Issue(s): Hulk #148
Cover Date: Feb 72
Title: "But tomorrow-- the sun shall die!"
Credits:
Archie Goodwin - Script
Chris Claremont - Plot
Herb Trimpe - Penciler
John Severin - Inker

Review/plot:
Chris Claremont is credited with a "plot assist" in the original issue's credits.

But in my Marvel Super Heroes reprint, his credit is replaced by a credit for the colorist. Mimi Gold seems to have been the original uncredited colorist (per the G&T Indexes via the UHBMCC), but Glynis Wein recolored the issue for the reprint.

Dropping Claremont's credit seems especially odd considering the sources Mark Drummond cites in the comments, which say that Claremont fully plotted the issue.

The plot involves Dr. Peter Corbeau and the sun flares, elements that the Claremont seemed to use a lot in his early days at Marvel. Corbeau apparently thinks he's got a cure for the Hulk.

The army captures Hulk by sneaking up on him with faster-than-sound jets and bombarding him with stun darts.

Corbeau uses his Starcore One satellite to harness the sun's energy. However, the cure seems to mess up the sun, causing solar flares that threaten the earth.

Meanwhile, on Jarella's microscopic planet, her kingdom is threatened by the traitor, Lord Visis, that the Hulk exiled when he was last on her world (if only he had killed or imprisoned the traitor instead of just letting him go).

Jarella has her mystics transport her to Earth to seek the Hulk's help...

...and Visis sends the assassin Fialan after her.

While Bruce rests alone at a beach house, Jarella appears. The military bring Bruce and Jarella back to the base to reverse the flares. Bruce, Betty's father, and Glenn all seem remarkably calm about the appearance of a woman that Bruce married and never told Betty about. We never get Betty's reaction, however.

It turns out that the solar flares are actually caused by the spell that brought Jarella to earth. Not willing to send her back to be killed by rebels, Banner and Corbeau, in conjunction with a behind-the-scenes Henry Pym and Reed Richards, work to send a Jarella LMD provided by SHIELD instead.

However, the assassin kills the LMD, and the scientists are forced to send Jarella back instead, despite Hulk's protests - the Hulk is knocked out twice this issue, which is a real accomplishment for the military.

It would have been a nice touch if they could have sent the Hulk back home with Jarella, but i guess the solar flare risk precluded that solution.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - first Peter Corbeau, first Starcore One

Chronological Placement Considerations: The Hulk is knocked out at the end of this issue and shouldn't appear in other books in between this and next issue.

References:

• The Hulk visited Jarella's world in Hulk #140.
  
• Nick Fury and General Ross first met in Hulk #106.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Super Heroes #97

Back Issue #70 confirms that Claremont plotted it, Goodwin scripted it, and that this is Claremont's 1st regular writing at Marvel.

As does "Comic Book Profiles" Fall 1999 magazine, focusing on Claremont.

Claremont is credited in the issue... I'm not sure why it's quite so much of a talking point?

Love the Trimpe/Severin combo here

@Fnord, in light of the comments above, have you consider incorporating them in your entry for this issue? Chris Claremont did indeed have a listed plotting credit on this issue.

Yeah, see the updated notes at the top of the entry.

@Fnord My bad, sorry. Looked at the credits instead. Will do better.

Brian, you didn't do anything wrong. I looked at my reprint to see why i thought it was worth calling out Claremont, and then i updated the entry after i saw that the reprint dropped his credit. I just didn't have time to do that until after your comment. So when you looked at the entry, the info about the reprint wasn't there yet.