orion missile – Coke ⊕ Comics

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 #86, Story B

The Birth of… The Hulk-Killer!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: September 1, 1966
Cover: December 1966
12 cents
Superlative script: Smilin’ Stan Lee
Ameliorative art: Jovial John Buscema
Imaginative inks: Mirthful Mickey Demeo
Lucrative lettering: Adorable Artie Simek
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #86	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #87
Tales to Astonish #86	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #87

Though I’ve lived as the monstrous Hulk– I’ll die as Bruce Banner– I’ll die as– a man!

John Buscema still on art.

The Secret Empire stands defeated, but their agent Boomerang remains at large. The Orion Missile is heading for New York. Hulk leaped at the missile, and somehow this calmed him down. So now Bruce Banner is riding a missile.

The transformation here is really badly storyboarded; just Bruce one panel and Hulk the next. Stan compensates with narration to make up for the artistic failings. Come on, Big John!

Tales to Astonish #85, Story B

The Missile and the Monster!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: August 2, 1966
Cover: November 1966
12 cents
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: John Tartaglione
Lettering: Ray Holloway
Hulk’s pants-pressing: Irving Forbush
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #85	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #86
Tales to Astonish #85	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #86

Banner! He’s a weakling! He’s helpless! The Hulk is strong– can do anything!

We reach the 600th story in our read-through of the Marvel Universe. It’s cool when that happens to be a significant story.

Which this, for the most part, isn’t.

But there is one very significant thing about it. And I’ll take that.

The fainting woman is my favorite character in the comic.

John Buscema is joining the Marvel artists with this issue. He’s also doing this month’s Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD story, which we’ll get to later.

Tales to Astonish #83, Story B

Less than Monster, More than Man!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: June 2, 1966
Cover: September 1966
12 cents
Script: Smilin’ Stan Lee
Layouts: Jolly Jack Kirby
Art: Wild Bill Everett
Lettering: Whammy Sammy Rosen
Applause: Honest Irving Forbush
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #83	Reading order	Strange Tales #147
Tales to Astonish #83	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #84

If the man I love really is behind that grotesque face… does this mean I’ve lost him… forever?

“Less than Monster, More than Man!” A good title. Very Hulk.

These interactions between Betty and the Hulk give very significant insights into his character and their relationship.

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?