Hulk #23

This October 1980 magazine-format issue captures the terrifying duality at the heart of the Hulk mythos: a stunned, ordinary-looking man recoils on the left as a fury of green muscle explodes toward us on the right, with ghost images of the transformation sequence rippling between them in a burst of red and yellow. Walter Simonson's cover art makes the contrast between vulnerable humanity and unstoppable rage feel visceral and immediate. Inside, James Shooter writes and John Buscema pencils — a pairing that promises the emotional weight hinted at by the story's evocative title, "…A Very Personal Hell.