The Incredible Hulk #151
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe Incredible Hulk #151 is a representative example of the Jarella-era storytelling that defined the early Bronze Age Hulk — Bruce Banner's doomed love for the subatomic princess Jarella gave the series an emotional through-line rare for Marvel's action books of the period, and this issue advances that arc by showing a heartbroken Hulk silently walk away after witnessing Betty Ross and Glenn Talbot share a kiss, a moment of genuine pathos for a character more often associated with blind rage. The issue's villain, Senator Morton Clegstead, who transforms into the amorphous 'Crawling Unknown' after injecting himself with the Hulk's gamma-irradiated blood, reflects the era's growing interest in body-horror and science-gone-wrong themes that would recur throughout Bronze Age Marvel. While not a first-appearance key in the traditional sense, the issue captures the Goodwin–Trimpe creative partnership at the height of its collaborative run, weaving political satire — a corrupt U.S. senator exploiting the Hulk for personal gain — into a monster-of-the-month framework.
In "When Monsters Meet!", the Hulk finds himself facing a terrifying new threat — a being so alien and horrifying it defies even his strength. Written by Stan Lee and illustrated with raw energy by Herb Trimpe, this 1972 classic sees the green giant pushed to his limits in a battle that tests not just his power, but his will. The cover, inked by John Severin, captures the moment with a visceral, unforgettable punch.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 13 grades ▾
This exact issue on ebay
Raw — FN+ ▾ $16.99–$33 5 listings
Raw — FINE ▾ $14.99–$19.99 3 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $8–$150 35 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
The issue was written by Archie Goodwin and drawn by penciler Herb Trimpe with inks by John Severin — the same creative trio that handled the surrounding issues (#150 and beyond) — under Stan Lee's editorial oversight, reflecting the period when Lee was transitioning away from hands-on writing duties and guest writers and rising talents were shaping individual titles. The on-sale date was February 15, 1972, with a May 1972 cover date, a standard Marvel production rhythm of the era. The letterer credit is shared in sources between Artie Simek and Sam Rosen, suggesting the lettering may have been split across the issue's pages, a common practice at Marvel in this period.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Story title: 'When Monsters Meet!' — written by Archie Goodwin, penciled by Herb Trimpe, inked by John Severin, with Stan Lee as editor-in-chief.
- On-sale date: February 15, 1972; cover-dated May 1972 — a standard Marvel Bronze Age production timeline.
- Features the first and only appearance of Senator Morton Clegstead, who re-instates an anti-Hulk government program to harvest Hulk's gamma-irradiated blood as a cancer treatment, then mutates into the one-off villain 'The Crawling Unknown' and dies in the same issue.
- Bruce Banner travels to Washington, D.C. to find Hank Pym (Ant-Man) and request he shrink Banner down to the subatomic scale to reunite with Jarella, continuing the Jarella romantic subplot that had been running since Incredible Hulk #140.
- Contains a pivotal emotional beat: the Hulk witnesses Betty Ross and Glenn Talbot share a kiss, then quietly walks away — an unusually subdued and melancholy moment for the character.
- Roger Dutton makes his final appearance in this issue, and the story references the recently built Hulkbuster Base established in Incredible Hulk #149.
- The story was reprinted in Marvel Super Heroes Vol. 1 #100 and has since been collected in Essential Hulk Vol. 4 (2006), Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 8 (2014), and Incredible Hulk Epic Collection Vol. 5 — 'Who Will Judge the Hulk?' (2020), as well as the Incredible Hulk Omnibus Vol. 3.
- The issue was also reprinted internationally: in Marvel UK's The Mighty World of Marvel #133–134 (April 1975), and in multiple Scandinavian editions including Hulken (Semic, 1985) and Hulk (Interpresse, 1985), as well as the Italian Hulk E I Difensori #28 (Editoriale Corno, 1975).
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in L'incroyable Hulk #11 (1972), The Mighty World of Marvel #133 (1975), The Mighty World of Marvel #134 (1975), Hulk #15 (1978), Marvel Super-Heroes #100 (1981), Hulk #2/1985 (1985), Hulk #2/1985 (1985), Hulken #2/1985 (1985), Essential Hulk #4 (2006), Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk #8 (2014), Incredible Hulk Epic Collection #5 (2020), The Incredible Hulk Omnibus #3 (2025), Hulk E I Difensori #28
Key issues in The Incredible Hulk
Variants (1)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.