Thursday, 19 November 2015

1978: THE INCREDIBLE HULK TV POSTER MAGAZINE (Marvel)

From 1978: THE INCREDIBLE HULK POSTER MAGAZINE.

Screen superheroes, poster mags and photo novels were all big in the Seventies... And this beauty hits the motherload by cannily combining all three.

This was sold in the UK, and plugged in the British line, but its a Marvel US publication out of the New York Bullpen.

The photo strip (or "photocomics" as Stan rebrands the format) is a heavily edited but broadly faithful adaptation of the show's opening fearture-length episode. The Green Goliath's contemporaries received book-length photos adaptations (I just bought a bunch of STAR TREK ones that stretched 50 minute episodes to the requisite page count) where as this opener was subbed down to just a few pages. But it still retains the spirit of Ken Johnson's screen version. 

The flipside was a familiar through impressive publicity still of Lou Ferrigno as ol' green skin. Despite the advances in CGI technology, a buff guy in green body paint and a wig still doesn't seem so hokey. 
The movie, despite having already been screened on ITV, was eventually released as a feature film in British cinemas in 1980.

"Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

**UPDATE: Apparently there was a full Photonovel version of THE INCREDIBLE HULK pilot movie… although I've never seen a copy.  One to watch for methinks**

3 comments:

  1. you mean the trek foto novels from the 70's ? They are still doing them in the current line of trek comics courtesy of john byrne.

    Gotta love that brick lettering !

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    1. Yup. The 1970s editions. A dealer was selling them for £2 each or thereabouts so I grabbed them. I already have the ST TMP and ST II editions. And the recent IDW "bookshelf" edition ones.

      The most elusive Photo Novel from the Star Age (so much so I'm not convinced it ever existed) seems to be the BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25th CENTURY pilot adaptation. I've seen it referenced but I've never even found a cover scan online. I'm dubious as to its existence.

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  2. yes it does exist and you can see it here :


    http://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.ie/2005/11/retro-toy-flashback-16-photonovels.html

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