"A Terrible Thing To Waste..."

One of the more unusual Hulk stories to see print took place in 1986, during the period of time when Bruce Banner's mind was so deeply suppressed within the green goliath that the Hulk truly became a creature of pure rage--a monster in every sense of the word, who lashed out unpredictably and tore through lives and communities without forethought or hesitation. Originally scheduled for the Hulk's own book but rejected by Editor Denny O'Neil, the story found its way a few months later to Marvel Fanfare, Al Milgrom's showcase for stories that were shelved or otherwise produced with a more unusual format or plot in mind. In this particular tale, it was the story's format which appeared to be the sticking point, with writer/artist John Byrne submitting to O'Neil twenty-two full-sized pages that made up the entirety of the issue.

It's admirable work from Byrne, with both story and art measuring up to his usual fare produced during the early- to mid-'80s. Flipping through the issue, there appears to be no discernible reason for O'Neil's objection(s), which could have been based on any number of things. If I were to take a guess, he might have primarily been reluctant to put on the shelves an issue of Incredible Hulk that sold the buyer short on story, as sparse as it is on dialog, action, or narrative. That's a fair point; the issue isn't being sold on "Free Comic Book Day," after all--and "flipping through" this story is probably an accurate description of how it will be read by the buyer, just as they would with any issue they pick up on FCBD. Only here, the reader would be plunking down the usual 75¢ in change and likely expecting a little more Hulk story than 22 splash pages.

On the other hand, it depends on how you'd define "story," and whether that story both satisfies and holds your attention from beginning to end, however long it takes for the clock to run out. O'Neil arguably didn't really have the luxury of thinking in those terms--and of course your own mileage may vary. But while seemingly brief, Byrne appears to satisfy those conditions, while including a twist to the story you don't see coming. At any rate, with its subsequent appearance in Marvel Fanfare, it's fair to assume that whatever objections were raised concerning the format of this story apparently didn't extend beyond O'Neil's office. It also bears noting that, by picking up the story in MF, readers were paying twice the cover price that they would have shelled out had the story been published in Incredible Hulk.

The story begins in the southwest, where we'd normally find the Hulk and/or his usual cast of characters. But who we find on page one (the only page cropped here, lacking only the story's title (which heads this post)) is neither--rather, an individual who, in a way, bids patience of the reader. It isn't difficult to hazard a guess as to what Byrne's narrative implies is on the way.

If there were a man-monster such as the Hulk breathing down our necks, Byrne's narrative would no doubt chill us to the bone. The danger to the noticeably calm man pictured here is very real, but his reaction to the threat is surprising--no less so to the Hulk, who discards the urge to strike a blow and instead lets the moment pass.

However, this encounter is not quite as spontaneous nor innocent as it seems. There is something not quite right about our wizened friend, who not only appears far more well-informed about the monster who sits almost docilely next to him but who also appears to be expecting others to join them.

The word "targets" can't help but grab our attention, implying that there is far more to this man than meets the eye (which will turn out to be all too true). You would expect that sort of word to be favored more by the two men who stealthily approach their own target, one who remains unaware of the danger they pose to him.

Yes, Hammer and Anvil, who have caught their foe by surprise but who don't seem to have any idea that they've been expected--nor would the Hulk, in his current state, have any presence of mind to suspect that he's been used as a lure.

The one man who can shed some light on things remains hidden--but not for long.

It looks like Scourge's kill list came up a little short, eh? Of course the tally was made just prior to the saga of Scourge being wrapped up, whereas this tale was delayed in seeing publication for a few months afterward--otherwise, Byrne's story would have dovetailed with the one concluding in Captain America nicely.

Scourge subsequently sheds his disguise and departs; yet he took on considerable risk in assuming that he would be able to escape from the raging Hulk once his targets were eliminated. The sensible thing to do might have been to remain as he was in appearance and thus retaining a measure of safety, having won over the Hulk (at least as much as the Hulk could be swayed) to the point of likely being able to entrance him once again before attempting to leave the scene. As it is, he owes his life to the fact that the Hulk isn't raging--thanks to the ending which Byrne provides, which plays so brilliantly on the tragedy of the Hulk's condition.

Had it been given the go-ahead, this story would have been Byrne's virtual swan song on Incredible Hulk, as both Byrne and O'Neil left the book within the year (replaced by Al Milgrom and Bob Harris, respectively), followed soon thereafter by their departure from Marvel altogether, with Byrne settling in to work on DC's Superman makeover. It goes without saying that Byrne's contribution to the company was substantial--and as for his future on this title, who knows? We've just seen an example of the potential that he brought to the book, and to its principal character, only to be interrupted just as it was gathering momentum. Byrne would return to script a new Hulk title in 1999 (in yet another brief run); but from the looks of that last page above, his departure at this point in time represents a loss that even the Hulk might have deemed regrettable.

Marvel Fanfare #29 Script and Art: John Byrne Letterer: Jim Novak