Appearing in "Battle in Burbank!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- ⏴ Howard the Duck ⏵ (Cameo)
- ⏴ Willie Lumpkin ⏵
- ⏴ Karen Page ⏵
- Alan Alda (Topical Reference)
- Gary Burghoff (Topical Reference)
- Carroll O'Connor (Drawing) (Topical Reference)
Locations:
- New York City
- California
- Hollywood
- Miracle Pictures
- Hollywood
- Nevada
- Smallvale
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Battle in Burbank!"
Furious that the Hulk has been given his own television series, the Thing decides to go to Hollywood and try to talk the studio into making a show based on the Thing. Meanwhile, elsewhere, Bruce Banner himself sees that a television show based on his alter ego causes him to change into the Hulk. Furious that there is a television show about him, the Hulk also heads towards Hollywood as well.
While the Thing tries to talk to a studio exec about getting his own show, the Hulk arrives and goes on a rampage. After a battle with the Thing, the studio exec agrees to not make the Hulk look stupid on television (satisfying the Hulk to leave) and agrees to give the Thing his own show. However, Ben gets more than he bargains for when he realizes that the program is called "Thing in the Family" and turns out to be a poorly conceived sit-com.
Notes
Continuity Notes[]
- This issue references The Incredible Hulk television series which aired from 1977-1982. Unlike most TV Shows and movies referenced in the Marvel Universe, other forms of Marvel entertainment are not subject to the Sliding Timescale of the Earth-616 universe. Incidentally, the events of that Television series all take place in their own unique universe designated Earth-400005.
- The Hulk remembers where Hollywood is, this issue references Incredible Hulk #4 where the Hulk crashed the set of a movie that was in production.
- Hulk bemoans the attention he had gotten since Dollar Bill made a documentary about the Defenders and sold it to a television station in Defenders #62, publicly revealing the group to the world for the first time.
- The Thing hopes he doesn't find the sort of trouble he had the last time he was in Hollywood. This is a reference to Fantastic Four #196 when the Fantastic Four had to battle a mind-controlled Reed Richards disguised as the Invincible Man was part of a larger revenge scheme cooked up by their old foe Doctor Doom.
- The Hulk is shown crashing through the set of the M*A*S*H television series, and actors Alan Alda and Gary Burghoff are seen. M*A*S*H* aired from 1972 to 1983. This should be considered a topical reference relative to the era of publication per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
- Karen Page mentions that she has been "threatened by experts", this is a reference to the fact that when she was employed by and later dated attorney Matt Murdock (between Daredevil #1–86), she was regularly imperiled by Daredevil's rogues gallery (Matt Murdock was secretly Daredevil).
- The Thing's proposed TV show Thing in the Family is a parody of the television series All in the Family which aired on television from 1971 to 1979. Depicted as the father in this sit-com is actor Carroll O'Connor. This should also be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale.
- At the time this comic was published, actor Rob Reiner had recently left All in the Family. Thing in the Family appears to be a version of All in the Family where the Thing is playing Reiner's role.
- Although the Thing doesn't get his promised TV show in this story, he does find himself appearing in other film and television productions later. His life was adapted into a television series called Monster Man, as seen in Marvel Two-In-One #78. There are at least two cartoons based on the adventures of the Fantastic Four that Ben is aware of as seen in Fantastic Four #209 and 396 respectively. Ben is also later part of a film based on the lives of Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur, as seen in Thing #31.
Chronology Notes[]
Events occur in this story behind the scenes that affect the chronology of the following characters:
Thing:
- ⏴ Page 1-16 ⏵ - The Thing goes to Hollywood.
- ⏴ Page 17 ⏵ - Ben is horrified to discover that his life has been adapted into a sitcom.
Mister Fantastic:
- ⏴ Page 1-16 ⏵ - The Thing goes to Hollywood.
- ⏴ Page 17 ⏵ - Ben is horrified to discover that his life has been adapted into a sitcom.
Invisible Girl:
- ⏴ Page 1-16 ⏵ - The Thing goes to Hollywood.
- ⏴ Page 17 ⏵ - Ben is horrified to discover that his life has been adapted into a sitcom.
Human Torch: