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Marvel Fanfare #7

Mar 1983
Steven Grant, Joe Barney

Story Name:

With Friends Like These…


Synopsis

Marvel Fanfare #7 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4 stars

A happy Hulk is walking through a wilderness area in Colorado when he is attacked by US military jets; Hulk uproots a tree and hurls it at the lead plane, disabling it. The pilot ejects, realizing Hulk aimed at the wing and not the cockpit, implying he may not be the brute they have always thought him. Hulk leaps away from the other planes….

A small circus 150 miles to the west is run by the mutant known as Blob. It houses his friend Unus the Untouchable, whose mutation has gone out of control causing his force field to constantly expand without his choice. Only the immovable Blob can fight his way through the force field to feed Unus. Hulk, meanwhile, has landed nearby and is hungry; the smell of hot dogs leads him to the circus where he seizes the food cart and starts eating. The circus people swarm Hulk who bats them all away until Blob shows up. Hulk batters Blob but the immovable mutant just laughs it off…until Hulk yanks him up, pulling the ground up with him. Hulk biffs him into the tent where Unus lives. Unus challenges Hulk for hurting his friend and the force field protects him…until Hulk is able to move the entire field and Unus inside it. Blob attacks Hulk, determined to defeat him and Hulk leaps away, taking Blob with him; Unus runs to catch up with them. Blob pounds Hulk severely with no effect. Hulk punches Blob in the stomach but when the baddie tries to repel him with his gut muscles, it is Blob who is hurled backwards, thumping his head on a boulder. The angry Unus arrives and attacks Hulk, who punches the force field so hard that Unus is hurled into the distance. Hulk departs. On recovery, Unus discovers his force field is gone, dispersed by Hulk’s blow. He finds Blob catatonic and carries him back to the circus…though small stones are being repelled in Unus’ path….

“Bless the Beasts & Children…”
Writer: Bill Mantlo. Pencils: George Freeman. Inks: George Freeman. Colors: Glynis Oliver. Letters: Annette Kawecki.
Synopsis: On a busy New York City street, the driver of a Daily Bugle delivery van suddenly dies and the van careens out of control onto a sidewalk. Everyone runs for safety but for a boy with a dog. Daredevil swings down and scoops up the boy but his dog runs away. DD then discovers that the boy is blind and has a new guide dog; he promises to recover the kid’s dog and heads out into the big city. Yet there are too many dogs on the streets and in the homes for him to single one out. He hears a man mistreating a dog and assaults him, only to find he is from the ASPCA and it’s his job to bring in stray animals. He refers DD to the nearby animal shelter. Daredevil goes there and presents his problem—and then finds he was just moments too late to prevent the guide dog from being put down. He resigns himself to telling the boy that sometimes superheroes fail.

 

 

Review / Commentaries


Marvel Fanfare #7 Review by (September 26, 2023)

Review: A popular type of comic book story has the protagonist pitted against a foe with some unusual power and we wait to see how the hero will figure out a clever way around it to defeat the baddie. Well, it doesn’t work that way when the protagonist is the Hulk as his only “clever” response is punching harder. As such the tale is a little disappointing but still enjoyable. In fact, the opening sequence with the jet planes is the best part of the issue.

The Daredevil story is well done, mature, incisive, and totally miserable. This may be the most depressing Marvel story that doesn’t involve Spider-Man and a kid with cancer.   

Comments: Hulk story: Title comes from the saying, “With friends like these, you don’t need enemies.” A note indicates that this story takes place before Hulk was given Bruce Banner’s intelligence in INCREDIBLE HULK #272; Marvel Chronology Project places it after INCREDIBLE HULK #268 as Hulk goes to space in the following issue. MCP puts Blob next in UNCANNY X-MEN #177-178 and Unus in POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #90, each back in New York with no mention of the other one; their next joint appearance is in PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #91, as a sequel to this issue. Marvel Database places the two solo issues before MARVEL FANFARE #7. Hey, I'm starting to sound like Rob Johnson!

Daredevil story: Title comes from a novel/film of that name involving animal welfare. MCP places the Daredevil story immediately before DAREDEVIL #186. Issue features a Daredevil portrait on the back cover.



> Marvel Fanfare comic book info and issue index

Elektra

Excelsioring your collection:
Marvel Legends in 3D Comic Daredevil 1:2 Scale Bust
Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Joe Barney
George Freeman
Petra Goldberg
Joe Barney (Cover Penciler)
George Freeman (Cover Inker)
? (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Jim Novak.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Blob
Blob

(Fred Dukes)
Daredevil
Daredevil

(Matt Murdock)
Hulk
Hulk

(Robert Bruce Banner)

Plus: Unus (Gunther Bain).