The Incredible Hulk #287

Name: The Incredible Hulk #287
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Sep 1983 · Marvel · 0.60 USD; 0.25 GBP; 0.75 CAD

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“Loose Ends”

★ 1st appearance — Kate Waynesboro

About this Issue

Incredible Hulk #287 is the debut issue of Dr. Katherine 'Kate' Waynesboro, a S.H.I.E.L.D.-assigned scientist who becomes Bruce Banner's research partner and romantic interest — one of the most significant new supporting characters introduced during Bill Mantlo's celebrated run on the title. Her arrival directly sets in motion a multi-issue story arc involving MODOK, the Abomination, and the covert surveillance of a Banner who, for the first time in years, has his intellect fully in command of the Hulk's body. The issue is also the narrative bridge between Mantlo's standalone adventure in #286 and the longer 'Regression' storyline, anchoring the creative philosophy of treating Banner as a rounded human being rather than just a trigger for monster-smashing. Waynesboro herself proved to be a durable Marvel creation, resurfacing decades later in World War Hulk tie-ins, which speaks to the lasting structural work Mantlo did in this issue.

In "Loose Ends," Bruce Banner finds himself navigating a tense new dynamic when his research assistant, Dr. Kate Waynesboro, joins his team—only for Banner’s Recordasphere to react with unsettling jealousy, turning the lab into a battleground of unintended consequences. With bold, expressive art by Neal Adams and a striking cover by Ron Wilson and Al Milgrom, this 1983 Marvel classic captures the Hulk’s inner turmoil in a story where even machines seem to have a mind of their own.

writer Bill Mantlo · artist Sal Buscema · inker Chic Stone · colorist Bob Sharen · letterer Jim Novak · cover Ron Wilson, Al Milgrom

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VF $5.99 The Incredible Hulk Marvel Comics Vol.1 #287 September 1983 $5.99 marvel comics book the incredible hulk issue 287 sept 1983 $7.95

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History

Bill Mantlo had been building toward a Banner-in-control Hulk since Incredible Hulk #269–272, when a series of gamma bombardments allowed Banner's rational mind to dominate the transformation. By #287, Mantlo — encouraged by editor Al Milgrom to 'take risks' with the character — was in full command of that direction and introduced Waynesboro as both a love interest and a narrative complication, since she is secretly a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative tasked with monitoring Banner. Interior art was handled by Sal Buscema on layouts with Chic Stone finishing, while Ron Wilson and Al Milgrom produced the cover; Ann Nocenti is credited as editor on the GoCollect production page, though the Grand Comics Database attributes editing duties to Al Milgrom for the surrounding issues, suggesting a transitional editorial moment on the book.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Dr. Katherine 'Kate' Waynesboro (S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and physicist specializing in gamma radiation), created by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema.
First appearance of the Harvey Project Earthfall, a minor organization referenced in the story.
Written by Bill Mantlo; interior pencils by Sal Buscema (layouts) with Chic Stone (finishes); cover by Ron Wilson and Al Milgrom; lettered by Jim Novak; colored by Bob Sharen.
Story title: 'Loose Ends' — a direct continuation from Incredible Hulk #286, following Banner's return from the war-torn 41st century with the corpse of the 'Hero of the Day.'
The issue establishes that Banner, with full conscious control of the Hulk (a status held from #269–272 through #296), is working at Northwind Observatory studying ambient gamma rays from space.
Waynesboro is secretly a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative assigned to monitor Banner as an early-warning system should his savage Hulk persona reassert itself — a dual identity the sentient Recordasphere drone discovers before she does.
MODOK and the Abomination appear as antagonists, with MODOK breaking into the Project: Skyfall facility and appealing to General Thunderbolt Ross's mutual hatred of the Hulk.
The issue has been reprinted internationally and collected in Incredible Hulk: Regression (Marvel, 2012) and Marvel Héroes (Panini España) #51; portions were also reprinted in the M.O.D.O.K.: Head Trips anthology (Marvel, 2019).