When the Guardians of the Galaxy films hit movie theatres, many people got introduced to the cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe. One of the breakout characters of the film was a certain little gunslinging uplifted raccoon named Rocket. And like the other members of the MCU Guardians of the Galaxy, he's an older character than many people realize. As such, I thought I'd take a look at his first appearance.
Well...technically, Rocket first appeared in Marvel Preview #7 (Summer 1976), written by Bill Mantlo with art by Keith Giffen. In his debut, he was called "Rocky", and used British phrasing. Which made sense as the character was inspired by the Beatles' 1968 song "Rocky Raccoon". However, it's in this comic that he would gain a higher profile...for a while, at least. Let's look at Incredible Hulk #271!
"Now Somewhere in the Black Holes of Sirius Major There Lived a Young Boy Name of Rocket Raccoon!"
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Penciler: Sal Buscema
Inker: Sal Buscema
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Letterer: Jim Novak
Editor: Al Milgrom
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter
The story begins with a pair of unusual figures finding our Green Goliath out like a light.
Meet Rocket Raccoon and Wal Russ, a pair of funny animal adventurers. The two notice that Hulk is very much alive...and they need to get him out of here before the Robomower arrives. The Robomower is a big monsterous blue machine with arms and tank treads. Rocket tries to attack the machine, but his laser gun is not very helpful. Luckily, Hulk wakes up, and ol' Jade Jaws is none too happy. Well, more none too happy than usual.
Yeah, never wake Hulk up if you value your life. Hulk then notices Rocket and Wal. Hulk wonders what is going on, but Rocket and Wal plan to skedaddle. The fuzz is after them. As in the cops.
Yeah, why do Rocket and Wal fear these guys? Oh yeah, they could end up getting killed accidentally. Anyway, the three make their way to Rocket and Wal's ship: The Rakk 'n' Ruin. On board, they're able to treat Hulk to some dinner. Hulk still wants to know where he is, and how he got here. Wal and Russ have no idea how he got here, but they do know where he is.
Welcome to the Keystone Quadrant! This little area of space is cut off from the rest of the universe by the Galacian Wall. The major world on it is called Halfworld. Halfworld is Rocket and Wal's home. Why is this place called Halfworld? Well, one half of this planet has been stripped bare of its resources by its mechanoid inhabitants in an attempt to build a giant humanoid ship known as...Ship. Yeah, the mechanoids are no good at names.
The other half is a Garden of Eden, which is the home of uplifted animals. They maintain their half with machines the mechanoids built for them. The only known humans in the Quadrant are the Keystone Cops. And lately there has been some serious trouble in the Quadrant recently.
Meet Judson Jakes, the cause of all the problems in the Quadrant recently. This malevolent mole runs Inter-Stel Mechanics, a monstrous mega-corp who uses the creations of the terrible tortoise Uncle Pyko as well as the mercenaries known as the Black Bunny Brigade to do his dirty work. Jakes is obsessed with obtaining an artifact known as Gideon's Bible. This Bible is supposed to have contained the knowledge of the origins of the Keystone Quadrant. Thing is, Gideon's Bible is written in a language that no one on Halfworld can read.
Rocket and Wal get a call from Rocket's ladyfriend Lylla Otter. The Black Bunny Brigade has launched an attack on the Cuckoo's Nest, the stronghold where Gideon's Bible is kept at. The two anthromorphic animals ask Hulk to help them out. After all, his power would be invaluable. However, the Green Goliath is a bit confused. He ended up here because he helped someone else, and he does have allies/friends on Earth that he wants to come back to.
Back on Earth, two of those allies (Betty Ross and Rick Jones) are in a bit of a pickle. Rick Jones, being a bit of a dolt, decided to expose himself to a massive dose of gamma radiation in order to become a second Hulk. Rick's own idiocy has left him nearly at death's door, and then this woman shows up.
Meet Bereet, Krylorian filmmaker extraordinare. You may remember her from my review of Incredible Hulk #276 (October 1982). She's here to film the death of Rick Jones as part of her latest documentary about the Hulk. She's made a film about the Hulk before (this was a way to retcon the events of the first nine issues of the Rampaging Hulk magazine out of canon). Betty asks the alien woman to help her. Bereet whips out a spider-like machine that keeps Rick stable. The Life Support Spider can't cure Rick, but it will keep him alive until he can get some proper medical help. This occurs as the Hulk, Wal, and Rocket arrive at Cuckoo's Nest. We next get to see Spacewheel, the home of Judson Jakes.
Jakes also has Lylla captive. The malevolent mole asks Uncle Pyko to translate the Bible. The terrible tortoise is unsure that he can. After all, the words in there are incomprehensible. But Jakes has faith in him. Pyko is a genius. He built the Spacewheel station, he can translate a book. Uh, Judson? Just because Pyko can build a space station doesn't mean that he's a linguistics expert.
Anyway, the Rakk 'n' Ruin makes its way to the Spacewheel. The Hulk as agreed to help, and none too soon. Jakes and Pyko have sent a welcoming party.
...I think some of these guys would find their way to Earth in 1988. Rocket and Hulk engage in a little EVA to fight the clowns. Between Rocket's sharpshooting skill and Hulk's raw power, the Killer Clowns get wrecked. Hulk provides an alternate entrance to the Spacewheel with his fist, where they find that Blackjack O'Hare, the leader of the Black Bunny Brigade, has Lylla at gunpoint.
Hulk and Rocket take down O'Hare, and rescue Lylla. The thrown-together party head out to retrieve Gideon's Bible, but the Hulk gets distracted by something in another room.
Uncle Pyko can get Hulk home. After all, it would be advantageous to them both... Meanwhile, Rocket, Wal, and Lylla manage to catch up to the evil Judson Jakes. Jakes sics a creature called a Drakillar on them. The Drakillar is another one of Uncle Pyko's creations. Once a bat, now a monster. Rocket painfully blasts the creature, putting it out of its misery.
Meanwhile, while talking to Hulk, Uncle Pyko makes a little revelation: He did manage to translate Gideon's Bible. He discovered how by probing the mind of one of the Keystone Cops. The Cop didn't survive the experience, but Pyko discovered the Cops were direct descendants of the people who wrote Gideon's Bible. The scene implies that Halfworld may have started out as an ancient human interstellar colony. Anyway, there's a balance of power on Halfworld between Uncle Pyko's machines and the animals that Rocket protects. The Hulk would really mess that balance up, and as such, Pyko wants him gone.
Meanwhile, Rocket's got a gun to Jakes's head, and the trash panda's got an itchy trigger finger. Pyko just hands him Gideon's Bible, claiming that he couldn't translate it. He told Jakes that earlier. He also points out the Hulk has gone home, claiming that whatever brought him here just...wore off. Rocket takes the book back, but is very suspicious of Pyko, outright saying that he thinks the turtle knows something.
The story ends with Jakes fuming over Rocket getting the Bible back (although Pyko reminds him that he supposedly couldn't translate it, so it was useless to them), and Rocket hoping that maybe he and the Hulk will cross paths again one day. You'd be surprised who your path crosses with in the future, Rocky...
I enjoyed this issue, but I felt it would have been better for a standard issue, not an anniversary one. It is a fun little tale, don't get me wrong. But this was meant to be the Hulk's 20th anniversary. It would have been nice to have Hulk be the focus of the story. This is clearly a Rocket Raccoon-focused story. It still is a fun one. And it's interesting to see how different he was in his early appearances compared to more modern portrayals of the character.
I like Sal Buscema's artwork. His style captures the rage of the Hulk very well. His rendition of Rocket makes me think he was trying to go halfway between more realistic and cartoony. As such, his Rocket feels a bit...off to me. His Wal and Lylla don't seem to have that issue. I have no idea why.
If you want to read this story yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2013 trade paperback Rocket Raccoon and Groot: The Complete Collection. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask! Join me next time when we look at the debut of some superhumans who made an escape...
No comments:
Post a Comment