HEROES FOR HIRE! Appreciation 2019

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Incredible Hulk #300 Oct 1984
"Days of Rage!"
The now savage Hulk stands on the roof of Smythe's Warehouse and begins tearing down a billboard.
He hurls it down to the street below, and the panicking crowd cannot understand why the Hulk has suddenly become so feral.
Daredevil observes the carnage and detects an abandoned child sitting in the midst of the fleeing pedestrians.
He swings down and scoops the child to safety before the hordes of people accidentally trample him.

Gabe Jones leads an attack squadron of S.H.I.E.L.D. hoverfliers to engage the Hulk.
They launch napalm missiles at him, and the roof of the warehouse erupts into flames.
Kate Waynesboro stands nearby watching the attack.
She realizes now that the man she loved is hopelessly lost and that the Hulk is truly nothing more now than a monster.

The Hulk picks up a water tower from the roof of the building and hurls it at the S.H.I.E.L.D. hoverfliers.
The ships are destroyed, and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents fall seemingly to their doom.
Fortunately, Spider-Man arrives and catches them in a net of webbing.
He then creates a web canopy to protect the agents from the deluge of now blistering hot water that descends down from the destroyed tower.
The combination of steaming water and flames causes the roof of the warehouse to collapse and the Hulk falls down inside.

From nearby Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange sits on the stoop of his mansion and observes events from afar.
He knows that there is no chance of saving Banner, but he needs to find a way to stop the Hulk without destroying him.
He goes into his sanctum to consult with the Orb of Agamotto.

The Hulk meanwhile, emerges from the burning warehouse and stalks out into the street
where he is met by a battalion of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and New York City police officers.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents fire upon the Hulk with their advanced handguns, but this proves fruitless.
The Hulk tears up a section of the street pavement, which sends agents and police officers alike scattering across the ground.

At City Hall, Mayor Ed Koch consults with New York governor Mario Cuomo regarding the Hulk's rampage.
The governor recommends calling in the National Guard, but the mayor instead sends a signal to Avengers Mansion.

Other heroes arrive on the scene to take their chance at bringing down the Hulk.
The Human Torch unleashes a blast of flame, but the Hulk extinguishes him with a super-clap of his hands.

Iron Fist charges up his fist and punches at the Hulk,
but the Hulk catches the blow and re-channels the energy back into Iron Fist's body.

Power Man charges at him from behind and the Hulk responds by punching him through four skyscrapers.

Eventually, the Avengers arrive and attack the Hulk as well.
Starfox attempts to use his pheremone power to calm him,
but the Hulk is beyond calming at this point and sends Starfox flying.
The Scarlet Witch uses her hex power to electrocute the Hulk, but this doesn't even slow him down.
The Vision tells Captain Marvel to assume the form of Gamma radiation and attack the Hulk. This too proves futile.
The Vision engages the Hulk directly and tries to stop him by altering his density.
The Hulk pounds the Vision across the top of his head, driving him several feet into the ground.
Thor takes his turn and the two combatants rage across Manhattan trading blow for blow with one another.
Thor is one of the few beings alive who can actually withstand a punch from the Incredible Hulk.
Their fight carries over into Central Park, and the Hulk attacks Thor with his own commemorative Adamantium statue.
Thor deflects the projectile with Mjolnir, and the impact sends shockwaves across the city.

Finally, Doctor Strange arrives. After consulting with the Orb of Agamotto,
he realizes that there is only one solution towards stopping the Hulk – exile.
Having analyzed several different dimensional realms, he decides that the only place
where the Hulk can no longer threaten a living being is in a Crossroads realm.
Strange opens a mystic portal and places it before the Hulk, just as the green behemoth begins charging at him.
As the Hulk enters the rift, the portal quickly closes.

Story by Bill Mantlo. Art by Sal Buscema and Gerry Talaoc.

[K7P5V]

Incredible Hulk #300 Oct 1984
"Days of Rage!"
The now savage Hulk stands on the roof of Smythe's Warehouse and begins tearing down a billboard.
He hurls it down to the street below, and the panicking crowd cannot understand why the Hulk has suddenly become so feral.
Daredevil observes the carnage and detects an abandoned child sitting in the midst of the fleeing pedestrians.
He swings down and scoops the child to safety before the hordes of people accidentally trample him.

Gabe Jones leads an attack squadron of S.H.I.E.L.D. hoverfliers to engage the Hulk.
They launch napalm missiles at him, and the roof of the warehouse erupts into flames.
Kate Waynesboro stands nearby watching the attack.
She realizes now that the man she loved is hopelessly lost and that the Hulk is truly nothing more now than a monster.

The Hulk picks up a water tower from the roof of the building and hurls it at the S.H.I.E.L.D. hoverfliers.
The ships are destroyed, and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents fall seemingly to their doom.
Fortunately, Spider-Man arrives and catches them in a net of webbing.
He then creates a web canopy to protect the agents from the deluge of now blistering hot water that descends down from the destroyed tower.
The combination of steaming water and flames causes the roof of the warehouse to collapse and the Hulk falls down inside.

From nearby Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange sits on the stoop of his mansion and observes events from afar.
He knows that there is no chance of saving Banner, but he needs to find a way to stop the Hulk without destroying him.
He goes into his sanctum to consult with the Orb of Agamotto.

The Hulk meanwhile, emerges from the burning warehouse and stalks out into the street
where he is met by a battalion of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and New York City police officers.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents fire upon the Hulk with their advanced handguns, but this proves fruitless.
The Hulk tears up a section of the street pavement, which sends agents and police officers alike scattering across the ground.

At City Hall, Mayor Ed Koch consults with New York governor Mario Cuomo regarding the Hulk's rampage.
The governor recommends calling in the National Guard, but the mayor instead sends a signal to Avengers Mansion.

Other heroes arrive on the scene to take their chance at bringing down the Hulk.
The Human Torch unleashes a blast of flame, but the Hulk extinguishes him with a super-clap of his hands.

Iron Fist charges up his fist and punches at the Hulk,
but the Hulk catches the blow and re-channels the energy back into Iron Fist's body.

Power Man charges at him from behind and the Hulk responds by punching him through four skyscrapers.

Eventually, the Avengers arrive and attack the Hulk as well.
Starfox attempts to use his pheremone power to calm him,
but the Hulk is beyond calming at this point and sends Starfox flying.
The Scarlet Witch uses her hex power to electrocute the Hulk, but this doesn't even slow him down.
The Vision tells Captain Marvel to assume the form of Gamma radiation and attack the Hulk. This too proves futile.
The Vision engages the Hulk directly and tries to stop him by altering his density.
The Hulk pounds the Vision across the top of his head, driving him several feet into the ground.
Thor takes his turn and the two combatants rage across Manhattan trading blow for blow with one another.
Thor is one of the few beings alive who can actually withstand a punch from the Incredible Hulk.
Their fight carries over into Central Park, and the Hulk attacks Thor with his own commemorative Adamantium statue.
Thor deflects the projectile with Mjolnir, and the impact sends shockwaves across the city.

Finally, Doctor Strange arrives. After consulting with the Orb of Agamotto,
he realizes that there is only one solution towards stopping the Hulk – exile.
Having analyzed several different dimensional realms, he decides that the only place
where the Hulk can no longer threaten a living being is in a Crossroads realm.
Strange opens a mystic portal and places it before the Hulk, just as the green behemoth begins charging at him.
As the Hulk enters the rift, the portal quickly closes.

Story by Bill Mantlo. Art by Sal Buscema and Gerry Talaoc.

Awesome! Great artwork from Sal & Gerry. Thanks for the memories, 616MarvelYear is LeapYear.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

When I first started reading Luke and Danny...







And, IMHO, the best modern take on the Heroes for Hire...
Only thing I would change is swap Hulk for She-Hulk.
I remember this was coming out shortly after my first encounters with the internet, walking to the local library to see the comic news and previews.

Agreed! Also, it would be nice if, somehow, the Disney+ She-Hulk series would lead to the debut of HEROES FOR HIRE! in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Defenders #17 Nov 1974
"Power Play!" Guest-starring Power Man
Setting up Aragorn in a new home at Kyle Richmond's riding academy, Valkyrie is also gifted with
a mystical disguise that allows her to switch from street clothes to her warrior armor by drawing her sword.
Afterwards she bids farewell to the Defenders, as does the Hulk who is upset by Val's departure.

When buildings owned by Kyle Richmond are targeted by the Wrecking Crew, Dr. Strange and Nighthawk decide to get involved.

Their involvement runs awry when they butt heads with Power Man
who is hired by Richmond's aide, Pennysworth, to guard the Richmond buildings.


The three sort out their differences, but not before they are confronted by the Wrecking Crew.

Script by Len Wein. Pencils by Sal Buscema. Inks by Dan Green.

[Hypestyle]

^^ Nighthawk had super strength? how much?

[Panic]

He was in the 1 ton class, but only when it was night, or at least out of direct sunlight (he also had increased reflexes too, with the same proviso).

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Defenders #18 Dec 1974
"Rampage!" Guest-starring Power Man
Dr. Strange, Nighthawk and Luke Cage are in the middle of a heated confrontation against the Wrecking Crew,
who are looking for a mysterious casing from a building they just demolished.
Strange has created an invisible mystic barrier to keep the combatants away from civilians.
The Defenders and the Wrecking Crew engage in battle,


during which the Wrecker explains how the crew helped him escape from prison and find his enchanted crowbar.
All four touched the crowbar as it got struck by lightning.
The power of the crowbar was restored, and the Wrecking Crew was born.
Learning of the mystical nature of the Crew's power, Strange starts draining away their power.
Further away, the Hulk has returned to the Defenders, but is being blocked by Strange's barrier.
He starts pounding on it, causing Strange to lose consciousness, and the barrier to disappear.
Freed, the Wrecking Crew attack the Hulk, but are no match for him.

Learning that the mystic barrier is gone, the Wrecker uses his crowbar
to blast away the Defenders and the Crew make their getaway.
Thunderball finds the casing from the building's rubble and opens it, only to learn it is empty.

Script by Len Wein. Pencils by Sal Buscema. Inks by Dan Green.

[danielsan52]

Need more El Aguila. He should be developed more. Better costume. Return of mutant powers.

[j9ac9k]

I first got into "H4H" because of ROM of all things. ROM was actually the first series that I "collected" where I made sure to get all his appearances. I remember thinking Iron Fist was really cool because he was able to actually damage Rom's armor, which had thus far seemed indestructable.
644311.jpg

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

The comicbook character Iron Fist damaged the comicbook character Rom's armor? Very impressive! Also that cover by Frank Miller is terrific! Thanks for sharing!

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Defenders #19 Jan 1975
"Doomball!" Guest-starring Power Man
Realizing a Gamma Bomb which Thunderball recovered is missing from its casing,
the two groups split up to find it for their own purposes:
The Defenders to disarm it and prevent it from harming people,
and the Wrecking Crew to use it to extort money out of the city of New York.

Traveling to Harlem, the Defenders and Power Man get aid from the local children,

who inform them where they can find the Wrecking Crew.
Battling them once more,

Dr. Strange manages to disarm the Wrecker and seemingly destroy his crowbar, rendering the Crew defeated.
Learning that one of the neighborhood children has the bomb,
who thinks it's a softball, the Defenders recover the device.

Calming the Hulk enough to cause him to change back to Bruce Banner, Bruce disarms the device.
However, he changes back into the Hulk right after.

Power Man thanks the Defenders, and leaves figuring he botched his job protecting Richmond's
buildings little knowing that Richmond himself was fighting alongside him as Nighthawk.

Plot by Len Wein, script by Chris Claremont, pencils by Sal Buscema and inks by Dan Green.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

I really like the concept. She-Hulk (the real one, not Aaron's take) and Scott Lang would be no-brainers for a new incarnation.
I'm not sure I'd still see Luke and Danny there, thought. I think their characters have evolved from the "for hire" angle.

They could just call themselves Private Investigators and Bodyguards. No shame in that.
The name 'Heroes for Hire' could just be used to bring to attention to them being professional superheroes, making them appear to be more prestigious and more valuable to potential clients.
They could still help people without charging, or even waiving fees for some.

When Hawkeye took a leave from the Avengers, he would take on clients for doing security.
Ant-Man and Paladin have been known to hire out their services.
She-Hulk is a lawyer and most often she's usually stuck in her green skin, leaving her to do her courtroom work as She-Hulk.

'Doing it for money' may not be one of the best superhero motivations, but at least it is an alternative to the 'seek vengeance' that's been becoming the predominant motivation in comics lately.
And it gives them a job to explain where they get their money. And a job that would not fire them for being too busy fighting crime.

Luke has to support his child. Makes sense he'd work doing what he does best. Plus, his and Danny's (who never needed the income) goal was always to be reachable to the common man. I'd say it'd be a great idea for Luke and Danny to relocate to, let's say, Chicago, and open a business that does exactly what you suggest. You could have a line-up of:

• Power Man – Luke Cage, CEO and field leader. Super-human strength and steel hard skin.
• Iron Fist – Daniel Rand, CFO and 2nd in command in the field. Martial arts expert and occult consultant. Wielder of the powerful iron fist.
• Spider Woman – Jessica Drew. Head of investigations. Flight, strength and venom blasts.
• Black Cat – Felicia Hardy. Security consultant. Peak human athlete and bad luck powers.
• Machine Man – Surveillance specialist. Walking tank and gadget factory. Flight, strength and versatility.
• Ant Man – Scott Lang. Infiltration specialist. Shrinks and is a highly skilled hacker and engineer.
• Prowler - Hobie Brown. Tech support. Suit filled with gadgets. Rarely takes the field.

I know many may be finding strange that I chose Spi and not Jessica Jones, but I think a great motivator for Luke would be if he became a widower, and had to support and raise his child all by himself. So, I chose the original product (Bendis created Jessica Jones because he was not allowed to use Jessica Drew) as the head of investigations.
The H4H would have two big competitors:
Silver Sable and her Wild Pack and Daughters of the Dragon – Home base: Detroit.

• Misty Knight – Bionic arm.
• Colleen Wing – She-Samurai.
• Diamondback - Rachel Leighton.
• Silhouette – Sil Chord.
• Tarantula - Maria Vasquez.
• Ms Marvel – Sharon Ventura, in human form, but still almost as strong as in her She-Thing form.
• White Tiger – Ava Ayala

Peace

To me, this is an exciting pitch for 3 super hero teams and 14 marvel characters to appear on Disney+!

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Power Man #22 Dec 1974
"The Broadway Mayhem of 1974!"
Following his battle with the former Power Man last issue and an adventure with the Defenders as depicted in Defenders #17-#19
Luke returns to the Gem theater to assess the damage done to it. With the theater closed for repairs,
D.W. tells Luke that he's going to go on vacation for a while. Luke tells D.W. that he got a letter
from Claire that had a full return address in Los Angeles and that he plans on tracking her down.

Going up to his office, Luke is attacked by Stiletto who has a new partner: Discus. Both are trying to capture Luke.


Their battle takes them from Luke's office to the streets of New York, where Luke manages to defeat them both.
Luke is then confronted by Tyler Stuart, the former warden of Seagate Prison. Tyler informs Luke that Stiletto and Discus are his sons,

and Luke allows Tyler to take them away on his own, because Stuart was the only one at Seagate who ever treated him fair.

Later, boarding a bus bound for California, Luke is surprised to fine D.W. on the same bus, wanting to tag along with Luke to find Claire.

Script by Tony Isabella, pencils by Ron Wilson, inks by Vince Colletta.