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"TRANSFORMATIONS: ISSUE-S '# 1 &

# 2' OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK - - - -THE FIRST MUTATIONS OF

THE INCREDIBLE HULK - - - -!"

by

Mark W. Meredith

When Stan Lee began his new line of comics for the mediocre Timely Comics (also later known as Atlas Comics Company) in the newly arrived Silver Age of comic books, Stan Lee had been working in comics since the Second World War. Mr. Lee had remembered the World War Two super hero comics and renamed the old company after the old Marvel Mystery Comics comic book, from Timely Comics - - - -calling the corporation - - - -MARVEL COMICS. When Timely Comics had changed its name to Atlas, Lee had worked on Tales FROM THE Crypt- type comic books that had created illustrations of giant, King Kong-like monsters.

Meredith-2 "…ATIONS: ISSUE-S '# 1 & # 2' OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK - - - -THE FIRST MUTATIONS OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK - - - -!"

In a meeting of the minds by the PUBLISHER of Superman's CORPORATION National Comics Publications and the second biggest comic book corporation, Martin Goodman of World War Two's the SUBMARINER and "Superman's" Corp's. Publisher- - - -while the two played golf. They talked about the state of comics in comic book history in the current year 1961. The "corrector" of SUPER man , incorporated told MARTIN about how retro- 50'swarcomicsandwesternscomics were becoming less popular and that super heroes were finally back in. The editor had told Goodman that the boss's artists and writers had revamped his company's World War Two decade super heroes Green Arrow, Oliver Queen; Hawk Man; HawkGirl; Green Lantern- - - -; the super-swift Flash: " The Fastest Man Alive; " the atomic "Atom;" and Man Hunter and were putting them into a postwar Justice Society "Unlimited" of America team that was doing extremely well in sales.

Goodman consequently decided to create a super hero team comic to take advantage of this trend. In turn, according to Goodman's wishes, Lee created the Fantastic Four as super heroes who were considered "monsters" by the people whom they protected. The Invisible Girl, SUSAN STORM who was frightful to people, as the character from the H. G. Wells book "The Invisible-Man - -;" - -also her brother ("HUMAN TORCH") who was a revamped super hero from World War 2 who was also frightening because THE TORCH looked like he was made of flames; Ben Grimm, WHO looked like one of the "nightmares" from their 50's comics; and Professor Richards whose stretched form was strange and frightening to other people.

When Stan Lee created the X-Men, he asked himself, "What is MOST like a super powered super hero? Lee might have answered to his question with "Of course, like a mutant!" When Stan created (Professor X) Professor Xavier, Mr. Lee thought to himself, "What is LIKE a super powered human being? His answer being "telepathist!"

Going on to create (Jean GREY) the Phoenix, Stan Lee then asked himself "What would be some sort of superhuman?" The answer to that question was, of course, "A telekinetic!" When Stan Lee created James Logan's, Wolverine's "Ultimate" Mighty Avenger, Mighty Thor, Stan Lee thought to himself, "What is strong like a superhuman hero? Of course, a God!" Then Mr. Lee made his concept a reality, by creating Thor the God of Thunder.

Meredith-3 "…FORMATIONS: ISSUE-S '# 1 & # 2' OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK - - - - THE FIRST MUTATIONS OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK - - - -!"

When Lee helped to create the Hulk, Stan Lee said - - - -asking to himself, "What is like a superhumanly strong hero? Of course A MONSTER!"

Mr. Lee helped then create the Hulk,who was a scientist - - - -Robert Banner - - - -who "CREATED" a FRANKENSTEIN'S MONst er, but Dr. Robert Banner made a "Frankenstein monster" out of HIMSELF. He (Stan) also -Lee threw in (at least for the first two issues) a little bit of lycanthropic (werewolf-ism) into the HULK because at first Dr. Bruce Banner (the Hulk) could only change into the Hulk at night. The famous comic book artist "Mr." Jack Kirby who created the Hulk with Mr. Lee first drew the Hulk in the style of "Frankenstein" -with an elongated forehead and "short bangs" as if when Dr. "Bruce" Banner "transformed" into the Hulk and "Bruce's" head stretched, the hair on top of the Hulk's head didn't hang down as far as it did before. The top of Dr. Robert "Bruce" Banner's skullcap was more squared on the sides like artist/director John Houston's designs of a Frankenstein's Monster skull that could be opened and closed like the lid of a CAN.

Strangely enough, at first Robert Banner "the Hulk" was not green but gray, Stan Lee decided in "Bruce's" the RAMPAGING Hulk's first appearance that Hulk's color be gray. Trouble with coloring in the printing made the savage Hulk light gray in some scenes and really dark gray in others.

Meredith-4 "…ATIONS: ISSUE-S '# 1 & # 2' OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK - - - - THE FIRST MUTATIONS OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK - - - -!"

The issue if one could actually get a chance to look at the first issue THE INCREDIBLE HULK, VOLUME ONE, (they have had two volumes, so far) somebody could clearly see that the Hulk was gray. That is something that comic book writers have tried to overlook for CLOSE to 30 years. In comics every once in a great while some writer will get a good idea for an explanation as to why something has been SO for so many years.

People used to wonder why "the Thing" Ben Grim was at first drawn as having lumpy rocks on Ben's skin The artist - - - -he kept changing the way Mr. Kirby (coincidentally- - - -HIM) drew him (Grimm) little by little in each issue until he looked as if he were made out of broken pieces of orange rock . - - - - Eventually it was explained "in letters page" that (the Thing) Ben Grimm was still mutating in those early issues.

After an even greater passing of time, the revamp-ER of Mr. Kent (Superman) for the series SMALLVILLE (before the artist/writer left Spider-man Co.) did some issues for the Hulk with an explanation as to why Dr. Banner (the Hulk) was gray in the first appearance. His explanation was that Dr. Banner the Hulk was gray in the rampaging Hulk's first appearance because Dr. Banner there didn't have enough gamma radiation in Dr. Banner, before he transformed into the rampaging Hulk.

At first the savage Hulk was as strong as a gorilla, but with consequent exposures to radiation- - - -after the other - -( - -Dr. Banner) the Hulk became more and more hyperactive and stronger until Robert (the savage Hulk) could lift over 100 tons when enraged.

In New Mexico's Gamma Base, General "Thunderbolt" Thaddeus Ross told his soldiers to look out for the young man who Banner secretly saved from gamma ray exposure in the movie HULK (1) and THE INCREDIBLE HULK (two), the movie, because it seemed as if this young man was helping BANNER, THE SAVAGE Hulk and knew his where abouts.

Meredith-5 "…TIONS: ISSUE-S '# 1 & # 2' OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK - - - - THE FIRST MUTATIONS OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK - - - -!"

- -. - - Next- - -issue THREE of THE INCREDIBLE Hulk - -! - -

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