The Hulk! #15 - Marvel

June 1979 - "The Top Secret!"

The Earl Norem cover tells you everything you need to know about this issue's story--the Hulk fights a giant robot, full stop. But before we get to all that, let's take in the regular inside cover pin-up, this time by the unusual team of Gene Colan and Rudy Nebres:

After spending several issues dropping the Hulk in some unusual locales (a circus, a runaway plane, a spooky castle), writer Doug Moench decided to throw one right over the plate this time, with Bruce Banner returning to the desert where the Hulk was born:

In the intervening years, a huge complex has been constructed, called--without apparent irony--"The New Hope Installation." Of course, inside the installation is your typical mad inventor type, who has constructed a small band of robot soldiers called Cybortrons.

Not to do disservice to the story, but I thought let's skip ahead and get to where the Hulk interacts with the Cybortrons:

As you might expect, it all ends badly, with the front wall labeled "New Hope" burning in flames. The Hulk, sick of the whole thing, takes off, leaving the survivors to rebuild--"Your tax dollars at work."

While the main story is in many ways a classic Hulk adventure, Moench had other tricks up his sleeve with this issue. Case in point, the back-up feature, Moon Knight: the story is titled "An Eclipse, Waning":

Instead of finishing up the issue as it normally does, the Moon Knight back-up story leads right into another Hulk story, also by the team of Moench, Sinkiewicz, and McLeod, titled "An Eclipse, Waxing":

Here, the Hulk ends up in the same place that the Moon Knight story takes place in, and the two characters meet, albeit briefly. The final page ends with the same scene as the Moon Knight story, but from the Hulk's perspective. Its essentially just a goof, but a really fun goof nonetheless, and superbly drawn by Sienkiewicz and McLeod, who make a great team.


We already covered the next issue, The Hulk! #16, a few months ago, so we're going to skip ahead to #17 in a few days.

In the meantime, we wish everyone a happy new year, and thank you all for stopping by. My posting schedule here has been random (to say the least), and I know that doesn't make this blog easy to follow. I am hoping to put up a lot more here in 2012, and make All in Black and White For 75 Cents a worthwhile place to visit!

The Hulk! #14 - Marvel

Apr. 1979 - "A Cure for Chaos!"

Behind the spooky, almost romance novel-esque cover by Bob Larkin awaits another slam-bang Hulk adventure, but in an unusual setting. But first, more Hulk by Mike Zeck!:

"Hulk hate being told to wear seatbelts while in cab! Who am puny Mayor Bloomberg?!?"

In "A Cure for Chaos" by Doug Moench, Ron Wilson, and Rudy Nebres, we find Bruce Banner in Switzerland:

Banner is there to visit Dr. Hans Feldstadt, who has been doing research in Gamma radiation. Of course, Bruce Banner thinks this is his best chance in ages to be cured of his awful curse. But when Bruce arrives at his destination, no one in the small village has even heard of the eminent doctor.

However, he is pointed to the castle of another doctor, named Klein. Figuring he has nothing to lose--plus its his only lead--he makes his way to Klein's imposing home, which looks like its right out of Dracula:

Banner says his name is David Bixby (gee, wonder where he came up with that?), and is here to assist the doctor in his experiments. Feldstadt rejects Bruce, and has him thrown out, then calling the local police to boot!

Some of the constabulary arrest Bruce, roughing him up in the process--and you can guess what that leads to! The Hulk's sudden appearance in this quiet village causes a near riot, leading Ol' Greenskin to take off. Feldstadt sees the story in a newspaper, and connects "Bixby" with the Hulk. So when Bruce arrives back the castle, Feldstadt takes him in.

Feldstatdt's inner sanctum is a combo of Carfax Abbey and Castle Frankenstein, complete with hunchbacked assistant. Later, while in town, Bruce learns that the villagers aren't too thrilled about Feldstadt's work, and plan to storm the castle; again Frankenstein-style.

Bruce storms in the middle of one of Feldstadt's experiments (on a young woman named Katrina, who has volunteered, hoping to be cured of a rare blood disorder), trying to warn him to stop what's he doing and that the village is on its way.

But its too late--Feldstadt believes he can control the Gamma radiation (gee, where have we heard that before?), and the villagers are already outside his door. One of them tosses a torch inside, which blows up the lab! Bruce rescues Katrina, leaving Feldstadt to become another Gamma victim:

This of course leads to what we all came here for: another knock-down, drag-out fight between the Hulk and a bad guy, and we get it! The Hulk and The Incredible Feldstadt smack each other around, smashing up the castle, ending with the Jade Giant delivering the final blow:

The Hulk takes off. Later, Banner reads a newspaper article on Feldstadt, saying that he died in an accident. He visits with Katrina one last time (who has also figured out he and the Hulk are one in the same). Bruce gives her the address of a clinic that owes him a favor, saying they can help her. Katrina thanks Bruce, hoping that one day he too can have real hope of a cure. But until that day...


This issue also features the regular back-up, Moon Knight, also written by Moench and drawn by the boffo team of Bill Sienkiewicz and Bob McLeod:

The Moon Knight story is tough and gritty, a perfect companion to these Hulk adventures. After casting about a bit trying to find the right back-up feature, I think Marvel had it finally figured out with the Hulk/Moon Knight combo.


Another fine issue of The Hulk!

The Hulk! #13 - Marvel

Feb. 1979 - "Season of Terror!"

This issue is one giant pile of Hulk-smashin' fun, but before we even get to that, let's enjoy a pin-up by someone born to draw Ol' Greenskin--Mike Zeck!:

This issue's story, by Doug Moench, Ron Wilson, and Bo McLeod, is one of those classic Hulk situations that I kinda can't believe it hasn't been done more: what the hell would you do if you were Bruce Banner and found yourself stuck on a plane? Worse yet, a plane taken hostage by terrorists?!?

Basically, a group of terrorists take control of a passenger plane that Bruce Banner is on. He's on his way to Chicago, thinking that a scientist there might--just might--offer a cure for his addiction.

Banner tries to keep his calm when the terrorists reveal themselves, but of course:

"I want all these motherf*cking Hulks off this motherf*cking plane!"

The plane crashes but, thanks to the Hulk, it lands intact, with only minor injuries. To this point, the story has been lots of slam-bang action, but writer Moench makes time for some of his characters have it out:

Almost every issue of Hulk! used the opportunity to have the Hulk perform some amazing feat of strength, using the full-color two-page spread to really put it across. Case in point, like when the Hulk carries the entire plane--and its passengers--up a mountain:

The Hulk has it out with the terrorists, and carries the passengers to safety. Sadly, not all of them make it, including one old woman that Banner befriended. Things are never easy when you're the Hulk.

The back-up continues to be Moon Knight, drawn by yet another new artist. In this issue, though, the artist in question is Bill Sienkiewicz, just starting out in comics. Like Zeck and the Hulk, Sienkiewicz and Moon Knight are perfectly suited for one another:

Sienkiewicz brings a nice scrappy edge to the proceedings, with a nice color job by Steve Oliff. A distinct improvement over the last issue!


This is a fine issue of The Hulk!, with the both the main and back-up features being solidly entertaining and a pleasure to look at (not to mention the great cover by Earl Norem). I haven't read issue #14 yet; I hope this continues!

Weird Tales of the Macabre #2 - Atlas

March 1975 - Is that Witch I smell burning?

Another Atlas/Seaboard offering that lasted no longer than Devilina or Thrilling Adventure Stories, despite the high level of quality contained therein.

Following the spiffy cover by Boris, comes "The Bog Beast":

The Bog Beast was a character from Atlas' color line, given a harsher, grimmer look, thanks to the moody art of Badia Romero and the black and white format. I always thought BB looked a tad silly in the color books, but he looks suitably icky and spooky here.

Second is "Dr. Mercurio's Diary", an icky (there's that word again) story about a guy and some rats:

It's not bad, if a little wordy. The grim ending is a bit undercut by a sort of comical sound effect ("BLOW-IE"?).

Third is "Carrion of the Gods", written and drawn by the underrated Pat Boyette:

More sci-fi than horror, it ends on an oddly entertaining note, with the main character staring at a naked woman, planning to use her to pass the time. This seems somewhat less disturbing thanks to Boyette's gentle style, but when you think about it...

Speaking of disturbing, the fourth story, "Who Toys with Terror!" is my favorite of the bunch. Drawn by one of my all-time favorites, John Severin, its about a cruel father who can't stand his son's obsession with monster toys:

Featuring a wonderfully nasty ending, WTWT is a great little story, perfectly executed by Severin.

Rounding out the issue (and the series) is "The Staff of Death" by Leo Summers:

This is the covers story, about the persecution of a woman who everyone believes is a witch. Slightly comical, with a nice art job by Summers--all his people are grotesques in one way or the other, giving the whole thing a cartoony yet still unpleasant feel.


I said this earlier in the week when talking about Devilina, but its a damn shame that Atlas couldn't hold out longer. That's true in a number of respects of course, but in particular their magazine line was pretty good (if a tad derivative) and they certainly had an amazing line-up of artists. It would have been really interesting to see where this and the other titles might have gone if they had had the chance.

R.I.P. Weird Tales of the Macabre!

The Six Million Dollar Man #2 - Charlton

Sept. 1976 - The further adventures of Steve Austin!

Charlton never made much headway with their comic book magazine line (ironically, since it was magazines that were their bread and butter), but they kept trying. In the 1970s, they produced several license-based comic mags like Emergency!, Space: 1999, and of course The Six Million Dollar Man:

I didn't really need to post the table of contents, but I just love that little shot of Steve hot-footing it.

After some pin-ups of Steve and Jamie, the first story is "Witch Hunt for an Alien", by...well, we don't know exactly who did what, other than this whole magazine was put together by Neal Adams' Continuity Associates. And you can definitely see Adams' influence all over this magazine:

Steve is forced to crash-land his super-secret, high-tech jet in the middle of Pennsyltucky, where the locals of course don't take too kindly to strangers, especially robot ones:

After fighting some armed goons off (as well as a mountain lion--Steve always seemed to fighting wild animals), Steve befriends a local woman who defends him long enough for him to call the Air Force to pick him up. Moonshine all around!

There's a text article called "Meet The 'Real' Steve Austin", followed by "The Rubber Ball Project", written by friend of the blog Nick Cuti:

In the snowy wastes of Alaska, Steve Austin has to save himself and an Eskimo girl from various dangers, including spies and--again--wild animals!:

Steve Austin, not a member of PETA.

There's a fun scene where Steve punches a guy in the face, drawn in excruciating detail:

That guy's nose was later found on the ground, having gone through the hole in his head.

Following another text piece, "Steve & Oscar: What Makes Them A Great Team!", is a third story, "The Destroyers!", written by Joe Gill and drawn by someone who went a little wild with the zip-a-tone:

This story has a really grim ending, grimmer than anything the show would have done (or even attempted, with its limited budget). Set mostly in space, Steve didn't have the chance to fight any animals. And that wraps the issue up.


The Six Million Dollar Man magazine lasted seven issues, and we hope to cover all of them!

The Hulk! #12 - Marvel

Nov. 1978 - "The Color of Hate!"

Man, do I love that cover by our friend Joe Jusko (here credited as Joseph Jusko)--the Hulk just looks like one giant pile of rippling muscle, utterly out of control and terrifying.

This issue's inside cover pin-up also features early work by a soon-to-be-Big Time Comics Pro, John Romita Jr., here inked by his Dad:

This issue's story, by Doug Moench, Ron Wilson, and Ernie Chan, picks up where last issue left off, with a traveling circus now in shambles after a run-in with the Hulk.

The Hulk, as he is wont to do, just took off after the trouble was over, but of course trouble always follows Ol' Greenskin:

While one of circus' members, a strongman named Bruno, channels his rage, the Hulk is in downtown Chicago, where he ends up in the middle of a confrontation between the cops and some local youth:

...wow, times have changed.

Bruno ends up being the lab rat of your classic Comic Book Mad Scientist, who transforms the strongman into a superhuman-level strongman. Who, of course, thinks he's strong enough to tackle the Hulk. The Hulk shows Bruno how wrong he is:

Bruno actually manages to survive this, but death is never far behind when you're talking about the Hulk.

Moon Knight continues as the back-up feature, which debuted last issue. Sadly, the legendary Gene Colan was not retained for the strip, and here is replaced by Keith Pollard, Frank Giacoia, and Mike Esposito:

The story (also by Moench) is still pretty good, but the art is so simplistic at times its almost shocking. Part of the expectation of these Marvel mags--in addition to the extra pages--was that the reader was getting something they couldn't get in the regular color line. Whether it be the more mature subject matter or complexity of the art, Marvel mags felt different than their other books, except when you got pages like this:

Moon Knight aside, this issue of The Hulk! is still fun, thanks to the Jusko cover, the Romita pin-up, and the main story. Imagine what the Occupy movement could do with the Hulk on its side!

Devilina #2 - Atlas

May 1975 - Illustrated stories of female-filled fantasy!

Atlas/Seaboard wasn't around long, but they certainly gave it the old college try, both in their color comics and b/w magazines. Case in point: Devilina, Atlas' only attempt at a recurring character in their magazine line, a cross between Warren's Vampirella and Marvel's Satana (man, the 70s were awesome).

We've previously covered the first issue, and this is the second--and last--issue. The main Devilina story, "Curse of the Ra Scarab", was written and drawn by the underrated Ric Estrada, whose work had a similar naughty fluidity of Ernie Colon, who also worked at Atlas:

This story is a lot of fun, but that's not all you get! Even better is the second story, "Vendetta", drawn by the incomparable Frank Thorne:

This story is chock-full of female nudity and violence. Like I said, it was drawn by Frank Thorne.

Next is "The Devil's Procuress!" by John Albano (who also wrote "Vendetta!") and Jack Sparling:

This story features a woman gang-raped by demons. Not for the squeamish, and in terms of outre content was a few steps past what Warren was doing at the time, which I guess was part of the point.

There's also "The Prophesy" by Suso, and "Night Creature" by Albano again and Leo Summers:

...this story also features a monster raping a woman. I see a disturbing theme here.

Top it off with an article on the soft-core parody film Flesh Gordon, and you've got one crazy-ass issue of Devilina. Too bad Atlas folded so quickly, it would have been interesting to see where this (and Atlas' other mags) went. The stories may have been a little rough (in every sense of the word), but the art was top-notch and it all ended too soon.

R.I.P. Devilina!