The Incredible Hulk #142
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe Incredible Hulk #142 marks the first appearance of Samantha Parrington as the Valkyrie — the earliest human host for the Asgardian warrior's spirit and a critical stepping stone toward one of Marvel's most enduring female characters. Although Roy Thomas had already introduced the Valkyrie identity in Avengers #83 as a disguise worn by the Enchantress, this issue deepened the concept by bonding Brunnhilde's essence to a flesh-and-blood mortal, a device later explained retroactively in Defenders #4 and laying the groundwork for Valkyrie's long run as a Defenders mainstay. Beyond its key-debut status, the issue stands as a striking cultural document of its era: writer Roy Thomas wove a sharp satire of early-1970s Manhattan socialite scene into a superhero brawl, drawing directly from Tom Wolfe's 'Radical Chic' essay about limousine-liberal celebrity fundraisers, making the comic an unusually self-aware commentary on class and the co-optation of radical politics.
In "They Shoot Hulks, Don't They?", the Hulk takes center stage at a peculiar social gathering hosted by the Parringtons—only to find himself unexpectedly upstaged when their feminist daughter gains the mystical powers of the Valkyrie from the Enchantress. Written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Herb Trimpe with inks by John Severin, this 1971 Marvel classic blends superhero spectacle with a touch of social commentary, all wrapped in a striking cover by Trimpe and Severin.
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The story was written by Roy Thomas — then Marvel's primary scripter after Stan Lee moved to publisher duties — and drawn by Herb Trimpe with inks by John Severin, the core creative team that defined the Hulk's early Bronze Age run. Thomas conceived the Valkyrie as a 'female Thor' figure, as he later stated publicly, but initially kept her as a conjured disguise before expanding the concept in this issue by giving her an independent mortal host. The title 'They Shoot Hulks, Don't They?' paraphrases the 1969 Jane Fonda film, and Tom Wolfe himself appears in a cameo, reflecting Thomas's habit of densely layering literary and cultural allusions into his scripts. Stan Lee is credited as editor, and the issue went on sale May 11, 1971, carrying an August 1971 cover date.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Samantha Parrington (Earth-616) as the Valkyrie — the first mortal human to host the spirit of the Asgardian warrior Brunnhilde.
- Written by Roy Thomas, penciled by Herb Trimpe, inked by John Severin, lettered by Artie Simek, and edited by Stan Lee; interior coloring is attributed to Marie Severin.
- The Enchantress (Amora) appears as the villain, magically bonding Brunnhilde's essence to Samantha Parrington in revenge against the Hulk — a plot device later clarified and canonized in Defenders #4 (February 1973).
- The story is a deliberate satire of Tom Wolfe's 1970 essay 'Radical Chic,' critiquing wealthy New York socialites who adopt marginalized causes as social accessories — Wolfe himself appears as a named cameo character at the Parringtons' fundraiser party.
- The issue's title, 'They Shoot Hulks, Don't They?', directly parodies the title of the 1969 Jane Fonda film 'They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'
- The Valkyrie bests the Hulk in physical combat and carries him to the top of the Empire State Building — one of the few times in Bronze Age comics a new character defeats the Hulk so decisively on her debut.
- Reprinted multiple times, including Marvel Super-Heroes #93 (November 1980), The Mighty World of Marvel (Marvel UK) #111–112 (November 1974), Essential Hulk Vol. 3 (2005), and Incredible Hulk Epic Collection Vol. 5 (2020).
- Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) carries the designation 'Scrapper 142' — widely noted by fans as a nod to this issue number, the comic in which the Valkyrie identity first inhabited a mortal woman.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in The Mighty World of Marvel #111 (1974), The Mighty World of Marvel #112 (1974), Hulk #9 (1978), Marvel Super-Heroes #93 (1980), The Marvel Comics Illustrated Version of the Incredible Hulk #02832 (1982), Essential Hulk #3 (2005), Essential Hulk #3 [Second Edition] (2012), Incredible Hulk Epic Collection #5 (2020), The Incredible Hulk Omnibus #3 (2025), Hulk E I Difensori #19
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