Eternals: A Smashing Introduction

Eternals (Vol. 1) #15
“Disaster Area”
Written, drawn and edited by: Jack Kirby
Letters and inks: Michael Royer
Colors: Glynis Wein
Released: June 7, 1977

I was introduced to the Eternals, Marvel's next unlikely set of movie stars, in the early '80s. And the discovery of a strange new group of superhumans had nothing to do with me picking this issue up.

No, it was the Hulk looming on the cover over the vaguely He-Man-looking character I would come to know as Ikaris that caused me to choose it from among the options at the parking garage-based flea market my mom and I frequented on Saturdays. The Hulk was my favorite character back then (Squirrel Girl having not been introduced), so I was a little disappointed and confused to learn it wasn't actually the Hulk appearing in this issue.

As I understand it, when the legendary Jack Kirby returned to Marvel, he didn't want his elaborate tale of immortal beings walking the Earth and inspiring the myths, legends and religions of the population to be a part of the Marvel Universe proper. The higher-ups at Marvel had other ideas. So in early issues, you got an appearance and reference or two to S.H.I.E.L.D. investigating the arrival of the massive Celestials and the Eternal goings-on they stirred up. In demonstrating her matter manipulation powers, Sersi transformed a person's head into that of the Thing. But the Avengers never showed up to check out the Celestials and the Fantastic Four never explored the Eternals' hidden city of Olympia.

In Eternals #14, the immortals' composite creation of the Uni-Mind stirred up cosmic energy that found its way to Earth and into a lifelike Hulk robot some college students had made. By the time #15 opened, Ikaris and Sersi were fighting to stop the creature.

The issue starts with a dramatic image of Ikaris blasting the creature with twin disintegrating eye beams. As the not-Hulk tries to flee, Sersi turns him to stone, demonstrating a level of power young Evan hadn't expected. But the fake Hulk reverses the process with a blast of cosmic energy, smacks down Ikaris and manhandles Sersi, turning the obvious powerhouse into a brief, unlikely damsel nearing distress.

Makkari and two humans readers of previous issues had gotten to know arrive on the scene to try to help, but the pseudo-Hulk makes short work of their aircraft. Heavily armed police step into the fray while the Eternals regroup and a bruised and battered Ikaris endures an impromptu interview by an eager TV reporter.

The battle goes on as the National Guard arrives and the robo-Hulk rains down as much destruction as I had ever seen at that point. Devoid of the childlike Hulk's kindly nature under his rough exterior, this monster was truly a menace. A palpable sense of danger and dread permeates the issue.

The Eternals and the human soldiers and police prepare for a final stand against the behemoth, only to have the big boss Eternal, Zuras, intervene. And then, we're to be continued.

It had been years since I read this issue when I decided to dig into the Eternals' history a couple months back to get ready for the movie. I remember liking the story well enough then, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it now.

While many of Kirby's Eternals issues are heavy on world-building and mythology, this one is just straight-up action. The only breaks are when the characters discuss the threat, which, at least in this instance, adds to the scope and scale. That probably made the issue more accessible to the younger me, and it made for a great change of pace when reading through the entire series (which you can find on Marvel Unlimited and the free library app Hoopla).

I'll share some more Eternals stuff as the movie gets closer, but if you want a full breakdown of the original series, check out The Telltale Mind's issue-by-issue recap.