October's monster-themed reading orders continue with perhaps the most famous monster in the Marvel Universe - the incredible Hulk! But you won't just get one Hulk for your money, here, you'll get four! Bruce Banner goes from classic Green Goliath, to mean and nasty Grey Hulk with a rampaging mindless Hulk in-between. While the fourth Hulk here actually isn't Bruce Banner at all...
When the Hulk made his debut back in 1962, he was a grey-skinned monster. Though there was an editorial decision to change this in the second issue due to the muddy colouring of the time, making him green. Bruce Banner's transformations were also much more unusual in his first six issues, with the 'rules' being far more loose. At one point, he even retained his own head when the rest of his body become green and muscular, forcing him to wear a mask to hide his identity. While things become more set in stone in the years that followed, Bruce would briefly be separated from the Hulk only to be restored not long after.
When John Byrne became the series writer at the end of 1985, he returned to the idea of separating Bruce from the Hulk once again. Byrne's stint would only last six issues (plus an Annual) leaving it up to Al Milgrom to pick up the pieces and play into those earlier Hulk appearances with Banner able to manipulate the Hulk's form from within. By this time, the Incredible Hulk was a series no one wanted to work on, but Marvel didn't want to cancel so creators could do pretty much anything with the character. Milgrom decided to generate more interest by transforming the Hulk back into his original grey form, but didn't really get much time to play with the idea.
This isn't the strongest period in the Hulk's history, but it sets the groundwork for much of what Peter David chose to do with the character when he became the regular writer for the series with issue 330. It's not an essential chapter, but you'll at least get to see why the Hulk became switched colours again almost 25 years after the story that introduced the Grey Goliath.
MCG Notes:
- Issue listings in blue & black: The must-read Hulk stories from this time period, along with any key related stories and often-forgotten tales that are worth a read.
- Issue listings in grey: Part of the Hulk's chronology, cameo appearances or stories of note that are non-essential or no longer considered 'required reading'.
- Chronology: Every appearance of the Hulk from this period is included in chronological order, mapping out their timeline rather than just the order the issues were released.
- Spoilers: The issue/story overviews may include spoilers, so be warned!
See past entries in the Hulk's reading order:
- 1980-1983: Pardoned
- 1983-1985: Crossroads
First appearance of Ramon Morales; the Hulk bounds through the Colorado Rockies; Doc Samson rushes to New Mexico to head him off; Betty Ross-Talbot hears of the Hulk's return.
Incredible Hulk Annual #14 (1985)
Wealthy scientist Hubert St Johns kidnaps the Hulk, hoping to emulate Bruce Banner's transformation into the Green Goliath; after pitting the Hulk against his failed experiments - the gamma-spawned Rejects - the already overweight St Johns is transformed into an obese monstrosity with the gamma radiation enhancing his body fat; St Johns' weight kills him and crushes his key employees, allowing the Hulk to walk away.
First appearance of Diane Bellamy; still suppressed within the Hulk's psyche, Bruce Banner makes the Hulk believe he's facing old foes, allowing Doc Samson to defeat him; Samson uses a Nutrient Bath to separate the Hulk and Banner into two distinct physical forms; Samson decides to rescue the Hulk before the US Military can destroy him, only for the freed mindless monster to go on a rampage; near death, Bruce Banner is reunited with Betty Ross and She-Hulk; Hercules, Iron Man, Namor the Sub-Mariner and Wonder Man - the strongest Avengers - try and fail to bring down the Hulk, causing colossal property damage; Doc Samson convinces them to allow him to do the job.
Secret Wars II #8-9 (1986)
The Beyonder approaches the Hulk to take a further look into Bruce Banner's suicidal feelings only to find a mindless Hulk with no sign of Banner within; the mindless Hulk is among those summoned by Phoenix to battle the Beyonder and even fights alongside them during SECRET WARS II.
Incredible Hulk #317-319 (1986)
First appearance of the Hulkbusters (Armand Martel, Carolyn Parmentor, Samuel LaRoquette, Craig Saunders & Hideko Takata); the recovered Bruce Banner forms a team of scientific experts - the Hulkbusters - to take down the rampaging Hulk, finding themselves at odds with Doc Samson; Rick Jones returns and stands as Bruce Banner's best man when he and Betty Ross get married at Hulkbuster Base; General Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross returns and tries to stop the marriage, though Rick takes the bullet Ross had intended for Banner; the Hulkbusters and Doc Samson both fail to apprehend the Hulk due to their conflicts with each other.
An old Native American man manages to calm the Hulk until Hammer & Anvil happen upon them both and try to kill the mindless beast; the Native American man turns out to be a disguised Scourge of the Underworld who kills Hammer, leaving the linked Anvil to die.
Incredible Hulk Annual #15 (1986)
The disembodied Tyrannus has reincorporated the Abomination and now shares his body with Emil Blonsky; Tyrannus' attempts to use the nutrient bath to separate Blonsky's body from the Abomination; Tyrannus' plan to gain control of Blonsky's human form and use the Abomination as a mindless enforcer backfires when Blonsky becomes human while Tyrannus is trapped in the body of the Abomination and defeated when anxiety appears to cause Banner to transform into the grey Hulk; Rick Jones blames the destruction at Gamma Base on the Abomination, keeping Benner's transformation a secret.
The Hulk's reading order entries continue:
Notable collected editions containing issues from this era:
Marvel Fanfare #29[1/2] (1986)
Incredible Hulk #320-323 (1986)
Bruce Banner collapses while on honeymoon with Betty; Doc Samson and the Hulkbusters fail to bring the Hulk in, leaving it up to both the Avengers from the East Coast as well as the and West Coast Avengers and She-Hulk to take the monster down; the Avengers narrowly defeat the Hulk, though Betty Banner has to stop them from killing him; when Bruce Banner and the Hulk both begins losing density, the Vision merges them together again; the merge isn't a complete success as the Hulk and Banner fight for control.
Comet Man #3 (1987)
Comet Man passes Hulkbuster Base and manages to calm the Hulk who transforms back into Bruce Banner again.
Incredible Hulk #324 (1986)
Still recovering from his beating at the hands of the Hulk, Doc Samson prepares the Nutrient Bath to make their merge more stable; Clay Quartermain and his unit from SHIELD experiment on Thunderbolts Ross to find a means of killing the Hulk; Banners face emerges from the Hulk's body as he tries to give armed SHIELD agents a weak spot that will help them kill the Hulk; the Hulk and Rick Jones fall into the Nutrient Bath; the Hulk emerges in his original grey form before transforming back to Bruce Banner.
The disembodied Tyrannus has reincorporated the Abomination and now shares his body with Emil Blonsky; Tyrannus' attempts to use the nutrient bath to separate Blonsky's body from the Abomination; Tyrannus' plan to gain control of Blonsky's human form and use the Abomination as a mindless enforcer backfires when Blonsky becomes human while Tyrannus is trapped in the body of the Abomination and defeated when anxiety appears to cause Banner to transform into the grey Hulk; Rick Jones blames the destruction at Gamma Base on the Abomination, keeping Benner's transformation a secret.
Incredible Hulk #325-327 (1986-1987)
First appearance the Nevermind; first appearance of Rick Jones as the Hulk; SHIELD prepare to release Bruce Banner, believing him to be cured of the Hulk when he's taken prisoner by a new, skinnier Hulk; SHIELD experiment with Thunderbolt Ross and the alien Zzzax. only for Ross' mind to be transferred into Zzzax when it goes wrong; Banner transforms into the grey Hulk, clashing with Rick Jones in his new Hulk form; Jones/Hulk wins and Banner transforms back just as Ross/Zzzax arrives; Jones/Hulk takes Banner to safety, pursues by Ross/Zzzax who threatens innocents until he realises he's become the kind of monster he always hated.
- 1987-1990: Mister Fixit
- 1990-1992: The Professor
- 1993-1995: Future Imperfect
- 1995-1998: Self-Destruction
Incredible Hulk Epic Collection vol.14: Going Gray
Marvel Fanfare #29
Incredible Hulk #314-330
Incredible Hulk Annual #14-15
Hulk Visionaries: John Byrne
Marvel Universe by John Byrne Omnibus
Include...
Marvel Fanfare #29
Incredible Hulk #314-319
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