Obsessively putting our comics in chronological order since 1985.
| 1972-09-01 00:06:10 |
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Hulk #155
Issue(s): Hulk #155
Cover Date:
Title: "Destination: Nightmare!"
Credits:
Archie Goodwin - Writer
Herb Trimpe - Penciler
John Severin - Inker
Review/plot:
Shrunk by Henry Pym, the Hulk winds up on a strange world. I've always wondered how, whenever the Hulk shrinks into the Microverse, he always wound up on Jarella's dust mote; for once he doesn't. Instead he lands on a world controlled by the Shaper of Worlds, who can create anything but is cursed to not have an imagination. His latest "muse" is a cartoonish Nazi scientist named Dr. Kronsteig.
The Shaper allows him to live in a world of his dreams, in which the Reich is winning the War.
The Shaper even gives Kronsteig super powers (he calls himself Captain Axis).
The Hulk messes everything up, though, angering the Shaper. However, the Shaper is unable to defeat the Hulk or provide the Hulk with the world of his dreams, so he sends him on to Jarella's world.
Quality Rating: C
Historical Significance Rating: 7 - first Shaper of Worlds
Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A
References:
- Captain Axis was originally a scientist working for Dr. Doom. Doom used Kronsteig's own shrinking ray on him as a test before using it on the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four #10 because he didn't trust Nazis.
Crossover: N/A
Continuity Insert? N
My Reprint: Marvel Super Heroes #103
Inbound References (1): showCharacters Appearing: Betty Ross, General 'Thunderbolt' Ross, Glenn Talbot, Hulk, Shaper of Worlds 1972 / Box 7 / EiC: Roy Thomas Previous:
Amazing Spider-Man #112-115Up:
MainNext:
Captain America #153-156
Comments
I always liked thew little twist near the end of the story, where Kronsteig loses because he literally can't imagine having as much strength as the Hulk, which means that the Shaper can't give him that strength.
My personal intro to the Shaper of Worlds was the giant sized Batman/Hulk crossover, where the Shaper empowers the Joker.
As odd as this story is, Im glad that it took the Shaper to actual send the Hulk to Jarella's world. It would have been a bridge to far to have the Hulk shrink there automatically.
Kronsteig/Captain Axis looks like a cross between Hank Pym's (and the Defenders') old nemesis Egghead and Captain Nazi, the venerable SHAZAM!/Captain Marvel villain. The top panel here looks like Trimpe was borrowing from the facial chapter of the Jack Kirby playbook.
