I recently came across a Bronze-Age era comic that I consider a gem in my collection now. Not because I’m a comic speculator who assumes I have a comic book that’s going to bring me money later, but more for it’s personal value to me. The comic book in question is Fantastic Four #167 from 1976. Why is this comic so special to me you ask? Well, it features a battle between the FF and the Hulk on top of our own Gateway Arch!

Whenever the Hulk and the Thing get together, there’s usually a fight with some debate over who’s the strongest without any definitive result by the end of the story. This is the way it’s been since the early 60’s. In this ish, the ever lovin’ Thing and ol’ green-genes have teamed up, and standing in their way is the rest of the Fantastic Four? Our story starts hanging on the end of the previous issue in an underground military bunker where the Hulk was being held captive only to be rescued by Benjamin J. Grimm. The duo steal a military plane and as they fly over St. Louis, the Hulk sees the Gateway Arch and wants to… well, sit atop it since it reminds him of his favorite rock formation back in the New Mexico desert. The Hulk ends up making a little mess out of downtown, tearing up buildings and fighting the army as we often find him doing. Eventually the Thing/ Hulk alliance dissolves since the Hulk is a petulant child at his core which results in a crack in our favorite national monument.

This particular issue was drawn by George Perez who is known as a master of the medium, but I think at the time, he was just getting started with his mastery. The most glaring thing you’ll notice, especially if you live in St. Louis is that the Arch does not look quite right. On the cover, people are sticking their heads out of the windows, which you can not do. Also, in the interior art, the Arch just looks, well, it doesn’t look right is all but I’m still glad to add this to my collection of comics that are set here in St. Louis.

-Jim

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