A Probe into Quest

It’s weird when you look at P.C games from the early eighties, there’s a certain kind of nostalgia. In days before laptops, PS3s Xbox360s and even the internet, we had the trusty Commodore 64 and Spectrum 128k and Atari consoles. Marvel got into the game (no pun intended) with “Questprobe.” It was the creation of games creator Scott Adams and then Mr Big, John Byrne. It was originally meant to be a 12-part series, but Adams only managed to make three as the company behind the venture went into bankruptcy. You can find these games online these days, they make quite an interesting curio in times where Batman Arkham Asylum dominate the superhero gaming roost.

Back then, Marvel did a short lived limited series to tie in with the games. The debut issue was written by then Hulk writer Bill Mantlo pencilled by the late Mark Gruenwald and Spider-Man artist John Romita It was set out of continuity at the time, based on an alien planet whose peaceful inhabitants discover that they are about to be destroyed by the mysterious Black Fleet, who sound like a new romantic band! The planet’s ruling tribunal would rather fret about than actually do something in saving themselves.

Let’s face it they have yellow skin and have four fingers and look like a gold painted Lionel Richie! But Durgan, a philosopher has other ideas.

Back on good ol’ planet Earth, the Hulk is doing what he does best smashing tanks and “just wanting to be left alone.” The green goliath gains a mysterious floating stalker, known as the Examiner. The mysterious alien wants the strength of the Hulk for his own purposes whilst Hulk decides to “smash faceless man!” A canoe team end up in mortal danger thanks to the pair’s clash.

All the Examiner wants is for the Hulk to pass through a mysterious portal which will rob him of his strength by the end of the story Hulk goes through it to save someone’s life.

This story lacks the cerebral take on the character that was done by Peter David and followed up by current writer Greg Pak. But it’s the artwork of Gruenwald and Romita which gives the story a polished much needed silver age feel as Romita assimilates Gruenwald’s pencils with his own inks, Hulk destroying tanks never looked so good and this is one for the aging Spidey completist.

Quest Probe 1

Posted: 7/9/2010
Categories: Games / Comics

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