Issue(s): Hulk #269, Hulk #270
Cover Date: Mar-Apr 82
Title: "Enter: The Hulk-Hunters!" / "The Goliath, the Gargoyle and the Galaxy Master!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Sal Buscema - Penciler
Sal Buscema - Inker
Ann Nocenti - Assistant Editor
Al Milgrom - Editor

Review/plot:
This arc is a weird detour from the "Banner makes a serious effort to cure himself" plotline that we've been dealing with since at least Hulk #266. We start by looking in on a strange alien artist named Bereet who first appeared in the Rampaging Hulk magazine.

It's not 100% clear to me, but we might be saying that the stories that took place in her earlier magazine appearances were not real stories, but in fact the movies that she had produced.

She's now decided to head to Earth and see the Hulk in person. In addition to being a movie producer, she is also a "techno-artist" which seems to mean that she can create little robots.

She also has a "Banshee Mask" that apparently turns into a spaceship when she wears it. I am jealous.

Before Bereet arrives, though, Banner receives other guests. It's the Nightcrawler (now Dark Crawler to avoid confusion with the X-Man), Torgo, and Amphibion.

The Hulk has met Dark Crawler and Amphibion before, but Torgo is an old Thing foe, so he's an interesting third choice. In the course of fighting these three heavy hitters...

...the Hulk loses a little ground, and it causes Rick Jones to run into Banner's lab and expose himself to gamma radiation, with the hopes that he'll transform into a second Hulk.

In the meantime, the leader of the Hulk's three opponents shows up. She's the leader of the alien rebels that the Hulk once helped fight the Galaxy Master.

We're seeing a lot of obscure old characters show up in this arc. Which is kind of cool. It turns out that Galaxy Master is back, and the leader - Princess Daydra - recruited Dark Crawler, Torgo, and Amphibion to fight him, but they were all defeated by the Master's champion, so they tried to recruit the Hulk.

But Amphibion's temper got the best of him and that's why the fight broke out.

They're an odd bunch to be recruited for help in any event.

Torgo has been shown as a noble guy, and they make the case in this issue that Dark Crawler was just misunderstood (but still, he's the ruler of an alternate dimension, not exactly a hero for hire), but Amphibion is a straight-up bad guy, and there's no real motivation for him to be helping here. The Dark Crawler especially just doesn't feel like a guy that should be hanging around performing tasks for other people.

Anyway, the Galaxy Master's champion turns out to be the Abomination.

We're reminded that the Abomination was initially stronger than the Hulk in his first appearance until the Stranger Banner took some of his strength away.

The Galaxy Master has restored the Abomination to his full strength.

But nowadays the Hulk gets stronger the madder he gets, so he's eventually able to defeat him.

For an encore, he jumps inside the Galaxy Master...

...which causes it to explode. The Hulk's whereabouts at the end of the issue are unknown.

While the Hulk is off in space fighting the Galaxy Master, Bereet shows up in time to record Rick Jones' impending death from gamma radiation exposure.

There's a letter in issue #269 that tries to make a serious case that the gamma radiation that's emitted when Banner transforms into the Hulk is what turns his pants purple.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - Rick Jones exposed to gamma radiation

Chronological Placement Considerations: Between Hulk #268 and #269, the Hulk has apparently been running around for various special appearances like Questprobe and Marvel Fanfare, according to the MCP. There's not really a good break, but there's not a better placement either because of the ongoing "Banner seeks a cure for himself" plot. I've placed a run with the Defenders in this gap as well. This is the second time we've had to force an awkward unmentioned "Hulk leaves Betty and Rick for a while" break, the first being between Hulk #265 and #266. From this point through the end of the year, the Hulk is locked into a series of adventures that lead to Banner's brain gaining control of the Hulk's body. So any "dumb Hulk" appearances have to occur before this arc.

References:

• Bereet originally appeared in Rampaging Hulk #1-2 and Rampaging Hulk #9.
  
• The Dark Crawler encountered the Hulk in the Dark Dimension in Hulk #126.
  
• Amphibian was the creature the Hulk fought at the Watcher's home when the Leader sent the Hulk to retrieve the Watcher's orb of knowledge in Tales To Astonish #74.
  
• Torgo never gets any references but he first appeared in the Skrull Gangster Planet arc from Fantastic Four #90-93. He was last seen in pieces in Marvel Two-In-One #45, with Captain Marvel promising the Thing that he'd be repaired.
  
• Rick is still feeling guilt about having exposed Banner to the gamma rays that caused him to turn into the Hulk in Hulk #1.
  
• The Hulk defeated the Galaxy Master in Hulk #112.
  
• "If you think we're gonna cite all the Abomination's past appearances in this tiny caption, you're crazy!" and yet... a few pages we get at least get a couple: The Abomination was last seen fighting in a story that began in Hulk #194 and concluded with the Abomination getting caught in an exploding rocket after Hulk #195 and Hulk #196. The Abomination first appeared in Tales To Astonish #90-91.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

I believe Bereet appeared in all the first 9 issues of Rampaging Hulk. Doug Moench wrote those stories, and they all took place during the early 1960s around the time of Avengers #1. They actually aren't that hard to retrofit into continuity and aren't bad stories to read, but Shooter decided they had to go and that was that.

IIRC, fans had several problems with them- they implied that the Avengers worked together as a team before Avengers 1, the X-Men were shown meeting the Hulk before Uncanny 66, the Hulk's intelligence in some of the stories was inconsistent with the portrayal of his intelligence circa Avengers 1, etc.

As I recall, it wasn't the Stranger who reduced the Adomination's power in his first appearance, but rather a machine of Bruce Banner's. However, tt was the Stranger who teleported the Abomination away at the end of his first appearance.

BTW, Blonsky didn't talk much like a Russian spy in those days, did he? "Big green gorilla"? Really, comrade?

You're correct and that's even what the Abomination says in that screenshot above. Updated my text. Thanks!

According to Mantlo, Bereet was supposed to appear in Peter Parker/Spectacular Spider-Man as well, but I can't guess how she would have been squeezed in.

Gamma rays continue to be weird -- the Abomination has more than his usual two toes in this issue.

Had 270 as a kid. great issue, pure unstoppable hulk.

I really liked the team that Daydra assembled: Dark crawler, Torgo and Amphibion. Would have liked to see them stick together as a force.

Personally I'm more than half-convinced that Doug Moench's Rampaging Hulk stories about Bereet and her awesome Banshee mask were the really real stories, and these Johnny-come-lately Bill Mantlo stories were the really fictional ones. The nerve of these guys. Just say "No" to Jim Shooter's meddlesome editorial tweakings.