GORSHAM

Real Name: Gorsham

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Microverse, K'ai) magic user

Occupation: Wizard, imperial usurper

Group Membership: Leader of a cabal of wizards (including Whully and Booly)

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Grand Inquisitor, the Hulk (Bruce Banner)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: A retreat on K'ai

First Appearance: Incredible Hulk II#351 (January, 1989)

Powers/Abilities: Gorsham is an accomplished wizard, and presumably has the ability to cast spells for a variety of effects. However, the only magical skills he displayed was to transport the Hulk to and from the Microverse world of K'ai and to cast a spell to temporarily suppress Bruce Banner within the Hulk. The full range of his abilities remains unrevealed.

Height: 5'11" (estimated)
Weight: 190 lbs. (estimated)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Grey

History:
(Incredible Hulk II#351 (fb) - BTS) - Gorsham, along with his colleagues Whully and Booly, were three accomplished wizards on the subatomic, extradimensional world of K'ai (see comments). Although they appear to have been wizards of some repute, their deeds prior to meeting the Hulk are largely unrevealed.

(Incredible Hulk II#351 (fb) ) - After the Hulk's many adventures on the subatomic, extradimensional world of K'ai, his deeds became legendary, and the people of K'ai began worshiping the Hulk as a god. Different sects arose, all claiming to know the Hulk's divine truth. Religious warfare broke out across the world, killing thousands. Over time, several factions gained power and fell. Eventually, a religious leader named Risuli, who styled himself the Grand Inquisitor, gained dominion over his part of the world, and ruled with an iron fist, enforcing "the Hulk's" law, and torturing and executing any "blasphemers" who challenged his sole standing as the Hulk's true prophet. Gorsham, along with Whully and Booly, observed the Grand Inquisitor's rise to power with contempt, resenting the Grand Inquisitor's dictatorial reign and also coveting his position and power. Gorsham, Whully, and Booly devised a scheme to depose Grand Inquisitor and claim his position: They would use their magic to transport the Hulk from Earth to K'ai, show him the evils of the Grand Inquisitor's rule, and use the Hulk as their instrument to overthrow the Grand Inquisitor.

   In pursuit of their goal, Gorsham, Whully, and Booly found the abandoned technology and instruments of Psyklop and, combined with their own magical abilities, used the technology to monitor Earth and search for the Hulk. While they were unable to locate the Hulk, they did manage to locate the Leader (Sam Sterns), and monitored him instead, hoping that he would lead them to the Hulk. Gorsham, Whully, and Booly also created a replica of the Hulk of equal size and mass to transport to Earth at the moment that the Hulk was transferred to K'ai in order to avoid their spell having disruptive effects on the Earth's sun.

(Incredible Hulk II#345 - BTS) - Gorsham, Whully, and Booly used their magic and Psyklop's technology to transport the Hulk from Earth to K'ai. Their timing was fortuitous, as they transported the Hulk mere moments before he would have been atomized in the gamma bomb explosion that destroyed Middletown.

(Incredible Hulk II#351) - After arriving on K'ai, the Hulk saw a young woman named Marclark, one of the sisters of the Grand Inquisitor's order, being chased by a warthos (a large beast resembling a giant warthog), and rescued her by slaying the creature. Gorsham, along with Whully and Booly, then approached the Hulk and brought him back to their home. Gorsham told the Hulk how he and Jarella had been deified in the years since the Hulk had last visited K'ai, the religious wars that had been fought in the Hulk's name, and the autocratic rule of the Grand Inquisitor. Gorsham then deceived the Hulk, telling him that they wished the Hulk to depose the Grand Inquisitor and rule over the people in his stead as their god. Gorsham withheld their true motive, that they sought the Grand Inquisitor's office for themselves. The Hulk initially refused Gorsham's offer, insisting that they transport him back to Earth. However, the Hulk accepted Gorsham's invitation to stay and depose the Grand Inquisitor when Gorsham offered to use his magic to rid the Hulk of his Bruce Banner persona permanently if he assisted them.

(Incredible Hulk II#352) - Gorsham dressed the Hulk in traditional garb. Along with a cadre of followers, Gorsham, Whully, and Booly set out with the Hulk to depose the Grand Inquisitor. The Hulk proceeded to vanquish the Grand Inquisitor's forces in town after town, rallying more and more people to his side as he went. Eventually, the company reached the Grand Inquisitor's citadel, where the Hulk defeated the Grand Inquisitor with ease and turned him over to the people he had mistreated. The Grand Inquisitor's former subjects then had him tortured and executed.

   Gorsham, Whully, and Booly cast a spell as they had promised, and suppressed the Bruce Banner persona within the Hulk. The Hulk then informed the trio of wizards that he was choosing to remain on K'ai to watch over things. Gorsham, however, revealed their true intention: They never intended for the Hulk to stay and preside over the people, and had merely used him as a tool to depose the Grand Inquisitor for them. Gorsham then transported the angry Hulk back to Earth, but promised that they would rule wisely and make it a better world.

Comments: Created by Peter David (writer), Jeff Purves (pencils) and Bob Wiacek (inks).

The Hulk made his first visit to the sub-atomic world of K'ai in Incredible Hulk II#140 (June 1971) and had periodic adventures there in several delightful 1970s adventures, wooing the princess Jarella in the process. At the time of this story, the Hulk had not been to K'ai in some time, since (if I recall correctly) Incredible Hulk II#248.

It is a tad surprising that Gorsham and company never made another appearance, as Peter David continued writing the Hulk for almost another decade after the only story in which Gorsham appeared.

Whully and Booly are almost certainly named for the character the song Wooly Bully by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs.
--Snood

Profile by Stunner

CLARIFICATIONS:
Gorsham has no known connections to:

Whully and Booly

Whully and Booly were Gorsham's colleagues. Capable wizards and scientists in their own right, Whully and Booly conspired with Gorsham to transport the Hulk to K'ai and use him to depose the Grand Inquisitor, so that they could take his place and preside over the people in his stead.

Whully is the one with the long white beard and obscured eyes. He appears to have lost both his arms under unrevealed circumstances. Booly is the one with a black beard and unobscured face.

--Incredible Hulk II#351 (Incredible Hulk II#351, #352

images: (without ads)
Incredible Hulk II#352, p18, pan1 (main)
Incredible Hulk II#351, p20, pan4 (head shot)
Incredible Hulk II#351, p15, pan2 (with Whully and Booly)
Incredible Hulk II#351, p15, pan2 (Whully and Booly headshots)

Appearances:
Incredible Hulk II#351 - Peter David (writer), Jeff Purves (penciller), Bob Wiacek (inker), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#352 - Peter David (writer), Jeff Purves (penciller), Terry Austin (inker), Bobbie Chase (editor)

First Posted: 06/17/2018
Last updated: 06/20/2018

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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