The Incredible Hulk #200
Reaching issue #200 was a genuine publishing milestone for a series that had nearly been cancelled in its original 1962–1963 run before being revived as a continuing solo title in 1968, making this anniversary a marker of hard-won longevity. Writer-editor Len Wein used the occasion to close out a long-running subplot — Glenn Talbot's catatonic state, inflicted by the Gremlin during a Soviet rescue mission — in a climax that also served as an apparent death scene for Bruce Banner and the Hulk, a dramatically audacious move for a milestone issue. The story's 'Fantastic Voyage'-style conceit let Wein parade virtually the entire Hulk rogues gallery before readers as psychic phantoms, creating a retrospective of the series' first hundred-plus issues without breaking continuity. That double-edged ending — Talbot restored, Banner seemingly erased — set the tone for the title's increasingly melodramatic storytelling in the late Bronze Age.
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By March 1976 (the on-sale date), Marvel was deep in its turbulent 'editor-go-round' period: Len Wein had served a brief stint as editor-in-chief before handing the role to Marv Wolfman, who in turn gave way to Gerry Conway, who was EiC at the time of this issue's production. Wein had returned to freelance writing and took on the Hulk scripting duties himself for the anniversary number, with Marv Wolfman credited as the issue's series editor. The interior art was a collaboration between Sal Buscema, who provided layouts, and Joe Staton, who handled finished pencils and inks — a common Bronze Age division of labor — while Rich Buckler and John Romita Sr. paired up for the cover.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published June 1976 (on sale March 16, 1976); the 200th issue of the title's continuous run since its 1968 relaunch as a solo series.
- Script by Len Wein; interior art breakdowns by Sal Buscema with finished pencils and inks by Joe Staton; colors by Glynis Wein (Oliver); letters by Joe Rosen and Gaspar Saladino.
- Cover pencilled by Rich Buckler and inked by John Romita Sr.; the cover features over a dozen character portraits surrounding the Hulk, but seven of those characters — the full Fantastic Four, Captain America, Thor, and Rick Jones — do not actually appear in the interior story.
- Central plot resolves the multi-issue Glenn Talbot catatonia arc: Doc Samson uses a shrinking device to send a Banner-controlled Hulk inside Talbot's brain, where the Hulk battles psychic manifestations of his greatest foes (including the Leader, MODOK, Abomination, Rhino, Sandman, Mandarin, Juggernaut, Harpy, and Gremlin) before destroying the mental block; Talbot is cured but the Hulk is shrunk to apparent nothingness — leaving Banner seemingly dead.
- The Harpy, appearing as one of the mental phantoms, is identified as a gamma-irradiated form of Betty Ross Talbot created by MODOK, first introduced in earlier Hulk issues.
- Gerry Conway was editor-in-chief at the time of publication; Marv Wolfman served as the issue's series editor (listed on the opening page) with Len Wein credited as both writer and editor in some production records.
- A 30-cent cover price variant with starburst price style was produced alongside the standard 25-cent edition, and a Mark Jeweler insert variant also exists; a Philippine National Bookstore edition was published the same year.
- The issue has been reprinted in Essential Hulk Vol. 5 (2008), Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 12 (2018), and Incredible Hulk Epic Collection Vol. 7: 'And Now… The Wolverine' (2022).
Cast · 40 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Doc Samson shrinks the Hulk down so he can enter Glen Talbot's brain and try to restore his memories. While in Talbot's mind, the Hulk is attacked by a host of former friends and foes. Glen's memories are restored but Samson's machine accidentally shrinks the Hulk to nothingness.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).
