The Incredible Hulk #1
The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962) is the founding document of one of Marvel's most enduring and thematically complex characters — a scientist-turned-monster whose dual nature as Bruce Banner and the Hulk gave the Silver Age superhero genre its most direct expression of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde archetype fused with Cold War nuclear anxiety. In a single 36-page issue divided into five chapters, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced not just a new hero but an entire supporting cast — Rick Jones, General Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross, Betty Ross, Igor Drenkov, and the Gargoyle — that would anchor the character's mythology for decades. Unlike the triumphant wish-fulfillment of many contemporaries, the Hulk debuted as a tragic figure: feared, hunted, and fundamentally at war with himself, establishing a template for the tortured Marvel antihero that writers and readers have returned to ever since. The issue also launched what became one of Marvel's longest-running franchises, with the character going on to co-found the Avengers and anchor an unbroken chain of comics, television, and film adaptations stretching into the 21st century.
In "The Coming of the Hulk, Part 1," a terrified Dr. Bruce Banner and his companion Jo find themselves captured by the mysterious Gargoyle and spirited behind the Iron Curtain. With the Hulk’s strength and rage on full display, the duo must navigate a tense alliance with a man whose monstrous form hides a desperate longing for normalcy. Written by Stan Lee and brought to life with bold, dynamic art by Jack Kirby—pencils and inks on the cover by Kirby, with coloring by Stan Goldberg—this landmark issue sets the stage for a gripping tale of transformation, redemption, and escape.
In "The Coming of the Hulk, Part 1," scientist Bruce Banner narrowly escapes a deadly gamma radiation explosion that claims the life of a teenage boy, only to find himself transformed into the rage-fueled Hulk as the sun sets. Now caught between two identities, Banner struggles to control the monstrous form that emerges each night, unaware of the full extent of his new power or the danger he may pose.
In "[The Coming of the Hulk] Part 2: The Hulk Strikes!", a scientist transformed by gamma radiation must flee from military forces hunting him, while a mysterious figure known as the Gargouille captures him and a companion, dragging them behind the Iron Curtain. As night falls and the Hulk emerges, the line between man and monster blurs—especially when a surprising act of mercy forces an unlikely alliance.
In "[The Coming of the Hulk] Part 3: The Search for the Hulk," Bruce Banner’s struggle takes a dangerous turn when a captured spy reveals his secret to the Gargoyle, a twisted Soviet scientist with a personal vendetta. Trapped and taken to Russia, Banner must endure the journey eastward—where the rising sun begins to pull him back from the Hulk’s rage—before realizing a shocking truth: he may hold the key to curing the very monster hunting him.
In "[The Coming of the Hulk] Part 4: Enter...the Gargoyle!," a desperate Igor reaches out to his mysterious Soviet master, the grotesque scientist known as the Gargoyle, revealing the Hulk’s existence. When Banner transforms again under the cover of night, he and Rick are captured and taken to Russia, where the journey eastward—toward the rising sun—triggers a return to human form. As Banner realizes he may hold the key to curing the Gargoyle’s affliction, a fragile exchange unfolds: a chance at redemption in return for freedom. The story ends with the Gargoyle’s stronghold in ruins and his fate uncertain.
In this pivotal chapter of *The Incredible Hulk* #1, the Hulk and Rick Jones are captured by the Gargoyle and taken behind the Iron Curtain, where a desperate man with a monstrous curse seeks a way to reclaim his humanity. As Banner’s scientific mind meets the Gargoyle’s longing for normalcy, an unlikely alliance forms—one that could change everything.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 20 grades ▾
This exact issue on ebay
Raw / ungraded ▾ $2.95–$22,000 3 listings
More listings for this title
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby co-created the Hulk in early 1962, with Lee later stating the character was inspired by a combination of Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, while Kirby traced his own visual inspiration to witnessing a mother lift a car to free her trapped child — an image of extreme, instinctive physical power. Publisher Martin Goodman green-lit the title as a standalone launch rather than testing the concept in an existing anthology, likely encouraged by reader response to comparable monster-transformation stories Kirby had already produced. A notable production quirk shaped the character's look for generations: Lee chose gray for the Hulk's skin specifically because he wanted a color that would not suggest any particular ethnic group, but colorist Stan Goldberg struggled to reproduce a consistent gray on the printing technology of the day, resulting in uneven hues across the issue; after seeing the printed result, Lee switched to green starting with issue #2. For roughly two decades, reprints of this issue were recolored green to match the now-standard look, until the original gray coloring was restored in reprints beginning around the mid-1980s.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance and origin of the Hulk (Bruce Banner): physicist Dr. Bruce Banner is caught in the detonation of his own experimental gamma bomb while saving teenager Rick Jones, and begins transforming nightly into a massive gray-skinned creature.
- First appearances of the entire core supporting cast in one issue: Rick Jones, General Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross, Betty Ross, Igor Drenkov (Soviet spy embedded as Banner's lab assistant), and the Gargoyle (Yuri Topolov).
- The Gargoyle (Yuri Topolov) is both introduced and killed within this single issue — the first supervillain the Hulk ever faced — a deformed Soviet scientist who, after Banner cures his condition, turns against the Soviet state and destroys himself along with his base.
- In this debut issue, the Hulk's transformation is triggered by nightfall/darkness rather than by anger — a mechanic that was quickly abandoned in later issues.
- The Hulk was originally depicted with gray skin; a printing consistency problem led Stan Lee to change the color to green beginning with issue #2, and for roughly two decades reprints recolored the character green until the original gray was restored in mid-1980s reprints.
- Written by Stan Lee, penciled by Jack Kirby, and inked by Paul Reinman; the story is structured in five titled chapters. Two different letterers worked the issue — Ray Holloway on the first two chapters, Art Simek on the remainder — suggesting the opening section may have been produced separately from the rest.
- The issue was part of a short-lived solo run that lasted only six issues (May 1962 – March 1963) before cancellation; Kirby penciled the first five issues and Steve Ditko handled the sixth.
- The origin story has been reprinted extensively, including in Stan Lee's 1974 book Origins of Marvel Comics (Simon and Schuster), multiple Marvel Masterworks editions, an Incredible Hulk Omnibus, and a Marvel Facsimile Edition, and was adapted as a motion comic.
Cast · 7 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Marvel Tales Annual #1 (1964), Smash! #17 (1966), Smash! #28 (1966), Koloss #1/1968 (1968), Marvel Collectors' Item Classics #14 (1968), Fantastic! #70 (1968), Fantastic! #71 (1968), Marvel Collectors' Item Classics #15 (1968), Marvel Collectors' Item Classics #16 (1968), Marvel Comic Annual #1970 (1969), Marvelmania Monthly Magazine #3 (1970), Il Mitico Thor #5 (1971), The Mighty World of Marvel #1 (1972), The Mighty World of Marvel #2 (1972), Hulk #1 (1974), The Mighty World of Marvel #100 (1974), Origins of Marvel Comics #[nn] (1974), Hulk E I Difensori #1 (1975), The Incredible Hulk #1 (1975), The Incredible Hulk #[1] (81446-X) (1978), Gamma la bombe qui a créé Hulk #[1] (1979), Atlantic-serien [Fantastiske Fire] #4/1979 (1979), Atlanticserien #4/1979 (1979), Hulk Pocket Book #1 (1980) + 36 more
Key issues in The Incredible Hulk
Variants (1)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.