This issue of INCREDIBLE HULK was another book where my household wound up with two copies. Once again, my younger brother Ken had picked up his own copy of this particular issue for some reason. He’d always been a big fan of the Hulk television series (and monster movies of all sorts) so it wasn’t surprising that he’d gravitate towards the Hulk. And I’m sure this may simply have been a purchase of opportunity, as he didn’t buy or read any other issue around it. Could be just that this fun Bob Layton cover called to him in some fashion.
This issue was another in the long string of stories illustrated by Sal Buscema. Sal has said that INCREDIBLE HULK was his favorite assignment, so it’s no surprise that he remained on the title for years and years. This particular issue was inked by Jack Abel, a very nice man who later on life worked as a proofreader in the Marvel offices. I can’t say that I was really a fan of his line, though, which struck me as a bit lifeless and dead. His characters often seemed to be staring oblivious off into the distance, and there was something messy about the feel of his hatching. I also didn’t love that he tended to do the Hulk’s hair as a single black mass with only a slight bit of highlighting. This issue looks perfectly fine, but it’s far from the best Sal has ever looked.
This is another in-between issue of the series in what was becoming a string of in-between issues. In it, writer Roger Stern begins to move to wrap up another dangling plotline from Marvel history, that being the question of who They-Who-Wield-The-Power (most often referred to simply as They) might actually be. They had been introduced in the pages of MARVEL TEAM-UP as the behind-the-scenes manipulators of a number of one-off adventures in an attempt to craft some larger ongoing plotline into the series. But creator Len Wein left Marvel for DC, and thereafter they’d faded into the background with no revelations forthcoming. So Roger saw an opportunity for a story and took it.
This issue opens with sitting President Jimmy Carter surveying the carnage left across Central City in the wake of the Hulk’s battle with the Corporation in the preceding issue. Senator Hawk uses this as an opportunity to restructure the activities of Gamma Base, the military outpost assigned the duty of hunting down and containing the Hulk. Meanwhile, our star is making his way across the country aimlessly on foot. He comes across and freaks out a truck driver and his young daughter, leading to the cover-depicted scene and the father attempting to ram the Hulk with his truck in order to protect his daughter. This goes about as well as you might expect, but the little girl begs the Hulk not to hurt her daddy, and the Green Goliath could never refuse a crying child, so he once again leaps off into the distance.
As he’s secretly observed by They, which serves as a broad introduction to what little we know about this shadowy cabal, the Hulk alights on a nearby mountaintop and, exhausted, decides to bed down for a nap. Unfortunately, the place he’s decided to sleep is directly atop Mount Rushmore, and when his presence is detected it sets off alarms in the corridors of power, fearful that the man-brute may inadvertently destroy the national monument. Back at Gamma Base, Senator Hawk discovers that Doc Samson has tendered his resignation. He’s taking the incapacitated Thunderbolt Ross off-site as well, to where he can be nursed back to health. Additionally, recurring supporting player Kropotkin the Great senses that changes are coming for Gamma Base and that’d he’d best make his exit as well. It’s all a bit of house-cleaning to set up for the next movement in the series.
From here, our focus shifts to an unassuming repair shop in Brooklyn which is visited by a man in a concealing trench coat and fedora. This shop, though, is really the secret headquarters of the Tinkerer, who supplies weapons and gear to super villains and the underworld for a generous fee. The Tinkerer tells his visitor that he’s got everything ready and shows the man the new bug-ship he’s crafted to specifications. At this point, the man pays the Tinkerer in solid gold bars and reveals himself to be Goldbug, a recurring villain mainly seen in LUKE CAGE, POWER MAN up to this point. He’s been retained by They to engage the Hulk, whom he intends to capture and use as a power source for his new vehicle. But that’ll be next month’s problem.
And as the issue wraps up, the scene shifts to the divorce law offices of Dr. Sanchez, who is completing the paperwork finalizing the divorce between Betty Ross Talbot and her husband, Major Glenn Talbot. Upon seeing that her father has suffered a mental breakdown in the newspaper, Betty races off to go help him, leaving Glenn to wrap up his business and stew in the regrets of his life; chief among them that Betty never loved him the way she did the Hulk’s alter ego Bruce Banner. And that’s the note this issue wraps up on, the bubbling hatred of Glenn Talbot that will soon carry him into conflict with the Green Goliath once again. This is far from the most memorable issues of the series, comprised almost entirely of subplot sequences and without a strong central story narrative. And while the Hulk does destroy a truck and leap around a bit, he really doesn’t do a whole lot that’s noteworthy in it. Heck, it’s so slow that the main character falls asleep 2/3 through the issue and never awakens. So it wasn’t a bad issue per se, but neither was it especially exciting. But next time: the secret of They!
The Tom Brevoort Experience 
IIRC this worked better when I read it and was at least somewhat engaged with the various plots (and remembered They) than looking at it now, years later.
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I remember enjoying Roger’s HULK — not as much as Len’s HULK, but it was still fun. And later I’d have a similar reaction to Bill Mantlo’s HULK, that it was fun (for a while, at least) but not as good as Roger’s.
But I also remember being terribly disappointed at the revelation of who They were. Years of mystery and buildup…for that?!
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Maybe had he gone with similar villains to Tyrannus ( use some method of prolonging their life and youth ), like Yellow Claw & Diablo. Or the Acts of Vengeance’s Prime Movers ( Loki, Doctor Doom, Magneto, Mandarin, Kingpin, Red Skull and the Wizard ( who considering how many times has been put in prison should not have been in that group, the Leader or Yellow Claw should ) — is there anyone else back then who wasn’t in and out of prison that should have been that group? ). They could also have been made up of a group of scientist villains ( Tyrannus is an expert in Deviant technology and the Mandarin is an authority on Makluan science, is there a third for their group? ).
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It didn’t have to be villains we’d already seen before. Not everything has to be a reference to the past.
Roger (or whomever) could have built someone new, a lasting menace that’d be out there pulling strings, creating problems, rather than revealing it was a third-rater who didn’t live up to the buildup and then just scrapping it.
They coulda had class. They coulda been a contender. They could have been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what They am.
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Which is why it is too bad we will never know what Len Wein had in mind for They ( or like I said about what Omega the Unknown creator’s origin for him would have been or what Jack Kirby intended for his Black Panther storyline ). No editor asked him and no one called him ( Did Len Wein even write down in a book who They were suppose to be? ). Roger clearly never wanted to see THEY again which is why Tryannus is the only surviving member and why they aren’t contenders or live up to their potential.
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Len may not have figured anything out yet about who They was.
They were just a mysterious conspiracy in the very few stories he used them in, and mysterious conspiracies are useful villains when you’re plotting fast.
You can figure out the details later.
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I remember They were old guys with funny hats who had maybe fought the Avengers early in the Thomas run I think? I liked Stern and Mantlo’s runs on Hulk… I don’t recall too much contrast in the runs but 70’s-early 80’s Hulk was never a top book for me though I had a good run of issues.
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I have to admire Goldbug’s confidence- as misplaced as it may be – about taking on the Hulk.
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Marvel-DC Crossover: Blue Beetle ( Ted Kord ) vs. Gold Bug ( Jack Smith ). When Gold Bug first appeared in Power Man#41 ( March 1977 ) so did the hero Thunderbolt ( Bill Carver ) and Charlton Comics had Peter Cannon….Thunderbolt#1 ( January 1966 ) was that a coincidence that a Blue Beetle ( Ted Kord ) like character and ship appears in a book with a hero named Thunderbolt?
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If Goldbug and his ilk had a lick of sense, they’d be patenting and licensing their amazing inventions rather than futilely attack superheroes.
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Any chance Len Wein took They with him when it went over to DC the way Steve Englehart took Mantis ( under different names ) with him we he left Marvel or other creators did they worked for Marvel ( Dominic Fortune/the Scorpion & Devil-Slayer/the Demon Hunter ) or did Len abandon the concept?
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You could look at Len’s DC work and see if there’s a mysterious shadowy conspiracy in it somewhere, but how anyone would be able to know if it was They, I dunno.
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This story was published in Brazil in 1983, so they changed the president face in the story to Ronald Reagan´s face
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RIP Sal Buscema 1936-2026
My favorite Hulk Artist!
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Defenders is the series I picture when his art is mentioned but the man never drew a bad looking comic in his life. He will be missed.
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Among very much else, Sal was not only the co-creator of Ursa Major, but also of Razorback, and with Bill Mantlo was responsible for bringing Rocket Raccoon into main Marvel continuity (in the very pages of the Hulk).
In other words, the Furry Fandom thanks you, Sal! R.I.P.
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TRIVIA: Power Man Anual#1 ( 1976 ) written by Chris Claremont mentions The Council not THEY. So was The Council short for the Council of the Chosen ( a.k.a. Hellfire Club ) and was Moses Magnum originally suppose to be working with ( being rich probably working with like non-mutant Donald Pierce ) or for them. Nova#5 ( January 1977 ) written by Marv Wolfman ( Nova calls Tyrannus’ Earth-Shaker, Godzilla, Reideen & Gorgo ) does not mention They. Marvel Team-Up#15 ( November 1973 ) first mentions They ( they gave the Orb his hypnotic helmet and he only wanted ownership of the cycle show ). Marvel Team-Up#19-20 ( March-April 1974 ) They gave Stegron his Ark which he wanted to use to conquer the Earth and return dinosaurs as its rulers. Marvel Team-Up#26 ( October 1974 ) They were behind Jinku and the Lava Men planning to use a machine to trigger every volcano of the planet to flood it with lava so they would be the only survivors. Marvel Team-Up#28 ( December 1974 ) They provided the City-Stealer robots; plot to steal Manhattan and ransom it back foe 2 billion dollars or sink it if no ransom paid ( Gerry Conway writer ). The Incredible Hulk#208-209 ( February-March 1977 ) They Who Wield Power send the Absorbing Man to destroy the Hulk ( which contradicts they later plans for the Hulk which requires him alive. Maybe they didn’t know then that they would need him later ).
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TRIVIA ( Last page and panel of Marvel Team-Up#26 — It has been fun, this latest little game of power — and there are other days — other games — again ).
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Looks like The Council that Moses Magnum [ Power Man Annual#1 ] was working with or for is the same one Raven Darkholme/Mystique & Geoffrey Ballard [ Ms. Marvel#9 ( September 1977 ) mention here by Ballard’s superior & contacted Raven Darkholme in Ms. Marvel#18 ( June 1978 ) ] were working for too. So Marvel & DC Comics both have Councils ( Nemesis, Manhunter ( Paul Kirk ) & Supergirl fought their own version ). Marvel.fandom.com is no help for what happened to The Council.
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Chris hadn’t figured out what the Council of the Chosen was any more than Len had figured out who They was.
They were both shadowy conspiracies that got figured out later.
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Hulk has bald spot.
That is all.
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