The Incredible Hulk Omnibus, Vol. 1

The Incredible Hulk Omnibus #1

by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby (Illustrator), Steve Ditko (Illustrator)

Dr. Robert Bruce Banner may have the appearance of a mild-mannered scientist, but after being caught in gamma bomb explosion, he became the unstoppable engine of destruction know as the Incredible Hulk! Marvel is proud to present the tales of the everyone's favorite man-monster from the very From the earliest Stan Lee and Jack Kirby issues that put an irradiated angle on the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde complex to the Steve Ditko's psychological slobbernockers in Tales to Astonish and the Jade Giant's return to his solo series, this Hulk-sized collection is the foundation for every purple-pants'd adventure ever! Featuring artwork by a who's who of Marvel Age luminaries and scripts by Stan "The Man" Lee, they'll introduce to you to General Thunderbolt Ross; the tortured woman who loves both the man and the monster, Betty Ross; the Leader; the Abomination; and a series of earth-shaking fights between the Hulk and the Silver Surfer, Thor, Giant-Man, Namor, Hercules, and more! Collecting the first adventures of the Jade Giant in one painstakingly restored volume with every page, every pin-up, and every letters column. Not to mention unused covers, critical essays, and bonuses galore! Collects Hulk #1-6, Tales to Astonish #59-101, and Incredible Hulk #102.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Adventure, Fiction, Canon

727 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1968

About the author

Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.

With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.

Reviews

[Ruz El · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up having never read a Hulk comic. I was always curious about the books though, and why the character was so damned popular. Having read that, I still wonder frankly. Don't get me wrong, it's very good and this collection allows you to see some of the great legends of Marvel artists strut their stuff. The problem with it is that very thing, the artists strut their stuff and what you get is a wildly changing character in the Hulk. I'm not just talking about from Grey to Green, but from motivation to how his powers work. It's amazing anyone following it would stick it. Some story archs get written straight into a corner (The High Evolutionary is a glaring example) only to be completely ignored in the next issue.



It is a hell of a lot of fun though, and a more then interesting read.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though Hulk is dumb, I really relate to his eternal quest to just be left alone.

[David Muñoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS SOME OF THE BEST SILVER AGE COMICS I'VE EVER READ!! I've decided to start reading the HULKATHON and of course, that means we start at the beginning. I've always been a fan of the Hulk but never had read more than a couple of issues here and there. So, I was super excited when this omnibus was reprinted. One of the first things that I found impressive about this read was just the list of amazing talent that went into the beginnings of the INCREDIBLE HULK. Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Marie Severin, Dick Ayers, John Romita Sr., John Buscema, Gil Kane, and many, many more! Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had come up with a sort of Jekyll and Hyde character. They also used at the time the huge nuclear scare making their main character, Bruce Banner, exposed to gamma radiation (and continuously so through the run) to become an incredible like being- The HULK. The first issue of the Hulk is to this day, my favorite silver-age comic book. Stan and Jack set up a perfect horror-esque type story. Jack makes the Hulk ugly and scary, with amazing panel shots. In general issues 1-5 honestly have some of my favorite silver-age Kirby panels and pages. Same with Steve Ditko's short stint on artwork, it's some of the top-notch work for the early 60s. The storytelling, although a product of its time, was very engaging and fun. The issues read fast and easy, which if you've read any early Stan Lee, you know that's pretty rare haha. Stan sets up the duality of Hulk and Banner very early on which I enjoyed. They are very much two separate characters. You see it all throughout the issues and it grows more prevalent as we move forward. Banner hates Hulk and Hulk hates Banner. They do reason with each other in order to save the world though. Cause I mean duh. I found that the Hulk is a very sad character. He's misunderstood and even when people do try to help, he has just been so screwed over that he doesn't accept it because he can't trust anyone. There are even moments where the Hulk is suicidal and feels alone. I'm going to be 100% honest- there were some issues that had me teary eyed. Quotes like; "Then as the slowly-mounting, ever-simmering fury rages within him, he thinks his dark and lonely thoughts--One human being--Hunted--Hounded-- with all mankind against him!" All with panels of Hulk alone, it just really hits you in the feels! Basically, the writing and storytelling in this early run was an impressive surprise and is some of the best silver-age work you can read. Along with that, like I mentioned you get some great early artwork from Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Buscema, and the person who I think shined the most (yes more than Kirby!) was Marie Severin. She had some of the best shots for the Hulk. She captured all the awesome action and even the somber sad moments. It made the run so enjoyable and when you think of early Hulk work it's hard to not think of Marie. Hands down some of the best early Marvel work that gave us a legendary character!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brings back alot of childhood memories.
Strange to think that the memories don't necessarily match the stories. Seems to me that when I read them as a kid the art was far more detailed and the stories and cliff-hangers were much more poignant... could it be that the mind of the child-me would add in missing backgrounds and be more in-tune wioth the stories? I dunno, maybe.
When re-looking and re-reading this, I did find the artwork simple and the stories childish, but then again, maybe that's what I needed as a kid.
It's a great compilation of what I would today describe as "naive" story telling and art. The fact that I no longer own the originals as these were comics that were passed around between cousins and friends back then (yes, the now me is kicking himself in the butt), and the now-me could never afford to re-buy the originals.
Still, for the simple nostalgia these Omnibus collections bring back, they're worth the price and the weight.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Marvel has tried, via relentless promoter Stan Lee, to retroactively claim that the first Hulk series was a mini-series, that’s not actually true. The first series featuring the Hulk was canceled. Exactly why might be open to debate. Poor sales? Lack of interest from fans? Lack of interest from the creators? Creators busy with other projects? No clear way of making the concept work on a monthly basis without it becoming ridiculously cyclic very quickly? In the end, does it even matter why, the series was canceled. Was the Hulk a failure? Clearly not. Remember that The Uncanny X-Men was canceled several times as well, before it got revamped and became the hugely successful juggernaut it is today. The Hulk just needed the right combination of elements to make it viable. What we have in this collection is the appearances of the Hulk from his first series to just before his regular solo appearances in Tales to Astonish came to a close.

Hulk #1-5 - From the creators of the Fantastic Four, Jack Kirby and Lee comes their second success (although this one kind of floundered a bit until it found the right audience): the Incredible Hulk. And these issues illustrate just how difficult it can be to find the right formula to make a successful series. Even if you’re the brilliantly talented, creative powerhouse of Jack Kirby. Each issue among these offers slight tweaks as Kirby & Lee try to find the combination of elements to make the series work. Supporting characters include Rick Jones, boy sidekick, General “Thunderbolt” Ross, an ongoing antagonist for our hero-monster, Betty Ross, love-struck daughter of Gen. Ross, and our star Dr. Bruce Banner, physicist and atomic scientist without peer who becomes the green-skinned monstrosity. Although when the Hulk is first introduced he is gray skinned, but that appears to have been an alleged coloring mistake, still it would provide the basis for some amazing stories in future years. There’s a string of interesting villains here as well. A Soviet agent named The Gargoyle, the Toad-Men from space, the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime, a dastardly plot (or two) by Soviets to capture the Hulk, Tyrannus and his Subterranean Army, the warped communist General Fang. There is even some testing being done by the creators to see if it works better to have Rick Jones able to mentally control the Hulk, or if having Banner’s mind in control of the Hulk, or have him be a bestial personality, or a gruff, scheming individual. It seems like every issue has some slight tweaking of the character concept taking place while Kirby and Lee figure out what is going to work best. Instead of the intelligence of a super-man, the Hulk offers a modern twist on the concept of a tragic character of Jekyll & Hyde, nevertheless it’s important to remember that this concept is still basically Marvel’s take on Superman. Instead of having the ultimate Uber-mensch, we a tragic, flawed man who becomes a powerhouse of unlimited strength. Both characters would appear to fly by making incredible leaps into the air, but in the case of Superman, he was just eventually granted the ability to fly. Superman may have had the best attributes of being male, but Hulk, in typical Marvel fashion, is given all the worst. But it makes for a far more interesting character, and for more entertaining stories.

Skipping over the Hulk’s appearance in Fantastic Four #12, we move on to Hulk #6 - With Kirby leaving for other projects, the Hulk needed a new artist. And Steve Ditko takes over. This issue the characters look very different from the Kirby issues, and even the pacing is different. It’s a fun issue, and Ditko does a remarkable job filling in on this last issue of the series. And the Metal Master really is a threat worthy of needing the Hulk. So this one is certainly different, but it was still great to see our characters reimagined by a new artist as talented as Ditko.

What follows at this point is the Hulk founding and then quitting the Avengers, running rampant in NYC and a couple of guest-starring appearances: see Avengers #1-3, Fantastic Four #25-26, Avengers #5 & Amazing Spider-Man #14. But this volume doesn’t include those stories, it picks up the Hulk’s saga then with stories from Tales to Astonish #60-91.

Tales to Astonish #59 - The next story in this volume is particularly noteworthy for a couple of reasons. First off: the other Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man & Thor) make a brief appearance. But we also have the return of the Human Top and special guest star by the Hulk, with supporting characters Betty Ross and General Thunderbolt Ross as well. This is also a teaser and appetizer for the next issue of Tales to Astonish and the new format, which would include a story about Giant-Man and the Wasp and one featuring the Hulk. From the perspective of the Hulk, this tale helps to illustrate the transition from the more intelligent Hulk that has been slowly slipping away and the rise of the angry, belligerent Hulk.

Tales to Astonish #60-61 - While Steve Ditko is usually associated with Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, he also had a run with the Hulk as well. He first worked on the character in Hulk #6 and then in Amazing Spider-Man #14 (the latter included, along with the aforementioned Tales to Astonish #59, in Incredible Hulk Epic Collection, Vol. 1: Man or Monster?), but his run on the Hulk officially began here with these stories. This 2-part story starts off with the Hulk confronting a robot built by his alter ego, Bruce Banner. It may not be the most auspicious beginning, but it does have a lot of Ditko touches. We’re also reintroduced to General Thunderbolt Ross and Betty Ross, as well as meeting Major Talbot for the first time.

Tales to Astonish #62 - Pits the Hulk against the Chameleon, introduces the Leader, and offers the return of Rick Jones, but the story itself is all very pedestrian.

Tales to Astonish #63-64 - The Leader is actually revealed while he and his “humanoid” creations take center stage against the Hulk. This begins a deep-dive into anti-communist propaganda.

Tales to Astonish #65-67 - More “Red baiting” as the Hulk is captured by the Soviets and taken to foreign lands. And sadly Ditko ends his run on the series after only eight installments.

Tales to Astonish #68-69 - Jack Kirby is back! And will be until #83, with at least plots and layouts. But what’s even more interesting with this transition is reading the change in emphasis and style. This is a perfect example of how little influence Stan Lee actually had on these early Marvel titles as both Ditko and Kirby had very unique ways of telling a story, but seeing this switch from one creative powerhouse to another, even with Lee still “writing” the book, there is a massive shift and change in the word choices, as well as tonal quality. Had Lee truly been “writing” these comics and not just editing them, this transition would not have been so pronounced. In any case, Kirby wraps up much of the literal cliffhanger Ditko had left the strip in and quickly moves forward with lost story threads and dangling plot lines. Ditko’s subtler magic is replaced with Kirby’s boisterous power.

Tales to Astonish #70-74 - Kirby now embarks on an attempt to recreate the Hulk (and the green guy now shares the title with Namor, as the Giant-Man and Wasp series ended with their story in #69). Experimenting with the basic concept of this reimagined Jekyll/Hyde character. He conceived a way for Banner to be injured so that he must remain the Hulk or he will die (a similar method and complication that is the basis for Iron Man’s initial premise). Thus begins a story arc that leaves the Hulk with Banner’s mind, but his personality is still more brutal than that of Banner, so we’re reading about an altogether different hybrid here (one that Peter David would explore in more detail many years from now). Rick Jones continues to be integral, and the Leader takes center stage as the antagonist to be dealt with, but the Red-baiting has subsided a bit. Instead, Kirby takes things into a more fantastical direction, introducing the Watcher from the pages of the Fantastic Four, and the Hulk begins stepping into a larger cosmic playing field.

Tales to Astonish #75-79 - With the Leader apparently dead, our superhero soap-opera spins in another new direction. You have to admit that Kirby sure doesn’t let things get stagnant, a new beginning with #78 Bill Everett lends his artistic talents to Kirby’s layouts. After using the device that appears to kill the Leader, the Hulk then finds himself the target of a weapon that propels him into a far-future Earth where he fights the Executioner. But the time shift wears off, as does Hulk’s attachment with Banner’s brain and personality, and he begins to revert to his more savage personality. Wrapping up these selections, it is the end of an era as Rick Jones, believing Banner/Hulk has been killed, reveals that Banner and the Hulk are one and the same person to first Major Talbot and then to Betty Ross, and then there’s that titanic fisticuffs between Hulk and Hercules.

Tales to Astonish #80-83 - These 4 stories wrap up Kirby’s second run on the character, and Everett will be departing as well. First of all there’s a subterranean war brewing between Tyrannus and the Mole Man, and the Hulk gets trapped in the middle of it. Then we get a surprise appearance of the Secret Empire and their hired agent Boomerang. Next up, lots of shenanigans between Boomerang, General Ross, Major Talbot, the Army, the Secret Empire, and Rick Jones all before we get … well, you remember that seen in The Incredible Hulk film with Betty and the Hulk in a cave during a rainstorm? Here’s the inspiration. And on that moment, Kirby and Everett take their leave and there’s a lot of dangling plot threads that need tidying up. Is Lee gonna be up to the task?

Tales to Astonish #84-87 - This begins another clear tonal shift and stylistic change in the writing, even though Lee is still taking credit for writing the title. Further, #84 is definitely nothing more than a placeholder to get from the sudden end of Kirby/Everett’s run and waiting to see what direction the title is going to be heading in. But if Lee had been writing the title all along, this transition really shouldn’t have been as jarring and as obvious as this. Still the art by John Buscema for at least three of these installments is very nice.

Tales to Astonish #88-91 - Gil Kane. Four issues from the legendary pencil of Kane and they are a treat. At least visually. The writing is typical of Lee in that it at times seems that he doesn’t remember what happened in the previous issue, or what happened a few issues back. Only the current story thread, or threat, matters. It’s almost like the Hulk wrote the darn thing. Still, we get the defeat of Boomerang, the arrival of the Stranger and the creation of the Abomination in these stories, and nearly a pardon for Bruce Banner.

Tales to Astonish #92-96 - Marie Severin provides the art for these next five installments in the Hulk’s soap opera. Oddly, this is the art style I most associate with the Hulk stories from Tales to Astonish, maybe that’s because they’re coming at the end of the run. Not sure, but it doesn’t really matter. Lee is still writing and at least this transition is less jarring, but we’ve also taken some time off since the last issue and allowed at least a month to pass. Long enough for Banner to custom build a device to attempt and remove the gamma radiation from his body. Next up we have the Silver Surfer arriving and then the Hulk is whisked off to another world by the High Evolutionary in an attempt to put down an insurrection. In any case, this is a new direction for the stories and they have a different and more coherent narrative thread. Whether this is from Severin or from Lee is not readily clear.

Tales to Astonish #97-99 - This is a nice 3-part story that’s actually very topical right now, as Donny tRump (man-baby extraordinaire) is as much a treasonous criminal as the Lord of the Living Lightning. Different means to the same end. But they’re both just as two-faced, lying conmen as the other. So a fun, typical story about the dangers of “strong men” who are nothing but weakling hypocrites.

Tales to Astonish #100-101 - The first of these stories pick up from both the Namor and Hulk stories from the previous issue and pits the pair against one another at the behest of the Puppet Master. And it a big slugfest between the shirtless and bare-chested titans. Then the second tale feature the Hulk, as a pawn of Loki’s, verses the Warriors Three. And this story continues into Incredible Hulk #102 - And the Hulk returns to his own solo title again. But with this new title, Lee departs and Gary Friedrich comes aboard as the comic’s script writer.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am new Hulk fan. I have bought this volume because I wanted to see where it all started. As I am sure all of you know how the story begins. A brilliant scientist named Bruce Banner gets blasted by gamma radiation. It does not kill him but creates a monster that he transforms into with incredible powers.

The pros: The stories are fun to read. It is nice to see where Bruce Banner/Hulk begin the journey. We are introduced to many of the defining characters of The Incredible Hulk series: Thunderbolt Ross, Betty Ross, The Abomination, and so many others. The artwork, not nearly as impressive as later issues, is still decent.

The cons: Inconsistency albeit a minor criticism because Stan Lee and the others are trying to figure out the character. Things change throughout the beginning stories. I am glad they made Hulk green. Yes, I know that is what I am familiar with, but he looks much better in green.

Minus the inconsistencies this is a fun read. Yes, the stories can be cheesy at times, but sometimes it is good to just read and have fun. I don't know a complex plot every story. It is good to just read the hero have full out brawl with the villain.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never read anything in this book beyond the origin story in Incredible Hulk No. 1, and was blown away. Literally every single Silver Age great got a crack at this title. The stars of the show was the team of Jack Kirby and Bill Everett. Bill Everett's inking over Kirby's pencils rules, adding a staggering amount of both detail and heavy linework... just stunning to look at. Everett is one of the "lost" greats, in that no one seems to talk about him anymore. Stan Lee crams a lot of story into each issue.

[Hamish · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s surprising how long it took the Hulk to settle into the status quo that he’s best known for. God, Stan and Jack just couldn’t pick one status quo, and changed it every other issue. Things actually get stronger when Ditko comes board (who was presumably doing some or all of the plotting), and it gets quite good for a bit. But once he’s gone, it’s definitely not in the top half of silver age Marvel titles, and largely feels phoned in.

[Ryan Sasek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just awesome. What a trip back to my childhood. Hulk smash!

[Beau Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! It collects my childhood reading in one LARGE volume.