Beauty and the Beast!
Featuring: Hulk
Release: November 1, 1962
Cover: January 1963
12 cents
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Jack Kirby
Inking: Dick Ayers
11 pages
I read this story in Incredible Hulk Omnibus vol. 1.
In a twist from the usual, the titular “Beauty” in this story is likely a man: Tyrannus by name. At least, that’s my interpretation of the title, given how beautiful he is. Though I guess he’s more of the Gaston character in the story. So maybe Betty is the beauty. Hmm… well, let’s read on.
Dr. Banner is the top scientist on Ross’ staff, assigned to help capture the Hulk. Rick Jones is his assistant. But Rick is known to have connections to the Hulk: they have been seen together often; Rick has been seen riding on Hulk’s back; in fact, the military once asked Rick to bring the Hulk to them and he did; then, Rick took over the controls of a military rocket and helped Hulk escape. Ross is well aware of all this. And yet Rick is still part of the government team to help capture Hulk.
Hulk now seems to have a uniform–purple short shorts that Banner dons before transforming into Hulk. Previously he’d worn whatever Banner had been wearing.
This is the first reference to Merlin we have seen. However, it looks like he appeared in Tales of Suspense #27 from 1961, which I now wish we had covered. We’ll cover it next; this won’t be the last such mistake. Merlin was a prominent character in the Black Knight stories from the 1950s. We will likely review some of those when we first meet the new Black Knight. And he’s popped up in other weird tales and a classic superhero comic. We may see more of them one day.
Tyrannus claims the atomic might of America is the only thing preventing him from waging his war against the surface. What was standing in his way for the previous thousand years?
Bruce claims to have logical reasons for not liking Tyrannus, but it mostly seems like rationalizing jealousy. He wonders why an archaeologist would invite Betty to a cave without any equipment. Use your imagination, Bruce.
We mentioned Planet Hulk and Thor: Ragnarok before. Planet Hulk is a modern story of some note that the latest Thor film drew from. It involves Hulk being banished to space and ending up a gladiator. In issue 3, Hulk was banished to space. Now, we see Hulk as a Gladiator. That modern Hulk epic basically puts these classic stories together.
While Banner is still in control of Hulk, we see it remains a battle. He is only partially in control and Hulk’s personality can emerge. That is the aspect I find the most fascinating about these otherwise pretty crude tales. Here, we see that in the heat of battle, the Banner aspect of his personality slips away and gives way to Hulk’s.
We get some ominous final words from the Hulk. Banner’s mind is presumably in control, but how in control?
Rating: ★★½, 46/100
Significance: ★★★★☆
Characters:
- Betty Ross
- Tyrannus
- Bruce Banner/Hulk
- General “Thunderbolt” Ross
Story notes:
- The military designed a “neuron-magnet designed to attract and hold living beings”– but it couldn’t stop Hulk.
- Army believes Hulk can survive any explosion short of atomic device.
- Dr. Banner is top scientist on Ross’ staff; Rick is his assistant
- Dr. Banner answerable only to president
- Betty is in love with Bruce; fears he barely notices her
- Tyrannus lives “many miles beneath surface”; also described as “center of earth”
- Tyrannus has some type of crystal ball to let him observe events on the surface world and project his image anywhere
- Tyrannus has access to the fountain of youth
- Tyrannus banished by Merlin a thousand or so years ago
- Tyrannus’ servants a race of subterranean creatures who have great scientific prowess, but are willing to serve him.
- Tyrannus was brilliant master of black magic a thousand years ago
- Hulk susceptible to gas
- Hulk fights fire-breathing robot in gladiatorial arena
- In heat of battle, Bruce Banner part of brain slips away
- Hulk made slave laborer
- Rick makes reference to Chubby Checker.
- Hulk imitates Samson and collapses pillars
- Betty remembers nothing about time beneath surface (convenient amnesia) — Zarrko also got convenient amnesia in a Thor story
- The editors in the letters page reveal: Bruce Banner is 170 lbs.; Hulk they guess is 1000 lbs.
#41 story in reading order
Next: Incredible Hulk #5, Story B
Previous: Strange Tales #105
