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Tales to Astonish #71

Sep 1965

Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

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Story Name:

Like A Beast At Bay!

Synopsis

Tales to Astonish #71 synopsis by Julio Molina-Muscara

Rating:

The super missile knocks the giant Humanoid out. Hulk escapes, carrying Rick Jones, who alerted him of the attack.

They try hiding in the cave lab, but passing military planes sees them. So Thunderbolt Ross and his soldiers show up at the cave.

Hulk (still with Banner’s intellect) asks Rick to leave the cave before it gets worse. But suddenly, the Leader projects an image of himself in the lab, offering to help them escape in exchange for receiving the Hulk’s aid.

Story #2

Escape... To Nowhere!

Synopsis

By Peter Silvestro
Rating: 3 stars

Credits: Writer: Stan Lee. Pencils: Gene Colan. Inks: Vince Colletta. Colors: ? Letters: Artie Simek.

Synopsis: Trapped in the Cave of Shadows, Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner is under attack by a killer squid. He hurls the shell with Neptune’s mark at the monster, severing its tentacles. King Neptune appears to him, directing him next to the Forbidden Deeps. Namor turns into a human drill and bores a hole through the sealed cave. Outside, he encounters a ship of Krang’s soil-movers; they fire upon him with their machine but Namor flips the ship over and moves on….

Back in Atlantis, Warlord Krang is disappointed in Namor’s escape. Lady Dorma rejoices but the villain assures her soon Namor will die and she will be his queen….

As he continues his journey, Namor is met by Vashti, an elder of the Atlanteans, who reassures him that he is supported by the people….

As Dorma weeps upon her bed, Krang’s men collect taxes from the people, executing any who rebel on the spot….

As Krang watches, Namor comes face-to-face with a giant man made of seaweed, ruler of the Hidden Deeps. They battle but the Seaweed Man is a formidable foe, laying his hand on Namor and pressing him into the ground….

Review / Commentaries

Tales to Astonish #71 Review by Peter Silvestro (January 25, 2024)

Review: The Giant Humanoid is nuked while Hulk jumps away with Rick! Any story that has the hero outracing a nuclear blast is by definition a classic! And General Ross crows that this was one of their clean bombs, showing he is concerned about radiation’s effect on the environment for at least one panel of his sixty-year Marvel career! And we learn that plastic is nuke-proof but not fireproof! Plus, Hulk with Banner’s brain is growing meaner and angrier, which bodes ill for the future! But then, so does having to decide whether to join the Leader or be blown up by the Army!

The quest continues, according to the formula, with Namor escaping one trap and swimming into another. And a giant Seaweed Man can only have come from the 1960s along with Namor turning into a human drill. So Dorma weeps and Krang gloats, fulfilling their roles in the morality play. Fortunately, Namor has enough “cool” to carry the story.

Comments: Hulk story: Artist Mike Esposito credited as Mickey DeMeo.

Subby story: Part two of seven parts. First appearance of Lord Vashti. First appearance of Seaweed Man. Penciler Gene Colan credited as Adam Austin.

> Tales to Astonish comic book info and issue index

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This comic is in the following collection:

Collecting INCREDIBLE HULK (1962) #1-6, TALES TO ASTONISH (1959) #100, INCREDIBLE HULK (1968) #102, and material from TALES TO ASTONISH (1959) #59-99 and #101.

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