Marvel Super Heroes 47 Hulk cover / original art by Jim Starlin

Since I am on a Starlin rediscovery kick lately, here's a 1974 reprint cover I am crazy about: Marvel Super Heroes 47, featuring The Hulk!

I love Starlin's Hulk! He captures the fierce monstrosity of the character and the transformation here from Banner into the Hulk is classic. It captures the original intent to make this monster related to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Here is the original art to this cover, which looks nifty in black and white.

At this point in time, Marvel Super Heroes was reprinting Tales to Astonish. The Bronze Age Babies twitter account recently asked which we preferred on reprints - the original cover from the comic being reprinted, or a new cover? That is easy for me, hands down I liked the new covers because they gave artists like Starlin a shot to draw these classic characters.

Nuff Said!

Farewell, Herb Trimpe!

I was sad to read that Herb Trimpe passed away this week at the age of 75. He will be missed and remembered by most fans as the long time artist of The Incredible Hulk.

I definitely got hooked on the Hulk with Herb Trimpe's run on the series. He drew the monster turned hero in a way that not only conveyed his strength but also his vulnerability. Unlike the modern comics where the Hulk is portrayed as 10 feet tall, the Silver / Bronze Age Hulk was more human-sized (maybe 6-7 feet tall) and definitely more relatable. I think I collected nearly Trimpe's entire run when I was a kid.

Of course one of the best stories featured Jarella, the girl who fell in love with the Hulk in a microscopic sub-universe.

In 2001 I went to Wondercon, when it was still held in Oakland, and Herb was there to show a documentary film made about him and his early career.  There was actual footage of Herb taking the train into New York City to work in the 1960s Marvel Bullpen - I believe we also saw Marie Severin in that, too. It was very thrilling for a long time Marvel fan, yet quite sad, because Trimpe was forced to give up drawing comics in his later years to teach art in high school. I remember him saying that teaching in high school was the hardest thing he had ever done! I sat just behind Erik Larsen, the Savage Dragon creator, who was obviously a big fan of Trimpe - his jaw almost dropped to the floor. It seemed shocking that such a legend in the comics business couldn't make a living drawing anymore.

Trimpe had more versatility in him that just super-hero comics, he was quite good at drawing planes, tanks, and war stories. I bought many issues of War is Hell for his artwork, which later had a continuing series by him. And of course, he did great work on The Phantom Eagle, where he showcased his love of planes.

Herb Trimpe will definitely be missed.  Nuff Said!

Don't Honk the Hulk!

I would think by this point I've seen everything from the Marvel fan clubs Marvelmania and FOOM.  Every once in a while, I uncover something I've never seen before, like this bumper sticker.

Don't Honk the Hulk!  Today everyone is a Marvel fan due to the movies.  Back in the day when someone put this on their car, you identified a rare True Believer.  Nuff Said!

Thorsday: Thor vs Hulk by Steve Rude

Back when the Hulk wasn't depicted as a gargantuan, it was possible to do what Thor is doing in this pic by Steve Rude.

Pick him up and get ready to smash!  Check out The Dude's Kickstarter for his 2013 sketchbook.  Happy Thorsday!  Nuff Said.

Here Comes the Hulk by Dave Stevens

Dave Stevens drew the Hulk for Marvel!  A big surprise but this is what I found on Heritage Comics...

Stevens drew this illustration for a T-Shirt Design, in the same style as the original "Here Comes the Hulk" shirt from 1970.  Nuff Said!

Thing Tuesday: Hulk vs Thing by Lee Weeks

A great illustration that brings to mind some of the past meetings between the monsters!

Nuff Said.

Marvel Funnies: Hulk Hates Diet Soda!

Lots of articles around about the "soda tax" many states and cities want to impose.  Seems really silly to me and a slippery slope to taxing more things that are bad for us.

This illustration featuring The Hulk reminded me of this in a roundabout way, courtesy of Loston Wallace, doing his best to channel the style of Herb Trimpe.  I featured Loston's work earlier this year on The Thing.  Please check out Loston's DeviantART site for more of his work. 

Do you remember the days when Diet Coke didn't exist but Tab was the "healthy" alternative drink?  I don't think I've seen a can of Tab around in decades.  Nuff Said!

Keep on FOOMin with the Hulk

Here's an illustration from one of the early FOOM fanzine issues.  Can you guess the name of the artist?

It's by Jim Steranko!  Featuring the Hulk strutting down the street with a FOOM membership card in hand.  Steranko was doing a take-off on another famous image that originally appeared in 1968.

Robert Crumb drew Keep on Truckin as a one page strip in Zap Comics #1.  You've probably seen this on various truck decals and mud flaps over the years.  According to this Wikipedia article, Crumb never made much money from his creation.  Nuff Said!

Hulk versus Spider-Man by Mike Deodato

Spider-Man versus the Hulk in black and white glory by Mike Deodato.

Amazing and Incredible!  Check out another new cool Deodato commission with Wonder Woman versus Ms. Marvel over on Giant-Size Geek!  Nuff Said.

Neal Adams covers Hulk, Spider-Man, and the Punisher!

I like to think of myself as a Neal Adams expert, but somehow I missed these groovy covers he did last year for a bunch of Marvel books.

The cover to Incredible Hulk #1 features ol' Greenskin bursting out of chains, an homage to Neal's Superman #233 cover?  Whatever the case may be, it looks great.

This illustration was the variant cover to Amazing Spider-Man #667, but as Agent M Loves Tacos reported, it was also a poster for the Montreal Comic Con.  Would hate to walk on the hockey rink after Johnny Storm flew by Spidey.

Here are the pencils.  Interesting to see that the lines indicating speed and force were drawn using colors in the version above.

Punisher #1 also featured the second amendment's greatest advocate, Frank Castle, spewing down justice.  Nice angle and action shot here.

Check out my article last year on Giant-Size Geek: Neal Adams Marvel Variant Covers: Captain America, Daredevil and Ghost Rider!  You don't wanna miss it, true believer!  Nuff Said.

The Return of Giant-Size Marvel! The 1968 Revival: Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, and Sub-Mariner!

My little blog and I are back to haunt you with Marvel Madness once again, true believers! Heck, if Bucky, Aunt May, Harry Osborn, Norman Osborn, Warlock and even Odin himself can come back from the dead, why can't little old Giant-Size Marvel?

I wasn't sure what image would be the best one to open with until I opened my Vintage Marvel 2012 calendar and saw this cover for January: Tales of Suspense #98.



To Be Reborn!  Steve Rogers gives up being Cap and then goes around saving all the clowns who decide to replace him.  How many times did he try giving up his Cap identity afterward, only to return again and again?  A future topic for a blog post if there ever was one.

Restarting this blog on the first day of 2012 hit me out of the blue as I took a walk this morning.  No plan to make it a New Year's Resolution or anything like that--I have given those up long ago.  In fact, New Year's Eve and the celebrations that come with it have lost their luster for me.  Why are people so excited?  Because it is a reason to party, imbibe, and eat too much food?  My mind became lost in this mystery, but the answer came when I thought of Marvel Comics in the year 1968.



That year was like a mini Marvel explosion, the year Marvel ended both Tales of Suspense and Tales to Astonish.  The stars who shared those books (Cap and Iron Man in Suspense, Hulk and Sub-Mariner in Astonish) graduated to their own titles.  Captain America 100 was virtually Captain America #1 for the Marvel age, complete with a nifty Jack Kirby cover showing Cap leading his pals (the Avengers, Black Panther, Sharon Carter, Namor) to victory.  I have a reproduction of this one hanging on the wall.  Perhaps not Kirby's greatest cover but one of the most iconic.  A new era began for Cap, one that would see Kirby eventually leave and usher in new people like Steranko, Colan, Romita, Sal Buscema, etc.



A number one issue is like the the beginning of the new year.  Usually a #1 comic has a really good story and artwork to suck you in, perhaps even make you send in a subscription for a full year.  Iron Man #1 from 1968 had artwork by Gene Colan, who had been illustrating the series in Tales of Suspense.  We like to think that today's artists don't stick around on series long enough, yet Colan was gone from Iron Man after the first issue!  Of course, he had drawn the character for years up to that point.  But a number one issue, with all the great promises it brings, you hope the greatness will continue forever.  You don't think about alcoholism, losing your own mega-corporation, or igniting a Civil War with your Avengers pals!



Hulk #102 was designed to drive comic book collectors and collecting software crazy for decades.  The Hulk premiered in 1962 and lasted for only six issues.  He co-starred in Tales to Astonish starting in issue 60 and up to issue 101.  Then he launched back into his own title, continuing the numbering.  I'll remember this factoid forever, even when I forget the name of my co-workers or where I put my iPod.   This cover by Marie Severin is nice but not as iconic as other Hulk covers.   Notice how all these 1968 launches have the cover caption: Big Premiere Issue!  Just to let you know to get in on the ground floor of something great.



Outside of the Kirby cover, I have always loved the 1968 Sub-Mariner #1 cover by John Buscema.  Why would you ever want to read Aquaman when you could read about Prince Namor?  His body language on this cover just said, "Don't F--- With Me!"  Namor was a rebel with a cause and had an attitude that was unique in the history of comics.  When he was paired up with other Marvel heroes, Namor was a ticking time bomb.  Would he help them or betray them?  Perhaps that is why he was more successful in books like Defenders rather than his own series.

Happy 2012 to all Marvel fans!  May we all endure as long as these classic characters.  Nuff Said!

My Favorite Giant-Size Marvels of the 1970s

When I created this blog back in 2008, I needed an idea for a title.  My favorite Marvel Comics from the 1970s were always the Giant-Size titles that sold for 35 or 50 cents.  Just the thought of extra pages of Marvel-ous content made me heart beat a little faster.  Here are some of my favorite titles from this era...

Giant-Size Superstars #1, featuring the Fantastic Four and wildest Thing versus Hulk match ever, was one of the first giant-size titles.  The story by Gerry Conway is fun, light-hearted, a done-in-one romp that is perfectly constructed.  The artwork by Rich Buckler showcases Marvel over the top action in the best way, with a fight that goes from skyscrapers to the subway system.  I first wrote about this comic in 2008.

Giant-Size Superheroes #1 followed a month or so later, with another whopper of a story by Conway, where Spidey's misunderstood monsters teamed up: Morbius and the Man-Wolf.  I couldn't imagine how these two got together, but it was an interesting setup.  The art by Gil Kane featured some great midnight action in New York City.  I mentioned this comic earlier in my look at Morbius' creation.

At this point you may think all my favorites were the first issues of the Giant-Size books.  That is true--except in the case of this one.  I longed for these Giant-Size comics to somehow tie into the story from the regular monthly titles.  Steve Englehart finally broke this barrier with Giant-Size Avengers #2.  Kang the Conqueror had attacked the Avengers in the regular monthly title, clobbering Thor, Iron Man, and The Vision into unconsciousness.  And kidnapping the Scarlet Witch and Mantis to boot!  Kang left the Swordsman behind, because he was a loser.  Bad mistake!  In this issue, the Swordsman recruits Hawkeye and the two of them start to unravel Kang's plan for world domination.  The climax of this story had a big revelation--the Celestial Madonna was actually Mantis--and the Swordsman died trying to save her.  One of my favorite Avengers stories of all time.  The artwork by Dave Cockrum, who also inked himself on this issue, is one of the best art jobs of his career.  I noticed that Doug and Karen mentioned this issue in their recent article on The Vision.

FOOM: Artwork by Steranko, Kirby, Buscema, Colan, Starlin and more!

The Bronze Age Babies blog has a great series every Friday where they cover F.O.O.M., Marvel’s fan club from the 1970s.  I thought I would share a few memories of my own.  I signed up for this club right after I saw the ad in Marvel’s Bullpen Bulletins page.  After a while, I had forgotten about joining—and then I received an giant envelope in the mail—with the Hulk’s green head staring at the viewer!  The mailing label was affixed in the white space of the Hulk’s mouth.

I was blown away just by the great design behind even the envelope!  I wonder if Steranko, who was behind the first year of the F.O.O.M. club, came up with it.  I managed to buy a F.O.O.M. kit a number of years ago and took this scan of it, in a near pristine state.



The FOOM membership kit also arrived with this stunning poster by Steranko.  With the Silver Surfer in the forefront, pointing the way for heroes of the Marvel Universe.  You have all the big heroes here: Spider-Man, Hulk, Thor, the Thing, etc.  But you also have representatives of some smaller teams: Black Bolt from the Inhumans and Angel from the X-Men.  Angel is wearing his costume designed by Neal Adams in the last few original issues.  If you are wondering why the Black Widow is here, this is probably due to the fact she was sharing space with Daredevil at the time.  It is a bit strange that she is the only female super-hero represented.  A great poster that I threw away or gave away at some foolish point, but I was lucky enough to get it a few years ago.

Thor Thursday: Walt Simonson pin-up with a little inspiration by Gene Colan

Here’s a pinup that Walt Simsonson worked on to raise money for a Gene Colan benefit last year, featuring Thor, Iron Man, and the Hulk riding a crazy space bike.  Thor and Hulk are done in Simonson’s style, but with Iron Man, Walt managed to portray him in Colan’s classic style.

Here is close up view of Iron Man in one early stage of this drawing.  Colan had a way of drawing IM’s helmet, where the facial expressions came out of the mask.  Simonson nailed that and other classic details, like the larger rings around Iron Man’s gauntlets, shoulders, hips, and boots. 

You can find these and other great Simonson pieces on The Official Walter Simonson Page on Facebook. For Gene Colan news, visit The Invincible Gene Colan Blog, as well as Clifford Meth’s blog.  Nuff Said!

Thing Tuesdays: Chris Stevens Hulk vs Thing

Chris Stevens is an artist working in mixed media who has a visual style that I love.

Here is Chris' take on a Hulk vs Thing battle.  In his behind the scenes comment for this piece, Chris remarked:

This was my attempt at a Bernie Wrightson layout. Everything piled up on the left side and totally vertical. It was a fun piece.

It does have the feeling of a Wrightson piece.  Nuff Said!

Link: Chris Stevens on deviantART

George Perez: The Maestro And His Toys, from Hulk Future Imperfect

I’m back!  Like a bear emerging out of hibernation, I’m functioning once again—thanks to coffee.  I told you that I hated the holidays—I had to sleep in a coffin after Halloween just to escape the torture!    Time to look at the electronic long box of commissions and scans, just like this fellow megalomaniac…The Maestro!


George Perez shared this wonderful pen and ink piece over on his Facebook fan page.  Perez is notorious for cramming lots of details in the nooks & crannies of his drawings.  He has the best excuse here, showcasing the Future Hulk’s mad trophy room.  Here’s a few that I can name:

1. Thor’s helmet.
2. On the wall underneath: Pictures of Warlock (New Mutants), Beast, Inhumans, Daredevil.
3. Wolverine’s skeleton.
4. Silver Surfer’s surfboard.
5. Wonder Man’s uniform?
6. Superman’s shirt.
7. Doctor Strange’s cloak.
8. Nova’s helmet.
9. Ant-Man’s helmet.
10. Captain America’s mask & shield.
11. Hawkeye’s bow and arrow.
12. Ultron’s robotic head.
13. Spider-Man’s mask.
14. Thor’s hammer.
15. Wrecking crew thunderball?
16. Doctor Octopus’ arms.
17. The Thing’s picture of the left side of the Maestro’s leg.
18. The Vision’s head on the Maestro’s leg.
19. Iron Man’s helmet in his right hand.
20. Cyclops visor on top of the TV.

There is a lot more I didn’t name.  Do you see those bottles on the left, right under the Beast’s picture?  Do those have some meaning or are they just decoration?

An outstanding commission by Perez.  Whoever owns this should be bursting with Marvel pride!  Nuff Said.

Hulk On A Rampage For Hero Initiative

Then lucky bastiches who attended Wizard World Chicago in 2008 were able to view these Hulk covers, donated by a Who's Who of modern comic art masters, for the Hero Initiative.  Comic Book Resources has a full image gallery, but I've plucked a few of my favorites.

Alan Davis: I love that glare in the Hulk's eyes.  I think my favorite Hulk artists find the character in his facial expressions.  Davis, Dale Keown, Gary Frank, are all superb in this respect.

Jimmy Cheung: This is a fantastic piece with gray tones.  Who are the two people on the left?  The woman must be Betty, is that guy supposed to be Rick Jones?

Terry Dodson: If you're a red blooded male, you're not looking at the Hulk.  A lot of the Hulk covers feature the She-Hulk.  I am reminded of the Hulk 2000 annual by Paul Jenkins where the Hulk tried to clobber She-Hulk into being his girlfriend.  Now that makes me wonder where those Hulk kids came from in Wolverine #66...

Steve Dillion: The most surprising artist to draw the Hulk, but one of the most effective!  He really captures the madness in the Hulk's face in this half-shot.

In addition to the Hulk covers, there was a special Hulk wine bottle with sketches and autographs that will be raffled off.  Nuff said.

Two Hulk variant covers by Dale Keown: Red and Green

Dale Keown, the artist who did a fantastic Hulk run with Peter David, has drawn 2 Hulk variant covers recently, featuring both the classic Hulk and Red Hulk!

Hulk #24 is the last issue of the Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness run.  Keown's cover has the Red Hulk standing victoriously over the rubble of his last fight with Bruce Banner.

Who knew when this Hulk title launched in 2008 that the star of the book wasn't going to be Bruce Banner?  I assumed when the story wrapped up in #24 that Banner would return as the title star.  Nope, it's the Red Hulk from here on out.

It is good to see Keown cover old greenskin on Incredible Hulk #611, which be the new home for Bruce Banner and family.  This is the stronger cover of the two--and much more frightening.  Nuff Said!

Link: Incredible Hulk Visionaries - Peter David & Dale Keown, Vol. 5

Link: Incredible Hulk Visionaries - Peter David & Dale Keown, Vol. 6

Two Hulk Marvelmania posters by Jack Kirby and Herb Trimpe

I was thinking the other day about various posters that Marvelmania produced.  There was a Hulk poster, I remember that.  Did Jack Kirby or Herb Trimpe draw this poster?  The answer is...both of them did one!



Jack Kirby's version is unmistakably dynamic and powerful.  The Leader's sitting inside that Kirby cosmic contraption ready to blow Greenskin to smithereens.



Herb Trimpe's version (sorry this is best image I could get) has the same pose as Kirby's poster, the same angles and design.  Trimpe's touch is seen on the Hulk's face and the inking on the body is more rounded and less square.

Did Herb Trimpe ink over the pencils provided by Kirby for the original?  Why were there two posters?  Let me in on the secret if you know.  Nuff Said!

Drunk Hulk Smash Twitter!

I am burnt out on all this social networking—didn’t Prince just say that it’s all passé now?.  Facebook and Twitter seem to have one purpose, which is to sell you products via direct targeted marketing.  I’ve deactivated my Facebook, but keep my Twitter account going, because of one man: DRUNK HULK!  I always get a chuckle when I see one of his tweets.  Drunk Hulk slings off one liners as easily as Steven Wright.

Here are a few choice examples.  For instance, the ongoing saga of Bristol Palin:

BRISTOL AND LEVI BACK TOGETHER! DRUNK HULK NO BE THIS UPSET ABOUT REUNION SINCE STEPHENIE MEYER REUNITE WITH TYPEWRITER!

ARGENTINA MAKE GAY MARRIAGE LEGAL! LEVI AND BRISTOL MAKE JOKE OF MARRIAGE IN AMERICA! ONE STEP FORWARD! TWO STEP BACK!

Oh yes, Drunk Hulk always types with CAPS ON!  On Mel Gibson:

DRUNK HULK BET MEL GIBSON WISH HE MAKE SEX TAPE LIKE OTHER CELEBRITY DO INSTEAD!

On the Sixth Sense / Last Airbender Director’s career:

DRUNK HULK JUST FIGURE OUT TWIST! M NIGHT SHYMALAN CAREER WAS DEAD WHOLE TIME!

On Kristen Stewart’s acting—appropriately, I read this after watching Adventureland:

DRUNK HULK LIKE KRISTEN STEWART! SHE METHOD ACTOR! SHE NO EVER BREAK CHARACTER! SHE ACT MISERABLE ALL TIME! THAT COMMITMENT!

On the economy:

TEEN EXPERIENCE WORST SUMMER JOB MARKET IN 41 YEAR! OH NO! NOW WHO WILL TREAT DRUNK HULK CONDESCENDING AT THE STARBUCK

On this year’s summer movies:

SUMMER MOVIE SEASON AWFUL! DRUNK HULK MOVIE SUMMER USUAL FEEL LIKE VAN HALEN! AND THIS YEAR SAMMY HAGAR TOOK OVER!

A cool idea for an amusement part for adults—which also reveals the fact that Drunk Hulk is literate:

HARRY POTTER PARK AT UNIVERSAL SUCCESS! DRUNK HULK HOPE THEY DO HENRY MILLER TROPIC OF CANCER PARK NEXT!

Looking back at Drunk Hulk’s younger days:

DRUNK HULK PRETEND BE BACK IN COLLEGE! FIRST LISTEN TO BEST OF BOB MARLEY! DRINK LOT! AND THEN BE LESBIAN FOR SIX MONTH!

NEW APPLE PRODUCT! A-TEAM! KARATE KID IN CINEMA! ALL DRUNK HULK NEED IS WHAM AND WHERE BEEF! AND IT 1984 ALL OVER AGAIN!

If I were Marvel, I’d hire this guy to write a Drunk Hulk TV show.  Hey, it worked for Shit My Dad Says.  Nuff Said!

Link:  Drunk Hulk Interview on Cover Stories.

Update: Comment from my old MT blog...

1 Comments

By Christian A. Dumais on July 19, 2010 12:21 AM

I appreciate being compared to Stephen Wright. That's certainly high praise. I'm glad you enjoy Drunk Hulk. I always appreciate it when people take the time to write about the big guy.

Great site, by the way!