The Comic Honor Among Indie Thieves

Posted on March 3, 2025 by bloodlinematt

In October 2020 ,on one of the limited trips outside of the house during the pandemic, I went to my favorite local comic shop Bell, Book And Comic as Juliet was getting some supplies (bags, boards, short boxes) and I was looking through the horror comics as well as the 70’s Marvel Comic issues. And then I check their magical 3 For $1.00 boxes and found a few comics with two of them being the whole run of a comic series called “Honor Among Thieves” that was released by a very small company called Gateway Graphics. And of course I had to get them as not only do I enjoy reading micro indie comics, but I also knew that it would be fun to cover them here on Rotten Ink! So step on up and grab a box of cheap box comics, and let’s chat about this one that I found in the bargain bins. This will be a super fast and fun update so I hope you enjoy!! Oh and the picture below is from Mavericks Cards And Comics in Kettering, Ohio and it was taken by Darrick Patrick.

Gateway Graphics is one of those micro indie comic companies that came and went so fast that most readers have no idea they even existed! I dug deep all over the World Wide Web to find any and all info I could on this company, and this is what I dug up. By all accounts it looks like Gateway started in 1987 with the release of Honor Among Thieves # 1 that was the company’s first release and got them all types of buzz via local media as they were based out of Irwin, Pennsylvania. The company was owned by a group of friends Tom Howell, Julia Ecklar, Sherri Gilbert and Richard Tucholka, all of whom leant their skills to the comic and its release. It appears that Julia and Tom were the two main creators for this publisher. We also know that they got advice from the folks at Arrow Comics and the local press they got helped them sell the first issue to local comic shops well as many ordered more copies when the article was released. After riding high from the release of their first issue, they worked quickly on the second and got it out the same year in 1987…and then from there it seems Gateway Graphics disappeared with a poof of smoke and their series Honor Among Thieves was left unfinished for readers. I am not sure what happened or why they closed up shop as I could not find anything on that, but if I had to guess I would say it was one of the following reasons: poor sales, it became too hard to produce the comics, the friends had a falling out or something happened to one of the creative team that caused them all to disband. With only one series and two issues under their belt, Gateway Graphics is a comic company that made a pebble splash in the world of comic books, and left a legacy of true indie comics in their closure. On a side note, I want to say I really like their company logo; I think for the 80’s it was super eye catching.

As I have stated many times here, it’s a shame how many indie comic publishers ended their run in the game in the 70’s-90’s as many of them had so much more to offer readers! Many times I think about what companies like Atlas Comics, Topps Comics, Fangoria Comics, Malibu Comics and so many more would be doing if they were still around today…I am guessing they all would have made some amazing comics and would have created some great characters that by this time already would have had their own movie or TV show. But is Gateway Graphics one of those companies that was taken away from us readers too soon or is it one that vanished due to poor quality comics? Well we will soon find out. I want to remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, their entertainment value and their art and story. So if you are ready, let’s travel the back in time to a place of magic and see if there really is Honor Among Thieves!

Honor Among Thieves # 1 *1/2
Released in 1987 Cover Price $1.50 Gateway Graphics # 1 of 2

Galan, Draven and Dar are sitting around a campfire just outside of the city of Mir and are playing games to pass time as they are in town for a horse trade fair. While hanging out by the fire, they catch and stop a thief that was trying to steal one of their horses. Korin was stealing the horse in order to flee Mir and find help as the ruler of the city Jarfys is stealing money and killing good men! Galan and his crew decide to help and will travel to Mir. They see that the city is rundown and dirty and follow Korin to a hidden base to meet Tink, the leader of the resistance who informs them that Jarfys is ruling the town and killing people over silk that is so rare and so pricy that he will do whatever he can to keep the worms that make it safe and well fed with human meat! They also learn that Jarfys has hired killers that help him keep the city and that they kill would-be heroes on site. So they come up with an idea to walk around town and plot an attack by acting like assassins called Knots, and this is where the heroes and their new allies end their meeting.

Okay, I first want to stress that I love indie comics and enjoy a good medieval tale of adventure and fantasy…I also really dig that Gateway Graphics was a comic company based out of Irwin, Pennsylvania. But why this first issue has gotten such a low star rating from me is because for the most part it was really slow moving and boring. Now I get it they are trying to build up the story of Galan and his crew trying to free the city of Mir from an evil ruler they just choose to do so in the most wordy and bland fashion. The plot of this first issue has a group of three heroes and friends on their way to buy and trade horses when they stumble on a man who tells them that his city needs help as people are being killed and ruled by an evil man, and when they decide to help him they travel to town and meet the remaining people of the city who want to overthrow their evil ruler and all come up with a plan to do so. One thing the comic does well is it made me as the reader really sit back and think that Galan, Draven and Dar are close friends who watch out for each other and want to do what’s best for mankind. Galan is a man who is part of a guild who is around to uphold the law, Dar is a wizard who can do magic and tricks while Draven is a youngster with a good heart and is brave like any knight. Korin is a tailor from the city of Mir who wants to find help for his city and even tries to steal our heroes horses in order to get to a city to find help, but something about this guy I don’t trust as I think he and Tink are really just as bad as the man they want to overthrow. The main crime of this comic is that no battles, no conflict and no real action ever takes place as we are treated to panel after panel of long dialogue boxes, and while somewhat interesting, the pace should have been kicked up by the end as I am not sure if a word salad is the right way to get readers hooked. I think that creator Julia Ecklar has put her heart and soul into this tale and characters and that is why I also have to show some respect to this issue. The cover is ok and has that typical fantasy 80s indie comic look and the interior art done by Tom Howell reminds me a little of Elf Quest art. Over all this comic was a little bland, and I am hoping issue two picks up the action.

Honor Among Thieves # 2 *
Released in 1987 Cover Price $1.50 Gateway Graphics # 2 of 2

Galan, Dar and Draven are waiting in the horse stable for their supplies to sneak around town and that’s when Galan springs on his friends that he wants them to leave Mir and head to the horse fair as he thinks this mission of good will be to dangerous for them! Draven is not having it, and the young man stands his ground and airs his opinion as he thinks that he and Dar should stay and act as back up. After some time and words, Galan agrees. Korin arrives at the stable with their outfits and gives Galan and Draven a quick lesson on how Knots act when looking for information and dealing with people, as Tink spreads word around town that Knots are among them. Meanwhile Jarfys is out target shooting with his crossbow as his young friend reads from a book about a ring that they want holds. Jarfys is getting old and talks about walking away from it all just so he can retire and die in peace, when two of his lackeys show up with message of The Knots in town. Jarfys is now worried that the assassins are after him comes up with an idea to make some quick money on the silk, leave town and kill the Knots on his way out.

Whelp issue two is just as wordy and boring as issue one and delivers even a more blah reading experience as once more zero happens and characters have long drawn out talks with each other with much of it just consisting of plans…in other words I can see why these comics were in the 3 for $1.00 boxes! The simple and drawn out plot of this issue has our heroes gearing up to cosplay as deadly assassins to get the information they seek. The evil ruler of the city is getting old and tired, and when he gets the news he might be the target of the assassins he comes up with a plan to make money and kill them and skip town. What I would have given to at least see any kind of fight or battle as the closest thing we get to a battle is Galan sword practicing and Jarfys using his crossbow on a target…yep, action packed stuff! And once more I have to stress, I am all for indie comics and I don’t even mind non-action comics, it’s just both these issues offer nothing but word salad on a plate of nothing. And the worst part is that the series ended after only two issues and the plot that we got in these issues went nowhere making this a disappointing read. The cover for this issue is downright terrible and adds nothing to what the story or comic is about. On the plus side, the artwork by Tom Howell is solid and good and once more writer Julia Ecklar put her all into the script. I am sure over issues and time the tale of Honor Among Thieves would have built itself up to being a fun adventure comic mini series, but I think the slow build for the series is what spelled its doom on retail shelves. Indie Comics as a whole are lots of fun and should be checked out as sometimes you find amazing creative stuff and sometimes you find failed attempts and dreams…sadly Honor Among Thieves was a fail for me. Check out the art below to see what the characters look like and the style of Howell.

It’s a shame that Gateway Graphics and their one and only comic series Honor Among Thieves just didn’t catch on with comic readers or they themselves could not keep up making the comics as who knows over years what comics they could have delivered and how good (or worse) their flagship series could have gotten. Is Gateway Graphics a company that should have closed up shop and locked the doors…I am going to say NO. While I myself was not a fan of the two issues they released, they as a company had pride and many dreams set for their series and for that I would have really liked to have seen them finish their story for Honor Among Thieves as well as possibly create new characters and series. But just add Gateway Graphics as a comic company that went to the Comic Long Box In The Sky and could not survive the comic boom and fall of the 80’s and 90’s. But I think it’s time to leave the world of Honor Among Thieves behind and next head to the world of sci-fi horror as we take a look at Predator 2 and the Dark Horse Comic adaptation! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a film or two and as always support your local horror host! See you next update as we will be in L.A. during a heat wave, and I heard a real hunter is on the prowl.

A True Hero Of The People: Robin Hood

Posted on November 9, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and the first update in our countdown to Thanksgiving 2024. One classic hero that I have been a fan of since I was a kid is Robin Hood, the man who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Robin Hood is a folk legend that has been talked about since the 13^th Century and is a symbol of hope for the less fortunate as he is a hero for them, a man who cares about them having food for their bellies, wine to drink to quench their thirst and a roof over their heads. Robin Hood is a world wide icon as his story and legend are known worldwide, and the fact that he stands up against the greedy and those who abuse their power makes him a true hero for many. I think the most awesome thing about Robin Hood is that no one really knows who created his story or if he was truly based on a real person, and all we truly know is that it looks as if his legend started in England. But with that, let’s head to Sherwood Forest and go on a blog update adventure with Robin Hood and his Merry Men!

Before we dive to deep into this blog update, let’s first take a brief look at the characters that make up the lore of this timeless tale. Robin Hood is an outlaw who is skilled with his bow and arrows and who is loyal to Richard The Lionheart, who was the King Of England. Robin Hood would steal money, food and other goods from the rich and greedy in order to give to the poor who were suffering near Nottingham, and this made him the enemy of the kingdom. Robin Hood did his “crimes” with the help of his Merry Men that included Little John a mountain of a man, Friar Tuck who works for the church, Will Scarlet a young skilled sword man with other members being Alan-A-Dale, Much The Miller’s Son, Will Stutely, Arthur-A-Bland and David Of Doncaster. Robin Hood’s lover interest is the lovely Maid Marion who was the daughter of a nobel man and who falls for Robin Hood after he robs some of her father’s knights and she falls for him (other tales have them knowing each other since childhood). The baddies of these tales are the corrupt and evil Sheriff Of Nottingham, the knight Guy Of Gisborne, Bishop Of Hereford and Prince John to name a few. This is just a crash course for the bios for Robin Hood and the characters that make up his legends and tales, and if you are interested in learning more about them there are plenty of great books, websites, films and shows that can help you learn more.

With Robin Hood being a legend in lore, this of course lead to him being the subject of many TV shows, movies and cartoons with almost all of them being hits with viewers and fans as something about the character Robin Hood has always found a spot with people who enjoy his adventures. I would like to take a brief moment to talk about a few of the films and shows that I can remember loving growing up! The first version of Robin Hood I remember was “The Adventures Of Robin Hood” from 1938 where actor Errol Flynn played the hero and this version of the tale still to this day remains one of my favorite film versions. The next one of course was the 1973 Disney animated film “Robin Hood” that had Brian Bedford voice Robin Hood who in this version is a talking fox. The big film version of my generation was the 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves” that had Kevin Costner playing Robin. I was a big fan of this film and had the action figures done by Kenner, the NES game, and the breakfast cereal as well as the Topps trading cards. And those are my top three favorite film versions of Robin Hood but many have played the character over the decades in film and television such as Richard Greene, Thor Bishopric, Russell Crowe, Cary Elwes, Patrick Bergin, Taron Egerton, Douglas Fairbanks and Michael Praed to name a very small few. One of the strangest Robin Hoods has to be from the 1966 cartoon series called “Rocket Robin Hood” that has a space version of the character called Rocket Robin Hood who with his Merry Men in space fight off aliens…yep, it’s a weird one. These are just some of the films, cartoons and shows based on Robin Hood, and I am sure you readers have your favorites as well.

While Robin Hood has shown up in many video games, the one that I want to talk about is called “Super Robin Hood” and it was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System as part of a game called “Quattro Adventure” that also features the games “Boomerang Kid”, “Treasure Island Dizzy” and “Linus Spacehead”. The game is super basic as it’s a side scrolling action game that has you play as Robin Hood armed with his bow & arrow as he collects treasure and fights off the guards that are protecting it, and you are on this quest in a massive castle that acts like a maze and you need to find keys in order to unlock doors. Besides the guards, the area is also filled with falling maces, flames, lava, bats and traps making your quest very dangerous. While collecting the treasures to give to the poor is a big part of the adventure, the main goal is to save Maid Marion who is being kept prisoner at the Nottingham Castle. While the game is not groundbreaking it is a fun and simple game that will surely kill some time on a boring weekend and will give fans of Robin Hood some joy as they arrow down baddies and save the day. I should also say that this game was released in 1991 for the NES, and is one I did not have as a kid.

Did you know that Robin Hood has also made his way into the world of food as well? As some restaurants have the name Robin Hood or have that Sherwood Forest theme with one being a cool little diner in Southampton, PA that at some point I plan on eating at whenever I am in the area. But what I want to really talk about is Robin Hood Flour, a product that has been on store shelves since 1909 and is currently released by J.M. Smucker Company who of course makes the Smucker Jellies to the retail market. The flour is very popular in Canada and can be obtained at some grocery stores here in America that deal in imported foods. When I was a kid I do remember seeing Robin Hood Flour on the shelves when my Mom would bring my brother and I grocery shopping and would try and get her to get it as it said Robin Hood on it. One day Juliet and I should get some Robin Hood Flour and make some Robin Hood themed cupcakes!

One other thing I want to briefly talk about is that at Jungle Jims, a massive world market grocery store in Cincinnati and a place that has all types of awesome decorations that many are taking from old amusement parks as well as fairs. One of the coolest things they have is the Sherwood Forest area that is complete with animatronics of Robin Hood and his Merry Men that has come from an old amusement park. The animatronics are on a timer and sometimes move about and talk. Now this is very awesome to see if you are a fan of Robin Hood like myself seeing these old amusement park attractions while grocery shopping is a really cool thing and adds to the Jungle Jim experience. Checkout the picture below as it was taken by my gal Juliet.

Now many of you know that I like the old Marx Toys and some of my favorites that I own are my 60mm figures of Robin Hood that come in green plastic. The knights are in grey and are taller versions of the classic plastic Army Men figures. The ones that I have are Robin Hood, Maid Marion, Little John, Friar Tuck, The Minstrel, Sheriff Of Nottingham and a Knight. These figures are so cool and I would say that my two favorite ones are Robin Hood himself as well as Little John as I like the designs of them, and the best part is these figures are from the 1960’s and they have really good details for that time. Sadly I do not have the whole set as there are more Merry Men as well as Knights for figures and they also had play sets that I do not have that included horses. But just wanted to take a moment to show these Marx Toys some respect as I really do think they are cool basic figures that I am sure brought many of kids happiness in the 60’s and 70’s as Robin Hood was very popular then.

Since I was a very young kid I have been a big fan of the legend of Robin Hood as a hero of the woods who helped the poor and robbed the rich that were very greedy and treated others poorly was something that just always set right with me. When you breakdown Robin Hood to his core, he is a hero who decided to do something about all the injustice he was seeing in his homeland and along with a band of like-minded folks they set out to right all the wrongs and give hope to those who needed it the most. Now we are at the review part of this update, and I have decided that the comic will be from King Comics as they had a cool three issue mini series perfect for this update. Now keep in mind this was a really hard choice as there are many Robin Hood comics to choose from that are really great reads. I would like to thank Game Swap Kettering for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I would like to remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, let’s head to Sherwood Forest and see what Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men have in store for us.

King Classics: Robin Hood # 1 ***
Released in 1977 Cover Price NA King # 4 of 24

King Richard is fighting the crusade and rumor is he is being held for ransom, and while he is away the likes of Sheriff Of Nottingham and Guy Of Gisborne are taking advantage of the people by taxing them with the guise of using the money to get the King back. Sir Richard, the father of Marion, asks the Sheriff for a loan as well as to watch over his daughter while he goes on a quest to rescue the King, and a terrible deal is made. Later Robin Hood is gathering locals to join his group that is protesting the corruption and even scares away Guy Of Gisborne causing him to play a bounty on the head of Robin! While The Sheriff has set up Sir Richard that leaves his boat crew turning on him and he winds up a prisoner in the dungeon of the Nottingham castle. Robin Hood then meets a mountain of a man named Little John who after a quick tussle joins The Merry Men the group that helps Robin and together they defeat The Sheriff and Guy who made the mistake of trying to track down the bandits. And later Robin Hood and his men steal tons of gold to give to the poor from Geoffrey Of Bellamy, a man who is trying to marry Marion by force thanks to The Sheriff and this causes Robin Hood and his men to come up with a plan to stop the wedding and free Sir Richard from his cell. Some time passes and on the wedding day of Geoffrey and Marion, the brave Robin Hood and his men are able to save Marion as well as scare off Geoffrey and his men that come looking for her, and this cause major anger and even gets the attention of acting King Prince John The Landless who holds a arrow contest hoping that it will draw out Robin Hood cause of the high prize money and he is right! As the knights surround Robin Hood from the woods, The Merry Men appear and are able to save their leader and pull off a big escape, but five Merry Men are taken prisoner. And Robin Hood of course comes for them and saves them as well as Sir Richard and finally he is able to see his daughter Marion again, but their joy is cut short when Geoffrey and his men attack and kill many of the Merry Men and even take Marion back prisoner! Now Robin Hood is angry that he along with Little John and other Merry Men head to the castle for a big showdown. Robin and his men are joined in battle by a cloaked man who saves Robin twice during the battle and soon The Sheriff, Geoffrey, Guy and Prince John and their men loose the fight and Robin Hood is the hero of the day, he also learns that the cloak fighter was King Richard and he also is able to win the heart of Marion and the two are to be married.

This is such a fun read and while some of the pacing is a little odd and I feel like characters such as Little John are downplayed it still is a thrilling adventure ride that showcases the bravery and caring personality of Robin Hood. The issue’s plot is simple The King of England is missing as he went to fight in a Holy War an during his absent many of his fellow rulers and people of power are taking advantage of the people by raising taxes and stealing their land, but Robin Hood and his band of friends and followers have seen enough and are fighting against this corruption and evil doings and this is causing a big brooding battle to take place that will leave only one side standing. Robin Hood is a very caring man who wants to help those less fortunate and will protect them when those wishing them harm comes around, he is loyal to his friends and those he swore to protect and is super skilled with a sword but more so with his trusty bow and arrow. He will die for his cause and while looked as an outlaw by some for the many he is deemed a hero. Little John is a mountain of man who once worked on the side of the greedy but who now is using his strength and skills to fight along Robin Hood in his quest to help the poor. Marion and her father Sir Richard are both good people as well who want to see England flourish and serve only the missing King Richard. And of course Marion and Robin fall in love when he saves her and she lives with him at his camp. The issues baddies Sheriff Of Nottingham, Guy Of Gisborne, Geoffrey Of Bellamy and Prince John The Landless are all big talkers but none of them have the means to truly deal with the “outlaws” that are being a pain in their sides and have disrupted the flow of the money and land they are stealing. And in the end all these guys get what they deserve when King Richard returns to England and shows that he is not on their side nor approves on what they have done while he was away. The issue has some action and while it would have been nice if the fights were a little more showcase I feel this is a really good comic that does the legend justice…I will say that I would have like to have seen Friar Tuck even in a cameo. The cover for this issue is pretty cool and shows Robin Hood firing off an arrow, and the interior art is really cool classic comic book stuff but cannot find who did it so Unknown Artist gets the credit. Over all if you like the legend of Robin Hood and find a copy of this comic make sure to give it a read as it really is a enjoyable read, and checkout the artwork bellow to see the style used in this comic. Oh and Robin Hood wears red in this comic and not green the color most people think of when this character comes up.

As you can see, Robin Hood really is one of the most iconic heroes around the world and his story is still being told in books, comics and films as his impact on culture is that deep. And when choosing what comic to cover for this update I have so many to choose from as such companies as A+ Comics, Eclipse Comics, Dell Comics, Eternity Comics and Charlton Comics have all made some amazing comics based on him. So in other words, if you like Robin Hood you have many comic options to choose from to read. Well it looks like it is time for us to leave Sherwood Forest and head to the world of coloring books as we take a look at Captain America and his Whitman adventure fighting robots! So until next time, read a comic of three, watch a Robin Hood film or two and as always support your local horror host. See you next update for some coloring time!

Tube Toons: Incredible Hulk (1966)

Posted on September 4, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Do you remember waking up early on Saturday Mornings to rush to turn on the TV in order to watch your favorite cartoons? Or maybe for you it was rushing home from school to catch a few cartoons before prime time TV started for the evening. As if you grew up in the 1960’s-1990’s I am sure you have memories of the cartoons of your youth and just how much they meant to you at that time, I mean heck many of these cartoons also helped shape what toys we bought as well as at times what comics we read. And while Comic Book reviews will always be the Bread and Butter of Rotten Ink I do have fun branching out and doing other media themed updates like “Horror Host Icon”, “R.I.W Wrestling Legend”, “Wild West Round Up”, “Made For TV” “Forgotten Reels” to name a few and that is why I have decided to add “Tube Toons” to Rotten Ink updates that allows me to look back and review classic cartoon series from the past. And we are going to start with a cartoon series from 1966 that was based on the Marvel Comics character The Incredible Hulk! So grab some cereal or a soda from the fridge as its time for use to go back to the past when Cartoons was king in kids entertainment.

In the 1960’s cartoons was very popular as stations tried to get more kid friendly programs on the air in order to get viewership up and to build the market. In 1966 Marvel Comics was gaining popularity and Grantray-Lawrence Animation decided to turn the comic heroes into cartoon heroes and so “The Marvel Super Heroes” was created and was a 30 minute show that would feature 7 minute chapters for the hero that was the subject of that episode. The Heroes that made up this series was Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Namor and The Incredible Hulk and the show would last for 1 long season and a total of 65 episodes and would be syndicated. The cartoon was very odd as it was very cheaply done and was really just copied images from the comics crudely moved around to tell the story, but with that said it was also very cool as they used the artwork of such iconic comic artists as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Don Heck. And from all accounts Marvel’s publisher Martin Goodman is the one who made the deal with Grantray-Lawrence Animation and is the one who selected what heroes they got to use. And Jacques Urbont was hired to write the theme songs and they became super iconic and in these modern times out shadow the cartoons themselves. The cartoon was liked by kids at the time and over the years has built a cult following with fans like the simple nature of the animation and cheesy voice acting and theme songs. And an interesting side note is that when this cartoon aired on WNAC-TV in Boston the station shot live action segments that features actors as Captain America, Hulk and others and they were scripted by Jerry Siegel who was the co-creator of the DC Comics superhero Superman! And for this first Tube Toons update I choose to cover The Incredible Hulk cartoons from The Marvel Super Heroes series as you long time readers know that Hulk and Captain America are two of my all time favorite Superheroes. The Hulk was voiced by Max Ferguson who was a Radio DJ while the voice of Bruce Banner was Paul Soles who is best known for voicing Hermey in the 1964 TV Special Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer as well as voiced Spider-Man in the 1967 cartoon series. And other voice actors involved included Vita Linder as Betty Ross, Paul Kligman as Thunderbolt Ross and John Vernon as Major Glenn Talbot. And growing up I had some of these episodes on old VHS tapes and loved watching Hulk as it captured the classic feel of the first few issues of the comics.

So we are now at the point of this review that we will be reviewing the 13 episodes of this cartoon series and this is going to be a fun ride to the past when cartoons was more simple and were must watch TV for kids. First I would like to thank an Ebay seller who had this and other Marvel Cartoon series in stock and made this themed update possible. For these Tube Toons updates I will be telling the plot and then reviewing each episode as well as giving the episodes a star rating of ½ – 4 stars. I will also be showing screen grabs from the episode to help give you a look into these cartoons. So with that lets turn on the TV sit back and see what kind of adventures we are going to go on with The Hulk!

Incredible Hulk
Year: 1966 Type: Animated Brand: Marvel Episodes: 13

Episode 1: The Origin Of The Hulk

Bruce Banner along with fellow scientist igor are watching a test on a gamma bomb and General Thunderbolt Ross is growing impatient on the delays of the test and starts to get lippy with Bruce, that is until Ross’s daughter Betty enters and calms him down and apologizes to Bruce for her fathers manners. As the general and his daughter leave Igor lets his rage be knows that Banner should have shared the secrets of the bomb with him. Right before the gamma bomb is to explode Banner notices teenager Rick Jones driving into the test site and rushes off in a jeep to try and save him, but Igor does not tell them behind the launch to stop the bomb as this is his way to get Banner out of his way. Banner is able to get Rick to safety but he himself takes a big hit of radiation. Banner wakes up in a doctor office alongside Rick and later in the night he turns into a green skinned beast called The Hulk who is ragged that he is locked in a room and busts his way out with his super strength and even attacks some of the army men on his way out. Rick follows the Hulk as he wants to try and help the confused creature. The Hulk heads toward the military cottage of Bruce Banner and inside he finds Igor who is looking for all the gamma bomb notes of Banner and when seeing the Hulk he pulls out a gun and fires. The Hulk takes down Igor as Rick finds the gamma bomb formula notes and wants to turn it into the army as Hulk tries to remember who Bruce Banner is, not remembering he is in fact Banner. And when the Hulk gets angry he attacks Rick and just before he is about to smash him he turns back into Banner just as the army comes in looking for the Hulk. Once the army leaves Rick and Bruce try and figure out what happened and why he turns into the Hulk as Igor is taken to a jail cell and is thinking of revenge and sends a message to the evil Gorgon about The Hulk and this makes the strange super deformed being mad that one in the world might have the same power as he. The Gorgon makes his way to America while Banner turns back into the Hulk and makes his way towards the home of Betty Ross and when he finds her outside she faints just as the Gorgon shows up with a gun that shoots a will destroying pellet! The Gorgon fires two bullets and both The Hulk and Rick Jones are now his mindless minions who follow him back to his ship, while Betty wakes up Thunderbolt swears he will find and stop The Hulk. When The Gorgon gets to his base The Hulk has turned into Banner and he know knows that the two are one and the same, this also makes Gorgon sad as he does not want to be like he is and wishes he could turn normal. Banner turns the Gorgon back to a man using gamma rays and then he and Rick are sent back to America as the now human Gorgon blows himself and his army up in their castle base.

Review: This first episode is awesome and does it’s best to capture the first issue of The Hulk but man do they make changes as they cut the fact the Banner turns into the Hulk at night like a werewolf and they also do not use the grey skin at first as they go straight to the green. And while the animation is very crude by todays standards I for one love every cell of it as it brings be back to the golden age of comic collecting and made me feel like a kid all over again as it was the origins of Hulk done as a cartoon using the comic panels moving around to do so. The main villains in this episode are the jealous and scientist spy Igor who is the one that gets Banner struck by gamma radiation, the deformed and monstrous Gorgon who wants to control The Hulk and as well bring down America and lastly would be Thunderbolt Ross who is in control of the US Army and views the Hulk as a monster that must be destroyed. And if I had to choose who the most dangerous one in this episode would be I would say Gorgon mostly because of his pellet gun that weakens the minds of those he shoots and turns them into his slaves. The love spark between Bruce Banner and Betty Ross starts in this first episode as does Banner’s friendship with Rick Jones the teenager who had no one in life. I have to also point out that Max Ferguson’s voice for The Hulk is clearly inspired by Boris Karloff’s voice for The Monster in the film Bride Of Frankenstein and that makes it even more awesome. Over all I have to say that this is a great first episode for the first every Hulk cartoon every made.

Grade: ***1/2

Episode 2: Terror Of The Toad Men

A spaceship filled with Toad Men aliens is making its way to Earth, while The Hulks is causing chaos in a town just by his appearance as the police are warning people to get off the streets and are even firing their guns at him and this makes Hulk go on the attack and Rick Jones has to sneak in and lure him away before anyone gets hurt. As the sun comes up The Hulk turns back into Bruce Banner and he and Rick figure out that the transformation takes place at night and set out and find an mountain cave that will act as a research base for them as well as a holding spot for The Hulk. The Toad Men have arrived at Earth and use a beam to hold Bruce and Rick in place as they have came for the mind of Bruce and they kidnap them and head back to space, but they have no use for Rick and send him in a capsule back to Earth as Bruce is relived that his friend is at least safe. Once night falls Banner turns into the Hulk and beats up the Toad Men and even uses one of their own guns against them before locking them up to explore the ship. While on Earth General Thunderbolt Ross notices the Toad Men ship just above the Earth and sends missiles to blow it up and when it crashes to Earth the Toad Men escape and Hulk turns back into Banner and is accused of being a spy by Ross. Meanwhile a fleet of Toad Men spaceships are now invading Earth as Betty begs her father to let Bruce Banner out of his cell as she knows he is no spy nor traitor to his country. But when the night comes Banner turns back into The Hulk and goes on a rampage and heads back to the home of Betty and kidnaps her as Rick follows Hulk to try and rescue Betty as well as get Hulk to safety. The Toad Men’s attack on Earth starts as they use the moon to cause destruction and chaos, and this even knocks The Hulk out until morning. Once back as Banner he attends to Betty and gets her home safe, then uses his gamma ray bomb gun to shoot the Toad Men’s ship that sends them all away. In the end Thunderbolt Ross thanks Banner for his work with some pushing from Betty and Banner and Rick hurry back to their mountain cave base to lock Banner up for the night.

Review: This second episode is a fun one as it pits Bruce Banner and his monstrous side The Hulk not only against the Army lead by Thunderbolt Ross but also the invading aliens The Toad Men who are hell bent on destroying and then ruling the Earth. The Hulk in this episode wants to straight up kill people and threatens the life of Rick Jones as well as Thunderbolt Ross and even uses a gun at one point to shoot some of the Toad Men. Meanwhile as Bruce Banner he hates his life as The Hulk and fears what he might do when he is no longer in control, as it’s more and more clear that he has major feelings for Betty. Its also cool to see the gamma bomb now a ray gun being used to defeat the aliens showing that good things can also come from that invention. Rick Jones keeps up on trying to watch over and protect both Bruce Banner and The Hulk while Betty Ross tries her best to protect Banner from her own fathers judgment. The episodes baddies are of course Thunderbolt Ross who once more wants to use the army’s might to stop The Hulk and uses his own opinions to try and belittle Banner as it’s clear he is no fan of the scientist. And the Toad Men are the other villains as they are mean men from outer space who have no issues killing, kidnapping and destroying and have the weapons and means to do so. Both of the episodes villains are on equal ground for me as they both try and ruin things for Hulk as well as Banner, but I guess I would have to give the edge to Toad Men as they have the bigger and badder weapons. Over the second episode is good it just lacks a little something that would make it as good as the first, and in this one you can also notice lots of re-used animation in order to save on the budget.

Grade: **1/2

Episode 3: A Titan Rides The Train

The Leader is sitting in his lab and we see that he was once a normal man who after being hit by gamma rays in a accident has turned him into something beyond human and highly smart and has created humanoids that he will use to take over all the governments in the world and wants to start first at the military base that Thunderbolt Ross is in charge of and the one Bruce Banner lives on! While on the base a new nuclear device needs to be delivered by train and Bruce Banner is sent along with Major Glenn Talbot to make sure it gets delivered safely, while The Leader sends one of his humanoids to fetch the device and bring it back to him. As the humanoid drops from a helicopter to the train Talbot locks up Banner and the stress turns him into The Hulk and starts to attack The Humanoid who is made out of a kind of rubber that he can not hurt. And during the fight the nuclear device breaks free and is in danger of exploding and The Hulk knows this thanks to the memories of Banner and after he defeats the Humanoid Hulk is able to get the device safely on the sand and turn back into Banner just as Talbot shows up and puts him under arrest. Banner is later let out in order to supervise the test of the nuclear device under the strick watch of Talbot, while The Leader is mad and wants to pit his mind against the power of the Hulk and is building an army of his humanoids to do so and even gets information from super villain and master of disguise The Chameleon on were Banner is now. While on the test island Banner gets nerves and runs away to turn into the Hulk as Talbot is now alone with the monster, and unknown to the both of them The Leader has the island surrounded by the humanoids. As Talbot hides inside the test lab behind steel doors, The Hulk is outside being attacked by the Humanoids who have orders to capture him and bring back to The Leader. The army shows up on the island as well and attacks Hulk who is already got his hands full with the Humanoids who are shrugging off his hits. The Hulk falls into the ocean and swims away as he is about to turn into Banner and the Humanoids return to The Leader as the army is confused. Once the Hulk turns into Banner he is kidnapped at ocean by enemies of America and is going to be forced to work for them that is until he turns back into The Hulk and these fools learn not to mess with him after he uses his thunder clap to knock them all away. Meanwhile Talbot gets word that Banner was spotted on an enemy ship and he now really thanks he is a traitor to America.

Review: This episode ends on a cliffhanger as Bruce Banner is looked at by the army as a spy and a traitor to his country, all because he cannot let them know he is The Hulk and because of this he has been kidnaped by baddies and is being seen as one himself. Meanwhile The Hulk is being hunted by not only by the American Army but also by The Leader and his humanoid men and this is why The Hulk hates everyone as they all seem to always want to cause him harm. The baddies in this episode are The Leader and his humanoids as well as Major Glenn Talbot who for some reason really seems to hate Banner and wants any reason to lock him up and call him names. And you would have to be crazy not to think that the episodes main threat is not The Leader as he is fueled with a big brain and the means to bring nations down and even be a pain in the side of the powerful Hulk. The animation of The Leader at times had me laughing as the mouth movements and the animation made him at times look very silly. Over all I just feel that this is a good solid episode and brings one of The Hulks biggest bad guys into the world of cartoons and the fact we now have both Hulk and Banner as fugitives of America makes the next episode be even more important in this saga.

Grade: ***

Episode 4: The Power Of Dr. Banner

Thunderbolt Ross is having a big conference with fellow military and government workers about Banner turning on his country and Talbot volunteers to go behind enemy lines to get him back, Ross shoots down the idea for now. Meanwhile The Hulk has destroyed much of the enemy’s base and the evil Captain armed with a powerful proton gun and when he misses The Hulks rampage continues that is until he turns back into Bruce Banner and now fighter plans and tanks are firing at the scientist who must run for his life. But after the bad army kills innocent people the rage comes back to Banner and once more The Hulk comes out to smash, while back in America Thunderbolt Ross gets the location of Banner and he and Talbot stick to the idea that Banner is a traitor while Betty tells them they are wrong. Meanwhile The Hulk destroys all the baddies tanks and uses his thunderclap to destroy many of them, and then Hulk tries to leap his way back home to America, but gets tired and takes a break in the Himalaya Mountains. Once Hulk is turns back to Banner he finds himself taken hostage again and this time the new kidnappers want ransom money from America and Ross ends up having to send Talbot with money to pay it and get the scientist back. Talbot arrives and gets Banner and as the two flee the area rocks give way and Banner falls off the side of a mountain, but lucky for Banner he turns into The Hulk and is also able to save Talbot who as also fallen over now. Talbot blacks out as The Hulk leaps away and when the Major awakens he thinks that Banner is dead from the fall. The Hulk is able to find the home of Bruce Banner and when he rests he turns back into the scientist and is found in the home by Thunderbolt Ross who once more has him arrested, but the Pentagon calls and tells Ross to let him free. Meanwhile Banner is ragging mad that Talbot is telling the press that he is a spy when in fact he is not and before he is freed from jail he once more gets mad and turns into The Hulk and busts out ready for another rampage on the army base and this time he takes Talbot as a prisoner and heads into the nearby mountains that Ross then has blow up with a sun beam blast. As Thunderbolt along with Betty and soldiers head to recover the believed dead body of Talbot they are shocked to find him alive as well as Banner who is with him and this truly clears Banners name as they all think he saved the life of Talbot.

Review: This is another fun episode that has poor Bruce Banner being put through all types of stressful situations from being kidnapped twice, to being called a traitor to his country, being arrested several times, turning into The Hulk after mass amounts of stress and finally looking bad in the eyes of Betty. The main baddies in this episode are the kidnappers as well as Thunderbolt Ross and Talbot who I think are the more dangerous as they want to not only kill The Hulk but also ruin the life and reputation of Bruce Banner. And I think out of the two army men its Talbot who has a more weird hatred from Banner as he almost seems gleeful to have him arrested as well as he is so wanting him to be found guilty at a trail. Both of the kidnapper groups are just into power as well as money and Banner is just the means to obtain both and The Hulk is just an annoyance to their plane. And The Hulk is shown in this episode that if he gets to tired from battle he will return back to being Banner and that leaves him open for some bad situations. Over all this was a good entertaining episode that allows Thunderbolt Ross and Major Talbot to shine at being the main pain in the side of both Banner and The Hulk.

Grade: ***

Episode 5: Micro Monsters

Bruce Banner and Rick Jones have a chat about The Hulk and how Bruce must travel back to the island to work on his nuclear device and needs to be safe doing so. Meanwhile The Leader has set his eyes on the device and wants to sell it to a foreign terror and use the money he gets to help his goal of running the world, and to get it he shrinks his humanoids to micro size and sends them to the island and when he zaps them from affair they will grow and do his bidding. Once on the island Banner finds the micro men that look like an odd sand all over and also finds that Talbot is once more on duty to watch over him as he still does not trust Banner even after he thinks he saved his life. But once the humanoids grow they knock out Talbot and attack Banner who turns into The Hulk and starts the brawl with them all to the delight of The Leader who also wants to capture his foe and they do so when the use lots of knockout gas. Back and the secret mountain base Rick Jones gets worried when he does not hear from Banner and knows that something must have went wrong on that island, as the army from the sea watch as The Leader uses a beam to zap up the nuclear device and The Hulk and they try to blast them out of the sky…and they fail. And once on the island the army find Talbot and they all think that Banner and The Hulk are working together and stole the nuclear device. Once back at The Leaders base he starts running tests on The Hulk that he keeps knocked out with the gas, as he want to control him and his power. When The Leader leaves his lab The Hulk turns back into Banner who thinks quick and uses some gadgets to send a Morse Code message to the army that is heard by Rick Jones as well as the army who trace the massage and lead by Thunderbolt Ross and Talbot the whole base heads to the location as does Rick Jones. Meanwhile The Leader returns to find The Hulk missing and in a few moments thanks to the returning gas Banner becomes The Hulk again and destroys the nuclear device and the lab catches fire and traps The Hulk as The Leader escapes via his little aircraft ship. The army enters the base and opens fire on The Hulk as Rick Jones rushes in to try and save his friend as Talbot tells Rick that both The Hulk and Banner are traitors. Meanwhile Hulk escapes and starts to track down The Leader who is talking to powerful dictators about the destroyed nuclear device and how he can offer them something better a Giant Humanoid and to prove its power he sends it to destroy the military missile base and as the army tries to fight off this Giant they are joined by The Hulk who goes after it as well. The Army uses a Super Missile and kills the Giant Humanoid with it and they think The Hulk as well, but he got away as he grabbed Rick Jones and leaps away.

Review: This is another fun episode that has The Hulk and Bruce Banner once more in the sights of The Leader who wants to take over the world using not only his Humanoids but also Banner’s nuclear device as well as The Hulk himself and of course he fails at this task, but what he does do is get Thunderbolt Ross, Talbot and the rest of the army to once more turn on Banner and think he is a spy. It’s like Banner just can not catch a break in this cartoon series as no matter what he does the villains always seem to manage to make him look like scum to the military. The Leader and his Giant Humanoid are super dangerous in this issue and do cause destruction, and we should also not rule out his micro growing Humanoids who also are a pain in the butt to whomever they are sent after. Rick Jones is as always a loyal friend to both Banner and his monster side The Hulk and even almost dies, but some how The Hulk’s transformation back to Banner heals him…strange stuff. Talbot and Thunderbolt Ross are as angry as ever and just seem to get joy at being bitter and rude towards Banner. What a fun and silly episode and has enough Hulk fighting action to bring the entertainment.

Grade: ***

Episode 6: Brawn Against Brain

Thunderbolt Ross is in his office telling his daughter that Banner is really missing cause his giant red robot he built is a flop, but Banner shows up and starts working more on the robot as it has a showing the next morning. The Red Robot is more like an armor that will allow who ever is inside it to withstand even an atomic bomb and if this can be perfected it will be a game changer for the army. As Banner works on the robot late into the night he notices a shadow watching him and gives chase fearing it’s a spy, but the excitement triggers the change into The Hulk who leaps away allowing the unknown person not now get inside the robot on the test day and uses the robot to attack the army who all think its Banner inside. When The Hulk arrives back he and the Robot have a big fight, that leaves Hulk turning back into Banner and being found by Thunderbolt Ross and cleared of being in the war machine Robot that is wondering away into the desert, and who finds Banner’s hidden mountain cave base. Meanwhile Banner is in his lab trying to find a way to bring down the Robot as Thunderbolt Ross and Talbot are having a meeting about still trying to pin Banner for a spy. Banner heads to the mountains and tracks down the Robot, as Betty and Talbot also show up an the Robot flings a big rock at them that is smashed by The Hulk after Banner gets worked up and Betty thinks Talbot is who saved her life. The Hulk and The Robot start fighting again and The Hulk stops a missile that his foe as launched in order to blowup the army base, and when doing so he also knocks the Robot into a bottomless pit! The Hulk is knocked out by the missile blast and the army shows up and takes him prisoner, and Thunderbolt Ross wants answers from our chained hero. The Leader meanwhile does not get word back from his agent that he sent to steal the Robot so he sends in the master of disguise The Chameleon to find him, and once at the base Chameleon makes himself look like Thunderbolt Ross and sets out to meet The Hulk who has now turned back to Banner and has escaped the chains that held him. The Chameleon next knocks out Banner and makes a mask to look like the scientist to try and get more information, and when Betty visits the lab and figures out he is not the real Banner he starts to attack her and this triggers the real Banner to change back into The Hulk who saves Betty as well as many of the soldiers on the base as The Chameleon sets off a bomb in order to escape and The Hulk takes the blast.

Review: This is a pretty fun and entertaining episode as we have The Hulk going up against not only a Robot created by Banner and now controlled by a enemy spy but also that’s sinister Chameleon who can look and act like anyone! And The Hulk being the monster hero he is somehow out smarts and beats them both with the poor Robot spy falling into a hole that he will never return from. Plus we also get a very small cameo from The Leader who is still a pain for Banner and The Hulk and of course Thunderbolt Ross, Talbot and The Army are around with one strange thing being is tat in this episode Ross acts as if this is the first time really meeting Talbot…very strange. Betty Ross is around but we do not see Rick James at all. The fights between The Hulk and The Robot are great as this is the first time we see Hulk having to outsmart his enemy as his punches are not doing anything. Lots of reused animation in this episode and I really think that while cheap it does help give this cartoon its charm. I also like that this episode plays up on the fact that The Hulk is a hero but yet never gets the credit he should, plus we also kind of set up the romance tension between Betty Ross and Talbot! Over all a really great episode and has two really good cheesy fight scenes.

Grade: ***

Episode 7: Within This Monster Dwells A Man

The Leader is looking via a view screen around the army base and spots Banner working in his secret cave lab, but this villain is looking for The Hulk. Banner meanwhile has figured something major out but his excitement turns him into The Hulk and a bullet that ricochets from soldiers target practicing hits him in the head given Hulk a bad and painful headache and he passes out. The Leader uses a beam to zap The Hulk to his lab so that he can study him and his power. Once at the lab The Leader and his Humanoid henchmen remove the bullet from The Hulks head saving his life, but The Leader has to use sleep gas on Hulk and keep him prisoner when he turns down leading his army in world domination. When The Hulk wakes up he starts destroying the lab and even fights with the Humanoids who are blasting him with rainbow rays, The Leader rushes to stop them as he during the bullet removal placed a device that will help him mind control Hulk. Once saved The Leader puts The Hulk through all types of tests he sends Hulk to another world to steal from a powerful being named The Watcher who welcomes Hulk on his arrival and allows him to walk around as The Leader tells The Hulk to steal a sphere that he thinks is going to be the ultimate machine, but Hulk is attacked by a big red alien who as also been sent to steal that object! The Hulk and this alien fight as The Watcher sends them to another part of the planet so their fighting does not destroy his machines, after a hard fought battle The Hulk beats the red alien and is able to grab the ultimate machine and return to Earth, The Leader is happy and thinks he will have all the knowledge of the galaxy but its to much and The Leader “dies” from it all, The Watcher comes to Earth and takes his machine back and The Hulk is now free of The Leaders control.

Review: First thing I have to say is that the colors used in this episode are great as they are bright and give life to the animation. This also has a great plot that has The Leader saving as well as controlling the life of The Hulk and forcing him to fight a Red Lizard Skinned Alien as well as steal from The Watcher who all you Marvel Comics fans will know from Fantastic Four and What If comics, and having The Watcher in this episode made it feel a little more epic and as well opened up the world as we know that aliens and other worlds are now out there. I like that The Hulk knows that The Leader is a scumbag and even when forced to work for him you can tell he does not care for him, plus The Hulk and the Red Alien fight was great and also reminded me of Star Trek for some reason. The episode also marks the death of The Leader who’s brain shuts down, even though us comic readers know he will be back. We do not see Betty Ross, Thunderbolt Ross, Rick Jones or Talbot in this episode as this one is mostly all about The Hulk and we even get very little Bruce Banner and this was a nice change of pace and made for one very fun watch. Really enjoyed this one and I would say The Leader is the meanest and most heartless of the villains we have seen this far in the cartoon series.

Grade: ***1/2

Episode 8: The Space Phantom

The Hulk is at a meeting for The Avengers at Tony Stark’s mansion and on hand is Iron Man, Thor, Giant Man and Wasp and unknown to them the Space Phantom has came to Earth looking to take it over and even takes on the appearance of a normal man of the street that he sends to limbo. The Space Phantom makes it to Stark’s Mansion as he was watched them from space and knows their secrets and is greeted by The Hulk who is zapped and sent to limbo as well so that Space Phantom can look like him and get close to the other Avengers members and when doing so he causes them all to fight among themselves by acting out as Hulk. Still looking like The Hulk the Space Phantom is roaming the streets and causing chaos when he is stopped by Rick Jones who The Space Phantom alerts to the truth of who he is and leave Rick stranded out in the middle of nowhere as he goes back to cause more damage to The Avenger’s friendship and first he starts a fight with Iron Man and as the fight starts The Space Phantom runs away and this makes Iron Man attacking the real Hulk who is back from limbo, just as Rick Jones is able to send a message to Giant Man and Wasp about The Space Phantom and his powers. Giant Man breaks up the fight between Hulk and Iron Man as The Space Phantom attacks Wasp and then takes the identity of Giant Man and then jumps to looking like Iron Man causing confusion for The Hulk and the other Avengers. Wasp goes and gets Thor and they take down Space Phantom who is still acting as Iron Man, and soon Space Phantom finds himself in limbo after failing to take over the look of Thor who is a God. After it’s all over The Hulk quits The Avengers as he thinks all his teammates hate him.

Review: This episode brings The Avengers into the cartoon world and features The Space Phantom doing his best to break up and bring down the team and while he mostly fails he does lead to The Hulk leaving the team, so I guess he kind of wins in the end. The Space Phantom can take the appearance and gain the powers of who ever he chooses as well as they are human and the real person is sent to limbo until he changes his look again. And because of his powers Space Phantom is one very dangerous alien who really wants to take over the Earth. The Avengers are around and Giant Man and Wasp are the ones trying to keep it together and the egos of Iron Man and Thor are out of control and lack of trust and respect is what makes them think The Hulk is a monster on the loose. The animation in this episode is the weakest it has been the whole series and at times characters are not even colored in right and also the episode has kind of a dark tint. And something about the pacing just feels off to me, with the highlight of the episode being the brief fights between Hulk and Iron Man that sadly do not last long. While it was a fun watch and it was awesome seeing The Avengers I do think this far this is the weakest episode in the series, but again have to stress it is still a good watch. Plus this episode did also make me look forward to watching and covering the 1966 cartoons for Iron Man and Thor, and yes in the future they as well will be getting the Tube Toons treatment.

Grade: **1/2

Episode 9: Incredible Hulk vs. Metal Master

Thunderbolt Ross is angry that Bruce Banner is late to test a missile launch as his daughter Betty and Rick Jones try to calm him down, The Hulk is around and is trying to figure out how to get to the mountain cave base without being seen by the army that is out on patrol. The Hulk is getting frustrated as the army gets closer and he knows that he needs to turn into Banner, but for some reason he cant. The army gets a code red alert and head back to base as The Hulk enters the cave and uses a ray to turn back into Banner and for a brief moment Banner gets the body of a bodybuilder before it fades. Once back at Banner he checks in on his missile only to see it melting at the hands of Metal Master an alien who is from another galaxy who can damage and destroy anything metal that was banished by his world and has set his sites on ruling the Earth! To show off his power Metal Master destroys a tank as well as army helmets and as he leaves he makes a point once more of his power, Rick Jones who was at the scene the whole time rushes to the cave base to try and get The Hulk to help. But things are bad for The Hulk as well as when he changed this time he has the face of Bruce Banner and must wear a rubber mask to hide his appearance, and then sets out to find Metal Master. The Hulk finds Metal Master who throws tons of metal at him but the Hulk keeps on smashing the objects, and its only by tricking him that Metal Master is able to knock him out. The Army finds the knocked out Hulk and take him to a cell that he cannot break free from as Rick Jones tries to tell Thunderbolt Ross that The Hulk is their only chance of beating Metal Master. Rick Jones tries to enlist in the army and is shot down by Thunderbolt Ross for being to young and when seeing Hulk he is threatened as Hulk thinks Rick told the army about his mask. The Hulk ends up escaping and returns to the cave lab and turns back into Banner and Rick Jones joins him and they use his CB Radio club the Teen Brigade in order to following the movements of Metal Master who is destroying cities. Banner turns back into the Hulk and is now caring a massive gun that is made out of plastic and with the help of Rick and the Teen Brigade they lure Metal Master to them and when he can not melt the fake weapon the stress gets to him and after a threat from Hulk he turns things back to normal and rushes back to space. After returning to the cave and becoming Banner again he knows he must see Betty who has been worried sick about him.

Review: This is a very interesting episode as not only do we see The Hulk fight Metal Master and use a mixture of his might and brains to defeat him, but we also see that his transformations between Hulk and Banner is getting more out of control and unpredictable and even at times he becomes a hybrid of his two sides. And The Hulks mood as well is very up and down as at times he even threatens his friend Rick Jones with a beating and death. Poor Betty Ross who cares about Banner is also left in the dark so much by her love who disappears and puts himself in dangers way and yet never goes out of his way to alert her of his safety. Thunderbolt Ross who loves his military life you can tell is at his wits end with both Bruce Banner and The Hulk and he wants both to go away. Metal Master is an alien who can destroy all things metal, and while dangerous he is also not very bright as he was scared of plastic…a plastic gun painted to look like metal. I also like that this episode introduced the Teen Brigade the friends of Rick Jones who uses their radios to help him and The Hulk on cases an to avoid the army. This is a good episode and man I really am enjoying re-watching these cartoons.

Grade: ***

Episode 10: The Ringmaster

Thunderbolt Ross really wants to stop The Hulk from having anymore rampages and even tries to get Rick Jones to tell him the location of the green skinned hero. When Rick will not tell him, he has the army follow him to his home and try to break in as Rick tells the Hulk to get to the cave base. Meanwhile in a nearby town two FBI Agents find that everyone in town is frozen in place like statues and that some one has robbed the town of all its wealth, while The Hulk saves kids on a bus that has stalled on train tracks. Meanwhile we meet The Ringmaster and his band of evil circus workers who have an idea of kidnapping Rick Jones in order to gain control over The Hulk who would come looking for his friend. Rick meets Hulk at the cave base and tells him good work on saving the kids and then heads to the circus that has just gotten to town and this leads to Ringmaster kidnapping him and leaving many of the towns people under his trance. Word gets around that Rick Jones is missing and Thunderbolt Ross alerts the army to be on the look out for him as Hulk turns into Bruce Banner and he and Betty also worry about the missing young man. Bruce then rushes back to the secret cave base and turns into The Hulk to find Rick as the circus keeps up its crime wave. Finally The Hulk finds the circus and makes quick work of many of the performers who try and attack him, but finally he is blasted with a very high-powered water cannon and is chained up. The Hulk breaks free and lets Rick Jones go who goes to get the FBI as Hulk plays along in being an attraction for the circus. As the FBI shows up Hulk helps capture Ringmaster and then is swarmed by the army lead by Thunderbolt Ross and has to leap to escape capture himself.

Review: This is another great episode of this cartoon series that has The Hulk going after The Ringmaster and his circus that have been robbing people blind from town to town and make the mistake of thinking they can use him as an attraction by kidnapping his good pal Rick Jones! The Hulk and Rick in this episode have a bond that allows Hulk to hear the thoughts and screams of Rick to alert him when he is in danger, this is odd and yet is the key to make this episode work and allow Hulk to find his missing friend. The Ringmaster can use his hypnotizing ways to steal, and the voice actor playing him is fantastic and brings charm to this otherwise cheesy comic villain. I also like that the circus has many weird performers like a lion man, a guy dressed as the devil and one who looks like Tarzan Lord Of The Apes! Thunderbolt Ross and the army are also thrown in to be a pain in the butt for Hulk. Some of the animation for Betty Ross is terrible as they glued one of her eyes on weird and it makes for some humors moments. Over all an action packed episode that could have had a slightly better ending as Hulk makes way to quick of work of Ringmaster and his goons.

Grade: ***

Episode 11: Enter Tyrannus

Thunderbolt Ross is showing video of The Hulk to Bruce, Betty and Rick and tells Banner he needs his help to capture Hulk! Meanwhile in another world Betty is being watched by Tyrannus The Lord Of Darkness who has a plans on kidnapping her to force Banner to not use his nuclear bomb knowledge against him as he tries to take over the world, and after taking a drink from his fountain of youth he starts working on his plan that has him act as a scientist and get Betty to escort him around and then he lures her into a cave and keeps her prisoner. But Banner follows and turns into The Hulk to go into the cave and try and get her back, while Tyrannus sends Thunderbolt a message that if he fights back against his approaching army that he will kill Betty. The Hulk and Rick Jones find Betty but they are quickly defeated when Tyrannus uses a gas to knock them out and then keeps them prisoner as well and Hulk is turned into a gladiator and must battle his fire-breathing robot for his amusement. The Hulk destroys the robot and then goes after the crowd who watched the fight, only to be zapped by Tyrannus he threatens to once more kill Betty if Hulk does not listen to orders. Days pass and Hulk is now being used as slave labor but Tyrannus has grown bored with him and gives the orders that he is to be killed, but Rick is able to get Betty and they rush to Hulk’s cell and tell him he must fight back as this is the only way they will all survive. The Hulk does just that and after beating up guards he is able to get Betty, Rick and himself back to the army base. But just as quick The Hulk is taken back to Tyrannus’s castle to find him old and needing his help as he is dying of old age as Mole Man has taken the fountain of youth! The Hulk takes the job after he once more finds that Rick and Betty are captured by Tyrannus who is dying and goes after Mole Man who’s army puts up a good fight, but soon learn that nothing can stop Hulk! And as the armies of Mole Man and Tyrannus go to war The Hulk turns back into Banner and watches as Tyrannus finds some water from the fountain and turns young again, he also learns that he sent Betty and Rick back home. And once turning back into The Hulk he finds his way home as the war between the two sides continue underground.

Review: This is a cool episode mostly as I find the underground war between Tyrannus and the Mole Man over the fountain of youth to be interesting as both men are driven by ego and have mindless followers that will die for them. And what makes it even more amazing is throwing in The Hulk, Rick Jones and Betty Ross in the middle of this war and even seeing Gladiator Hulk for the first time outside of comic media! While Tyrannus is evil as he wants to rule the world as well as threatens to kill a woman in order to get his way, you do have to feel for him once he starts to turn old and death is at his door and he tries to bribe and use those he tormented to help him live longer by getting the fountain back. I also like that Thunderbolt Ross is also put into a bad spot when he is threatened not to fight the invasion or his own daughter is dead…very cruel move by Tyrannus. While this episode is very entertaining it is also flawed in spots as some of the animation is terrible and looks like construction paper being used to animate arms and hands, plus I think the ending is a little lackluster as its Hulk returning to the surface world and screaming for Rick…just a little anti climatic as we do not see Hulk fight Tyrannus nor Mole Man. But with that said, while it might be one of the weaker episodes in the series I still very much enjoyed it.

Grade: **1/2

Episode 12: Terror Of The T-Gun

Thunderbolt Ross and Talbot are getting frustrated with Bruce Banner as they need him to test his newest invention the weapon called the T-Gun, but that night the stress gets to Banner who turns into The Hulk and has the army after him as once more he goes on a rampage and starts to figure out that he is truly stronger than any man or weapon, and Hulk finds himself alone in the desert thinking about things. Thunderbolt Ross is given the task to test the T-Gun with or without Banner around and he has even put Rick Jones in a jail cell do to the youngster’s connection to The Hulk, Rick begs them to let him go as he knows he is the only one who can get stop The Hulks rampage who now is on the hunt for Rick who is his only friend. The Hulk makes it back to the military base and Thunderbolt Ross shoots him with the T-Gun that sends Hulk to another place that is destroyed and the only thing he can see is a statue of himself that looks hundreds of years old. The Hulk finds himself being attacked by futuristic knights who have laser guns, and he must use all his power and strength against them. The Knights end up capturing Hulk as they want to study him as well as know of the legend of him, while back at the army base Thunderbolt Ross is in trouble when his superiors find out he used the T-Gun on Hulk, as they knew it was a Time Gun. King Arkham is the leader of the knights and when Hulk awakens he is taken to see The King who tells his captive that he would like for him to join him in the fight against The Executioner a man who has been killing the knights, Hulk refuses and Arkham has his knights attack; once more The Executioner sets an attack on the Kingdom and The Hulk brings down his robot war machines and challenges The Executioner to a fight and the two start to have an epic battle. Meanwhile back in our time Thunderbolt Ross is questioning Rick Jones on the location of Banner, and Thunderbolt rips him apart and sets him free all the while calling him names. The Hulk ends up being a pain in the side for The Executioner who ends up sending him back to his normal time, while Rick Jones makes the mistake of telling Major Talbot that Bruce Banner is The Hulk! The episode ends with The Hulk now back in his own time and he is very mad and wonders if he should challenge the whole human race.

Review: This is a odd episode as The Hulk finds himself in the future being attacked by futuristic knights as well as the Thor villain The Executioner all the while trying to find a way back home, while Thunderbolt Ross in our time is in trouble for using an experimental weapon that caused the time travel for the green skinned hero. This episode also shows that no matter what time it is The Hulk will always be hunted and attacked by people and that his anger toward mankind is well warranted. The biggest plot twist in this episode is that Rick Jones spills the beans of the Banner and Hulk connection to Talbot after he thinks his friend is dead, as now Banner is in even more danger as Talbot has always had it out for him and now knows his terrible secret. The fight between The Hulk and The Executioner is fast and yet very fun as both are super strong and will now allow themselves to be defeated, and its cause Hulks power that The Executioner is the one to send him back to his time as he did not want to put up with his might. It was cool to see Major Talbot back in a episode as he has been gone for awhile, plus it was cool to see a Thor baddie being the main villain in this episode with The Executioner. Over all a pretty entertaining and good episode that added action, drama and sci-fi elements together well for a cartoon from the 1960’s based on a comic book from Marvel Comics.

Grade: **1/2

Episode 13: A Man Called Boomerang

The Secret Empire have gathered for a meeting and watch video of The Hulks attacks on the base ran by Thunderbolt Ross, but why they are watching is cause they want a powerful missile that is at the base to use in their own evildoings. And to get this missile for them they hire the super villain called Boomerang who is paid a very large sum of money. Meanwhile at the army base The Hulk is once more annoyed as the army attacks him, while Thunderbolt Ross alerts Major Talbot that his daughter Betty is missing and that he thinks The Hulk is who has done it and wants him and the other soldiers to get her back…unknown to the Rick Jones over hears this plan as well as claim and is able to tag along with Talbot. A short time later Talbot and Rick find Betty who was just out for a walk, but Boomerang is also watching and gets an idea that he will kidnap Betty himself to use as leverage to get the missile, and he does just that as Talbot and Rick are helpless to save her. Once back at the base Thunderbolt Ross is beyond mad that his daughter has been kidnapped and is even more mad at Talbot and Rick for allowing it to happen. As Boomerang makes his escape with Betty she is able to beg Hulk for help who does just that as he goes to rescue her from this super villain who throws discs with perfect aim and speed, and The Hulk finds that his foe will not be a pushover as Boomerang finds out that nothing can stop The Hulk! The army spots the fight and heads that why as Boomerang in order to escape Hulk gives him Betty and then gets into a secret helicopter that shows up piloted by The Secret Empire. The Hulk is please that he has rescued Betty and as it starts to rain he even makes a shelter for them on the side of a mountain in order to get her out of it, she asks him to now take her to her father Thunderbolt Ross, Hulk refuses as he reminds Betty that her father tries to kill him and she agrees that he has never given him a chance. After the rain stops Hulk leaves to get Betty and himself food, but runs into the army who attacks him even after he tells Thunderbolt where he can find his daughter who is now safe, and its Rick Jones who once more defuses the situation from getting worse and The Hulk brings Thunderbolt Ross and Rick Jones to Betty. Meanwhile Talbot is able to bluff and save the missile from getting into the hands of Boomerang who leaves after a threat of Talbot blowing up the whole base killing them both is played. In the end The Hulk is brooding on a mountaintop when Rick Jones joins him and lets his friend know that he is a hero.

Review: The final episode in this cartoon series is a good one and has The Hulk proving to Betty Ross and even the army to a point that he is not a monster but a hero as he not only saves Betty but he also helps delay and stop the stealing of a missile by Boomerang who is working for a terrorist group called The Secret Empire. The main baddie in the episode is Boomerang who uses his discs to try and keep Hulk at bay, but soon finds out that he is out matched and is forced to retreat and even once back on track he is force to leave again by Talbot who stands his ground. Rick Jones is once more tries to be the voice of reason as he tries to bring Thunderbolt Ross and The Hulk together in order to defeat a common enemy and get Betty Ross to safety. And really while Hulk is a hero in this episode so is Talbot as both of them together is who bring down the plan of Secret Empire that could have spelled doom for America if they would have gotten their hands on that missile. The final episode was a cool one to end on as well as The Hulk is able to somewhat redeem himself in the eyes of the army as well as all the baddies are defeated and all ends well for our cast of characters.

Grade: ***

The was such a blast to watch again after all these years and I have to say they held up very well for me as I found myself loving every second of these very basic cartoons that where as cheesy as one would think they would be coming from the 1960’s! Sure at times the animation is bad and reused in spots that do not fit, and sure the series is very disjointed as major plot developments seem to disappear from episode to episode as do some characters…but these elements add to the charm. Some plot points that come and go with no explanation from episode to episode are Banner’s transformation to The Hulk starts off as only doing so at night to being stressed to even having to use a gamma ray gun and this sometimes changes from episode to episode and I could see being confusing for young viewers. Talbot as well comes and goes and the fact he finds out that Banner is The Hulk never comes into play and that’s also odd. Some of the animation parts that made me laugh out loud is when Betty Ross’s eyes were put on mis-centered making her look like Sloth from the movie The Goonies as well as when at times they would use what looked like green construction paper with crude thumbnails drawn on them to act as Hulk’s hands…funny stuff. And Tube Toons will be here to stay for awhile as I really want to cover the 60’s cartoon series of Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and Sub-Mariner as well here at Rotten Ink so over the next few years look for those updates. I also and here to say that these theme updates will also break off and cover a few more cartoon series in the future. But with that, let’s leave cartoons behind as the next update will take us to the lab of Dr. Frankenstein as we take a look at the 1994 film Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the Topps Comics adaptation of it! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a cartoon or two and as always support your local Horror Host! This next update should be a spooky good time as we get closer to Halloween 2023.