Now that the first trailer for Guardians Of The Galaxy is making the rounds, let's take a little trip back to May, 1982. It's the 20th anniversary of The Incredible Hulk--and writer Bill Mantlo and artist Sal Buscema are celebrating it by reintroducing us to Mantlo's new creation:
Yes, it's the second appearance of Rocket Raccoon, continued his adventures from a backup feature in a separate magazine. And on an alien planet called Halfworld, in the Keystone Quadrant, Rocket and his first mate, Wal Russ, have stumbled upon (well, there's no other way to say it) the incredible:
The characters of Rocket's story are zany and almost always in crisis mode, and Mantlo has us hitting the ground running. And once the Hulk revives and becomes accustomed to his new companions, we get whirlwind introductions to everyone we need to know about. First, hastening Rocket and his crew's departure aboard their ship, the "Rakk 'n' Ruin," are the members of the local constabulary (though please don't assume that term is any indication of their level of competence):
As for the Keystone Quadrant itself, Rocket describes both Halfworld as well as the massive wall which surrounds the entire quadrant:
And the villain of our story? An evil corporate power monger who's after the quadrant's greatest treasure, the Gideon Bible:
It's then that the story immediately kicks in, with Judson Jakes attacking Rocket's stronghold (Cuckoo's Nest) and making off with both the Gideon Bible and Rocket's girlfriend, Lylla. And Rocket spells out the stakes for the Hulk, hoping that he'll decide to throw in with him:
What will the Hulk decide??
And why are you asking such a silly question?
The "Rakk 'n' Ruin" heads for Judson Jakes' own stronghold in the quadrant, Spacewheel, where Jakes has summoned his resident genius, Uncle Pyko, to discover the secrets of Gideon's Bible:
Jakes has predicted Rocket's reaction correctly, as the mammal approaches Spacewheel. But the "Rakk 'n' Ruin" discovers a reception committee that's both deadly and, believe it or not, amusing.
YES, THAT'S RIGHT, it's the KILLER CLOWNS:
And once the Hulk is geared for outer space battle, he and Rocket launch into the void to make sure these clowns don't have the last laugh:
Once the clowns are dealt with, the Hulk gains them entry into Spacewheel as only he can. And the Hulk will definitely come in handy again, when the pair encounter another deadly nemesis:
Rocket will unfortunately have to face Jakes and the rest of this battle alone, though, because the Hulk has found a ticket back to Earth--with the eager assistance of Uncle Pyko, who is only too happy to have the Hulk looking at the Keystone Quadrant from a departure angle.
As for Rocket, he makes short work of Judson Jakes--and when Uncle Pyko appears, the Gideon Bible is returned, as demanded. Rocket suspects that Pyko is being a little too cooperative--and with good reason, since, unknown to Rocket and his group, Pyko has indeed deciphered the secrets of the Bible. A fact that he plans to keep to himself:
Rocket doesn't cross paths with the Hulk again--though if Hollywood producers have the good sense to combine the Avengers and the Guardians in one amazing blockbuster film, chances are that the Hulk will meet his furry, masked ally once more. But aside from that, you know that we'd all pay good money to see the Killer Clowns explode onto the big screen.