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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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.
To explain in more detail, Rick transforms Banner into Hulk to save him. If he transforms back to Banner, he’ll die. Hence stuck as Hulk. He needs to take a serum every 48 hours to stay Hulk. This serum is the other new element of the status quo.
And he has Banner’s mind because the bullet in his brain something something.
Leader sets his giant Humanoid against the base.
Hulk wishes to gaze one last time upon woman he loves.
Rating: ★★½, 48/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
I read this story in The Incredible Hulk Epic Collection vol. 2: The Hulk Must Die.
Characters:
- Major Talbot
- General Ross
- Rick Jones
- Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk
- Betty Ross
- Leader
Story notes:
- Military raid Leader’s facility.
- Leader had plastic replica of Hulk for study.
- Absorbotron was destroyed.
- Rick thinks he can save Banner by transforming him into Hulk.
- If Hulk changes back to Banner, then the bullet will kill him; thanks to bullet, Hulk has mind of Banner.
- Leader offers to sell new weapon to Soviets; they order him to test it against the Southwest Missile Base.
- Leader eventually plans to betray Soviets and conquer the world himself.
- Leader’s weapon is 500-foot high Humanoid; he directs it against base.
- Hulk must take serum every 48 hours to remain Hulk.
- Major Talbot keeps telling Betty that Banner was a traitor.
- Ross mistakes Hulk for helping Humanoid.
- “Sunday Punch” Super missile aiming for Hulk and Humanoid. To be continued.
| Previous | #380 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Tales to Astonish #70 | Reading order | Tales to Astonish #71 |
| Tales to Astonish #70 | Tales to Astonish | Tales to Astonish #71 |
One would think that Lee/Kirby would have learned not to try the Hulk with Banner’s brain boondoggle after the failure of Incredible Hulk 4 & 5 (and 6).