The Incredible Hulk
First editions from the Silver Age of Comic Books
Our 28th February Toys & Models auction includes this 1962 first- edition issue of The Incredible Hulk ‘The Strangest Man of All Time!!!’
Despite now being a mainstay of the Marvel Multiverse, this iconic grey(!?) character didn’t find an audience on his first rampage.
When pulp magazine publisher Martin Goodman employed his wife’s 16-year-old cousin, Stanley Lieber, as a general office assistant in 1939, he almost certainly had no inkling of the ‘monster’ success this young man with a taste for writing would make of his burgeoning comic book business.
By the 1960s, superheroes such as early Marvel character Captain America had fallen out of fashion, to be replaced by horror, Western and giant monster storylines. Having been promoted to interim editor of the comics line at the age of 19 (a role which he held for decades aside from three years military service during WWII), and now using a writing pseudonym, ‘Stan Lee’ was charged with creating a new team of characters. Working alongside pioneer comic artist Jack Kirby, Lee co-created the Spider-man, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Thor, the X-Men, and the Hulk amongst others.
The debut issue of The Incredible Hulk was published in May 1962. This grey-skinned (to change to green in the second issue due to problems with the shading), angry, muscular and ‘hulking’ creature was the alter-ego of the weak and withdrawn scientist Dr Bruce Banner, which emerged after accidental exposure to gamma rays. Inspired by literary classics Frankenstein and Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, the Hulk also played into contemporary fears about the Cold War and the threat of nuclear attacks. However, the stand-alone character comic didn’t find its mark straightaway and was cancelled after only six issues, after which the Hulk became a founding member of the Avengers.
These initial run comics are therefore very rare and the first issue is consistently in the top ten of the most valuable Silver Age Comic Books chart. All six are included in the auction.
The Hulk’s popularity grew, and he was granted another run as a stand-alone comic character from 1968. From that series, this 1974 No.181 edition including the first full appearance of Wolverine (another soon-to-be staple from the Marvel team) has been consigned by the same vendor, along with several hundred other Marvel comics.
We are thrilled to be offering these iconic examples of comic book history in our 28th February auction. These two carry estimates of £1000-2000 and £2000-3000 respectively. The collection comprises hundreds of Marvel comics ranging from 1950s classics through to modern examples featuring later heroes such as Guardians of the Galaxy. We will be open for viewing on Thursday 27th 10am-5.30pm, and interested buyers are welcome to request extra images and condition reports. The full catalogue will be published two weeks prior to the auction, but you can see a sneak preview here.
‘Stan Lee’, of course, continued to turn this small family-run publisher into a sprawling multimedia corporation, frequently making cameo appearances in film and television programmes of his Marvel creations, until his death at the age of 95 in 2018.
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