shaxper
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Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Dec 19, 2015 11:30:33 GMT -5
What's the story with this issue?  The previous issue clearly hinted that Hulk would be meeting everyone's favorite Barbarian, and that's clearly Conan on the cover, but when we meet the guy in that issue, Buscema scars the right eye (not visible on the cover) and gives this dude a completely different name and characterization, Conan never getting mentioned anywhere in the issue. I read a few issues ahead to see what the letters in response to this issue said, but Wein completely skips over the letters for this issue and never mentions a thing about it. This is not the first time in this run where a cover didn't end up matching the contents. The issue that follows features a costumed villain on the cover who only ends up getting introduced briefly and as part of a dream sequence, for example. But I'm curious as to what happened here. Wein was his own editor. Did he get ahead of himself on something that ultimately didn't get someone else's approval? |
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 19, 2015 12:06:38 GMT -5
The cover claimed it would be an unexpected barbarian. Since you were expecting Conan, I guess it had to be someone else.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2015 12:28:20 GMT -5
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Dec 19, 2015 13:34:59 GMT -5
I'd imagine since this was early-on with Marvel's relationship with Robert E. Howard's estate in utilizing Conan, that the estate at the last moment forbade Marvel from having Conan interacting with Marvel properties in a story. That's the only thing that makes sense and Howard's estate later granted permission in doing the same. These situations were common with licensed properties and had also occurred with George Lucas forbidding Marvel at the last moment with certain story elements in the Star Wars comic
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 19, 2015 18:28:23 GMT -5
Ish is right in that Marvel wasn't free to do whatever it wanted with the Conan materail. For example, initially, none of the pastiche material was available for adaptation.
But even as the rights got more permissive, Conan was never used in the Marvel universe apart from a few What If..? issues. I think Roy Thomas was quite adamant to keep the Cimmerian away from the capes. My take on that Hulk issue (which I enjoyed a lot, back in the day!) is that Wein wanted to have fun with a Conan-like character, and little more.
Even when Roy left Marvel, crossovers were very rare between the REH properties and the MU. Red Sonja and King Kull made appearances in Marvel Team-up, Valusia was used as an actual place a few times, Shuma-Gorath was made into a major Dr. Strange baddie (but then, it was just a name in an upublished Kull story) and the wizard Kulan Gath, not a REH creation but a Marvel Conan character, appeared in MTU and in the X-Men.
I'm glad Roy insisted on the Conan mags being their own thing.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Dec 19, 2015 20:28:37 GMT -5
My take on that Hulk issue (which I enjoyed a lot, back in the day!) is that Wein wanted to have fun with a Conan-like character, and little more. Or even just a ploy to boost sales. The appearance of Man-Thing a few issues earlier had felt uninspired and pointless, but that cover likely sold books In this case though, I think Conan and Hulk would have had a very interesting take on one another. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 20, 2015 9:40:49 GMT -5
The appearance of Man-Thing a few issues earlier had felt uninspired and pointless, but that cover likely sold books Oh, man, I love that Man-Thing appearance in Hulk #197 and #198! It's also gots the Glob and the Collector and pirates and a Roman soldier and even one of the inhabitants from the Island of Misfit Toys! I was 12 and I had only been reading Hulk since #194, and #197 was likely the first time I ever read an entire story with the Man-Thing. I liked Hulk #201 a lot when it first came out and I don't remember being upset because I felt fooled into thinking it was a Conan story. (Of course, I only vaguely knew who Conan was and wouldn't read any of the Robert E. Howard stories or the comics until a few years later.) |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Dec 20, 2015 9:46:29 GMT -5
The appearance of Man-Thing a few issues earlier had felt uninspired and pointless, but that cover likely sold books Oh, man, I love that Man-Thing appearance in Hulk #197 and #198! It's also gots the Glob and the Collector and pirates and a Roman soldier and even one of the inhabitants from the Island of Misfit Toys! I was 12 and I had only been reading Hulk since #194, and #197 was likely the first time I ever read an entire story with the Man-Thing. Don't get me wrong. I loved that story, but the Man-Thing was basically just...there. He had no real role in the story and didn't interface with The Hulk at all. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 20, 2015 10:06:31 GMT -5
Oh, man, I love that Man-Thing appearance in Hulk #197 and #198! It's also gots the Glob and the Collector and pirates and a Roman soldier and even one of the inhabitants from the Island of Misfit Toys! I was 12 and I had only been reading Hulk since #194, and #197 was likely the first time I ever read an entire story with the Man-Thing. Don't get me wrong. I loved that story, but the Man-Thing was basically just...there. He had no real role in the story and didn't interface with The Hulk at all. I'm trying to remember if anyone knew fear and burned at the touch of the Man-Thing! |
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Dec 20, 2015 10:12:47 GMT -5
Don't get me wrong. I loved that story, but the Man-Thing was basically just...there. He had no real role in the story and didn't interface with The Hulk at all. I'm trying to remember if anyone knew fear and burned at the touch of the Man-Thing! I think one of The Collector's pirate henchmen did. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 20, 2015 15:10:18 GMT -5
"Don't touch the man thing or you will burn".
That was a subtle message from the catholic church, I'm sure!
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