Featuring: Hulk
Release: September 2, 1965
Cover: December 1965
12 cents
Dreamed up by: Stan Lee!
Designed by: Jack Kirby!
Drawn by: Bob Powell!
Delineated by: Mickey Demeo!
Doodled by: S. Rosen
10 pages
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I am the Watcher! That is enough! That answers all!
Tales of Suspense #60 was released in September 1964, a full year earlier. That began Marvel’s first extended saga. The threat of the Leader has united the disparate threads and arcs from that issue until this one. At the time, Marvel stories were self-contained things. Just a few years earlier, they tended to fit into under 10 pages. The full-issue 20-page long Fantastic Four epics stood out in their length. Since then we’ve had the occasional 2-part arc, often two standalone issues that tie together. Because Dr. Octopus or Dr. Doom hadn’t quite been defeated in the previous issue.
This month, Dr. Strange begins a proper 2-part arc against Dormammu. About 4 months after the debut of Tales of Suspense #60, Thor’s title followed suit. Journey Into Mystery #114 moved away from discrete stories to a series of interconnected threads, which we are still untangling 6 issues later and nowhere near done with. Three months later, Dr. Strange’s story (also by Ditko) would follow suit, beginning a 17-part saga we are almost ready to sit down to read.
Thor and Dr. Strange have the benefit of a consistent creative team. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Vince Colletta have brought consistency to Thor, just as Lee and Ditko have with Dr. Strange.
This saga opened with a variety of artists attempting the impossible task of inking Ditko before Kirby took over again briefly, before moving to the current state where Kirby does the layouts for another artist to fill in with art. Too many artists across these 15 issues. No consistency of anything.
Let’s review the story so far. It began with an unnamed spy stealing a robotic suit of armor Banner had designed for the military. Hulk dealt with the robot, but found himself a prisoner of General Ross. Meanwhile, Major Talbot joined the base with the express intention of learning Banner’s secrets, and also possibly stealing Betty’s heart. Then Chameleon attacks the base, working for the mysterious Leader, whose face we don’t see. We learn the spy from the previous issues had also been an agent of the Leader. See how the loose connections work? We finally meet the Leader, and learn he is also a victim of a Gamma-based accident, which gave him green skin and a powerful mind. He has created something called the Humanoid, which he sends against the Hulk. Rick reveals Hulk’s secret to the President to clear Bruce’s name. When Banner is conducting his next military experiment, more Humanoids attack. In the wake of the battle, he finds himself a prisoner aboard a Soviet sub and taken behind the Red Curtain. His adventures there don’t have much to do with the Leader, but it spins directly out of and into confrontations with the Leader. There’s always a cliffhanger to tie the arcs together. Hulk breaks free of the Soviets and ends up in Mongolia. And soon becomes a prisoner of the Leader. The military raid the Leader’s complex and shoot and kill Banner. By transforming into Hulk and staying that way, Hulk is able to stay alive. But then the military raid Hulk’s lab and he has no choice but to turn to the Leader for help. This time, Hulk willingly joins the Leader. The Leader sends Hulk to the planet of the Watcher to steal the Ultimate Machine. But first he will have to battle the most powerful creature in the galaxy.
Whew. That’s almost a story. Let’s see how it all ends.
Hulk is famous for battling monsters. But he hasn’t had much of a chance to yet in his career, usually facing off against the US military. Here we go. Finally. A Hulk-sized foe for the Hulk.
The Watcher relocates their battle to a barren land. While this might seem like an act of interference from one forbidden to interfere, there’s an explanation…
Hey, look at these baby ducks!
This is the best slugfest for Hulk since he fought Thor. They even end up fighting under the sea. Hulk compares his amphibious foe to an outer space Sub-Mariner.
While not acting, the Watcher is apparently all about staging competitions. He’d done the same with the Fantastic Four and Red ghost when we first met him. He transports the loser of the contest home. Again, kind of seems like interfering.
Hulk gains the Ultimate Machine for the Leader.
The Leader is overloaded with knowledge.
And dies.
I guess that’s the end of the “Leader Saga”.
While the next Hulk story will pick up right here, this is the best break we’ve had in Hulk’s saga in over a year, so we’re going to take it. However, Namor is still battling Krang. So we’ll read the Namor stories from the next couple issues of Tales to Astonish and skip the Hulk ones. And then eventually get them back in line.
Looking to the letters page, we see a letter from Bud Plant, who would go on to be a comic distributor, retailer, and publisher of underground comix based in the Bay Area.
Dear Stan,
Hey, what’s this “Marvel Pop Art Productions”? I first saw this on TALES TO ASTONISH. Get rid of it! Marvel Comics Group sounds better and more sophisticated. Let’s have your famous trademark back. So be it!
Bud Plant
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 56/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
These last couple issues get a higher rating, probably because the Watcher is in them.
I read this story in The Incredible Hulk Epic Collection vol. 2: The Hulk Must Die.
Characters:
- Watcher
- Hulk
- Powerful creature
- Leader
Story notes:
- Watcher lets Hulk and other creature understand each other’s language.
- Other creature the champion of his world; bred for battle; can withstand the winds of Andromeda, the storms of Saturn, the planet-shaking cataclysms of the Milky way.
- Watcher able to act to protect himself, and apparently his scientific equipment.
- Banner feels savage part taking control.
- Other beast puts down Earth as young planet, brags a lot.
- Earth has a reputation for arrogance in the galaxy.
- The Watcher notes he is not all-powerful, just has a mastery of science beyond our comprehension.
- Hulk retrieves Ultimate Machine; Watcher does not stop him.
- Ultimate Machine overloads Leader with knowledge, and he dies.
| Previous | #388 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Tales to Astonish #74 | Reading order | Tales to Astonish #75 |
| Tales to Astonish #74 | Tales to Astonish | Tales to Astonish #75 |
