Issue(s): Marvel Fanfare #47
Cover Date: Nov 89
Title: "Renovation"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Script
Michael Golden & Bill Mantlo - Plot
Michael Golden - Penciler
Michael Golden - Inker
Marc McLaurin - Assistant Editor
Al Milgrom - Editor

Review/plot:
I guess this issue shows the difficulty Al Milgrom faced with Marvel Fanfare. Michael Golden's pencils were a big part of the early success of the series. This issue's Editori-Al shows a young Milgrom commissioning Golden for a new issue, and then falling asleep on the couch while waiting for it and waking up as Rip van Wink-Al seven years later. Clearly all that could be done in the meantime was run inventory stories.

So let's see what we waited for.

The story has a flu-ridden Peter Parker touring a derelict neighborhood in New York with J. Jonah Jameson and a Councilman who is advocating for tearing the whole place down and rebuilding, regardless of the poor people living there.

Meanwhile, the Hulk is up in space with Nick Fury helping with a satellite repair. It turns out the satellite is buggy thanks to an alien amoeba, and it gets itself attached to the back of the Hulk's neck.

So the Hulk passes out and Nick brings him back to the Helicarrier.

The amoeba then causes the Hulk to wake up and rage out. Nick Fury is knocked out...

...and the highest ranking SHIELD operative is for some reason not Val Fontaine even though she's on board; it's some dufus that makes a series of bad calls. First he has the Hulk ejected from the ship, and of course he lands in the neighborhood Peter and JJ are touring. The SHIELD commander, shocked that the Hulk is still alive, orders untested SHIELD drones to attack the Hulk full force despite the risk to the neighborhood and its residence.

So Spider-Man has to split his time between fighting the Hulk and rescuing the locals.

And if you haven't put it together yet (as Mantlo himself lampshades in the script, i guess you never read War of the Worlds), Peter's flu infects and kills the alien amoeba, and Banner regains control of the Hulk. The SHIELD commander is demoted once Nick wakes up, and even though the Councilman basically got what he wanted, he's voted out of office just because.

Unfortunately for the Hulk, he didn't learn any lessons about helping Nick Fury fix satellites. But Peter is lucky that JJ doesn't think about the fact that both Peter and Spidey have the flu.

This would be a better than average issue of Marvel Team-Up thanks to the Golden art (and coloring). But by 1989 it was a bit late to change anyone's opinion of the book, and with this story taking place some 4 years earlier, it's really no different than a typical issue with an inventory story.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Due to the lead time of this story, it takes place in the 1984 chronology, before the collapse of SHIELD (and even the destruction of the Helicarrier) and while Bruce Banner's intelligence controlled the Hulk. And while Spider-Man was wearing a red and blue costume. The MCP place it after Marvel Team-Up #137 for Spider-Man and betwen Hulk #291-292 for Hulk.

References:

• Bruce Banner gained control of the Hulk in Hulk #272.
  
• Spider-Man remembers going to the Hulk's pardoning ceremony, in Hulk #278.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A