Gulacy's initial work as a Marvel freelancer was penciling the 15-page story "Morbius, the Living Vampire" in "Adventure into Fear" #20 (cover-dated Feb. 1974), written by Mike Friedrich and inked by Jack Abel. Following this came an inking assignment, over penciler Bob Brown on the superhero comic "Daredevil" #108 (March 1974). At some unspecified point during this time, Gulacy did a small amount of artwork for the pornographic magazine "Hustler", explaining that comics artist Jim Steranko, whom he had met through Adkins, had turned down what Gulacy called "a couple of jobs" and suggested Gulacy instead. "I did them. They offered me more and a lot of money, but I turned them down. ... I consider it a skeleton in my closet."