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| HULK copyright MARVEL COMICS. Art possibly by JOSE GARCIA PIZARRO. Update: More likely to be by EDUARDO FEITO according to new information |
Most British comic readers of a certain age will already be well aware of the following information, but it's really aimed at our American cousins, who may not be familiar with the background to this 1960s HULK tale from the ODHAMS PRESS publication entitled SMASH!
Back between 1966 to '69, Odhams at one stage had five weekly comic periodicals collectively known as POWER COMICS, which included WHAM!, SMASH!, POW!, FANTASTIC, and TERRIFIC. (There was a brief period when all five titles were published concurrently, but at this early stage only Wham! and Smash! were available.) All reprinted MARVEL stories, but in the case of the first three, the strips were resized for the larger British format, effectively turning two U.S. pages into one U.K. page.
In Smash! #38 (cover-dated October 22nd 1966), for some curious, unexplained reason, a completely new, original Hulk tale made its debut, which has never (as far as I'm aware) been reprinted anywhere since. (See comments section for further info.) Even more curious is that the strip was originally drawn in the U.S. format, requiring it to be resized (by lesser hands, alas) in the same way as other American Marvel stories.
Whence did the tale come? Was it a British originated strip (using a foreign artist by the look of it) which had mistakenly been drawn in U.S. dimensions, or was it an American Marvel try-out for a foreign artist which had been rejected, then inadvertently sent to U.K. shores amongst a package of other Marvel tales?
Unfortunately, we may never know - but I thought U.S. readers would appreciate seeing a little-known Hulk adventure which takes place between AVENGERS #s 3 & 4. And, as an extra bonus, the strip is sourced directly from the actual Odhams bound file-copies volume which contained this particular comics curiosity. Enjoy!
Click on images to enlarge, then click again for optimum size.
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| Here's the cover to the actual issue. Apologies for the shadow down the left side, but the comic is in a bound Odhams volume which only opens so far. I daren't risk opening it wider for fear of breaking the book's spine |
That's really darn cool! I quite like the art style too....
ReplyDeleteI think it's slightly reminiscent of Don Heck's '60s Iron Man style, Don. Glad you liked it.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed that.
ReplyDeleteIs the 'british' comic look a 'spanish' artist thing?
The strip took hulk somewhere else i thought or just twisted its ankles a little..yes ,pretty good.
One thing though Kid,the interlude had me going off searching the old web for info
(I did chap yer door but you were still oot)
In doing so I found a few Alan Class links.
Your reminder of his name in a previous comment set a wee light off in my head at the time and I promised to spend some time researching those comics in more detail.
Of course I forgot to do it...until tonight.
made a lot of bookmarks.
Another nostalgia burst on its way.
baab, I was amazed in later years to find out just how many artists in British comics were Spanish or whatever. They defined the look of our comics for years.
ReplyDeleteI've also just found out that there's a book coming out in July reprinting British Marvel's Hulk tales - including the one from Smash!
Kid,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I love seeing stuff like this. You'd think it would be reprinted somewhere after all this time. Whoever wrote it got the Hulk's tough guy dialouge of the period down. The art is interesting, it looks like there are some swipes by diverse artists such as Neal Adams and Larry Lieber.
I've read somwhere that there are other new stories that appeared in foreign editons featuring characters such as the Silver Surfer and Ant-Man. Hopefully they will see print one day.
This is great material and I am glad you filled in information for us isolated in the US.
ReplyDeleteIS there a way I can privately email you?
Barry
Nick, see my comments above yours for info on upcoming reprints.
ReplyDeleteBarry, if you send me your email address through the comments section, I WON'T publish it, but I'll email you back with my contact details.
Thank you kid for posting this and I'd like to thank my brother nick for sending this link. Great stuff didn't realize that their are more of these stories still out there and unseen. I loved the Hulk,s dialogue really captured his early period.Are there any story credits? If not are there any experts on your side who can possibly identify them.
ReplyDeleteCheers
John Caputo
Hi, John, and welcome to this humble blog. I don't have any details as to who wrote and drew the strip, although no doubt there's someone out there who'd recognise the style. The writer may have got the Hulk's dialogue spot on, but for Bruce Banner to use the word 'fellow' is decidedly British, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteHowever, there's a new reprint book, entitled 'Hulk: From the UK Vaults' coming out in July which, as well as featuring original UK produced strips from a 1979 Hulk weekly, will also print the strip from Smash #38. I'd be surprised if writer and artist details weren't included.
You can read about this book at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hulk-steve-moore/1110838676?ean=9780785159742
If that doesn't work, Google Barnes & Noble/Hulk: From the UK Vaults. Thanks for dropping by - don't be a stranger now.
Historically interesting, but man that really sucks.
ReplyDeleteJRS, I don't think resizing the pages to U.K. dimensions did the story any favours. However, if it had been first seen in its original-drawn format (U.S. size), it probably wouldn't seem any worse than some of the TOS Hulk tales of the '60s. (Maybe.)
ReplyDeleteFound it!! - But I had to stop off SO MANY times on the way! So thanks for sharing this with us . I'm REALLY enjoying going through all your old blogs! I reckon I'm going to be in here for some time yet........
ReplyDeleteIt was well-worth the hunt 'though, eh? Mind and don't break anything while you're rummaging around.
ReplyDeleteNo worries , Kid , - I"m treating ALL your stuff with the utmost reaped and a huge helping of t.l.c.!! What can you tell me about some more UK -only Hulk strips from the 70s, as I missed out on these?
ReplyDeleteOnly that they appeared in the Hulk's own U.K. comic (called Hulk Comic, funnily enough) in 1979, and were more in line with the TV series. There's a book being released in July featuring all the British Hulk strips.
ReplyDeleteI just HAD to revisit this again!
ReplyDeleteDrop in any time, JP. The Hulk's always worth a visit.
ReplyDeleteKid, when you get to your Smash's, is there any chance of updating this post with the cover of that iconic #38?
ReplyDelete( here's that begging bowl again! )
Cheers.
Done, JP.
ReplyDeleteCheers Kid, you're a star and a gent, sir!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know they started Avengers #4 in that ish as well!
They didn't, JP - they'd started it in #36.
ReplyDeleteI must have missed all those issues - 36, 37, 38, etc.as I can only remember seeing the first 3 Avengers in Smash. Were there also some Hulk/FF scraps next or did they then go straight to D-D?
DeleteI'll have to check the chronology in my Smash! volume, JP, and get back to you on that. I did notice that they HAD reprinted Avengers #1, which I wasn't sure about, as they didn't start with Spider-Man (AF #15) and the Hulk #1. (They later reprinted the first part of Hulkie's origin in Fantastic in 1968.)
ReplyDeleteGood lord - it's like I've entered an alternate universe, where The Hulk was a character from 'The Valiant' or 'Battle Action' - amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this! :-D
ReplyDeleteNo bother, glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThe British Hulk------Surprised no one else seems to have noticed that the artwork is pure Luis Bermejo. he was working for "Power" at the time. He even puts himself in the strip as the wagon driver (Luis) who, unknowingly, brought Dr Banner into Spain (Luis's home country). Look up photos of Mr Bermejo in his heyday
ReplyDeleteand compare them to the Luis of the strip. An obvious caricature of himself.
Craig Maddocks
Even if it were Luis Bermejo, it certainly isn't 'pure', as the pages have been resized and the panels 'drawn up' by clumsier hands. The style certainly looks familiar to me, but it doesn't scream Bermejo at me in the way that it does to you, CM. It just doesn't resemble his style as seen in The Missing Link/Johnny Future strips.
ReplyDeleteDavid Roach might be able to identify the artist positively ... I'll ask him. Also ... does't the story in Journey into Mystery 112 also purport to tell the story of what happened during the Avengers vs Hulk and Sub-Mariner fight in Gibraltar?
ReplyDeleteAlan McK
I believe you're correct, Al, though this Smash! story purports to tell the story of what happened to Bruce Banner/Hulk after the J.I.M. Thor Vs. Hulk tale. Let me know what DR thinks, if you'd be so good. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteSo ... David Roach says he's pretty sure this is Eduardo Feito.
ReplyDeleteAlan McK
Then that's who it'll be it's pretty safe to say, Al. Thanks to both of you.
ReplyDelete