Issue(s): Hulk #264, Hulk #265
Cover Date: Oct-Nov 81
Title: "He flies by night!" / "You get what you need!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Sal Buscema - Penciler
Sal Buscema - Inker

Review/plot:
This issue starts with Night Flyer trying to fly his awesome hang-glider while being badgered by the Corruptor on his giant cellphone.

Meanwhile, Rick, Bruce, and Betty get picked up by Rick Jones' Teen Brigade, 1981.

They're an awful group of characters, including a fat girl named Candy Barr who, yup, likes candy.

The Night Flyer hunts them down and nearly kills all these poor kids who had no business hanging around the Hulk and his constant stream of enemy attacks.

The Night Flyer has been resurrected and brainwashed by the Corruptor.

After the Hulk defeats the Flyer...

...he gets possessed by the Corruptor.

Rick puts out a call to the Avengers, but the signal is weakened and it doesn't make it to them. Instead, a group of western-themed heroes show up.

The group includes Red Wolf and his dog Lobo, the Texas Twister and his new girlfriend Shooting Star, a modern Night Rider and his horse Banshee, and the new Firebird. This Red Wolf has appeared once previously in Avengers #80, and Night Rider appeared in one issue of Ghost Rider. Both have analogues in the past, as seen in various Marvel Western comics. The Texas Twister was previously a SHIELD Super Agent before that team fell apart. Shooting Star and Firebird are new. Firebird will go on to become a member of the West Coast Avengers. She's interesting as a devoutly Christian hero, although that's not so much on display this issue. They're billed as 'The Rangers' and this issue is clearly set up as an homage to Avengers #1.

They all get stomped by the Hulk.

It's Rick Jones' heartfelt appeal that breaks the Corruptor's control.

The new Teen Brigade, after its dismal showing this issue, is never seen again, i think (and hope and pray). The Rangers don't really get a lot of mileage either but at least Firebird survives as a third tier character. You throw enough concepts at the wall and at least one of them will stick, i guess.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 4 - first Firebird, first Shooting Star, first Rangers team.

Chronological Placement Considerations: Pushed back in publishing time to make room for the Hulk's return to the Defenders in Defenders #98. After this arc, the Hulk is abducted by the devils in the Defenders' Six Fingered Hand arc. The Hulk remains with the Defenders until Defenders #101 when he jumps off in a fit of anger to return and re-unite with Betty and Rick (off panel). This also needs to take place before Avengers #211, since Hulk annual #11, which takes place after this issue, also takes place before Avengers #211 (due to the line-up change).

References:

• The Night-Flyer was resurrected by the Corruptor after dying in Captain America #214.
  
• Trying to explain to the Hulk that he and Banner are the same person, Rick recounts the Hulk's origin from Hulk #1.
  
• The Corruptor gained his powers in Nova #4.
  
• The Red Wolf's origin was given in Avengers #80.
  
• The Texas Twister says he knows the limits of his powers, having lost fights to Captain America and the Human Torch in Captain America #229 and Fantastic Four #192 respectively.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Candy Barr is also the name of a 1950s stripper who appeared in an infamous hardcore stag film back then.

The title to #265 refers to a lyric in the Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want."

interesting how Shooting Star refers to her "stellar powers" and is even shown flying on one page, but all other appreances show her as being just a competent markswoman

I bought this issue from the back issue bins of a comic book shop. The lady that rang up my books, saw this one, pointed at Firebird, and said she read somewhere that the original plan for Firebird was that there was a connection between her powers and the Phonenix force.
Sounds believable to me. This issue was published not too long after Phoenix's death in X-Men #137. And there is a panel on page 6 of
#265 that show's Firebird activating her powers and a familiar fiery bird image appears as she does.

I kinda like the Rangers because they at least own some of their local themes. While the texas twister is silly, Shooting Star, Firebird and red wolf all occupy aspects of the locale. Maybe we didnt need another Phantom Rider.

Linc and Bobbi!

"at home, they call me the sultan of skateboards"

holy shit

Really pedantic character question: Are we to understand that the Texas Twister himself actually *spins* inside the tornado he creates, Whirlwind-style? I've always assumed he does not- he's normally drawn as if his body is still, with his arms extended out, and that piercing gaze coming out from under his big white Stetson as the tornado circles around him. Also this makes more sense logistically, insofar as he needs to actually see where he's going. BUT on the other hand, in this issue, when the Hulk grabs his leg, Buscema draws him as if is body was suddenly halted from a spinning motion, with arms and legs all spiraling around each other. And also, I remember a much later issue of Scarlet Spider, in which Kaine disparagingly calls him "that spinning idiot" (or something similar). So I guess he does? Maybe I'm over-thinking this, but I feel like he is much better character if he doesn't spin.

From his wiki entry -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Twister

"Powers and abilities

Thanks to bombardment by radioactive particles during a tornado, Texas Twister has the psychokinetic ability to accelerate air molecules to high velocity, thereby creating a tornado-like mass of swirling wind around him. Although he usually creates the tornado with himself at the center, he can create tornadoes up to 100 feet (30 m) away from his body. He can control the size of the tornado at will and can create a tornado 200 feet (61 m) in diameter with outer winds moving at speeds up to 225 mph (362 km/h). Such a wind swirling about his body is capable of lifting him off the ground and supporting him in midair. He has superhuman reflexes, and various abilities enabling him to withstand the rigors of motion inside a tornado, such as denser skin to prevent unwanted heat loss, friction burns, and particle abrasions, enhanced eyesight, and a high degree of resistance to dizziness and motion sickness."

Yes, but all the standard descriptions, including that one (and I've checked all the OHOTMUs) do not specifically state whether *he himself* spins within the tornado je creates. That's the detail I'm interested in. In fact the standard descriptions seem to imply that he does not ("such a wind swirling about his body" implies his body is still, right?), but, as mentioned above, some artists & writers seem to believe he does. I guess it's a silly thing to concern myself with, because the real answer is probably "it varies depending on the creative team."

In Fantastic Four #192 you can see he's spinning in the panel before he announces himself. But he can also release tornadoes from his arms.

The same issue applies to all the other tornado-themed super-characters: Whirlwind, Cyclone, and even Storm, who I never thought of as spinning until the X-Men movie (and I think we can all agree, that was not a good look). Whirlwind definitely spins his body, yet he's often seen facing the hero as if he's still and the winds are continuing around them. Perhaps Whirlwind, Cyclone, and Twister all spin to start their winds, but can then float within their vortices for a while, only spinning occasionally to rev them up again.

Wow, sure enough, he is definitely meant to be spinning in that FF #192 panel (thanks for that reference!) Alongside the Buscema panel from Hulk #265 I guess that confirms it - he body-spins. Man, that really kills the awesome visual - makes him seem less like "Master of Tornadoes" and more like "guy trapped inside a tornado." I'm gonna go with Andrew on this and assume he can stop spinning once he gets himself revved up.

Oh my god I found Storm spinning that you mentioned, in this supercut at 2:06 -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOJxIZoIcVA. That is just weird. I agree, Storm should definitely never be spinning. It works for Whirlwind and Cyclone because the power is based within their bodies/costumes. But with Storm and Twister, they are kinetically controlling the environment around them -- they should be able to make their cyclones without spinning. (And also, as Luke mentioned, Twister can make tornadoes shoot from his hands without his hands having to spin. Hmmm.)