Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery

Tag: Incredible Hulk

Kyle Baker — Take Hulk Out OF The Ballgame

Original Art and The Artists

Damage Control III, #1, June 1991

Damage Control is such a fun high concept; Someone needs to clean up after a big hero and villain melee lays waste to parts of a city. Why not a murky government agency with an apparently unlimited budget? The idea so good in fact, that it’s been well incorporated into the MCU, albeit with some changes along the away. 

Kyle Baker drew (pencils and inks) the final mini-series of the original three, and his art style was a perfect fit for the quirky, humorous nature of the stories.

And the things you learn from comics: Turns out the Incredible Hulk is a Yankees fan.

The Yankees should sign him up. He’s probably the only one who could consistently give Shohei Ohtani a run for his money as the most extraordinarily dominant player in the Major Leagues.

Then again, maybe not. For all we know, Otani is a mutant. Or an alien. He’s definitely other-worldly.

Fun fact: About 25 years ago, just as realistic “destructible environments” became reality in videogames, TQ Jefferson and I passionately tried to convince our colleagues at Activision that Damage Control would be a perfectly fun way to incorporate as many Marvel characters into one game as possible. 

Alas, executive management thought we were bonkers — a story for another day.

Mike Machlan — Jack Kirby Revisited: Hulk Vs. FF

Original Art and The Artists

Commission, Undated

Original Jack Kirby recreation art from Mike Machlan --- from the collection of Greg Goldstein

Jack Kirby created this iconic cover of the first meeting between the Hulk and The Fantastic Four in 1963. It would be the first of many, many epic fights between the Thing and The Green Goliath.

The late Mike Machlan takes Jack’s moment in time, and brilliantly adds a second or so to show what happens when the heroes actually come upon each other. One thing is certain — that cave will never be the same.

Machlan loved classic comics, and his recreations and reinterpretations can be found on the Comic Art Fans website and elsewhere. His professional career was much too short.

Original Machlan art and published page from Marvel Fanfare #41 as posted previously:

https://greggoldsteincomicartgallery.com/mike-machlan-avengers-2-redux/

Jim Starlin & Alex Nino — Wild Rampage

Original Art and The Artists

Rampaging Hulk #4, August 1977

Original Art for Rampaging Hulk #4 by Jim Stalin and Alex Nino, from the collection of Greg Goldstein

Alex Nino proves to be one of Jim Starlin’s better inkers (if not the best) with this one and only fabulous collaboration for Rampaging Hulk magazine in 1977.

It’s a gorgeous Hulk fantasy story, worth seeking out in its original magazine format. (It’s reduced to comic book size, with inferior reproduction, in Rampaging Hulk Essentials, the only available reprint.)

As I was working on this post, Nostalgic Investments listed a beautiful DPS from this story for 15k (see below) and, in today’s market, that definitely seems reasonable.

Herb Trimpe & John Severin — Love Lost

Original Art and The Artists

Incredible Hulk #154, August 1972

Here Trimpe & John Severin Marvel Comics Hulk Original Art From The Collection Of Greg Goldstein

Herb Trimpe, inked by John Severin. 

Perfect Hulk art team on a pretty perfect Incredible Hulk page. 

Ol’ greenskin knows that somewhere in Hank Pym’s laboratory — and Bruce Banner’s brain — hides the secret to shrinking back down to the microverse. 

Why is this so important? I’m glad you asked. Our poor Hulk is lovesick and desperate to reunite with his beautiful Jarella.

Hulk in very panel: Raging, smashing, and blinded by love — and the self-awareness that he doesn’t retain enough of Banner’s smarts to work through it.

As noted, pretty perfect.

Angel Gabriele — Kirby Mash

Original Art and The Artists

Jack Kirby Classic Hulk & Iron Man Mashup, 2012

Here’s a fun mashup of two early Jack Kirby Marvel Silver-Age images: Hulk, from the title splash of Avengers #2, and Iron Man from the cover of Tales of Suspense #39.

About 10-12 years ago, Angel was drawing some Kirby-recreations and original reinterpretations, and offering them online. He included this specific art with some other items I acquired from him, with this inscription. Very lovely, especially since I like to think he was really thanking Jack here, not me.

And I like it better that way.

It’s also the appropriate art to segue into a celebration of the Avengers 60th anniversary, coming in February. 

Stay tuned.

Sal Buscema — Hulk (& John Byrne) On The Run

Original Art and The Artists

Incredible Hulk Annual #14, December 1985

This Hulk story — from Incredible Hulk Annual #14 — is a direct outcome of one of the oddest creative moments in Marvel Comics history. 

Why so odd? The creative teams on Alpha Flight and The Incredible Hulk did a complete switch with each other. And naturally, they did a crossover to bring readers up to speed. Also, the Secret Wars sequel is involved.

But as always, we digress.

John Byrne, who had been on Alpha Flight, commenced his (ultimately brief) run with issue #314 and this annual, simultaneously. (Bill Mantlo and Mike Mignola went over to Alpha Flight.) And, as prolific as John is, even he can’t produce that many pages at once, so he enlisted art support from Sal Buscema, who penciled and inked the full double issue.

Sal Buscema on the Hulk? Always great.

Sal Buscema on everything else? Always great, too.

After a crossover — and a Secret Wars tie-in — creative teams on The Incredible Hulk and Alpha Flight fully flip-flopped, a first in comics history.

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.