Action and adventure
Action and adventure |
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Page 32 of 42  Spider Man The first major Marvel success was The Fantastic Four (1961), consisting of Mr Fantastic, the Human Torch, The Thing and Invisible Girl. They were, essentially, a 'supergroup', who spent as much time agonizing over beating up baddies as actually doing it. The mix of characters was especially strong: The Thing, looking like a menacing pile of orange rocks, had a quick temper, and nicely counterposed Mr Fantastic's cool scientific detachment. With the addition of some formidable villains, like the Puppet-Master and Dr Doom, the comic really hit its stride, and garnered a fanatical following. Fast in its wake, Marvel published The Incredible Hulk in 1962, about a scientist, the tormented Bruce Banner, who gets zapped by radiation in an accident and becomes a super-strong green brute. 'Half-man, half monster, the mighty Hulk thunders out of the night to take his place among the most amazing characters of all time!' ran the suitably hyperbolic blurb. The story was inspired by Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and also tapped into current fears about the 'atomic threat'. However, it did not have The Fantastic Four's characterization, and was a damp squib at first, only gathering a significant readership slowly.  The Hulk makes it onto the cover of Rollins Stone (Straight Arrow, 1971). |