Welcome again to MARVELous Monday, the day I share a random Silver and or Bronze age Marvel book I read to try and spice up our boring Mondays.
Sorry for the late post, I didn’t get a chance to sit down to pick a book at random and read until this early evening.
This week, since I’ve been on a Silver Surfer kick and the Hulk is all the rage, I bring forth the very first appearance of the Silver Shulker. Wait, what?
Yes, you heard me, Incredible Hulk #250 is the first appearance of the Silver Shulker, where the Silver Surfer drains Hulk’s gamma rays to escape Galactus’s Earth banishment barrier.
Don’t believe me? Keep reading.
The Hulk was seeking out a nice quiet place, away from humans somewhere in Colorado transitioning back into Banner.
Silver Surfer finds himself believing the barrier has weakened so he sets for the cosmos that ends in defeat. The Silver Surfer is trapped on Earth.
Swearing he will break free, the Surfer recalls from previous encounters with the Hulk that his gamma infused power could help him break through the barrier.
Silver Surfer seeks out the Hulk, finding him and explaining he needs the power of the Hulk.
Banner sees this as a threat, turns into Hulk and they battle.
During the battle, The Silver Surfer starts to drain the gamma rays from Hulk, curing him of his curse, purging the gamma rays from his cells.
Now with the Hulk out of the way, he needs Banners help to infuse him with all of the Gamma Rays. Banner claims he needs computers and technology to achieve this task. Silver Surfer tells Banner he will prepare them from ruins.
After the Silver Surfer builds Banner his lab of machines and computers, he starts to infuse the Silver Surfer with gamma rays, his anger starts to consume him just like the Hulk. He blasts out of the lab and takes his rage out on the innocent countryside that gains the attention of some of the locals.
Silver Surfer returns to tell Banner he needs more gamma radiation, in order to escape this prison on Earth, to surf the cosmos. Banner cannot refuse as the rage has consumed the Silver Surfer. Designing the gamma ray to focus it’s rays onto the Silver Surfer as he blasts out of the lab towards the cosmos now, the locals have raided to put a stop to the destruction being caused by both Banner and Silver Surfer.
As the Silver Surfer makes his way into space to escape Earth past the barrier, the locals manage to disrupt the machine infusing the Surfer with a pitchfork. In the process, Banner while ushering the people out, an explosion occurs, infusing him once again with the very gamma rays that make him turn into the Hulk once again.
The Surfer returns to find out what’s happened, finding the Hulk is back who jumps onto his board. Silver Surfer manages to absorb the Hulk’s powers during a fight, giving him enough gamma rays to blast past the barrier, free at last. This caused Hulk to turn back into Banner though, plummeting back towards earth.
The surfer realizes he must save Banner, who is weak. The only way to save him is to transfer the gamma back into him. He saves Banner but at the cost that both remain cursed and trapped as the Silver Surfer no longer possesses the power to break free while Banner lives with his monster alter ego.
The Silver Surfer knows that taking on the power of the Hulk was not the most ideal way to break free as it put too many innocent lives at risk.
So there you have it. If they ever mash the Hulk with Silver Surfer, this is where it all happened first. With the cosmic power he didn’t turn green but he did turn into a monster to break free through Galactus barrier that traps him here on Earth.