This Memorable Moment from Incredible Hulk #347 (Marvel Comics, Sept 88) by writer Peter David, penciler Jeff Purves and inker Mik Gustovich.I really got into the Hulk when he went back to gray. See, back in first appearance, the Hulk had been colored gray and I guess he failed to grab the imagination. In the second issue, Stan Lee made him green, and the rest is history. While I like the "Hulk smash!" rampaging Hulk as much as the next guy, the original vision was closer to a Jekyll & Hyde dynamic, with the Hulk not being too stupid, but rather mean spirited. Every night, Bruce Banner would turn into the worst part of himself.
In the late 80s, Peter David broke that concept back, mutating the Hulk back to his crabby gray self. I'll admit that I picked it up because of Todd MacFarlane's art, but it was the tail end of his run which ended in the Hulk's apparent death. The real highlight for me was the storyline that followed: The Hulk was alive and well, and making a life for himself as a leg breaker in Las Vegas(!). In Incredible Hulk #347, we're plunged into the Las Vegas underground for 20 pages before "Mr. Fixit" finally fully appears... from above.
Now that's how you make an entrance (literally)! Joe Fixit is ruthless!
He's got a nasty sense of humor!
And he's got a girlfriend.
Marlo - a tall redheaded escort - is a little taken aback at first, but once you go gray...
...you never betray.The Hulk's rolling in money. He's got his pick of the ladies. He's being paid to do what he loves. He's only got one problem:
His inner nerd.The twist is that "Joe Fixit" is the dominant personality in these stories, and Banner is the repressed one looking to be released. Man, I loved the Las Vegas era, and in truth, didn't it pave the way for the Hulk antagonist we have now?
Less memorable Hulk tales I took on: Rampaging Hulk #7 and Questprobe #1.
Comments
I can only judge the work, and Peter David has given me a memorable Hulk, a memorable Aquaman and memorable Star Trek novels.