Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery

Tag: Incredible Hulk

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.

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.”