Featuring: Hulk
Release: April 5, 1966
Cover: July 1966
12 cents
Hulkable script by: Stan Lee
Hulksome layout by: Jack Kirby
Hulkorious art by: Bill Everett
Hulkated lettering by: Sam Rosen
Costumes by Tibor of Transylvania!
10 pages
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“His boomerang is causing a rock slide!”
“It’s returning to him like an arrow!”
A lot happening in this issue. For Hulk, he’s finishing up his encounter with Tyrannus and Mole Man from last issue. But in the background, important villains are being introduced. They will set up a confusing mess of coming issues.
The secret empire known as Hydra has fallen. Nick Fury and Captain America have been having trouble with a new secret empire called Them, which may be connected to AIM. Now we meet a new secret empire, known as, er, the Secret Empire.
Their goal at present is to steal the Orion Missile. Note that. Let’s keep track of those goals while those goals are clear.
To this end, they recruit Boomerang, who seems to be a suave ladies’ man with a fancy suit.
The ladies would really swoon if they saw him in his super-villain outfit.
Meanwhile, war rages beneath the surface of the world, between Tyrannus and the Mole Man, with Bruce Banner caught in the middle.
Tyrannus has robots on his side.
A pathetic Tyrannus licks water he finds on the ground. Is this from his precious Fountain of Youth? Certainly my favorite moment in the comic.
Boomerang’s plan to get the missile is to capture Betty, the General’s daughter, to get leverage to take the Orion Missile.
The metal discs attached to his costume are weapons, but they look like polka dots. Kirby did the layouts for this issue, and a cursory glance at the internet suggests he and not Everett designed the Boomerang costume. A rule of thumb is that Kirby often made the covers first, and he’s credited with pencils on the cover. I understand the issue may even contain some Kirby original concept art for Boomerang, but I don’t have access to the original comic.
But I have more faith in Kirby’s designs than this, and Everett designed Daredevil’s original costume. The credits blame “Tibor of Transylvania” for costume design.
I know one one comic character who would love Boomerang’s costume.
It must be noted that DC two years earlier introduced a Flash villain named Captain Boomerang. Captain Boomerang is an Australian villain who throws boomerangs and had a boomerang-themed costume.
Marvel’s Boomerang mostly throws these metal disks that don’t behave like boomerangs. Only once in the comic does he throw an actual boomerang. His backstory is that he was a baseball pitcher. Which would explain his skill at throwing metal disks. But has nothing to do with boomerangs. Makes one wonder the extent to which the name and boomerang motif are an after-thought to the character concept.
Betty remarks that Boomerang throws the discs with unbelievable speed and accuracy. I really hate when people play up how awesome lame villains are via character dialogue.
Note there is no standard by which Boomerang is a credible Hulk villain.
“His boomerang is causing a rock slide!”
“It’s returning to him like an arrow!”
I’m not certain there is an exchange of dialogue I have understood less than the above. His boomerang is like an arrow because it… returns to him?
Wait… they apparently weren’t robots, but Subterraneans in armor.
Hulk makes it home, presumably concluding the Tyrannus/Mole Man arc.We’ve just started the Boomerang/Secret Empire arc, and we’re in the middle of Sub-Mariner’s pursuit of Krang and Dorma. But continuity is getting complicated. So we need to check in with Iron Man and Captain America before we reach the next issue.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 54/100
Significance: ★★★★☆
Boomerang is a significant enough villain to justify that fourth star, right? Right?
I read this story in The Incredible Hulk Epic Collection vol. 2: The Hulk Must Die.
Characters:
- Hulk/Bruce Banner
- General “Thunderbolt” Ross
- Number Five
- Number Seven
- The Boomerang/Fred
- Fred’s date
- Mole Man
- Tyrannus
- Major Glen Talbot
- Betty Ross
- Rick Jones
Story notes:
- Full title perhaps: “The Stage is Set!” Introducing… The Man Called: Boomerang!
- Secret Empire agent got film of Hulk escaping from Ross’ missile base.
- Ross fired at Hulk with Orion Missile; the Secret Empire wish to possess it.
- Missile blows up within 100 feet of target, hurling ring of ionic energy toward victim, sending anything, including Hulk, plummeting to Earth.
- Secret Empire notes Hulk is too dangerous and uncontrollable to be valuable.
- Meeting of Chiefs of Operations for North America, South America, and Europe.
- Secret Empire contacts Boomerang via private micro-wave-length.
- Fred on a date when he is contacted; he tells date he is fiddling with his citizens band walkie-talkie.
- Fred had been star pitcher before being suspended.
- Fred cancels date; had planned dinner-dance at Arthur’s.
- She warns this is his last chance, and it’s over if he cancels again.
- Mole Man leads Subterraneans against Tyrannus to prevent him from finding the source of the Fountain of Youth.
- Tyrannus carries around bust of himself.
- Tyrannus claims he returned Betty and Talbot to the surface by matter-transmitter. Bruce breaks his bust.
- Rick suspects Talbot wants to be rid of Hulk so Betty will be his.
- Major Talbot is Chief Security Officer responsible for the Orion Missile.
- Boomerang’s plan is to capture Betty Ross to get the missile.
- Boomerang is ambidextrous.
- Boomerang also has a boomerang which releases electric charges and then returns.
- Boomerang flies with retro-boots.
- Banner tries to get past battle to matter transmitter in science building, but is captured and turns into Hulk.
- Hulk doesn’t remember why he was supposed to reach the science building, but remembers that he was.
- Hulk destroys statue of Tyrannus.
- Spark of Banner’s intellect is enough to remind Hulk to lay down in matter transmitter machine, which sends him to the surface.
| Previous | #566 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Tales to Astonish #81 | Reading order | Tales of Suspense #79 |
| Tales to Astonish #81 | Tales to Astonish | Tales to Astonish #82 |
I love Boomerang, he’s a great villain… Although he’s nowhere near the Hulk category, I think the best thing that could have happened to the character would have been for him to leave the Hulk series to become a Spider-Man villain. Something interesting is that, despite being a charismatic villain and future writers using him as a comic relief, the guy is a professional hitman, quite capable and ruthless, who doesn’t adhere to any moral code. It’s something that’s been present since his first appearance and makes him a credible threat every time a writer remembers this characterization.
Yeah, I think it’s about matching the villain to the hero. Cobra and Boomerang can be fine, but they’re silly faced off with Thor or Hulk.