An enduring image

On the left, the cover of THE INCREDIBLE HULK #1 from May 1962, via the USPS stamp release featuring it. On the right, the Bliss comic by Harry Bliss for 08/20/2007. A character that can survive for 45 years as an easily recognizable image has something going for it.


















Hulk trivia: the creature was gray in the first issue only. Thereafter, he was the big green guy we've become accustomed to.

The late Bill Bixby played the Hulk's human alter-ego Bruce Banner in the 1970s TV series, although (disappointingly) they called him "David" Banner. And muscle-man Lou Ferrigno was the big green side of him. The series was actually pretty good, making the most of the state-of-the-art special effects at the time. Fans particularly liked the "Hulk-out", in which Banner was shown metamorphosing into the Hulk. There were some follow-up TV movies in later years, ending sadly with The Death of the Incredible Hulk.

The Hulk is scheduled to return to the big screen in 2008, this time with Edward Norton as Banner and Liv Tyler, one of my very favorite actresses, as his love interest, Betty Ross. If the Hulk has Liv Tyler for a girl friend, he's definitely doing something right! (Jennifer Connelly was the girl friend in the 2003 movie; the Hulk wasn't not doing badly, then, either.)

Marvel Comics has an online Hulk Library to highlight their profitable property.


Tags: bill bixby, harry bliss, incredible hulk, jennifer connelly, liv tyler, lou ferrigno