The Monster and the Machine!
Featuring: Hulk
Release: September 4, 1962
Cover: November 1962
12 cents
Credits: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Inker: Dick Ayers
14 pages
I read this issue in Incredible Hulk Omnibus vol. 1. The volume lists Ayers as the inker.
This is the 4th issue and 3rd status quo for the Hulk. At first, Bruce Banner turned into the evil Hulk at night and human again during the day. Then, he was always Hulk, but under the mental control of Rick Jones so long as Rick was awake. Now, he has the power to transform back and forth between human and Hulk with a machine, and he retains his human brain in Hulk form. A “Professor Hulk” if you will.
However, Rick notices that Hulk doesn’t quite sound like Bruce. There’s a bit of Hulk in his personality too. On the other end, we saw bits of Bruce in Hulk’s personality. He was able to break through to compel Hulk to save a school bus and to tell Rick to run the machine.
We see Betty Ross again. She was absent last issue. She recalls the events of the first 2 issues, but there is a small error as she describes Hulk as being under Rick’s control in #2, when Rick didn’t gain that control until #3. She also suggests to her father that Rick could help find Hulk. This was his own idea in the previous issue, but he acts like it is a novel one and sends people to arrest Rick. However, Rick committed some light treason last issue, taking control of a military missile and bringing it back to earth. I feel like General Ross should already have been trying to arrest him.
I am not a fan of how often Bruce is exposed to radiation. It complicates his origin. If asked: “Why does he have these Hulk powers?”, I’d like to tell the simple story of the gamma bomb. But that’s not really his origin, as he was in this issue completely cured of the effects of the gamma bomb. Now he has the Hulk powers because he chose to subject himself to this new experiment.
This issue features two distinct Hulk stories. We’ll cover the next in a subsequent post.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 57/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
I quite like the characterization here. It’s the first time we get the sense that Bruce is part of Hulk and perhaps vice versa. I also appreciate their depiction of Bruce’s weakness after the accident.
Characters:
- Rick Jones
- Bruce Banner/Hulk
- Betty Ross
- General “Thunderbolt” Ross.
Story notes:
- Narrator tells us Betty scene takes place “days before”
- “Perhaps it was just a coincidence…” muses Betty, seemingly close to deducing a secret
- When Betty recaps Incredible Hulk #2, she makes it seem like Rick can control Hulk, but Rick gained control in #3
- Rick’s light treason of last issue apparently ignored
- Two references to Banner exerting personality: when Hulk saves school bus and when he tells Rick to “try”
- Rick overdoes gamma dose, cures Bruce but also weakens him
- Rick notices Hulk, even with Banner’s brain, isn’t quite Banner. “Fiercer, crueler…”
- Hulk saves family from fire, but gets turned on by those he rescued.
- Hulk changes back to Bruce at end of issue; notes he can’t change back and forth so often.
#28 story in reading order
Next: Incredible Hulk #4, Story B
Previous: Journey Into Mystery #86
