THE TOP 25 GREATEST HULK COVERS OF ALL TIME

THE TOP 25 GREATEST HULK 
COVERS OF ALL TIME

BY

John "THE MEGO STRETCH HULK" Cimino

SIMPLY INCREDIBLE

If you're a regular reader of this blog (or read into my pen name) you know that I'm a big fan of the Hulk. In a past blog, I posted "My Top 30 Greatest Super Heroes of All Time" where I rank my best of the best superheroes, you can probably guess where the Hulk comes in (go read it anyway, it's a hoot). I've even posted many other informative articles on the Green-Skinned Goliath during the years. But in this write up, I'm going to go all out because I always have a need to carry "the classic Hulk-banner of hope" to the rubes. And yes, the key word here is "classic" because I'm not really a big fan of the character (or comics) today. If you want to know more about this it can be read in full here: "My Top 20 Greatest Hulk Stories Ever."

While I was already familiar and loving super heroes because of the Super Friends and 1967 Spider-man cartoons, and watching the live-action SHAZAM! and Spider-man segments on The Electric Company as a child, nothing, but nothing could prepare me for the impact that The Incredible Hulk would make in my life. My first exposure to the Green Goliath was when my mother made me go to bed early because she thought I would get nightmares if I saw the live-action made-for-TV-movie; The Incredible Hulk starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno back in 1977 (it was the first "pilot" episode). I peeked in, secretly watched the whole thing and became a Hulk-addict before I went to sleep. It was that simple. Not Superman, not Spider-man, not Batman, not anything impacted me the way the Hulk did. It was a mind-altering experience for my impressionable 4 year old brain. 

Then The Incredible Hulk live-action series began rolling in 1978 that kept me glued to the tube every Friday night until its end in 1982. If that wasn't enough, during that time the Hulk became a national phenomenon and Hulk-merchandise was everywhere you looked. This would lead me to want to get the greatest toy ever in 1979; The Mego Elastic Hulk (read about that debacle here: "In Search of the Holy Grail of Hulk"). And as the fates would have it, the first comic book I was ever given was The Incredible Hulk #247 (1980) on my 7th birthday. There was no turning back now. I constantly ran around my neighborhood with no shirt, bare feet and ripped up Toughskin jeans or an occasional Ben Cooper Hulk costume that managed to survive Halloween night. All I wanted in life was the Hulk and that's the way it was going to stay.

So that's my love for the character. But the Hulk already existed for more than 15 years before I ever knew about him. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Hulk first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 (1962). He is cast as the emotional and impulsive alter ego of the withdrawn and reserved physicist Dr. Bruce Banner. The Hulk appears shortly after Banner is accidentally exposed to mega doses of gamma rays from the blast of a test detonation of a Gamma Bomb (or G-Bomb) he invented. Subsequently, Banner will involuntarily transform into the Hulk, during times of anger, fear or stress thus leading to extreme complications in his life.

Today, the Hulk's popularity is bigger than ever as he has been appearing in blockbuster movie after movie as well as having merchandise all over the world. He also appears in so many Marvel titles that it's almost impossible to keep track of them all. But, like I said at the beginning, although the Hulk is more widely known than ever before, he isn't the same character he once was in the comics as different incarnations and interpretations of him appear in stories (it's a damn travesty if you ask me). So in keeping with my "classic" Hulk theme in this article; I'm posting my 25 favorite Hulk comic book covers that captured my imagination and defined the character in my mind. And since it's the Hulk (whom I have such a personal history with), I had a hard time picking just 25 favorites. So, just for fun, I added in 5 Honorable Mentions. Overall, you might look at this list and think that other "legendary" or "contemporary" Hulk covers should've been included, but they probably didn't do much for me. Who knows, maybe you'll agree with some and maybe you won't, either way the Hulk will always remain one of Marvel's most enduring characters and a personal favorite. Enjoy the gamma-irradiated power like I did. 

25.) MARVEL FEATURE #1 (1971)

24.) THE INCREDIBLE HULK #223 (1978)

23.) THE INCREDIBLE HULK #200 (1976)

22.) CAPTAIN AMERICA #110 (1969)

21.) THE INCREDIBLE HULK #179 (1974)

20.) THE INCREDIBLE HULK #1 (1962)

19.) FOOM #2 (1973)

18.) THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #119 (1973)

17.) THE INCREDIBLE HULK #199 (1976)

16.) THE INCREDIBLE HULK #171 (1974)

15.) MARVEL FEATURE #11 (1973)

14.) TALES TO ASTONISH #77 (1965)

13.) THE AVENGERS KING-SIZE SPECIAL! #2 (1967)

12.) THE INCREDIBLE HULK #181 (1974)

(with Herb Trimpe "Hulk" face)

11.) MARVEL TREASURY EDITION #5 (1975)

10.) JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #112 (1965)

9.) THE INCREDIBLE HULK #159 (1973)

8.) THE INCREDIBLE HULK #193 (1975)

7.) FANTASTIC FOUR #26 (1964)

6.) HULK KING-SIZE SPECIAL! #1 (1968)

(with Jim Steranko "Hulk" face)

5.) THE INCREDIBLE HULK #206 (1976)

4.) MARVEL SUPER-HEROES #47 (1974)

3.) FANTASTIC FOUR #112 (1971)

2.) THE DEFENDERS #10 (1973)

1.) FANTASTIC FOUR #25 (1964)

5 HONORABLE MENTIONS


 MARVEL TALES ANNUAL #1 (1964)

AURORA COMIC SCENES: THE INCREDIBLE HULK (1974)
 

THE INCREDIBLE HULK #180 (1974)
 

WOLVERINE ORIGINS #28 (2008)
(variant cover)
  

CAPTAIN AMERICA #230 (1979)
 

Check out other Hero Envy "Top 25 Greatest Covers" Lists:

  Spider-man
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2014/04/my-top-25-greatest-spider-man-covers-of.html  

 Superman
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-top-25-greatest-superman-covers-of.html

John Cimino

John Cimino is a Silver and Bronze Age comic, cartoon and memorabilia expert that runs a business called "Saturday Morning Collectibles." He buys, sells, appraises and gives seminars on everything pop culture, so if you got something special, let him know about it. He contributes articles to ALTER EGO, RETROFAN, BACK ISSUE and THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR from TwoMorrows Publishing, runs the Roy Thomas Appreciation Board on Facebook and has appeared on the AMC reality show Comic Book Men. He also represents some of comicdoms biggest stars and brings them to a Comic Con near you. John likes to think he's the real Captain Marvel, people just don't have the heart to tell him he's just an obsessed fanboy that loves to play superheroes with his daughter Bryn. Contact him at johnstretch@live.com or follow him on Instagram at megostretchhulk.