The Incredible Hulk #166
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe Incredible Hulk #166 (August 1973) marks the first appearance of Zzzax, one of the Hulk's most enduring and conceptually unusual recurring foes — a sentient electromagnetic entity born from a terrorist-triggered nuclear accident, whose very existence distills the era's anxieties about atomic energy run amok. The issue also exemplifies the tight continuity weaving that defined Steve Englehart's Bronze Age Hulk run, simultaneously advancing the Thunderbolt Ross–Glenn Talbot Cold War subplot while placing a freshly resigned Hawkeye into the New York storyline, giving the book an ensemble texture rare for a solo-hero title of its time. Zzzax's subsequent appearances across more than 27 catalogued Marvel stories — as well as his translation into multiple animated series — confirm this debut as a genuine addition to the Hulk's rogues' gallery rather than a one-off monster-of-the-month.
In "The Destroyer from the Dynamo!", the Hulk washes ashore in New York just in time to join Hawkeye in facing the electrifying threat of Zzzax. Meanwhile, in Russia, Talbot leads a daring rescue to free General Ross—only to find himself captured in the process. Written by Steve Englehart and brought to life by Herb Trimpe’s dynamic art, this 1973 Marvel classic delivers high-stakes action and a tense, electrifying showdown, all with cover art by Herb Trimpe.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was written by Steve Englehart and penciled by Herb Trimpe, with inks by Sal Trapani, colors by Dave Hunt, and lettering by Charlotte Jetter and Gaspar Saladino — a creative team that had been producing the Hulk's monthly adventures together during the character's prolific early Bronze Age period. Roy Thomas served as editor-in-chief at Marvel at the time and is listed as the book's editor, a role sometimes mistakenly conflated with the writing credit in secondary sources. The story was on sale as of the date recorded in The Comic Reader #96 (April 1973), with the cover-dated issue shipping in August 1973.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First full appearance of Zzzax, a sentient being of pure electromagnetic energy created when terrorists bomb a New York nuclear power plant, causing the atomic pile's energy to gain sentience and take humanoid form.
- Written by Steve Englehart with pencils by Herb Trimpe, inks by Sal Trapani, colors by Dave Hunt, and letters by Charlotte Jetter and Gaspar Saladino; edited by Roy Thomas.
- Cover-dated August 1973 (Bronze Age); the story's title is 'The Destroyer from the Dynamo!'
- Hawkeye (Clint Barton), depicted here in the period immediately after he quit the Avengers (as established in Avengers #109), plays a significant supporting role — intervening to save Bruce Banner from Zzzax and inadvertently triggering Banner's transformation into the Hulk.
- The issue runs a parallel subplot in which Colonel Jack Armbruster leads a mission to rescue General Thunderbolt Ross from Soviet captors, only for Major Glenn Talbot to be captured himself — a thread that continues through subsequent issues.
- Although Zzzax appears to be destroyed at the issue's conclusion, the character returns in Incredible Hulk #183, establishing a pattern of apparent death and rebirth that would define the villain across decades.
- Zzzax went on to appear across multiple animated adaptations, including the 1996 Incredible Hulk animated series, The Super Hero Squad Show, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Ultimate Spider-Man, and the 2013 direct-to-video film Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United.
- The issue has been reprinted internationally, including a French edition in the Arédit-Artima series (1979) and a Norwegian Hulk reprint (1980), reflecting the character's reach beyond the American market.
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Reprints
Reprinted in L'incroyable Hulk #25 (1973), Gamma la bombe qui a créé Hulk #6 (1979), Hulk #3/1980 (1980), Essential Hulk #4 (2006), Incredible Hulk Epic Collection #6 (2021), The Incredible Hulk Omnibus #3 (2025), Hulk #3/1980, Χούλκ [Hulk] #8, The Mighty World of Marvel #168
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