Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #1-3

[Somebody]

BETA RAY BILL: GODHUNTER #1
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Art: Kano
"Godhunter, Part 1"

Cast:
BETA RAY BILL [KORBINITE] (last in BRB:GOE)
BRAND, ABIGAIL
GALACTUS
SILVER SURFER
SKUTTLEBUTT (last in BRB:GOE)
STARDUST [ETHERIAL]
THOR (between pages 12 & 13 of T 601)
VOIDAN
(Japanese harbour master)
(I'Thans)

Summary:

pg1-6
"Yokohama Harbour, Japan"
App: BRB, Skuttlebutt, Thor, (harbour master)

Thor (with a damaged Mjolnir), BRB and Skuttlebutt stop a tsunami from hitting Yokohama. BRB wants Thor's help against Galactus, Thor won't go and tells BRB he shouldn't either. Bill won't listen.

pg7-9
"The Peak, Headquarters of S.W.O.R.D., Earth orbit"
App: Agent Brand, BRB

Brand gives BRB info on the latest Galactus sightings in return for a future favour, and dealing with a genocidal maniac called Voidan ("Just make sure that armory is destroyed.")

pg10-12
"The Silent Lathe, Chapel-Factory of Voidan, Harbinger of Annihilation"
App: Skuttlebutt, BRB, Voidan, (Voidan believer, dies)

BRB takes Vodian captive - and also takes his armoury.

pg13-22
"Ithan IX, Primary Research base of the I'Than Seclusion. Pre-Evacuation population: 2,142
Evacuation reaching final stages, prompted by Galactus sighting"
App: (I'Than captain), Stardust, BRB, Skuttlebutt, Galactus, Silver Surfer

BRB saves an I'Than ship, then destroys Ithan IX before Galactus can eat it. In return, Galactus sends the Silver Surfer after Bill.
___________

BETA RAY BILL: GODHUNTER #2
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Art: Kano
"Godhunter, Part 2"

Cast:
BETA RAY BILL
GALACTUS-BTS
SILVER SURFER
SKUTTLEBUTT
STARDUST
VOIDAN
(I'Thans)

pg1-2
"I'Than Prime, homeworld of the I'Than Seclusion"
App: (I'Thans), Stardust

The ship BRB saved returns to I'Than Prime. Followed by Stardust, who announces the populated planet is Galactus' next meal.

pg3-5
"Space, Near the I'Than homeworld"
App: BRB, Skuttlebutt, Silver Surfer

BRB refuses to listen to the Surfer, and the Surfer starts hitting him as a result.

pg6
"I'Than Prime"
App: (I'Thans)

The I'Thans open their armoury vaults.

pg7:1-9:3
"In transit to I'Than Prime"
App: BRB, Skuttlebutt, Silver Surfer

The Surfer has BRB down, but BRB volubly refuses to give up his anti-Galactus crusade. While they're talking, Skuttlebutt takes the Surfer by surprise and grabs Bill.

pg9:4-12:6
"Scant Minutes Later"
App: BRB, Skuttlebutt, Silver Surfer, (I'Thans)

Reaching I'Than Prime, both BRB and the Surfer are surprised by the I'Than's weaponry. Bill beams down, but the I'Than leader refuses to abandon his planet.

pg13-17
[On Skuttlebutt]
App: BRB, Skuttlebutt, Voidan

Initially, BRB likes the idea of fighting alongside the I'Than, despite the low odds, until he pictures it and decides to find a surer way. Voidan proceeds to suggest one.

pg18-19
"The Morning, I'Than Prime"
App: BRB, Skuttlebutt, (I'Thans)

The following morning, BRB has poisoned the I'Than, and holds the cure to ransom on condition of them evacuating.

pg20-22
"After the evacuation of I'Than Prime"
App: BRB, Skuttlebutt, Voidan

They give in, and BRB blows up the planet after they're gone... only to find he can no longer lift Stormbreaker as a result.
___________

BETA RAY BILL: GODHUNTER #3
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Art: Kano
"Godhunter, Part 3"

Cast:
BETA RAY BILL
BRAND, ABIGAIL
GALACTUS (next in SKR 10)
SILVER SURFER (next in SKR 7)
SKUTTLEBUTT
STARDUST
TI ASHA RA
VOIDAN
(I'Thans)

pg1-2
[Space, near I'Than III]
App: Stardust, Galactus, Silver Surfer

Stardust and the Surfer recap events for a visibly starving Galactus - not only is BRB still after them, but the I'Thans are now after both them and Bill. Galactus proposes a course of action...

pg3-7
"The ship, Skuttlebutt, lurking in the shadows of I'Than III"->"Unexplored system, 4276.28"
App: BRB, Skuttlebutt, Silver Surfer

...as BRB, now out of his Thor-like costume, watches from a distance. The Heralds leave, and Skuttlebutt plots a course to follow the Surfer to "a small, unexplored planet" with no life.

There, the Surfer easily holds off Bill's attack and explains that, because of the events of Annihilation, Galactus was already marginal, and can't survive for long without feeding (with the aid of flashbacks:

(5:4)-FB
App: Galactus
Galactus feeding.

(5:5)-FB, during Annihilation
App: Galactus
Galactus as Annihilus' prisoner.

(5:6)-FB, between BRB:GH 2 & 3
App: Silver Surfer
Surfer looks at the I'Than fleet from a distance, observing that they could probably kill the weakened Galactus)

BRB is jubilant that he's about to "win", but the Surfer tells him that Galactus' death-throes would kill everything within 42 light years, and Skuttlebutt confirms that there's a LOT of inhabited worlds in that distance. BRB can't go through with it.

Meanwhile, an I'Than spy-drone is watching...

pg7:7:1 + 8 + 9:1:1
"I'Than Dominion. Drone-fleet Senate-Ship"
App: (I'Thans)

...and the I'Thans take the news with glee.

pg9-19
App: BRB, Skuttlebutt, Voidan, Galactus, Stardust, Silver Surfer, Ti Asha Ra, (I'Thans)

As Galactus begins to feed on the planet, the I'Thans attack, and Bill realises with quiet horror that he needs to save Galactus. He forces Skuttlebutt to uncouple his reactors, increasing his power by several orders of magitude, but meaning he'll explode shortly in minutes.

BRB & the heralds thus hold the I'Thans back long enough for Galactus to feed, and he quickly destroys the I'Than weapons.

With that done, Galactus stops Bill from exploding (and Stardust from killing him) to ask "Why?". Bill tells him that killing Galactus wasn't worth the cost. In return, Galactus resurrects a single Korbinite female and leaves him be.

pg20-22
"The Peak, S.W.O.R.D. HQ, Earth Orbit"
App: Agent Brand, BRB, Ti Asha Ra, Skuttlebutt, (SWORD grunt)

BRB takes Ti Asha Ra to the SWORD HQ (Brand tells him not to bother translating her name, since it'll just get her mocked by the station idiots), and she tells him he's not an unworthy custodian of Stormbreaker and forces him to pick it up. After this, he decides to stick around ("I'm home.")

Notes:
The placement for #1 is absolutely locked relative to Thor - as I expounded in the Pre- & Post- Secret Invasion thread, there isn't anywhere else for it to go.

It must also take place before - even immediately before - Skaar: Son of Hulk #7-12 and Son of Hulk #13-17, despite being published during the months of SKR 11-12 and SOH 13-14, because of what happens to Galactus in SKR 12/2-onward.

Everything else is basically determined by those two placements, especially the Thor one, I expect.

In other news, the issues also contain reprints of T 337-339, and we're back to referring to Stardust as male, apparently.

Listings:

BETA RAY BILL [KORBINITE]
[...]
SI:T 3
BRB:GOE
BRB:GH 1
BRB:GH 2
BRB:GH 3

SKUTTLEBUTT [SHIP]
[...]
BRB:GOE
BRB:GH 1
BRB:GH 2
BRB:GH 3

BRAND, ABIGAIL
[...]
BRB:GH 1
BRB:GH 3
[...]

GALACTUS
[...]
BRB:GH 1
BRB:GH 2-BTS
BRB:GH 3
SKR 10
[...]

SILVER SURFER
[...]
BRB:GH 1
BRB:GH 2
BRB:GH 3 (5:6)-FB
BRB:GH 3
SKR 7
[...]

STARDUST II [ETHERIAL]
{STORMBREAKER:SBRB 1}
[...]
BRB:GH 1
BRB:GH 2
BRB:GH 3

TI ASHA RA [KORBINITE]
BRB:GH 3

THOR
[...]
T 601 (1-12)
BRB:GH 1
T 601 (13-22)

VOIDAN
BRB:GOE
BRB:GH 1
BRB:GH 2
BRB:GH 3

[Paul Bourcier]

Thanks for the analysis, somebody! I'll plug this info into my draft calendar notes and let you know if I have any questions.

[Paul Bourcier]

Okay, got my questions now.

Somebody, since T 601 happens all in one day, it's obvious from your analysis that pages 1-6 of BRB:GH 1 occurs that same day. But how much time passes for all the scenes in the three-issue series? What assumptions do we make about Bill's speed in traveling across space? If I break this up into separate earth days, what do you suppose the best divisions are?

Also, does SKAAR #7 pick up right where BRB:GH 3 leaves off or can there be a gap there if needed?

[Somebody]

Somebody, since T 601 happens all in one day, it's obvious from your analysis that pages 1-6 of BRB:GH 1 occurs that same day. But how much time passes for all the scenes in the three-issue series? What assumptions do we make about Bill's speed in traveling across space? If I break this up into separate earth days, what do you suppose the best divisions are?

I didn't leave any of that info out per se - the series simply jump-cuts over Bill's long trips from and to Earth with no suggestion of how long they took, and there's also a significant gap between #2 and #3.

If pushed, I'd guess:

Day 1: Thor/Yokohama, Peak/Brand
Day 3: Voidan/Silent Lathe
Day 4, late: (end of #1, into #2) I'Than IX, Surfer, blackmailing I'Than Prime
Day 5: (rest of #2) I'Than evacuation, blowing up I'Than Prime.
Day 12: Into #3, Heralds advise Galactus of what's been happening, Bill gives in to the Surfer, Galactus feeds, resurrects single Korbinite female.
Day 15, early: Back at The Peak.

That assumes a three-day travel window between Earth and the I'Than system (slightly longer on the first trip, to allow for the diversion to pick up Voidan and his armoury and to sniff out Galactus' precise location) and a week for the remilitarised I'Thans to build up their forces and hunt both BRB and Galactus, while Galactus gets to the point of so visibly starving. But, honestly, I pulled those figures out of the air - again, there's absolutely no indication of how long things take in the book (beyond the original Galactus sighting that Bill heads after being from "three days ago", and Bill not wanting to dilly-dally), and so they're all very flexible.

Also, does SKAAR #7 pick up right where BRB:GH 3 leaves off or can there be a gap there if needed?

There can be a gap, given that SKR doesn't reference BRB:GH. However, I'd be inclined to abut BRB:GH right onto the top of SKR 7 for the Surfer (travel time notwithstanding) for two reasons:

• Firstly, the publication overlap. BRB:GH 3 was published after the Surfer had already stopped appearing in SKR/SOH despite occurring beforehand - i.e., we're already taking this series about six months out of publication order by doing this even if we run one straight into the other
• And secondly, the Surfer gets his conscience tweaked in this about serving Galactus (not to mention how close Galactus came to starving and exploding from a relatively short interruption in feeding, as the Surfer himself notes) and his plan in SKR is to use Sakaar to sate Galactus for a hundred thousand years. That seems like a calculation the events of this mini could have led him to...

[Paul Bourcier]

Thanks, Somebody. I'll go with your proposal.