Bring on the bad guys: The Abomination

The Abomination has been my favourite Marvel villain (only just edging out Fing Fang Foom) since I first read #12 of the “Silver Surfer, one of my first US Marvel comics in 1970. The next US Marvel comic that I purchased was "Incredible Hulk" #137 in 1971 which again featured the Abomination, and 10/11-year-old me was hooked on both these big green behemoths. Since this time, I have picked up as many comics as I could find where the Abomination appeared . Like most of my favourite comics these issues were created in the early to mid-1970s.

The character was first introduced in Tales to Astonish # 90(and 91) in 1967 as Emil Blonsky a KBG agent and spy who became the Abomination after deliberately exposing himself to a greater quantity of the same gamma radiation that transformed Bruce Banner into the Hulk. These issues of “Tales to Astonish” were reprinted in "Marvel Super-Heroes" #45 &46 (#45 at header and #46 above). In this story by Stan Lee with art by Gil Kane, Blonsky becomes a large scaly Hulk-like monster that is even stronger than the Hulk (the first appearance of the Abomination is shown above) . In accordance with Stan Lee's wishes, the Abomination was to defeat the Hulk in their first battle but he is captured by the Stranger who interrupts their rematch and teleports the Abomination to his home world in issue 91.

The Abomination is next seen in the pages of "Silver Surfer" #12 after being summoned by witches to fight the Silver Surfer - a comic I have written about previously. In this tale Emil Blonsky is sent back to space, once again a prisoner of the Stranger.

The next appearance of the Abomination is in "Thor" #178 where he tries to convince the other prisoners on the Strangers home world to revolt and join him in conquering the universe, but is stopped by Thor.

In 1971 the Abomination is again paired against the Hulk in issues 136 & 137 of the Incredible Hulk. In this tale the Hulk finds himself allied with various aliens to defeat the gigantic space creature Klaatu, among these aliens is the Abomination. This is another of my all-time favourite comics which I have prattled on about in a previous blog post.

We next see the Abomination in the 1973 issue of Hulk #159 where he wakes from a coma and agrees to kill the Hulk for General Thunderbolt Ross. In this issue an enraged Hulk knocks-out the Abomination when he reveal that Glen Talbot has married Betty Ross.

In Hulk # 171 (1974) the Abomination forms an alliance with the Rhino. In a strange Hulk type battle a bored Hulk leaps away from the Rhino and the Abomination as they both run towards him from different sides, knocking each other out.

Incredible Hulk #194 - 196 (the last issues of the Hulk that I purchased on a regular basis) features a tale where Doc Samson and General Ross implant a monitoring device into the Abominations head in order to control him. During the battle the Hulk dislodges the mind contol device and the 2 behemoths team up before falling out again.