Hulk Comic #1

07 Mar 1979. Cover price 10p
24 pages. B&W contents.
Marvel Comics, Ltd.

At last... in his own comic!

Edited by Dez Skinn.

Cover by Brian Bolland.
Sal Buscema Hulk head placed on Bolland Hulk body.

Bagged with free Hulk sticker album and stickers.

Contents:

 2 Hulk Comic Introductory page. / Indicia

 3 The Incredible Hulk UNTITLED [Storm Over Arbory] w: Steve Moore; a: Dave Gibbons.

 6 The Black Knight UNTITLED [Rare Blood Delivery] w: Steve Parkhouse; p: Steve Parkhouse, i: John Stokes.

 9 From Trebor Double Agents H.Q. advertisement.

10 Watch out Hulk! Rampage Monthly now features The X-Men (one third page) in-house advertisement. / Journey into the world of the Weird -- the Occult -- the Magical (one third page) in-house advertisement for Rampage Monthly. / The Micronauts (one third page) in-house advertisement for Star Wars Weekly.

11 Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. UNTITLED [Seven Stars, Seven Missiles] w: Steve Moore; a: John Richardson.

15 2 More Triumphs from Marvel (half page) in-house advertisement for Savage Sword of Conan and Starburst. / 111 Stamps (All Different) Free (half page) advertisement for Bridgnorth Stamp Co. Ltd.

16 Ant-Man The Man in the Ant Hill w: Stan Lee; p: Jack Kirby, i: Dick Ayers.

r: edited from Tales to Astonish (Marvel Comics) #27 (Jan 1962).

19 Don't Miss the Latest Issue of Marvel Comic (half page) in-house advertisement. / On Sale Now - Spider-Man Comic (half page) in-house advertisement.

20 Night-Raven UNTITLED [] w: Steve Parkhouse; a: David Lloyd.

23 Star Flight News Zero Minus 15 (half page) advertisement for Starflight Rocket Fleet model toys. / Every Week Marvel Comic (half page) in-house advertisement.

24 The Incredible Hulk is just too big for only one comic! in-house advertisement for Rampage Magazine.

There's something slightly off about Bolland's cover, which isn't entirely successfully made to fit Marvel house style by the use of a Sal Buscema head, though the use of new material - any new material - in a Marvel title is to be celebrated. It is unfortunate that this bold start is immediately paused for a preview of the contents which offers nothing save for a promise of free gifts in the subsequent issue. A small text introduction is always preferable to these clip art-like illustrations. Thankfully, the selected images are mostly good, though I'm not sure what to make of Ant Man.

Victim of Gamma Radiation, Bruce Banner now finds himself transformed in times of stress into the most powerful creature ever to ealk the Earth.

Arbory is in the midst of one of the most vicious electrical storms in living memory, which has plunged the inhabitants into darkness. The Hulk, struck by lightning, is somehow able to hold the charge - glowing incandescent blue - which terrifies locals, believing aliens have landed. A mugging, suddenly illuminated by the Hulk's accidental intervention, turns to murder when the victim recognises his assailants. Fleeing the scene, they run into the Hulk...

A very slight story, with an amusing use of the Hulk's body chemistry to propel the plot. For a three-page strip, this has an awfully high body-count, highlighting the casually-handled mortality rate in superhero comics. There's also the problem of the Hulk's haircut, which is especially distracting. The ending has the hallmark of old morality plays, which seem very dated now, though oddly works to the story's advantage.

Somewhere in the skies over South-West England a military helicopter in engaged upon a mission of mercy... Carrying vital medical supplies to a hospital in Cornwall, cut off by freak storms and blizzards...

As the cloud cover breaks, the pilot observes the Black Knight flying through the air on his steed, a distracting enough sight to cause a crash. The Black Knight lands in order to determine the nature of the pilot's quest, and - upon learning that a rare blood type is being transported - decides to take matters into his own hands. Far below, old Sarah Mumford - out collecting firewood - considers the 'dark rider' a bad omen, while an armed Harrier takes off with the intent of taking down a UFO. Or an unidentified knight on his flying horse, if you prefer.

Mordred, learning of the Black Knight's return, sets his nightmarish birds of prey loose. Two rockets manage to dismount the knight, and...

The story cuts off, mid-scene. While the story serves as a perfectly reasonable introduction to the character, having such an abrupt ending really affects the way the story is received. There's a great atmosphere delivered through very attractive art, but there are too many events crammed into the first installment, without explanation, that I'm left feeling slightly short-changed by the strip. I've got a feeling this is a story which would greatly benefit from being read through without interruption.

Thousands of feet above the Eastern seaboard of the United States, a gigantic Heli-Carrier hangs motionless and quiet... the mobile command headquarters of the organisation known as SHIELD...

Utilising the training room to keep in top shape, Nick Fury is distracted by the sudden appearance of seven glowing stars in a circle - long enough to allow a blast to hit him, numbing his arm. Duggan races to shut the power down, though Fury deals with the problem himself, blasting the control unit. Sidney E. Levine, "Gaffer," SHIELD's weaponry expert and inventor, and Carlyle Pallis, head of SHIELD's internal security, are summoned to investigate whether the stars were the result of malfunction or sabotage.

Fury gets Duggan to accompany him on a separate line of investigation, but come up empty in the records. Gaffer and Pallis report that someone replaced components, as well as installing a hologram projector behind panelling. Before anything else can be revealed, the Heli-Carrier goes on Red Alert - a missile which splits into seven warheads is about to strike. They are stopped, and a trace of the final detonation pattern reveals a pattern identical to that which appeared in the training area.

This is a beautiful, and SF-heavy, introduction to Fury, with enough background to tie the story to American comics, and a decent mystery for him to solve. While Richardson is no Steranko, he gives the visuals everything he's got - occasionally nearing iconic imagery, as with the shot of Fury, gun held in front of him. It isn't an entirely successful opening, but has a quirky style I could grow to like.

It all began only a few weeks ago. Pym was working on a fantastic project. A secret serum. Anything could be reduced in size and shipped for a fraction of the cost! An entire army could be transported in one airplane... And finally... for Henry Pym, success!

Another outing for the origin of Ant-Man, albeit a curtailed one. It isn't bad, but overly familiar thanks to repeated appearances.

Night-time in the city, in a downtown hotel room a high-level business conference approaches stalemate...

As negotiations between criminal groups break down, Night-Raven makes his presence known. Escaping out a window as gunfire ricochets around him, Night-Raven grabs Granacco and pulls him up to the roof. Distracting two of the mobsters, he sneaks back to the conference room and brands the third criminal, leaving his calling card before departing unseen.

While the story is paper-thin, the atmosphere generated in the strip is far more resonant than the rest of the title combined, instantly setting a tone slightly darker than mainstream Marvel usually employs. There aren't many characters who brand their enemies, and this is the big selling point for the character.

And no, in case you were wondering - the sticker album wasn't located with this issue.