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Cover: Herb Trimpe & John Severin

The Incredible Hulk #144

Name: The Incredible Hulk #144
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Oct 1971 · Marvel · 0.15 USD

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“The Monster and the Madman!”

About this Issue

The Incredible Hulk #144 delivers the conclusion to the first-ever meeting between the Hulk and Doctor Doom — a pairing that, remarkably, had never occurred in nearly a decade of Marvel Comics publishing. The story establishes a template that writers would revisit for decades: Doom attempts to harness the Hulk's raw power as a geopolitical weapon through Bruce Banner's intellect, only to be foiled by his own underestimated companion, Valeria. The issue is also a concrete publishing milestone, as it is the final issue of the long-running Incredible Hulk series to carry a 15-cent cover price, marking the end of an era in Marvel's pricing history before the jump to a 25-cent, 52-page format beginning with issue #145. Herb Trimpe's cover — depicting Doom and the Hulk in direct confrontation — is widely regarded among collectors and critics as one of the artist's finest compositions from his lengthy tenure on the title.

In "The Monster and the Madman!", the Hulk’s fate hangs in the balance as General Ross, Betty, Glenn, and Samson believe him dead—exactly as Dr. Doom intends. With Bruce Banner now under his control through hypnotic suggestion, Doom forces him to build a gamma bomb to conquer a neighboring nation. But when Valeria intervenes, disrupting Bruce’s programming, the Hulk’s rage awakens, and the resulting clash with Doom promises to shake the very foundations of the battlefield. Written by Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich, with dynamic art by Dick Ayers and inks by John Severin, this 1971 Marvel classic features a cover by Herb Trimpe and John Severin that captures the explosive tension of a battle between two of Marvel’s most formidable minds.

writer Roy Thomas · writer Gary Friedrich · artist Dick Ayers · inker John Severin · letterer Artie Simek · cover Herb Trimpe, John Severin

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $31

CGC 9.8 · 8 in census $2,004

CGC 9.6 · 16 in census $448

CGC 9.4 · 34 in census $310

CGC 9.2 · 30 in census $194

CGC 9.0 · 20 in census $156

CGC 8.5 · 31 in census $137

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CGC 8.0 · 31 in census $108

CGC 7.5 · 17 in census $108

CGC 7.0 · 12 in census $87*

CGC 6.5 · 19 in census $61

CGC 6.0 · 7 in census $61*

CGC 5.5 · 7 in census $61

CGC 5.0 · 5 in census $59*

CGC 4.5 · 5 in census $54*

CGC 4.0 · 3 in census $51

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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CGC 9.8 ▾ $14,500–$16,750 2 listings

CGC 9.8 $14500 CGC 9.8 $16750

CGC 9.4 $400 1 listing CGC 7 $221 1 listing CGC 5.5 $150 1 listing

CGC ▾ $165–$485 2 listings

CGC $165 CGC $485

Raw — VF+ $120 1 listing Raw — VF $99.99 1 listing Raw — FN/VF $91 1 listing

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FN+ $46.2 FN+ $49.82

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Raw — VG ▾ $20.69–$61 4 listings

VG $20.69 VG $49.99 VG $59 VG $61

Raw — FAIR $14.99 1 listing

Raw / ungraded ▾ $9.24–$150 11 listings

Raw / ungraded $9.24 Raw / ungraded $18 Raw / ungraded $26 Raw / ungraded $28 Raw / ungraded $40 Raw / ungraded $47.24 Raw / ungraded $58 Raw / ungraded $70 Raw / ungraded $80 Signed $110 Raw / ungraded $149.99

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VG $14.99 VG $21.99 VERY GOOD $45

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History

The Doom-Hulk two-parter was crafted under editor Stan Lee, with the script co-written by Roy Thomas — then Marvel's editor-in-chief in waiting — and Gary Friedrich, with interior art pencilled by Dick Ayers and inked by John Severin. Herb Trimpe, who was in the middle of an eight-year run as the title's primary penciller, handled the cover with inks again by Severin. The story grew directly out of the preceding issue (#143, 'Sanctuary!'), in which Doom exploits his Latverian diplomatic immunity to fake the Hulk's death via a robot duplicate and kidnap Bruce Banner — setting up #144's resolution in Latveria itself.

Trivia · 8 facts

Title: 'The Monster and the Madman!' — published October 1971 (on-sale date July 13, 1971), part of the Incredible Hulk Vol. 1 series.
Concludes the first-ever encounter between Doctor Doom and the Hulk, a two-part story begun in Incredible Hulk #143 ('Sanctuary!').
Doctor Doom uses a subliminal inducer to enslave Bruce Banner and force him to construct a gamma bomb intended to threaten Latveria's neighboring nations.
Doom's plan is undone by Valeria, his companion, who interferes with Banner's subliminal programming to prevent mass casualties — the Hulk then nearly destroys Doom before Valeria's pleas cause him to stand down.
Iron Man (Tony Stark) appears via cameo (depicted only on a screen/static image), alongside supporting cast Doc Samson, Betty Ross, Glenn Talbot, and Thunderbolt Ross.
Interior pencils by Dick Ayers, inks by John Severin; cover pencils by Herb Trimpe, inks by John Severin; script by Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich; edited by Stan Lee.
The last issue of the Incredible Hulk series at the 15-cent cover price — issue #145 launched Marvel's new 25-cent, 52-page giant format.
Reprinted at least seven times, including in The Mighty World of Marvel #115 (UK, 1974), Marvel Treasury Edition #20 (1979), Essential Hulk Vol. 4 (2006), Incredible Hulk Epic Collection #5 (2020), and The Incredible Hulk Omnibus Vol. 3 (2025).