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Tales to Astonish #88, Story B

The Boomerang and the Brute!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: November 3, 1966
Cover: February 1967
12 cents
Hulkamorous script by: Stan (The Man) Lee
Hulkitudinous art by: Gil (Sugar) Kane
Hulkifying lettering by: Sammy (Dozin’) Rosen
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #87, Story B	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #33
Tales to Astonish #88	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #89

The poor, lumbering brute! He was guilty only of being feared– and misunderstood!

Gil Kane is going to become a big name at Marvel. We’ve seen him once before on a Hulk story a dozen issues back under the alias of Scott Edward and we reviewed his career at the time.

It’s possible this is his first properly credited Marvel work.

He brings a distinctive style, a very different take on Hulk from that of John Buscema the past two issues.

It’s been 7 issues since Boomerang entered Hulk’s life. We finally see that saga reach a conclusion. It’s been a long road, and I summarize in painstaking detail that road below. These past 6 months have been the most interconnected the Marvel Universe has yet been. Perhaps fittingly we will soon see that the phrase “Marvel Universe” also debuted in that timespan.

At this point it seems like everybody knows Hulk’s secret identity. But the first person to learn it after Rick was the President of the United States, presumably President Johnson. And that is presumably President Johnson now interceding on Hulk’s behalf.

Unfortunately, Boomerang intervenes and drives Hulk to a rampage and another conflict with the military.

Tales to Astonish #87, Story B

The Humanoid and the Hero!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: October 11, 1966
Cover: January 1967
12 cents
Story: Smilin’ Stan Lee
Art: Big John Buscema
Inks: Mighty Mickey D.
Lettering: Adorable Artie S.
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #87	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #88, Story B
Tales to Astonish #87	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #88

“Have you gone mad?”
“I hope so! It’s what I’m counting on!”

Every issue has a nickname for these creators. I claim the most enduring for Lee is Stan (The Man) Lee. Though I might guess that in our reading so far, Smilin’ Stan Lee is the most common nickname.

This is only John Buscema’s second month in his return to Marvel, and Stan has already found the nickname that will stick. Big John Buscema is the one I most associate with him.

Adorable Artie is also one of the more common ones. Stan loves his alliteration.

We left Hulk in Manhattan battling the Leader’s Hulk-Killer Humanoid. The Secret Empire is defeated. Boomerang is still up to stuff.

Tales to Astonish #82, Story B

The Battle Cry of Boomerang!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: May 5, 1966
Cover: August 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee, writer
Jack Kirby, designer
Bill Everett, illustrator
Artie Simek, letterer
A touch of the muse, inspirer
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #82	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #83
Tales to Astonish #82	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #83

Simple boomerang! That can’t hurt Hulk!

Where were we? Namor tired of fighting Iron Man and continues his pursuit of Krang and Dorma. Tony Stark has made the decision to give in to Senator Byrd and turn over the secrets of Iron Man to the US Government.

Hulk has just made his way back to the surface from the subterranean realm where Mole Man and Tyrannus are at war. Tyrannus’ prisoners Talbot, Betty, and Rick, had also recently returned to the surface. They weren’t back long before Betty was captured by Boomerang, who was hired by the Secret Empire to steal some type of weapon.

“No one shoots Hulk! No one!” exclaims Hulk.

Actually, people shoot at Hulk all the time. They just never hurt him.

Ross blames Hulk for his daughter’s abduction. He blames the Hulk for most everything. Note he is talking about Betty’s previous abduction by Tyrannus. He doesn’t know she’s been abducted again since then.

Anybody else notice Betty gets abducted a lot?

Tales to Astonish #79, Story B

The Titan and the Torment!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: February 3, 1966
Cover: April 1966
12 cents
Hulkish story by: Stan Lee
Hulkable layouts by: Jack Kirby
Hulking artwork by: Bill Everett
Hulksome lettering by: Artie Simek
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #79	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #80
Tales to Astonish #79	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #80

Even he cannot suspect that Bruce Banner’s gamma rays have miraculously given Hulk the power to grow stronger, rather than weaker, so long as his rage keeps mounting!

As Richard recently pointed out in the comments, this is a great cover of Hulk battling Hercules, courtesy of Kirby and Everett. I fear the issue itself won’t quite live up to the image.

There is some pretty tight continuity on display. When we last saw Hercules, he and a casting agent had left New York bound for Los Angeles. Here we see them on a train from New York to LA. We’ll next see them arriving in LA in Thor #128. The casting agent doesn’t know this is the real Hercules. He’s been cast to play Hercules, so the agent assumes he’s method acting.

Note how little time there has been to breathe in these stories. Hulk’s battle with the Leader led right into his battles in the future, which have led right into his battle with Dr. Zaxon. There’s been no room to breathe. Cliffhanger after cliffhanger. Not so much one long story, as a bunch of story threads that don’t respect issue boundaries.

Tales to Astonish #78, Story B

The Hulk Must Die!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: January 4, 1966
Cover: April 1966
12 cents
Story by: Stan Lee (Certainly!)
Layouts by: Jack Kirby (Naturally!)
Artwork by: Bill Everett (Surprisingly!)
Lettering by: Sam Rosen
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #78	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #79
Tales to Astonish #78	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #79

Everett is on art now. We know him as the creator of Sub-Mariner, who told Namor’s original stories. And as the co-creator of Daredevil with Stan Lee, who worked on that series for a single issue. He was removed for being very over-deadline. I think a full-length comic for an entirely new character takes longer than a 10 page Hulk story.

Nonetheless, Kirby is brought in for layouts. Though Everett is the more senior of the two and has long been a writer/artist.

Hulk’s story hasn’t had a pause to breathe since he got his new title. No sooner had the Leader finally been defeated than Hulk was transported into the future. Thinking him dead, Rick revealed Banner’s secret to Major Talbot. But Hulk lives, and has returned from the future.

Has Talbot not told anybody his news yet? Not even Ross?

Tales to Astonish #72, Story B

Within the Monster Dwells a Man!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: July 1, 1965
Cover: October 1965
12 cents
Thrills, as only Stan Lee’s story can provide them!
Power, as only Jack Kirby’s layouts can create it!
Drama, as only Mickey Demeo’s artwork can present it!
Sound effects, as only Sam Rosen’s pen point can letter them!
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #72	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #73
Tales to Astonish #72	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #73

I mustn’t change… I won’t let myself change…!! For… if I change… I die!!

Where were we. Banner has a bullet in his brain. Only alive so long as he stays in Hulk form. He has Banner’s intelligence, but his personality seems darker, more like Hulk’s. The equipment he needs to maintain his Hulk state is in his secret lab, which has been uncovered by the military, who are closing in.

His only way out is to accept an offer of help from his enemy, the Leader.

The Leader is Hulk’s opposite. Both exposed to gamma radiation, Hulk received the world’s most powerful body, while Leader received the world’s most powerful brain. Together, they could be unstoppable.

The Leader transforms Hulk into electro-waves to transport him to Italy. “Matter-portation”, he calls it. Star Trek premieres next year; did the writers read this comic?

I appreciate the Leader’s science experiments; they’ll get this story a higher score. His ambition is to create a new life.

He secretly exposed Hulk to a gas that he himself has built up an immunity to. Similar to what one might do with iocaine powder.

Tales to Astonish #71, Story B

Like a Beast at Bay!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: June 1, 1965
Cover: September 1965
12 cents
Stunning story: Stan Lee
Lavish layouts: Jack Kirby
Awesome art: Mickey Demeo
Luscious lettering: Artie Simek
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #71	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #72
Tales to Astonish #71	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #72

Don’t ever call me “Doc”! Dr. Banner is dead! From now on, I’m just the Hulk!

Notice Kirby is only credited with layouts. Mike Esposito (alias Mickey Demeo) is the credited artist.

We get a scene with a poetic callback, perhaps intentional. Rick rushes into the path of a blast to save Hulk just as Banner had once raced into the path of an explosion to save Rick.

Are they using nuclear weapons on American soil? That seems like a big deal. Oh, I guess this is a “clean bomb”, which leaves no radioactive fallout. I feel better, I guess.

The new status quo is pretty confusing. Hulk apparently has Banner’s mind, but also insists Banner is dead. And his speech reminds us more of Hulk’s.

Tales to Astonish #70, Story B

To Live Again!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: May 4, 1965
Cover: August 1965
12 cents
Take a Stan Lee story,
add Jack Kirby artwork,
mix with Mickey Demeo inking,
and Artie Simek lettering…
Presto! Instant confusion!
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #70	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #71
Tales to Astonish #70	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #71

And the madder I get, the stronger I get–!

A little surprising this series is continuing since last issue ended with Bruce Banner dead. But then, the title of this issue is “To Live Again!” So maybe we shouldn’t give up on him.

We’d probably have gotten around to this story sooner if I hadn’t just assumed he was dead and it was over. Now I’m beginning to think this Hulk guy is Immortal.

Plus, the threat of the Leader still looms.

Are we going back to the days of the constantly changing status quos for Hulk? We’d been able to hold on to this one for an entire dozen issues. Now we’re back to: always Hulk, Banner’s mind. Perhaps all creators except for Ditko struggle with how to deal with a non-heroic protagonist.

Tales to Astonish #69, Story B

Trapped in the Lair of the Leader!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: April 1, 1965
Cover: July 1965
12 cents
Hulking story by: Stan Lee
Hulksome art by: Jack Kirby
Hulkish inking by: Mickey Demeo
Hulkable lettering by: Art Simek
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #69	Reading order	Avengers #17
Tales to Astonish #69	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #70

This is the 10th chapter of the Leader Saga. For 9 issues, Leader has been lurking in the background, secretly behind various threats Hulk has faced. Now they finally meet.

This weird scene weird Hulk is being transported by magnetic waves is notable as it directly ties into Avengers #17, which we will read next.

Tales to Astonish #68, Story B

Back from the Dead!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: March 4, 1965
Cover: June 1965
12 cents
Story and art by Marvel’s modern masters: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Inking: Mickey Demeo
Lettering: Artie Simek
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #68	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #69
Tales to Astonish #68	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #69

With Ditko off the title, Kirby is back to take another shot at his co-creation. Stan shares the top billing with Jack for this triumphant return. The original Lee/Kirby run on Hulk lasted 5 issues. This one will make it around 15 or so. I’m expecting it to be largely immemorable.

We open with a trick out of the Ditko run. The last issue ended with Banner facing impending death and transforms to the Hulk just in time to be saved. Banner and Talbot are falling to their death when Banner transforms.

Hulk crosses the Pacific with leaps. Isle to isle, plane to plane.

That’s… a very long distance, even if you can jump very far. Maybe there are enough islands between Japan and Hawaii to hopscotch it, but it’s 2500 miles from Hawaii to California with nothing in between.

We check in with the Leader, still scheming.