #176, Adam Warlock, Man-Beast, Counter-Earth, Herb Trimpe" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from June 1974.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"Crisis on Counter-Earth!"</span></i></b></span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Story conceived by Roy Thomas.</div><div>Written by Gerry Conway.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Inked by Jack Abel.</div><div>Lettering by Artie Simek.</div><div>Colours by Stan Goldberg.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">I</span>t seems the Land of Liberty's the same no matter which planet you're on. No sooner do you arrive than everyone wants to shoot you, bomb you or capture you for a villainous President. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/09/incredible-hulk-175-inhumans.html">Launched into space</a> by the Inhumans, the Hulk's found himself on Counter-Earth where, after one of his customary rampages, he's captured by that self-same villain.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">No it's not Richard Nixon. It's an entity only marginally less evil, the Man-Beast, who's fooling everyone by wearing a cunning disguise of a suit and tie.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But the Hulk's not the only one with captivity problems as, below ground, a trusty Rigellian Recorder's trying to break Adam Warlock free from the Man-Beast's imprisonment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Despite him being evil, I do feel sorry for the Man-Beast. It seems like every time anyone draws him they change his appearance completely. Gil Kane's version on the <i>Warlock</i> strip bore no resemblance to Jack Kirby's, and Herb Trimpe's version bears no resemblance to either of them. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's a shame really, as Jack Kirby's original version may not have looked anything like a wolf - and slandered the species disgracefully - but was genuinely sinister and threatening, a foe who could give Thor a run for his money. And it's hard not to regret the gradual watering-down of him to the somewhat cuddly and un-threatening looking version we're getting by this stage in his history.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But Counter-Earth isn't the only place where it's at right now because, while artists and writers might take liberties with the Man-Beast, Glenn Talbot's grasping his own liberty with both hands as he makes a dash for freedom from a Soviet prison in the Urals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But is all as it seems? Despite having a moustache that screams, "pure evil," that prison doctor seems very keen that he should escape...</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-75544984018098556552010-09-29T14:08:00.001-07:002011-03-31T03:02:30.682-07:00Incredible Hulk #175. The Inhumans.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEhu4KYREFdbSUM1s83yPLHvpeKdL_WoDZ35WNYk8pBqUfwoPiNtQNEMyDzcKWc2Sycsmj1qi5tCah936TbXDp5ZGWksZrMipUmmDfDRdkuETAVamFJMZXqLcnYDzEFuYh69F5uFxsX4/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23175+inhumans.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Incredible Hulk #175, Inhumans, Black Bolt, Counter-Earth, Herb Trimpe" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522445599241068802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEhu4KYREFdbSUM1s83yPLHvpeKdL_WoDZ35WNYk8pBqUfwoPiNtQNEMyDzcKWc2Sycsmj1qi5tCah936TbXDp5ZGWksZrMipUmmDfDRdkuETAVamFJMZXqLcnYDzEFuYh69F5uFxsX4/s400/incredible+hulk+%23175+inhumans.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 270px;" title="Incredible Hulk #175, Inhumans, Black Bolt, Counter-Earth, Herb Trimpe" /></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Cover from May 1974.)</span></i><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"Man-Brute In The Hidden Land!"</span></span></b></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Roy Thomas.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Inked by Jack Abel.</div><div>Lettering by Artie Simek.</div><div>Colours by P Goldberg.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">A</span> well-known 1950s sci-fi movie exhorted us to keep watching the skies, and it's advice the Inhumans would do well to heed. Following the <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/09/incredible-hulk-174-cobalt-man-in.html">Cobalt Man's explosion in space</a>, the Hulk crashes to Earth in the Great Refuge where, as Bruce Banner, he learns the Inhumans are planning to flee the planet, in a rocket bound for Counter-Earth. Unfortunately, while later taking a walk, Banner bumps into a gang of human-hating Inhumans and, under attack from them, changes into the Hulk.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After managing to knock the Hulk out, Black Bolt orders he be put into the rocket and fired into space, as the only means of stopping him from destroying the Great Refuge when he recovers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Despite the potential of the Hulk versus an entire city of super-humans, it's a straightforward and relatively low-key tale that exists more as a way of getting the Hulk into space, so he can have an adventure on Counter-Earth, than it does in its own right. Sadly, we only get to see him against the Inhuman royal family and even then not at any great length. It actually feels like a very short story.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If it's not a major tale as such, it does its job and feels like something of a throwback to the offerings from Trimpe's earlier days on the strip. The main complaint'd probably be Black Bolt defeats the Hulk by using the sonic power of his voice. Obviously it makes sense for that to happen but the tendency for Black Bolt to save the day on behalf of the rest of the Inhumans, does always tend to undermine them and it would've been more dramatically pleasing for the Inhumans to work as a team to bring the Hulk down. It also has to be said that Black Bolt solving a problem by unleashing the power of his voice has by this stage long since become a cliché.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's odd though that the Inhumans want to go to Counter-Earth thanks to it having no super-powered beings. Their argument being they might be more welcome on such a world. You'd have thought a planet with no previous experience of super-powered beings would be <i>less</i> likely to accept them than our own, not more.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But then again, there's a thought. If Counter- Earth has no super-powered beings, does that mean we're not living on the real Earth at all but on Counter-Earth? And does that mean that, on the other side of the sun is a version of our world filled almost to bursting with super-heroes?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If so, it seems like the Inhumans aren't the only ones who need to keep watching the skies.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-52036433970660975972010-09-28T11:41:00.000-07:002011-03-27T04:34:31.036-07:00Incredible Hulk #174. The Cobalt Man in Australia<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CxDVWGfQ-GigyEOlu15PFurS1qYHuy3fNOzEt_l5nXwVZrNLO9T6Glzfbl_hqV6Oi9zMHIlF9y7-zZ-dcazUwJ8Ka94kUTWgrZUd86ukiWIKSWDV7K7kzjiamkbIMdAJu6xjvxMK1KU/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23174+cobalt+man.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Incredible Hulk #174, the Cobalt Man Down Under" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522037210758456242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CxDVWGfQ-GigyEOlu15PFurS1qYHuy3fNOzEt_l5nXwVZrNLO9T6Glzfbl_hqV6Oi9zMHIlF9y7-zZ-dcazUwJ8Ka94kUTWgrZUd86ukiWIKSWDV7K7kzjiamkbIMdAJu6xjvxMK1KU/s400/incredible+hulk+%23174+cobalt+man.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 267px;" title="Incredible Hulk #174, the Cobalt Man Down Under" /></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Cover from April 1974.)</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"Doomsday -- Down Under!"</span></b></span></i><br />
<br />
Written by Gerry Conway.<br />
Drawn by Herb Trimpe.<br />
Inked by Jack Abel.<br />
Lettering by Dave Hunt.<br />
Colours by G Roussos.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">B</span>y the start of this issue, the Cobalt Man really is well and truly off his rocker. Having survived the sinking of his ship, he decides the best way to convince the world of the madness of nuclear weapons is to head for Sydney and blow himself up, destroying the city in a nuclear inferno of his own making. With a plan like that he’s clearly in the perfect position to talk about madness.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Someone else in the perfect position to discuss it is Betty Talbot. It might seem she’s over the recent bout of insanity that led to her becoming the Harpy but, when you see her push Bruce Banner off a hospital roof in an attempt to make him become the Hulk again, you do wonder just how pure and rational her motives are. Interesting that Thunderbolt Ross leaves stimulants in the room of the tranquilised Banner. Is it lazy writing by Gerry Conway, so he’ll have a quick way to bring the Hulk back or are we to take it that Ross did it deliberately, knowing the Hulk was going to be needed?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the end, the Cobalt Man explodes harmlessly in space, and the world’s great - and not so great - powers have learned nothing, with the US government taking what’s happened as their cue to start developing a Cobalt Bomb. It’s a somewhat pessimistic message from Gerry Conway - especially given that the only person in the issue who's arguing against nuclear weapons is a homicidal maniac.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile is the Hulk dead, killed by the explosion that did for the Cobalt Man?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think we know the answer to that one, even if our cast don’t.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-16277353020792581272010-09-26T13:59:00.000-07:002011-03-25T05:39:42.026-07:00Incredible Hulk #173. The Cobalt Man<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglV8ln11h8buSSWvqkAtXgUkJBmJz8gNdTvTf7u6t9joTUXNC1zbNJpfbby3WHHdn25QITcDXbUBi3f791BKlky9zI_UkfNe3XA1sfR5PUQVnqFMHQ_Ki5iV53EHeZVUelGdzgj89VBro/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23173+cobalt+man.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Incredible Hulk #173, the Cobalt Man" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521330142473604498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglV8ln11h8buSSWvqkAtXgUkJBmJz8gNdTvTf7u6t9joTUXNC1zbNJpfbby3WHHdn25QITcDXbUBi3f791BKlky9zI_UkfNe3XA1sfR5PUQVnqFMHQ_Ki5iV53EHeZVUelGdzgj89VBro/s400/incredible+hulk+%23173+cobalt+man.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 266px;" title="Incredible Hulk #173, the Cobalt Man" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from March 1974.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"Anybody Out There Remember... The Cobalt Man?"</span></i></b></span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Written by Roy Thomas.</div><div>Art by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Lettering by Jean Izzo.</div><div>Colours by Petra Goldberg.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">B</span>ruce Banner just doesn't know how to stay out of trouble. No sooner has he, in the form of the Hulk, stowed away on a ship than it turns out its owner Ralph Roberts wants to sail it into the thick of a nuclear explosion as a protest against atomic testing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As if that wasn't enough, there's more to Roberts than even that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Once upon a time he was the Cobalt Man, a scientist in Iron Man style armour who, driven mad by wearing it, had to be stopped by the X-Men. Now a reformed character, he's created himself a new suit of armour which he claims'll protect him from the explosion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But then doesn't use it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This being a comic book, Roberts quickly turns blue, grows some muscles and puts on his brand new armour, just in time for a fight with the Hulk. A fight the Hulk wins, but the Hulk turns back into Bruce Banner as the ship starts to sink, with him trapped below deck.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's nice to get a change of scenery as we leave behind the Hulkbuster Base and Thunderbolt Ross' problems with Colonel Armbruster, and so it's a shame that Ross shows up in a scene where he protests to a French counterpart about the atomic testing. Leaving aside the fact the scene serves no real purpose other than to keep Ross in our minds, after two consecutive issues on Hulkbuster Base, it would've been refreshing to get a story with no Hulkbuster involvement at all.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Roberts cuts a rather ambiguous figure. His motives in wanting to protest against atomic testing suggest he's a good guy but his method, sailing unprotected into a nuclear explosion, suggest a certain mental instability and egomania even before the radiation starts to mutate him. It makes him an intriguing - if slightly mystifying - presence in the story.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If it's not clear at this stage whether Roberts is hero or villain, something else I'm not sure about is his armour. It has to be said that every time you see him he looks like he should have an American football in his hand. If the Cobalt Man was supposed to be some sort of all-American square-jawed cornball, it might make sense but, as far as I can make out, he isn't and you wonder if there was really any need for the armour at all. Writer Roy Thomas could've explained Roberts' new-found power simply by putting it all down to the radiation and not even bothered with a suit that, under the circumstances, seems an irrelevant detail. </div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-31397793541436269312010-09-25T13:59:00.000-07:002011-03-24T03:45:22.969-07:00Incredible Hulk #172. The Juggernaut<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBo5o6xjwmzmaBWzNKP8mx_Wps3SAqPOGBidgmYOOE5UPMi8xSLTpsKYhf_o_Baw558bT-qThuzxJLzTSMkm2RdigoMDrh2vF80E69jroPIUMSY6cVcTlE5iyrsjMCY-zNs0nY2aaFKI/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23172+juggernaut.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Incredible Hulk #172, the Juggernaut" bo="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520959024843505106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBo5o6xjwmzmaBWzNKP8mx_Wps3SAqPOGBidgmYOOE5UPMi8xSLTpsKYhf_o_Baw558bT-qThuzxJLzTSMkm2RdigoMDrh2vF80E69jroPIUMSY6cVcTlE5iyrsjMCY-zNs0nY2aaFKI/s400/incredible+hulk+%23172+juggernaut.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 268px;" title="Incredible Hulk #172, the Juggernaut" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Cover from February 1974.)</i></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"And Canst Thou Slay... The Juggernaut?"</span></span></b></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>Plotted by Roy Thomas.</div><div>Scripted by Tony Isabella.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Lettering by A Kupperberg.</div><div>Colours by P Goldberg.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Y</span>ou have to hand it to Dr Peter Corbeau. Every time he tries to help the Hulk, he messes up on a scale few could even aspire to. <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/08/incredible-hulk-148-jarellas-back.html">Last time he showed up</a>, he almost blew up the sun. This time his incompetence is less ambitious, managing only to bring the Juggernaut back to Earth and enabling him to team up with the Hulk in an unstoppable rampage.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But, of course, given the Juggernaut's evil intent, it's not long before the Hulk and he are hitting each other hammer and tongs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">You can't help feeling there's a certain amount of repetition going on here. Only <a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/09/incredible-hulk-171-abomination-and.html">last month </a>we had the Abomination and Rhino teaming up to destroy the Hulkbuster Base, and this issue it's the Hulk and Juggernaut's turn. Editor Roy Thomas even acknowledges the fact in one of his captions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In fact, the fight between the Hulk and the Juggernaut's arguably the most disappointing thing about the mag, simply because, when they first meet, the Juggernaut bucks the trend for comic book villains by showing no interest in fighting the Hulk at all. The Hulk shows no interest in fighting the Juggernaut. They merely see each other as necessary and temporary allies in their mutual bid to escape the base.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It makes a refreshing change to be offered the prospect that, once they've busted out, they're simply going to go their separate ways, with the story serving mainly as a means to reintroduce the Juggernaut to the Marvel Universe. Therefore it feels somewhat of a let-down when things revert to formula, and a sequence of events is contrived to make the Hulk and Juggernaut start to fight. It's not that we don't all want to see the answer to the question of who'd win a scrap between the Hulk and the Juggernaut. It's just that it feels a lazier and more obvious development than to have them simply split up once they're out.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There's also the problem that a battle between the Hulk and Juggernaut inevitably carries a sense of futility as, realistically, we all know there's never going to be a winner. And so it is that we get a Deus X-Men Machina ending in which the Juggernaut's helmet comes off just as Professor X and Marvel Girl show up to take advantage of his head-wear deficit and zap him with the mental blasts that finish him off. The Hulk's not even directly involved at this point, having grown tired of his scrap with the Juggernaut and wandered off. Echoes again of last issue.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In truth, given that neither the Hulk nor the Juggernaut could ever defeat the other, the most interesting conflict in the issue's really between Thunderbolt Ross and Colonel Armbruster. The General, who's matured over the years to feel he has a sense of duty to both the Hulk and Bruce Banner, doesn't approve at all of the way new Hulkbuster commander Armbruster's doing things. I suppose there's an irony that the gung-ho and cocksure Armbruster's basically doing things the way Thunderbolt Ross used to and, just like Ross - and Dr Corbeau - he manages to get it wrong every step of the way.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-153145027659189012010-09-24T12:30:00.000-07:002011-03-22T03:23:22.306-07:00Incredible Hulk #171. The Abomination and the Rhino<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCu4ADmdO9qVWJMwgLEmE27AsV2qvb_JCBKFSSHR0KwWPeVh_nZp_1Udcgg0tXeLatyEQ453kCDtq_cLZf_He3laqcwHbegWP63HtLJ5hVh7LRaBRGn9w4TGJw71slTOC9rzP0sdJ2R9Y/s1600/incredible+hulk+%23171+abomination+rhino.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Incredible Hulk #171, The Abomination and the Rhino" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520565849384774866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCu4ADmdO9qVWJMwgLEmE27AsV2qvb_JCBKFSSHR0KwWPeVh_nZp_1Udcgg0tXeLatyEQ453kCDtq_cLZf_He3laqcwHbegWP63HtLJ5hVh7LRaBRGn9w4TGJw71slTOC9rzP0sdJ2R9Y/s400/incredible+hulk+%23171+abomination+rhino.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 267px;" title="Incredible Hulk #171, The Abomination and the Rhino" /></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Cover from January 1974.)</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"Revenge!"</span></span></b></i><br />
<br />
Plotted by Steve Englehart.<br />
Written by Gerry Conway.<br />
Drawn by Herb Trimpe.<br />
Inked by Jack Abel.<br />
Lettering by Artie Simek.<br />
Colours by G Roussos.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">P</span>oor old Talia. First Jim Wilson drags her two thousand miles to see a military base (surely a thing every fashion conscious young lady dreams of seeing), and then he uses her as a decoy to distract two of the deadliest villains the world has ever known, while he tries to defuse a Gamma bomb. There’s no denying he knows how to show a girl a good time. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Still, she should take heart from the fact she’s not the only one who’s travelled a vast distance to be there because the Hulk’s stowed away in a crate on a plane and, like them, finds himself in a Hulkbuster Base that’s been taken over by the Rhino and the Abomination who plan to blow it - and him - sky high.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fortunately, Jim saves the day by defusing the bomb, leaving the Hulk to sensationally defeat the Rhino and Abomination by doing…</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">…nothing. In one of the great twists, the Hulk beats his foes simply by getting bored and walking off, leaving his two onrushing opponents to crash into each other, no doubt bringing on yet another of the Rhino’s comas.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Though the idea of the Rhino and Abomination teaming up’s the sort of thing to get a fan’s pulse racing, it does seriously undermine the Abomination as a foe for the Hulk. The Rhino’s always been somewhat out of his depth against the jade behemoth but the Abomination’s a whole other matter. There was a time when he could defeat the Hulk with his bare hands. Later, he could fight him to a standstill. Now he’s reduced to needing a partner, and even then deciding that’s not enough and that he’ll need a bomb as well. It’s a shame. The Abomination’s one of my favourite villains and his descent into being little more than an irritant to the Hulk’s a waste of a perfectly good enemy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The team-up of two foes aside, it’s a pleasing but straightforward tale that somewhat trivialises its villains and to some degree recycles the plots of older issues like <i><a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/08/incredible-hulk-139-leader.html">Incredible Hulk</a></i><a href="http://herbtrimpeshulk.blogspot.com/2010/08/incredible-hulk-139-leader.html"> #139</a>, where Jim Wilson also sneaks into a military complex and saves the day by using instinct and dumb luck to disable a deadly machine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It does though give us a closing scene where Thunderbolt Ross seems to have finally learned his lesson to not hate the Hulk.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Will that lesson stay learned?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It never has in the past.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-61730365095214857832010-09-23T13:20:00.000-07:002011-03-22T03:21:50.954-07:00All the latest from the blog that knows no rest<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuD0qJmooHdkyrGAf7Usbf_v7mr-1Tz7nNgOn76Ffn30PP_7vQO4rQBC_2G6LWidi3xUXLZPdAqoGKTlx6eOOBu-M1b40S6vvqkxV1EHXorkz4yvup1IwGD4ailLVv8OAnxiS2tv7IpKo/s1600/essential+incredible+hulk+volume+5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Essential Hulk Vol5" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520207550628734114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuD0qJmooHdkyrGAf7Usbf_v7mr-1Tz7nNgOn76Ffn30PP_7vQO4rQBC_2G6LWidi3xUXLZPdAqoGKTlx6eOOBu-M1b40S6vvqkxV1EHXorkz4yvup1IwGD4ailLVv8OAnxiS2tv7IpKo/s400/essential+incredible+hulk+volume+5.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 262px;" title="Essential Hulk Vol5" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">J</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ust</span> thought I'd do a quick update for anyone currently on tenterhooks. I've taken possession of <i>Essential Hulk Vol 5</i> and have now read most of it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to it, I'm now fully acquainted with the likes of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Droog</span> the poetic triceratops of terror, the Loch Fear Monster and Crackerjack Jackson. So, unless something unexpected occurs - like me getting a fully rounded life - my next Hulking review should be Hulking well posted sometime tomorrow.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Until then, thanks for visiting. It's always appreciated.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494783406050099511.post-10354305641231154242010-09-20T13:17:00.001-07:002011-03-10T02:42:29.362-08:00Incredible Hulk #170. An island full of monsters<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwRGPohX5AJC6ip-pjpXmFdHphIrS4ZEPELXB5HG79iWMeyjHJRuVPagtr4zX6TMyEHwCrClBo_stKuUAii5ZLVDMIk1pDnSgDK_bZVG0XkxBS5DpyN-nfOLvjsDhVGEdXDaGF5P_55lU/s1600/incredible+Hulk++%23170.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Incredible Hulk #170, an island full of monsters" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519092794617683474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwRGPohX5AJC6ip-pjpXmFdHphIrS4ZEPELXB5HG79iWMeyjHJRuVPagtr4zX6TMyEHwCrClBo_stKuUAii5ZLVDMIk1pDnSgDK_bZVG0XkxBS5DpyN-nfOLvjsDhVGEdXDaGF5P_55lU/s400/incredible+Hulk++%23170.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 382px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 257px;" title="Incredible Hulk #170, an island full of monsters" /></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Cover from December 1973.)</span></i><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;">"Death From On High!"</span></span></b></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>Plotted by Steve Englehart.</div><div>Written by Chris Claremont.</div><div>Drawn by Herb Trimpe.</div><div>Inked by Jack Abel.</div><div>Lettering by Artie Simek.</div><div>Colours by G Roussos.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>he spectre of Naked Betty looms still over <i>The Incredible Hulk</i>, as it's come to my notice that the <a href="http://www.comics.org/issue/26979/cover/4/?style=default">Grand Comics Database's version of its cover</a>'s been doctored by a naughty person to depict Betty in the the buff.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And very buff she is too.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sadly for fans of such things, in the comic itself, while free-falling from a height of eight miles, Betty's somehow managed to find a sheet to wear as a dress. You can imagine how grabbing something to wear would be a young woman's Number One priority as she finds herself plummeting from the stratosphere. One must, after all, make sure to be the best-dressed splatter in town.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But clearly it's a shock-absorbing dress because she somehow manages to survive the fall, with barely a mark on her. Granted, at the moment of impact, the Hulk's holding her but would that really be enough to save her?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Still, the shock of landing's nothing compared to the shock that awaits her once they're down because she and the Hulk find themselves on an island inhabited by giant monsters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">How the monsters got there's never clear. We're told they're aliens but beyond that, nothing. What was their mission? Why are there so few left when it seems there'd once been a hundred of them? Why have forgotten who they are and just what do they want with Betty anyhow?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's never said, and it gives us one of the strangest of Hulk tales, as the Hulk and Betty completely fail to understand each other's motives, and Betty manages to blunder into monster after monster before, thanks to the Hulk, the creatures all end up consumed by a volcano.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's an eerie tale, dreamlike, especially in the free-floating symbols that represent the aliens' speech. You can almost hear the beat of strange and sultry drums in the background as the tale progresses with little rhyme or reason. It's a sense of atypicality heightened by the fact the tale's written by Chris Claremont and therefore has a volume and density of captions we're simply not used to in the strip.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course, this is all to the better. Strangeness is no bad thing in the Hulk - and nor is surprise. But ultimately it's a sad tale, with Betty and the Hulk completely failing to find any spiritual common ground, the Hulk wanting nothing but to look after what he desperately needs to see as a friend, and Betty wanting nothing but to get away from a creature she sees as a menace.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And so, when it's all stuck together, with both its literal and its spiritual theme of alienation, we get a tale that, although it's never quite clear what's going on - or why - lingers in the memory with a peculiar intangibility long after you've finished it.</div>The Cryptic Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17244329776376849506noreply@blogger.com5