HULK: CROSSROADS is the third of three recent chronological reprints of 1980s Bill Mantlo/Sal Buscema material. PARDONED deals with Bruce Banner gaining control of the Hulk and stepping up to his role in the MU super-heroic and scientific community; REGRESSION deals with Banner losing control and ends with his banishment from this dimension; CROSSROADS tells the tale of the banishment itself. These three volumes make a good follow-up to the “Rampaging” stories reprinted in the “Essential” edition, if read from the Krylorian bird-woman Bereet’s point of view. The “Essential” stories tell of the “movies” she made, and the PARDONED collection begins with her entry into proper continuity.
Back to CROSSROADS, Dr. Strange’s old foe Nightmare tried to gain revenge on the Sorcerer Supreme via the green goliath. When it became clear that Banner would never be clear of his curse, he opted to commit psychological suicide, “killing” his own personality and allowing the Hulk to exist as a mindless beast. The couldn’t remain on Earth, obviously, but Doctor Strange wanted to do right by his old friend, so he cast a spell which would send Hulk to a dimensional crossroads, from where he could chose a dimension to inhabit. A failsafe on the spell would return him to the crossroads if he endangered innocents or became unhappy.
This was not my favorite arc when it was being published, but I am very much looking forward to reading these stories for the second time ever. Just last weekend I re-read the stories reprinted in the most recent MMW Hulk volume, and it occurred to me what a shame it was that Xeron, Captain Cyber and Klaatu were not used again. I had completely forgotten that they were reintroduced in one of these “crossroads” dimensions. Pretty soon I’ll be up to the John Byrne era.
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I never read ANY of these stories. I'd enjoyed the Roger Stern run, both because of the writing and because they kept getting much better than average inkers (finishers) for Sal Buscema's pencils (LAYOUTS!). Stern started out looking into Bruce Banner's psychology (many years before Peter David did), but then quickly used the book as a format to "finish off" other people's long-unfinished storylines (like the "They Who Wield Power" thing that had been introduced in MARVEL TEAM-UP a decade earlier).
When Stern left, and the book became a return to "the same old crap"-- PLUS, Sal inking himself (which I thought looked HORRIBLE), I gave up within 6 months. I'd had enough.
I did read about Banner finally getting control of the Hulk-- something that by rights, SHOULD have happened at least a decade earlier (maybe more). The "tough guy" Hulk of many Kirby episodes was always the only one that ever interested me. But it wasn't enough to get me back reading. And next thing I knew, I read that Banner had lost control-- AGAIN-- and worse-- Hulk had become "mindless". (Even more than usual). I mean... who the HELL wanted to read THAT???
I was a fan of John Byrne back then, and so did pick up his issues... but as soon as he was gone (over some stupid problem with his editor), I was outta there again. I never read Peter David's run of the book, EITHER, and have no interest in ever doing so.
Regarding the psychology of the Hulk, I don’t think a lot of people are aware of this, but it was actually Bill Mantlo who, near the end of his run in one of the very stories collected in the “Crossroads” volume, established that Bruce Banner suffered from multiple personality disorder. Peter David later took that idea and ran with it, but he is the first to give credit where it’s due and admit that Mantlo came up with the idea in the first place.
The inking for most of the stories is this volume is by Gerry Taloac (I think that’s the correct spelling), and IMHO looks really good over Sal Buscema’s pencils. There are other artists represented as well, such as Bret Blevins for one. Buscema didn’t do covers of comics he worked on during this period, and some were rendered by Mike Mignola, Bill Sienkevicz, and others.
John Byrne’s short run is among my all-time favorites. I wish it could have lasted longer. The way I understand it, the problem Byrne had with his editor at the time was over a story he wanted to tell in full-page panels. The idea was nixed, but the story later saw print in Marvel Fanfare.
I was never a fan of the "Mindless" Hulk. The trio of imps that followed him (Gossamer, Glow and Goblin, I think) were never that compelling and they would thrust the Hulk into dimensions that we knew he wasn't going to be happy in. Plus there was no way the Hulk was going to stay at the Crossroads for long anyway.
It made no sense for Nightmare to be responsible for all this. It diminished the Hulk by making him just a weapon to use against Doctor Strange. If it were the Leader or the Shaper of Worlds, there could have been a payoff but Banner being defeated by someone else's arch-nemesis? Not the best choice, IMHO.
All kudos to Sal Buscema, a true Marvel mainstay. I never had a problem following the story of any book he drew!
Peter David got all the credit for it, Bill Mantlo was acknowleged by some as having done it earlier, but Roger Stern took a stab at it (for several issues) several years before Mantlo.
I've recently read there was more to the John Byrne fiasco than was generally reported over the years... but the way these things go, it's hard to be sure if the new info is "the real truth" or just somebody's B.S. trying to cover someone else's nonsense. (I get that feeling a LOT whenever I read anything Jim Shooter posts online.)
I liked the “Pardoned” and “Regression” stories more when I re-read them recently than I did originally, and I hope the same will hold true with “Crossroads.” Reading them all in a “satisfying chunk” (and with 20+ years hindsight), I can appreciate the deliberateness of the arc Mantlo was telling. Something of a reversal of the usual “rise, fall and redemption” cycle, these three collections represent the “redemption, rise and fall” of theHulk.
I’ll tell what collection I’m really looking forward to, though: Hulk from the UK Vaults (solicited for June 26 release). If the three collections discussed in this thread are nostalgic (and, for me, they most certainly are), I’ve never read the stips from the British Hulk Comic. Anyone here planning to buy that one?