Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery

Bill Sienkiewicz — To Kirby, With Love

Original Art and The Artists

Sentry / Hulk #1, February 2001

Welcome to Day 11 of “12 Days of Hulk.“

I couldn’t imagine I’d ever see Bill Sienkiewicz create a Jack Kirby version of the Hulk, and then I ran across this odd and trippy one-shot issue featuring an unusual pairing of the Sentry and the green goliath.

And sure enough, during some flashback scenes / dream sequences, we do indeed see Bill’s Kirby-style Hulk, crackle and all.

As a bonus, on this great page, we get “traditional” Bill art along with the Kirby homage.

Definitely a keeper.

Bill combines classic and contemporary images on some beautiful pages throughout this one-shot.

Chris Giarusso — Hulk Splash!

Original Art and The Artists

Hulk-Sized Mini-Hulks #1, August 2011

Green Hulk vs. Gray Hulk?

Nope.

If you’re Chris Giarusso, cartoonist extraordinaire, it’s Green vs. Red vs… Blue?

The Hulk’s co-creator, Stan Lee, would have turned 99 years old today. He might not have ever envisioned a world of rainbow-colored Hulks, but “Hulk Splash?” That’s a gag worthy of Not Brand Ecch.

Happy Birthday Stan. Say hello to Jack and the rest of the team for us.

Dale Eaglesham — In The Savage Land

Original Art and The Artists

Incredible Hulks #624, May 2011

Welcome to Day 9 of “12 Days of Hulk.“

Here we have a savage Hulk in a… savage land. But unlike his time on “Planet Hulk”, this story takes place on Earth, literally in the “Savage Land”(hidden away in Antarctica), home to Ka-Zar and plenty of prehistoric creatures and other odd denizens.

Dale Eaglesham’s dramatic rendering of the green goliath is the title splash of the issue, despite the fact it’s the last page as well.

Remember when all Marvel Comics had a great opening splash page on page one? Me too, and call me old fashioned, but I liked that formula.

And speaking of old fashioned — once again, I think the dark, overly rendered color detracts from the detailed art, instead of enhancing it.

But maybe that’s just me.

Back here with more Hulk on Tuesday.

Kyle Hotz & Eric Powell — Joe Fixit Returns

Original Art and The Artists

Incredible Hulk #22, January 2001

Welcome to Day 8 of “12 Days of Hulk.” 

My favorite version of the Hulk the last 35 years or so?

Mr.Fixit, of course. The gang enforcer you, absolutely, positively don’t want to mess with.

That “character” pretty much disappeared when Peter David left the Hulk title, but he makes a comeback here courtesy of Paul Jenkins and the criminally (pun intended) underrated Kyle Hotz.

And Eric Powell on inks? Count me in, of course.

From our world to others… Mr Fixit was a different kind of Hulk.

Will Conrad — Beneath 150 Billion Tons (?!)

Original Art and The Artists

Secret Wars Novel, Novo Seculo Brazilian Edition (“Guerras Secretas”), 2015

The Hulk saves his fellow superheroes by holding up a … mountain.

And no, you can’t make this up. It’s Will Conrad’s very dramatic rendering of the original Secret Wars story (Issue #4, 1985) for a contemporary Brazilian edition of a Secret Wars novelization.

How did Jim Shooter come up with 150 Billion Tons? I’m really going to have to ask him that one of these days. All I know is there are some pretty powerful heroes counting on ‘Ol Greenskin, no matter how much those rocks weigh.

Will has done a number of these Brazilian novelization covers and they are all fabulous, but this is my favorite.

Another version of Hulk holding the mountain, from Spider-man and the Secret Wars #1(2010.)

Dale Keown — Mind Games

Original Art and The Artists

Incredible Hulk #371, July 1990

Previously, on the blog…

Our 12 Days of Hulk special has featured some great splash paged from the likes of Gabe Hardman, Gary Frank, Ed McGuiness and others.

To change things up a bit, day six features a terrific panel page form Dale Keown, who imaginatively utilizes a variety of panel sizes and “camera angles” to keep things fresh for writer Peter David — and the audience.

I love this page — in addition to the feature listed above, it uses lettering and sound effects to maximum effect. Also, it features some terrific lighting, especially on that first panel of a freaked out Hulk.

Plus, a Defenders reunion.

David’s astonishing 12-year run on the Incredible Hulk title featured great art from the likes of Todd McFarlane, Jeff Purves, Liam Sharp and others, but I confess a certain bias towards Keown’s work on the title. As evidenced here, he has an artistic wit that complemented David’s stories perfectly.

Back here on Tuesday… with Day 7 of “12 Days of Hulk.”

Gary Frank — Dead Wrong

Original Art and The Artists

Incredible Hulk #416, April 1994

Day 5 of “12 Days of Hulk.”

Some days, you smash.

Some days, you get smashed.

Like here, for instance, on this great splash page by the talented Gray Frank from Peter David’s epic run as writer on the main Hulk title.

Nice clear art from Frank (and inker Cam Smith), plus balloons and sound effects on the board.  Merry Christmas, indeed.

Ed McGuinness — Boom!: There Goes “Original Hulk”

Original Art and The Artists

Hulk #30, April 2011

Or, maybe I could have titled this post… “That’s gotta hurt!”

Welcome to Day 4 of “12 days of Hulk.” It’s a bad day for Xemnu the Living Titan (Marvel’s “Original Hulk”), who just got clobbered.

Ed McGuinness continues to remain one of my favorite contemporary artists. Plus, as they say, he’s a swell guy too.

When conventions come back in full force, make sure you visit with him at any show he happens to attend. It will definitely be a pleasant and fun experience.

Tell him the blog sent you.

The “original Hulk” appeared in 1960, about two years prior to our ever-lovin’ Hulk.

Tim Sale — Er…That’s No Robot

Original Art and The Artists

Hulk Gray #4, February 2004

Welcome to the day two of “12 Days of Hulk.”

Tim Sale (with writer Jeph Loeb) creates a cool and dynamic page from an early clash between Gray Hulk and “Gold” Iron Man in the classic Hulk Gray mini-series.

The Hulk surprisingly didn’t battle with IM in the early years of the original Silver age, with the very notable exception of the first few issues of Avengers — which was the first team book that seemed to have more fighting within the group than without.

Of course, Loki helps manipulate their clash in issue #1, and the Space Phantom does the same in issue #2. By issue #3, Tony has switched into the first version of his now famous sleeker red and yellow model. (They duke it out there, too.) And by the end of issue #3, Hulk will disappear altogether from the book for quite a while.

As a side note, I miss hand-drawn sound effects even more than I miss traditional lettering. Thoom indeed.

Hulk and Iron Man spend most of issue #1 of Avengers fighting each other, then, astonishingly do it all over in issue #2.