Mighty Marvel Masterworks - The Incredible Hulk Volume 3

 

I've been reading this Masterworks series to revisit the 60's comics that have long ago vanished from my family's collection, but the tales are still deeply ingrained in my psyche. While I don't consider the Hulk one of my fave heroes/anti-heroes, his early stories are fascinating if for nothing else than the wackiness that Stan and company incorporated into the plots as they tried to keep the readers' interests.

By this time, the Hulk was a bit more grounded and not as likely to have different personalities with every issue and some of the aforementioned wackiness had vanished. That said, it is a bit odd that by the 6th installment, Bruce Banner hasn't appeared at all when previously they would switch back'n'forth pretty regularly.

But the Hulk has incredible adventures as he time travels, encounters the Executioner, is hounded by the military (natch), battles Hercules, the Mole Man and more, all in the first few episodes! The artwork varies pretty wildly and none is really the best that the artists are capable of - Kirby, Buscema, Gil Kane and more. I can only assume that they were all trying to do more than time allowed.

The storylines vary, as well, although they improve as time goes on, with the Hulk unwittingly moving from hero to villain and back again through incidents often well beyond his control. This culminates in the creation of the Abomination, a gamma-ray creature more powerful than the Hulk but with normal intelligence. Banner appears in time to devise a way to defeat him and as this chapter ends, the Hulk is once again heralded as a hero - but for how long?

As I always say, I enjoy revisiting these reprints but this installment is frankly, not among the best, but fans will still want to follow along!