So some of you were asking about that “Hulk breaks a leg” thing.
“This monumental adventure figures importantly in the continuity of nearly every single Marvel title. Events in this maxi-series will permanently and shockingly alter the histories of everyone from Captain America to the X-Men to Spider-Man! No matter who your favorite Marvel hero or villain is, you’ll find yourself absorbed in THE SECRET WARS to stay on top of the catastrophic changes in that superstar’s life!”
“…But what could possibly wound the Hulk, the Fantastic Four to change its membership, or make Spider-Man put on a new costume? [Jim] Shooter tells us that these dramatic effects are nothing compared with the uncanny turbulence the Beyonder can cause!”
from Marvel Age #12 (March 1984)
“You know, a lot of fuss was made about ‘The Big Changes in Secret Wars!’ And the fact is that change was not the point of Secret Wars. It was never the point. I don’t know how the talk started because here at Marvel, we always have changes. […] So the fact that in the twelve issues that made up the saga of Secret Wars there were significant events in the heroes and villains’ lives, considering how many issues there were, how could there not be changes?”
Jim Shooter, from Marvel Age #27 (June 1985)
images from Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #12 (April 1985) by Jim Shooter, Mike Zeck & John Beatty, Incredible Hulk #295 (May 1984) by Bill Mantlo, Sal Buscema & Danny Bulanadi, and Incredible Hulk #296 (June 1984) by Mantlo, Buscema & Gerry Talaoc. Yes, the Hulks came out before Secret Wars #12, but take place afterward.
Thanks to Andrew Weiss for research assistance.
For further discussion of crossovers and their impact on characters, or lack thereof, here is this previous post of mine, from which I recycled some of the above quotes.
Although, to be fair, Secret Wars started the Hulk from the then-Bruce Banner controlled version to a more savage one that had to be exiled off of Earth. That storyline dominated the book for at least a year. It wasn’t a permanent change, or the one advertised, but it was a rather major changes.
Iron Man’s sholderpad thingys, however, are another story…
Well, in Shooter’s defence, he did tell us “that these dramatic effects are nothing”.
Spidey getting his black suit has been a big deal. And the FF did lose Ben for a year or so. And the Julia Carpenter Spiderwoman was introduced. So some things were important-ish.
Oh and, as Wikipedia says, “also the Wasp banged Magneto”. Well, he’s a step up from Henry Pym, I suppose.
Also Colossus cheated on Kitty and they broke up and that lasted quite a while.
A beat to hell “Secret Wars” #1 was the first comic book I ever got. I was in first grade and some eighth grader just gave it to me (in, like, 1991). It even had a coupon cut out of it. And really, that single issue is just about the perfect introduction to comics for any kid, anywhere.
I gradually tracked down all the issues I could, getting about to #7 before I couldn’t find or afford any more. Allowance only went so far. So I was oblivious until now about the shocking changes that occurred to the Hulk.
Thanks Mike (and others!)
I love how Hulk went Forrest Gump on that brace. Awesome.
In later continuity, Senior Hulk had arthritis in his leg that was so bad he could only get around in a motorized cart.
And then there was those FF issues where Byrne kept forgetting to draw Banner’s crutch. And that Avengers Annual where She-Hulk and Reed collected said discarded crutch. And I believe the Thing eventually used it after taking a smackdown from the Hulk. Forget to mention all that, Mikester?
Anon. – Hey, if you want to do a follow-up on your own blog, feel free.
Forget to mention all that, Mikester?
YEAH, Mikester, did you forget to mention all that? Did you? I bet you did. You slacker.
Kevin – QUIET, BEFORE I FETCH THE LEARNIN’ STICK
You could easily argue Spidey’s symbiote has had a huge impact on the Marvel U. The new Venom was a part of Dark Avengers,so to this day it’s still a major plot point.
I remember that Marvel Age also had the symbiote colored red and black instead of white and black. I was really disappointed when seeing the white and hoped it was a coloring mistake the first time or two. The red did look awesome.
I’m holding out for the followup post where we talk about how Peter Parker taught the Beyonder to use the toilet in Secret Wars II. Now that’s real-life learnin’ I can get behind.