The Incredible Hulk #148
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe Incredible Hulk #148 is a quietly pivotal Bronze Age issue that juggles three separate debut-level contributions in a single story. It marks the second appearance of Jarella — the queen of the subatomic world K'ai and one of the Hulk's most enduring romantic relationships — whose importance to the character's emotional life across the 1970s can scarcely be overstated. Alongside her return, the issue introduces Dr. Peter Corbeau and his Starcore orbiting satellite, supporting characters who would weave through major Marvel storylines for decades, including the foundational 'Phoenix Saga' in Uncanny X-Men. The issue is also the first published comic work of Chris Claremont — the writer who would later redefine Marvel's X-Men franchise across a legendary sixteen-year run — making it a fascinating footnote in the biography of one of the medium's most consequential storytellers.
In "But Tomorrow — the Sun Shall Die!", Bruce Banner finally finds relief from his gamma radiation, only to discover that his cure has triggered a catastrophic chain reaction—threatening the very sun itself. With Jarella now on Earth, the fate of the planet hangs in the balance as the Hulk confronts a cosmic crisis he never saw coming. Written by Archie Goodwin and Chris Claremont, with dynamic art by Herb Trimpe and inks by John Severin, this landmark issue features a cover by Trimpe and Severin that captures the scale of the impending doom.
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The issue carries a cover date of February 1972 and was released on-sale in November 1971, produced under Stan Lee's tenure as editor-in-chief. Writer Archie Goodwin scripted the main story while a young Chris Claremont — then still working as an editorial assistant at Marvel after graduating from Bard College in 1972 — contributed a plot assist, making this his first published comics work. Herb Trimpe, who served as the Hulk's regular penciler for much of the 1970s, handled art duties, with veteran inker John Severin joining him on both the cover and interiors; unusually, the colorist credit (Steve Englehart) was not published in the issue itself but was revealed later in the letters column of Incredible Hulk #152.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover-dated February 1972 (on-sale November 9, 1971); published by Marvel Comics under Stan Lee as editor-in-chief.
- Second appearance of Jarella, queen of the subatomic world K'ai — originally introduced in Incredible Hulk #140 (1971) in a plot by guest writer Harlan Ellison — who went on to become one of the Hulk's most significant love interests throughout the 1970s before her death in issue #205 (1976).
- First appearance of Dr. Peter Corbeau, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and Bruce Banner's former college roommate, and his Starcore orbiting satellite; Corbeau later became a recurring supporting figure in the X-Men titles, including the 'Phoenix Saga.'
- First appearance of the Hulkbusters (U.S. military unit) and the villain Fialan, assassin supreme of Pitll Pawob.
- Chris Claremont receives a plot-assist credit — this is his first published comic work, predating his regular scripting debut (Daredevil #102, August 1973) and his iconic sixteen-year run on Uncanny X-Men, which began in 1975.
- Archie Goodwin wrote the script; Herb Trimpe penciled and co-illustrated the cover; John Severin inked; Art Simek lettered; Steve Englehart colored (credit delayed to issue #152's letters page).
- The main story is titled 'But Tomorrow — the Sun Shall Die!' with an opening chapter titled 'The Girl in the Emerald Atom!'; the story hinges on Corbeau's solar-energy device accidentally destabilizing the sun when combined with Jarella's teleportation to Earth.
- Reprinted in Marvel Super-Heroes #97 (May 1981), Hulk: Heart of the Atom hardcover and trade collections, Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 8 (2014), and The Incredible Hulk Omnibus Vol. 3 (2025), among numerous international editions.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in The Mighty World of Marvel #127 (1975), The Mighty World of Marvel #128 (1975), Hulk #13 (1978), Marvel Super-Heroes #97 (1981), Hulk #11/1984 (1984), Hulk #11/1984 (1984), Essential Hulk #4 (2006), Hulk: Heart of the Atom #[nn] (2008), Hulk: Heart of the Atom #[nn] (2012), Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk #8 (2014), The Ultimate Graphic Novels Collection - Classic #22 (2015), Marvel. Официальная коллекция комиксов #84 (2017), Incredible Hulk Epic Collection #5 (2020), The Incredible Hulk Omnibus #3 (2025), Hulk E I Difensori #25, Hulken #2/1984
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