In flipping through the actual text of the Hulk Encyclopedia, I have good news and bad news.
Good news is that,although he’s omitted from the index, Roy Thomas IS actually mentioned once. On page 32 it says, “If you’re looking for a Hulk comic that shows just how much can be done with the character, start with Incredible Hulk #47 from 1972. This classic story was written by Roy Thomas…”
Bad news is, anyone endeavoring to take that advice will be looking for a reeeeaal long time. There’s no such book as “Incredible Hulk #47.” “Incredible Hulk” continued its numbering for its second run from the canceled “Tales to Astonish,” so the first issue was #102.
Also, Harlan Ellison (likewise not in the index) is mentioned for his Jarella story. So that’s nice.
PAD
• 
Coming into this discussion awfully late, but I don’t suppose Steve Englehart was mentioned in this wonderfully revisionist/incomplete (choose one) work? For my money, Englehart was the supreme Marvel writer of the day, with some fantastic runs on Avengers, Defenders, Amazing Adventures (starring the Beast), Captain America and The Incredible Hulk. On the latter, his transformation of Betty into the Harpy back around ’73 was a classic, at least to this then-14-year-old reader. Does anyone know what Englehart has been up to lately? And on a peripherally-related subject, can anyone fill me in on what’s happened to Bill Mantlo? I seem to recall reading that he was in some terrible accident a while ago, but never heard anything since. A dámņ shame-before Peter’s run on Hulk, I think Mantlo pretty much held the record for a long run on the book. His work was a bit hit and miss, but certainly more hits than misses. And as Peter will probably attest, they can’t all be hits when you’re writing 100-odd issues of a book.
Sorry to say that Bill Mantlo has not gotten better and is in a care facility. I don’t know any further details.
Tony Isabella’s Tony’s Tips column for today includes more info on Bill Mantlo’s sad situation. Unfortunately, he’s not getting any better.
I know it wasn’t PAD’s point, but there IS now such a book as INCREDIBLE HULK #47, part of the current series. Of course, it’s neither written by Roy Thomas nor from 1972. I wonder if it was a typo — was INCREDIBLE HULK near #147 or #247 at that time?
As to the Encyclopedia itself, the staff of the local comics shop and I spent some time going through it a few weeks ago, and found it a highly inferior product — but we did have fun mocking it. I should note that this was not in fromt of other customers, as the shop is very much NOT an “Android’s Dungeon” kind of shop.
I’m imagining it would have been #147, except that issue was written by Gerry Conway. So who knows?
They almost certainly meant the second story in Incerdible Hulk #147 “Heaven Is a Very Small Place”. Nine pages of magic from Thomas, Trimpe and Severin. One of my favourite Hulk pieces.
Thanks to the “CBG Presents the Hulk” magazine, which has more encyclopedic information than the so-called “Encyclopedia” does, I can provide the following information about this mystery “Hulk #47” from 1972:
Issue #147 of The Incredible Hulk from Jan. 1972 contains a 9-page back-up story by Roy Thomas. The description says “The Hulk encounters a town that’s actually just a desert mirage.” That seems to match the story Kit Keifer was talking about.
Corey
Ah! Robin posted the answer while I was looking up the info for my post.
corey
I had forgotten that desert mirage backup story made its appearance in #147, but it was a nice piece. What I remember most vividly about #147 was Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew and poor Doc Samson taking a bullet for the Hulk and losing his powers for the next 40+ issues.
I MSTied the Nixon/Agnew pages from that comic in 1998; you can see those pages here:
http://www.celshader.com/lore/mst3k/
😉
I don’t care for any of this Encylopedia stuff when the movie isn’t good enough to invoke the curiosity that one would need to seek it. People who though the movie was the best thing ever won’t really notice the inferiority of the Encyclopedia anyway. All I wanna know is when is Peter David gonna make James Schamus’ mom like him more by scripting the masterpiece Hulk script we all know is inside his mighty, genius brain? Come on, Mr. David, it might not ever be made into an actual movie but I as well as many other fans would buy copies of this script for as much as you’d ask for, not to mention give me the happy ammo to combat the chilling news that Schamus is working on the sequel.
Come on, Mr. David, it might not ever be made into an actual movie but I as well as many other fans would buy copies of this script
Weeellll…. PAD did write a treatment (outline) for a Hulk movie which producers passed on years ago. PAD published the treatment in his BID column in CBG #1140-1141.
(To avoid any copyright issues, the published version of the treatment was referred to only as “The Big Green Guy Movie” and all the character names were changed in funny ways: Bruce Banner was “Bruce Bixby,” Rick Jones was “Snapper Smith,” Doc Samson was “Doc Delilah,” The Leader was “The Headguy,” etc.)
Corey
Any chance of “The Big Green Guy Movie” outline being put online?
Sounds good, I second that notion, I would like to read that “Big Green Guy” treatment as well.
Wow – just one mention of your name in a book detailing the Hulk’s past and most famous creators. I guess that 12 year run was all worth it, huh Peter.
I bet Joey Q and his band of misfits probably had a hand in depriving you of your honored status in this book.
My mistake on the #147 issue. I’ve seen that story in a 90s reprint.
You know, I doubt Quesada has it out for Peter that badly that he’d intentionally compromise the editorial quality on a $30 product. I think we’re crediting the team with too much time on their hands.
I’m more inclined to believe that since there’s a movie out that doesn’t make significant use of PAD’s stories that the people involved in the project were looking to favor stories similar to the movie. Also, by kissing up to current editorial, they might get more of these cushy assignments.
Granted, I’m still not buying the book, but that’s more because I’d rather place my money on the books Quesada et al do right- good comics. And they do enough of those that I’m happy.
Anyone that wants more info on Steve Englehart’s current (and past) activities should check out http://www.steveenglehart.com. It’s very well laid out and has tons of images and covers to every comic he’s written! Steve also has frank comments on his runs on certain titles.
I don’t know about Quesada, but I’ve seen a lot from Bill Jemas that seems like digs at PAD.
Quesada seems almost like a peacemaker between the two (according to the interview I read). Do a Yahoo search for “Peter David and Bill Jemas” and you should be able to find it.
2 things.
“since there’s a movie out that doesn’t make significant use of PAD’s stories that the people involved in the project were looking to favor stories similar to the movie”. Huh? Who wrote in the whole story about Bruce having MPD because of his dad? Did I miss something.
The other, Marvel is dorking up the numbering on just about everything, switching back to the Vol.1 numbering, etc. Not only is this NOT needed, but it will mess up the actual continuity of the volume numbering. “I’d like to get issues 49 and 500 of Vol. 3 please?”. But now the Hulk, on his third volume, is screwed up beyond belief. They got away with it at first becuase it was just called “Hulk”. Then they changed it back to “Incredible Hulk”. Why? Now, in a few years, they have to figure out what to do when they hit 100 of the Incredible Hulk and it’s still Vol.1 Any thoughts? Any possible solutions? Granted, they have a few years to get ready…
Shteve, I hadn’t gotten out to see the movie. I was working off of the fact that the movie seems to be “green dumn Hulk”. Wasn’t aware of the MPD bit.
As for the numbering, if you really want to drive yourself nuts on numbering, try to search for Legion of Superheroes back issues. I think they’re on their FIFTH volume, and the first volume was a four-issue reprint miniseries.
I hadn’t gotten out to see the movie. I was working off of the fact that the movie seems to be “green dumn Hulk”. Wasn’t aware of the MPD bit.
The movie never gives the impression that Bruce Banner has MPD. Just that he has a lot of rage bottled up inside. One can go overboard while losing his temper without being a multiple personality case.
[b][i]I don’t know about Quesada, but I’ve seen a lot from Bill Jemas that seems like digs at PAD.
Quesada seems almost like a peacemaker between the two (according to the interview I read). Do a Yahoo search for “Peter David and Bill Jemas” and you should be able to find it.[/b][/i]
Joe has been a far cry from a peacemaker. Back in December last year he went on a rant about our beloved Mr. David on message boards that was quite the big deal for a week or two. Pad responded here. Let me see if I can find some links.
http://peterdavid.malibulist.com/gmlog/00000233.html
http://peterdavid.malibulist.com/gmlog/00000235.html
http://peterdavid.malibulist.com/gmlog/00000236.html
Joe Quesada so far is unlikely to make amends with Peter. Has he even tried to offer him a position writing any of Marvel’s other popular books that could use a jump-start? Avengers? X-Men? Captain America? Or even to reinstate him on the Hulk? Nope. And I doubt if he intends to in the future either. Sigh. 🙁
In a sign of Marvel’s increasing cluelessness, I today picked up a copy of the Marvel Universe RPG put out by Marvel itself, rather than a licensee. It lists the entire company, starting with Bill Jemas, on the inside facing page. The writers and game designers? They appear on the very last page.
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