The Incredible Hulk #251
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe Incredible Hulk #251 serves as the only in-continuity Modern Age appearance of the 3-D Man (Chuck Chandler) between his debut in Marvel Premiere #35–37 (1977) and What If? #9, functioning as a deliberate 'whatever happened to…' check-in for one of Marvel's most obscure Bronze Age creations and effectively writing the character out of the present-day Marvel Universe for years. The issue simultaneously launches the Changelings saga, introducing four new Woodgod supporting characters—Centaurio, Centauria, Siren, Neptunus, and Viperus—in a single issue, the largest batch of Changeling-species debuts in Marvel history. As the seventh issue of Bill Mantlo's landmark five-year Hulk run, it exemplifies Mantlo's habit of excavating forgotten corners of the Marvel mythos and weaving them into ongoing stories, a narrative strategy that would help define late Bronze Age Marvel storytelling.
In "Whatever Happened to the 3-D Man?", Bruce Banner finds temporary refuge with a kind family—until the father, Hal Chandler, recognizes him and calls the authorities, triggering Banner’s transformation into the Hulk. As the Hulk rampages, Hal’s latent connection to his long-lost brother, the enigmatic 3-D Man, awakens, unleashing a powerful new presence. Meanwhile, at General Ross’s remote hunting cabin, the wounded Centauron is tended to by Woodgod when he’s suddenly attacked by Doc Samson, forcing a desperate call for help. Rick Jones rallies the Teen Brigade to respond, as the mystery deepens and the line between man and monster blurs. Written by Bill Mantlo and illustrated by Sal Buscema with colors by Bob Sharen and letters by Diana Albers, this 1980 Marvel classic features a cover by Michael Golden.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Bill Mantlo took over The Incredible Hulk with issue #245 (March 1980), partnering with artist Sal Buscema under editor Al Milgrom and editor-in-chief Jim Shooter. Mantlo later recalled that his early issues were exploratory retreads until Milgrom encouraged him to take creative risks—the 3-D Man issue falls squarely in that early-search phase, and Mantlo used it to dust off a Roy Thomas creation that had gone dormant since 1978. The interior story was fully written and penciled/inked by Sal Buscema with coloring by Bob Sharen and lettering by Diana Albers, while the cover was drawn and signed by Michael Golden (credited as 'G'), one of the more distinctive covers of the run.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published September 1980 (cover date); released June 17, 1980. Written by Bill Mantlo, with interior art fully penciled and inked by Sal Buscema, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Diana Albers, edited by Al Milgrom under editor-in-chief Jim Shooter.
- Cover art is by Michael Golden (signed as 'G'), separate from the interior creative team.
- The 3-D Man (Chuck Chandler / Hal Chandler) appears in his first Modern Age continuity story since What If? #9 (1978); his origin is recapped from Marvel Premiere #35 (April 1977), created by Roy Thomas and Jim Craig.
- First appearances in this issue: Centaurio, Centauria, Siren, Neptunus, and Viperus (all members of Woodgod's Changeling community); also first appearances of Hal Chandler Jr. and Chuck Chandler Jr.
- The story is titled 'Whatever Happened to the 3-D Man?' and runs two concurrent plotlines: Bruce Banner as a houseguest of the Chandler family in Los Alamos (triggering a 3-D Man appearance), and Rick Jones, Betty Ross, Doc Samson, and Gen. Ross encountering Woodgod's Changelings in the Colorado Rockies.
- The issue is the opening chapter of a three-part Changelings arc continued in Incredible Hulk #252 ('The Changelings!') and #253 ('The Changelings—Part II!').
- The issue has been reprinted in at least three international editions: L'Incroyable Hulk (Editions Héritage) #110/111 (September 1980, Canada/Quebec), Hulk (Atlantic Forlag) #6/1982 (Norway, minus one page), and Hulk el Hombre Increíble (Editorial Novaro) #97 (January 1984, Mexico/Latin America).
- This issue falls early in the acclaimed Mantlo/Buscema run on Incredible Hulk, a partnership that would last approximately six years and is widely regarded as foundational to subsequent Hulk characterization under later writers.
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↩ Reprints [Marvel Hostess Ads] #50 (1980)
Reprinted in L'incroyable Hulk #110/111 (1980), Spider-Man and Hulk Weekly #397 (1980), Hulk #6/1982 (1982), Hulk #6/1982 (1982), Hulk el Hombre Increíble #97 (1984), Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk #16 (2022), Incredible Hulk Epic Collection #10 (2025)
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