Obsessively putting our comics in chronological order since 1985.
| 1971-09-01 00:00:10 |
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Hulk #143-144
Issue(s): Hulk #143, Hulk #144
Cover Date: Sep-Oct 71
Title: "Sanctuary!" / "The monster and the madman!"
Credits:
Roy Thomas / Roy Thomas & Gary Friedrich - Writer
Dick Ayers - Penciler
John Severin - Inker
Review/plot:
OK, Hulk vs. Doctor Doom. All we have to do for this to be awesome is to keep it as straightforward as possible. No weird twists, no nonsense, just a no-hold bars fight between... who's that? Valeria?! Get her out of here, she'll ruin everything!
The story starts rather brilliantly with Doctor Doom rescuing Banner from the police, using his facial scars to bond with him (having a scarred face and turning into a raging unstoppable monster aren't really the same thing, but to Doctor Doom they're probably equally tragic)...
...and then using a Hulk robot to fake the Hulk's death.
Doom then takes Banner back to Latveria and brainwashes him into creating a gamma bomb...
...which he intends to deploy, along with the Hulk, on one of Latveria's unruly neighboring countries.
Then Valeria shows up and suddenly it's like... i dunno, i don't want to insult soap operas.
Valeria could have been used as a moderating factor for Doom, helping him evolve into the morally ambiguous character that we've already seen hints of. Instead she has the opposite effect on him, and so we see him scheming mass murder while shouting that he's doing it all for her.
We do eventually get a Hulk/Doom fight...
...but it's interspersed with Valeria weeping.
Doom is pretty definitively defeated, though.
I'm going with "Doombot" on this one.
I'm also fairly certain i requested no nonsense. A revelation that Doc Samson's hair length actually affects his strength like his biblical namesake certainly qualifies.
As is usually the case, John Severin's art style pretty clearly comes through over Dick Ayers' pencils.
Quality Rating: D+
Historical Significance Rating: 1
Chronological Placement Considerations: Banner has been on the run in New York since the end of the previous issue.
References:
- Doc Samson previously appeared in Hulk #141.
- When Banner is presumed dead, there are a few reflections from the supporting cast, including General Ross thinking back to when the Hulk rescued Jim Wilson from Hydra in Hulk #132.
- Also after the Hulk is dead, General Ross plays footage of the Hulk's fight with Iron Man in Hulk #131 for a group of military men plus Samson and Betty.
- Valeria previously appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #20.
Crossover: N/A
Continuity Insert? N
My Reprint: N/A
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Comments
Honestly, Dick Ayers gets very little credit for his angles and pacing in action scenes. Regardless of whether or not people like his art style, he is a very clever storyteller.
His Doc Doom blows, but the storytelling here is fantastic. The rotating camera when the Hulk is squeezing Vic is daring and effective.
just got these in essential.
first reaction: yay, a hulk/doc doom fight
second reaction: written by Roy Thomas. darn it.
