This post covers only the Hulk side of these issues. For the Namor side, go here or hit the series tag to see how all Tales to Astonish issues are covered.
Part of the problem with Marvel in the late ’60s was that there were more than a half-dozen paramilitary/white supremacist/other-kinds-of-evil groups that all ran around stalking heroes. (Which suggests that SHIELD was not doing a good job protecting the United States from domestic threats.). It was a problem because the groups all were fairly generic. This issue debuted Secret Empire–a group so generic that their members all go simply by numbers.
At the same time, it’s kind of realistic–at a time when super beings emerge, human clans forming to vie for power makes sense.
For Hulk, this story starts with a quick wrap up of last issue’s Tyrannus tale before bringing us a new villain: Boomerang. But be warned, he looks very different from his future (much cooler) self.
Also, he’s called Boomerang but, inexplicably, he uses discs as a weapon and has jet boots. But to be fair, he does also use a boomerang…
He kidnaps Betty Ross on behalf of the Secret Empire, who intend to use her as leverage to force the Army to deliver a weapon to them.
Hulk saves her. But, disappointingly, it looks like Stan Lee is trying to reset Rick Jones’ big reveal last art that Hulk is Banner, because Betty is already denying that as even a possibility.
And at the end, I think this is the first time it says “To Be Hulkinued…” That will continue for many years.