This Man This Monster Tuesday Pimping

It´s hard to believe but we are already in the middle of March and I´m still pimping ESSENTIAL HULK volume 7 because it´s offered at amazon for 7 to 8 bucks which is a real bargain price for a 20 dollar phone book.


Now longtime readers may remember that I pimped this book as early as January the 6th but I haven´t really written much about the actual comics that are collected here because I always got sidetracked by other stuff.

I originally wanted to post this Yesterday which would have been my first THIS MAN THIS MONSTER MONDAY post but while I had collected a lot of material for the post I hadn´t gotten around to get rid of all the doubles and cut down the rest to the proper size. So because I had to do that AND get rid of a lot of clips that had accumulated on the laptop I could not do the post. The german networks have started showing the new episodes of CASTLE on Mondays and because the new season of EL MINISTERIO DEL TIEMPO is on right after that I was busy with that until 23 o´clock. After that I finished preparing the pictures for the Hulk post but then I was too tired to start a new post and my vision was also starting to get blurry so I went to sleep. What can I say ? I´m getting old and having the Paul Ryan tribute post at the top of the blog for one more day is not that bad.    


So. ESSENTIAL HULK 7. I guess you already have volume 6 in your comic collection since it is THE most important volume collecting the entire part of Sal Buscema´s epic Hulk run that was inked by the great Ernie Chan.


I have already written at length about why this is the best part of Sal Buscema´s HULK run so we can skip that part and come directly to volume 7 of ESSENTIAL HULK. One of the reasons why I ordered it was that it fills a huge gap in my Hulk collection. Because while I had read most of the Sal Buscema / Ernie Chan issues in different translations I hadn´t read the issues between 227 ( which was the last issue in BIBLIOTECA MARVEL HULK 29 ) and 248 ( the first issue of BIBLIOTECA MARVEL HULK 33 ).


So I was curious to find out how Doctor Banner went from being the Hulk for over a week to changing back and forth with his alter ego as usual.

In the first issues after the ones I already know we have the Hulk bunking at Gamma Base while Doc Samson is trying to cure Doctor Banner and things are finally looking up. Or they were if it was not for the evil machinations of Moonstone who has one of her earliest appearances here.


And she doesn´t even need her super powers for that. She just uses her womanly wiles and her expertise as a psychiatrist to wrap all the guys around her little finger Doc Samson included. You might think the Hulk could handle her power wise but he´s so totally outclassed brain wise that the poor sap has no chance. Moonstone just uses everyone for her own needs and if she has to turn the Hulk into a raving beast destroying all hopes of him being cured as a convenient distraction that´s just bad luck.


After this the Hulk leaves Gamma Base and makes the acquaintance of  Fred Sloane with whom he goes on a trip that brings him to a team - up with Captain America, the Falcon, Sam Wilson and his nephew Jim Wilson ( who was Hulk´s sidekick in the sixth volume ) and a confrontation with the criminal organization known as The Corporation of which Moonstone is a member. Which is a callback to my french issue of Captain America.


So far I haven´t gotten around to do a post on it like with my issues of GAMMA but thanks to my latest purchases of a few volumes of ESSENTIAL CAPTAIN AMERICA I have now all the necessary material to list all the pages that were left out in the french reprint. Anyway, one of the villains in my french issue of CAPTAIN AMERICA is Animus who makes another appearance here as yet another deadly associate of The Corporation.


The Corporation was introduced by Jack Kirby during his second run on CAPTAIN AMERICA and also popped up in stories with Jack of Hearts and Machine Man who guest stars in issues 234 to 237 ( although if you want to be precise we only see an impostor who sets Hulk up in issue 234 ).  


By the way, since I´m pimping a black and white comic I should post more black and white pages but even I can only work with the material I have and I didn´t find that many black and white pages. I will try to include the few I DID find and also add the color version of said page. Which is not a requirement for pimping the ESSENTIALS but I know my readers like to see how the pages differ from the black and white version to the color.


Coming back to the crossover between HULK and CAPTAIN AMERICA I should probably mention that teaming up with Captain America is future Avenger Quasar who still goes by the name Marvel Boy at that time.


Now this is Wendell Vaughn, not Robert Grayson the Marvel Boy that was in George Perez´ FANTASTIC FOUR who went mad and blew himself up.


Before closing the post ( I just knew I had to continue this in a second part ) I have to mention one of the highlights of this volume, HULK ANNUAL 8, guest starring everyone´s favorite canadian Bigfoot.


I must have read this annual in the spanish or german translation because I knew of the existence of Sasquatch before I knew of the existence of Alpha Flight. The story is co written by Roger Stern and John Byrne, the pencils are like with most comics in this collection by Sal Buscema and the inks are beautifully done by the fabulous Alfredo Alcala, just awesome.


The characterization in the story is exceptionally well and you wish the issue had more pages so you can find out what happens next with Maureen Mores Friesen, the young woman who actually manages to befriend the Hulk. Too bad that Walter Langkowski ruins it all again.


I don´t know what it is but most brainy types in the Hulk comics are just colossal dicks. That Doc Samson is just a huge douchebag who has an inferiority complex in regards to Bruce Banner AND the Hulk goes without saying. He really doesn´t score any points in this volume letting himself be used by Moonstone in - almost - any way. And Walter Langkowski doesn´t score any higher either. Remember that this is the guy who sacrificed himself to bring the Hulk back to Earth from the Crossroads which will lead to the destruction of Vancouver. Okay, heavy damage of.

Anyway, true to form the real villain of the story here is Sasquatch who picks a fight with the Hulk just to see who is " the strongest there is " which decimates an entire area of the beautiful untouched nature.


Not only that, there is even a scene where he almost manages to kill Bruce Banner. I mean, okay, the reader knows that he will turn into the Hulk at the last minute but Walter doesn´t know it and he when Bruce´s shirt rips and he seemingly falls to his death all Walter can say is " Ooops. "To satisfy his scientific curiosity he would have killed somebody. Because anybody BUT the Hulk would be dead after that fall. Who is p.o.ed now.


And to top it all of this senseless fight has cost the Hulk another shot at finding a friend and maybe the possibility to live in peace somewhere.


I´m not sure if it is because two writer worked on this but it´s one of those great HULK stories that stay with you once you have read it.


Sadly I didn´t find many original black and white pages from this as one can really appreciate the art without the coloring. This is one of the reasons why it´s worth it to get this as an ESSENTIAL even if they will reprint this material in an Epic Collection a few years down the line. 


So I hope I have managed to wet your appetite enough that you get one of the remaining six copies because I know you will bite yourself in the proverbial butt if you see this later anywhere and have to pay 20 bucks.

But before we come to the link and video section there are three more bargain books I want to mention. First off the hardcover Indestructible Hulk - Gods and Monsters which contains issues six to ten of the series. Normally this goes for 25 bucks but it´s currently at amazon for less than 5 Euros. While the last two issues have been reprinted in a DAREDEVIL trade the first three issues are totally worth it for the Walter Simonson.


A bit more expensive is the IMAGE COMIC hardcover that was supposed to come out on the tenth anniversary of Image Comics but due to the other Image founders besides Erik Larsen it was delayed for four years.

This hardcover with a limited print run of 1,000 went for horrendous prices before going for 25 bucks and it is now offered at less than 10 at amazon. There are four stories drawn by Jim Valentino, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Erik Larsen who naturally does the best story, the origin of Dragon which was also included in some other comic. If you want to have that story in a nice hardcover it´s probably worth buying. I know that I got this at some point but I don´t know if I still have it or sold it.


And les but not least ( little play on words here ) is volume 1 of THE TROUBLE WITH GIRLS, the story of good looking hunk Lester Girls who just wants to enjoy the simple life in a small town with a loving wife and go fishing but instead is thrust into a life of danger and espionage where he must endure wealth, fancy cars, palatial estates and beautiful women who just throw themselves at him. Thankfully his faithful sidekick Apache Dick is there to relieve him of his fair share of all that. This is one of the best black and white series lampooning James Bond and other spies / hitmen for hire guys and even if the discount here is probably not that big with a price of 11 Euros I haven´t seen these collection anywhere else. There is a second volume but you have to wait 4 to 6 weeks until delivery. I wouldn´t wait too long with this one as there is only one copy left.  


and Captain America 280 and

and MY MARVEL LIFE 1980 and

and Avengers 172 and

and Avengers 181 and

and Avengers 211 and

and Captain America 254 and

and Captain America 266 and

and Daredevil 151 and

and Daredevil 158 and

and Daredevil 171 and

and Daredevil 181 and

and Dazzler 1 and

and Defenders 95 and

and Fantastic Four 232 and

and Iron Man 114 and

and Iron Man 145 and

and Iron Man 149 and

and Iron Man 118 and

and Marvel Team Up 74 and

and Marvel Team Up 113 and

and Micronauts 1 and

and Power Man & Iron Fist 75 and

and Super Villain Team Up 15 and

and Thor 274 and

ca ching