Product Description

It's the original trial of the Incredible Hulk, but not even Doc Samson and Matt Murdock can get the Hulk free of charges... from the Rhino, the Abomination and the Bi-Beast! Foes from the sewers, the seas, the stars and a shrunken realm gone mad! And Betty Ross gives a new twist to becoming a Harpy after the wedding! Monsters, mindswaps and Niagara Falls! Plus: For the X-Fans, the birth of the Wendigo and the death of the Mimic! Collects Incredible Hulk #143-170.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #350994 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

Customer Reviews

A stunning volume of memorable 1970's tales
Another collection of early Hulk tales, this time from the early 1970's that see the Hulk off on his travels again. Starting off with his being held prisoner in Latveria by Doctor Doom. Escaping from Doom he heads South and ends up in Egypt to meet with another slice of Marvel mythology where he defeats a stone colossus before heading home via Israel. Jim Wilson returns as does Doc Samson as they try to help the Hulk as the Leader re-appears, Samson ends up losing his powers. Jarella briefly arrives from her sub-atomic world before one of the High Evolutionary's creations tries to inherit the Earth before reverting to its true form.
Guest slots from Havok and Lorna Dane follow then a briliant tale where a US senator tries to defeat his cancer with the Hulk's blood but becomes the gelatinous Crawling Unknown. Then the first classic set-piece of this volume as the Hulk is captured and put on trial. Featuring Matt Murdock as both Daredevil and as the Hulk's defence lawyer, also the Avengers, The Fantastic Four and briefly Spider-Man.
Escaping from court he seeks out Hank Pym to try and get his help to return to Jarella's world. Pym eventualy appears as Ant-Man to help stop Hydra and the Chameleon. The Hulk succeeds in shrinking first to a world based on WW2 created by a Skrull, the Shaper. The Shaper helps return the Hulk to Jarella's world where the Hulk helps defeat her enemies. The effects of the potion the Hulk took wear off and he starts to grow again, but the actual ending is very surprising, although an obvious issue overlooked in many sub-atomic stories, and the future of Jarella's world is left in serious doubt.
Back on Earth the Leader, now paralysed, frees The Rhino only to see his partner and the Hulk thrown into space where they land on the High Evolutionary's creation Counter-Earth where Adam Warlock briefly appears. Escaping back to Earth the Leader still stalks the Hulk but so does the awesome Abomination. After defeating the Abomination the Hulk learns that his first love Betty has married Major Talbot and they are honeymooming at Niagara Falls.
Heading North the Hulk defeats Tiger Shark at Niagara Falls then heads off into the wilderness. Former X-Man the Beast appears in his new blue furry form as he tries to stop the Mimic from leeching people's life forces, the Mimic dies at the end as he soaks up Gamma radiation from the Hulk to weaken him. Then another classic Hulk tale as The Wendigo appears, fans will know what waits in the next volume when Marvel release it.
Not forgetting the Russkies, the cold-war was still ongoing. The Hulk is captured by the Gremlin, son of the Hulk's very first foe, the Gargoyle. Swimming the Arctic ocean he is captured by the seagoing Captain Omen (geddit?) and taken to his undersea world where he helps another rebellion. In fact the Hulk has become quite a revolutionary when you look at all the battles for freedom he has appeared in. Here he also faces Aquon the man-fish. This tale ends with great pathos as Omen abandons his son to save the rest of his crew.
Back in New York the creature from the dynamo, Zzzax appears, ex-Avenger Hawkeye defeats the creature but unusually the Hulk gets the credit. Modok re-appears at the helm of AIM and he subjects Betty Ross to a dose of Gamma rays. She becomes the Harpy. The Hulk and the Harpy are captured and taken to a city floating 8 miles up where they meet the android Bi-Beast, the city was the home of a race of Bird-Men and at one time Red Raven. Modok invades the city as the Hulk, now as Bruce Banner uses their machinery to try and transform Betty back to her human form. The city is destroyed by the Bi-Beast and the Hulk and Betty fall to Earth, the last tale is a real oddity as the Hulk destroys 6 large aliens on a strange volcanic island.
A fantastic series of tales spanning 4 worlds and several continents largely from the fertile minds of Roy Thomas, Archie Goodwin and Steve Englehart and wonderfully drawn by Herb Trimpe who, if you read the bullpen credits, got married during the Hulk's visit to Canada. The background characters get a fair deal too, Jim Wilson especially shines. General Ross has a real bummer, fired from the Hulk-Busters programme and hated by his daughter. Ross's replacement is the well named Colonel John D. Armbruster and more will be heard from him. Glenn Talbot also gets a spine although getting shot and captured takes the gloss off it somewhat.
This is the Marvel era I most fondly remember and have a stack of these books waiting as I ride a wave of nostalgia. Only another 30 years to catch up on.........