Writer: Stan Lee
Penciller: Jack Kirby
Inker: Dick Ayers
“Prisoners of Kurrgo, Master of Planet X”
July 3, 1962
OK, is it just me or just from looking at the cover and the splash page for this issue, Stan or Jack simply pulled out one of the science fiction stories they never got around to writing in the various anthology comics Marvel produced for years and used it here? It certainly seems that way at first glance.
Kurrgo of Planet X monitors the Fantastic Four from his world that is doomed to be destroyed by an asteroid. It galls him that a far superior race is doomed to extinction while the Earth exists. He sends one of two ships the planet has to Earth with a robot to capture the Four in the hopes they can help them.
I’m bored already.
In fact, what might be the only interesting aspect of this story is the Four’s everyday life as they prepare for a state dinner in Washington and the fears all four express about going. Although I had to wonder how annoyed Johnny should be when Ben turns up the shower’s heat. I mean, he is the Human Torch.
And then in a scene right out of the comics or a bad B movie, we cut to the military tracking the craft. Despite seeing this, they do not alert others. The Fantastic Four aren’t even called in. Heck, they ignore the sighting in the distance as they ride to Washington in the Fantastic-Car. Once there, they are honored for their exploits, but it quickly changes as the alien robot sends out a signal that turns everyone hostile, including the room full of people honoring the Four.
The robot offers them the chance to escape and in return, he must help the people of his world. They agree, a little too easily I think, and are quickly transported to Planet X. There, they find that they are as doomed as the inhabitants if they do not figure out a way to save the people. Reed, possibly using Hank Pym’s notes, comes up with a shrinking gas that allows the population to shrink and fit the entire five billion of them into one of the two spaceships.
OK, who’s steering this ship when the controls are for normal-sized Xians, as I’m calling them?
Reed gives Kurrgo a canister with enlarging gas to use when they reach the new world. But Kurrgo decides to keep it for himself so that he will reign over all. The problem is the canister is cumbersome and Kurrgo struggles to get to the ship as it prepares to launch. Left with the conundrum of dropping the canister and giving up his dreams, he yells at the ship to hold the launch, but it takes off as the asteroid strikes Planet X.
The Fantastic Four are pointless in this pointless story. Considering one of the things I love about the Four is that their roots and most of their stories tend to be science fiction in nature (John Byrne was great with this in his run with the comic), I still found this be to incredibly boring. I guess though that’s not so bad in a run of seven issues to date.
Writer: Stan Lee
Penciller: Jack Kirby
Inker: Dick Ayers
“Banished to Outer Space”
July 3, 1962
We get three stories in this issue. I have to wonder were they thinking in terms of DC Comics which had anthology-style stories for their main heroes for many years.
I write my thoughts as I am reading the comic and I really needed to stop here with my first ever genuine WTF? moment. The Hulk is locked away for the protection of the world as Rick Jones makes his way home to get some sleep. He is taken by Ross’ men and brought to him where the General demands to know where the Hulk is. Now, that’s fine. But then Ross tells Rick that they want the Hulk to test out a new rocket. Yep, they expect the savage Hulk, whose Ross has sworn to capture and end, to be their guinea pig on a test rocket.
What?
And then Rick is like, if the country needs it, how can I refuse?
What?
And then we see the truth behind it all. Rick releases the Hulk and at this stage in his career, the Hulk is not a fast-moving being. Rick lures him to the rocket where he is trapped inside and launched into space. Ross reveals it was a trick to just send the Hulk away from Earth. And as the rocket travels, it passes a radiation belt. The Hulk reverts to Bruce as it travels away from the planet.
Rick finds out and manages to get access to the controls to the rocket while no one is looking. As he works to bring the rocket back, the radiation from the ship channels through the signal, and a link is created between the two. When the craft crashes, Rick discovers the Hulk inside, even though it is daylight, and he has the ability to control the creature.
He can’t fall asleep though as once he does, the link is severed. He gets the Hulk back to the cave and into the cell, which he alone has repaired at some point following the Hulk smashing it away.
I liked that I was misled into thinking this was going to be an off-the-rocker kind of story, but I found it hard to swallow that Rick Jones would risk his friend’s life, even for the country’s sake when he’s allowed him to be free up to this point, knowing the danger of the Hulk. I also had a difficult time accepting that Rick Jones replaced the steel ramrod that holds the cell door in place all by himself.
Writer: Stan Lee
Penciller: Jack Kirby
Inker: Dick Ayers
Letterer: Sam Rosen
“The Origin of the Hulk”
July 3, 1962
What we basically have for the second story is a retelling of the Hulk’s origin. This makes sense considering the length of time that has passed between this issue and the first. You have many new people picking up the title for the first time, so a quick recap to fill them in works. I also like the framing of it as it’s Rick recalling the events as he sits on the cavern floor with the Hulk imprisoned inside.
What’s interesting is the question of just how much more powerful is the Hulk now after passing through the radiation belt in the rocket. It’s so concerning that Rick dares not fall asleep and lose his hold on the Hulk, allowing him a possible chance to break out.
Writer: Stan Lee
Penciller: Jack Kirby
Inker: Dick Ayers
Letterer: Artie Simek
“The Ringmaster”
July 3, 1962
The Ringleader was always one of those villains you’d expect to see in the Flash’s Rogues Gallery. He’s not that effective a villain and he’s certainly an odd choice to introduce in a comic about a creature with unimaginable strength. You’d expect the Hulk to handle more world-threatening menaces.
And the opening elements make no sense. The Ringmaster has been going from town to town with his circus, using his mesmerizing hat to hypnotize the populace into a stupor so he can rob the entire town blind. This is a threat for the Hulk?
And what of the Hulk? Rick has control of him, but only if he remains awake. So he does so. Clearly, the Hulk can’t change back to Bruce at the moment, but what does Rick decide to do after he spends the night keeping the Hulk at bay by staying awake? He goes to the circus which is visiting a nearby town.
What?
And of course, Rick finds himself being placed under the control of the Ringmaster. Before he goes under, he sends out a mental call for help to the Hulk who comes to his rescue. The Hulk is stunned by a power hose which allows the circus people to bind him in a steel net. But he gets loose and as the FBI arrive to arrest the Ringmaster as they put two and two together, the Hulk helps in capturing the Ringmaster.
Meh.
This version of the comic only lasted six issues. I’m sure some of it was the inconsistency in the release schedule, but there is also the issue that you have this interesting, powerful character and Lee and Kirby really don’t know what to do with him. One minute he’s a rampaging monster and then he’s under Rick’s control and fighting C-level villains. Fortunately, when he returns after this run, there seems to be a better understanding of what this character is about.
Writer: Stan Lee
Scripter: Larry D. Lieber
Penciller: Jack Kirby
Inker: Dick Ayers
Letterer: Artie Simek
“The Mighty Thor Vs. the Executioner”
July 3, 1962
Interesting that we get not only a recap of the origin of Thor to open this issue but a recap of his stopping the invasion of the Stone Men.
And then we set up the love interest, Jane Foster, his nurse. But we don’t linger on it for long as Dr. Don Blake volunteers to help with the medical situation in the war-torn South American country, San Diablo. Jane travels with him. The country is in the middle of a civil war as pro-Communist factions, led by a man named “The Executioner”.
The ship they are traveling in is attacked by planes and Don must become Thor. He quickly takes to the sky and sends the planes scattering. Of course, we see Jane is quickly smitten with him, setting up the love triangle we are to see in future issues.
Meanwhile, we see that “The Executioner” is not the warrior who fights usually for the Enchantress, but simply a Communist thug who has the leader of the plane attack executed for his failure. When the ship reaches the island, he gives his men one last chance to stop them from helping the sick on the island. They ambush the doctors making their way along a road. Blake sends them running by creating a thunderstorm by simply tapping his cane twice. No change to Thor, just creating a storm – a symbol of Thor as we are told. Imagine how easily Thor could stop droughts on Earth these days.
When the tanks roll in, Thor takes charge and stops their advance. But he is stopped when the soldiers capture Jane and hold her hostage. He changes back to Blake and demands they release Jane. The Executioner orders his death, taking Blake’s walking stick. As he stands before the firing squad, he calls out the Executioner who advances on him with the stick. Blake grabs it and changes to Thor. He is able to route the soldiers as the democratic forces arrive. The Executioner is killed as he tries to escape with a large suitcase of gold and money.
Don and Jane finish up their tour of duty, helping the people of San Diablo, but the story ends with Jane thinking Don is cowardly as he says he hid behind a wall when Thor appeared. Never mind the fact that he spoke up for Jane in the first place, challenging the Executioner.
It’s interesting where you have two powerful characters in stories this week – the Hulk and Thor. Both are pitted against characters who are lesser than themselves in terms of strength. In terms of the Hulk and the Ringmaster, the story doesn’t really work. The Hulk is wasted there. But when it comes to Thor, this story is mostly solid. It plays to common themes of the time, the feat of Communism and the action is believable enough, especially with the use of Jane as a hostage (even though we know that is a tired trope today).
