Startling Stories: Banner

[Leoparis]

There are five series published under the Startling Stories imprint:
Startling Stories: Banner 1-4

Startling Stories: Fantastic Four - Unstable Molecules 1-4

Startling Stories: The Thing - Night falls on Yancy Street 1-4

Startling Stories: The Megalomaniacal Spider-Man

Startling Stories: The Thing


Megalomaniacal Spider-Man is a What If story. The words "What if" appear at the beginning and it shows Peter ageing from college student in 1968 through 1984 to a balding middle-aged man in 1999.

Unstable Molecules 1-4 presents the Richards acquaintances as if they were the actual people in 1958 that inspired Lee & Kirby.

The other series do not contain such dates.

It has been claimed that the Startling Stories line was out of continuity. So I've looked at actual Marvel statements regarding that line and all I could find was that "top creators could tell great stories that weren't constrained by continuity." That really is not the same as "out of continuity" but simply that editors will accept the story whether or not it fits in current continuity. There is no rule that it cannot be in continuity. According to Comicvine, "Startling Stories was an imprint of Marvel Comics that published groundbreaking comics from 2001 untill 2003. The idea behind Startling Stories was not simply "What If" type stories, but more exploring different sides and new, sometimes mature, angles for well-known characters that had not been explored before."

Startling Stories: The Thing is included in the database, viewtopic.php?f=9&t=12299
https://chronologyproject.com/searchthe ... TRTLS%3ATG

I think nothing prevents Banner and Night Falls on Yancy Street from being canon as well. I made my case for the latter series in a different post so that each can be judged independently and on its own merits.

Apart from its mature tone, Startling Stories: Banner 1-4 fits naturally between Incredible Hulk 193 and 194. Shortly after regaining his gamma strength Samson is inordinately aggressive in 193 and Startling Stories: Banner. The suicide attempt in #1-2 is referenced in Hulk: Last Call. In #4 we also see the Hulk dying and reviving, as made canon in Avengers 684 and Immortal Hulk. Series writer Brian Azzarello was 13 when Hulk 193-194 came out and they seem to have largely inspired his series and his characterization of Samson.

DOC SAMSON/LEONARD SAMSON
IH2 193
STRTLS:B 1 add
STRTLS:B 2 add
STRTLS:B 3 add
STRTLS:B 4 add
IH2 194

HULK/DR. ROBERT BRUCE BANNER
IH2 193
STRTLS:B 1 add
STRTLS:B 2 add
STRTLS:B 3 add
STRTLS:B 4 add
T 233

ROSS, GEN. THADDEUS E. "THUNDERBOLT"
IH2 193
STRTLS:B 3 add
STRTLS:B 4 add
IH2 194

[MarvelBoy2002]

It's officially not in continuity and takes place on Earth-20017 as per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #4.

[Leoparis]

Nevertheless the directors and gurus can decide for themselves. This story was not written as a What If? with a diverging point and can fit into continuity. I use primary material--comics--rather than secondary material--handbooks--to analyse stories. If that story could appear non-canon in 2001 there have been developments since--A 684 and Immortal Hulk--that might revise its classification.

If there was a Marvel Handbook Project somewhere, I would post there to suggest a revision but this site isn't it and is unrelated to the Handbook guys.

[Russ Chappell]

Nevertheless the directors and gurus can decide for themselves.

You're absolutely correct. Anyone--not just directors and gurus--can decide for themselves. But we have a long-standing policy, almost from the beginning, that we will respect Marvel's decisions that a book isn't canon.

See the FAQ. No one wants a story to be canon, more than I do. But if Marvel says it isn't, then it isn't.