Given the high esteem people have for
Steve Ditko's work of the era--the praise for
Spider-Man and
Doctor Strange--I've always been surprised that nobody ever seems to talk about...
...his run on the
Hulk.
When the Hulk was cancelled initially after only 6 issues, he was relegated to some guest-star appearances, mainly in
Avengers and
Fantastic Four.
But when he was given his own strip again, in
Tales To Astonish #60, it was Dtiko, not
Jack Kirby who had the art honors.
Ditko's run only lasted
8 issues--then Kirby took over again, mainly just layouts. But it was a pretty
significant 8 issues!
Major Glenn Talbot was introduced...
...
The Leader made his debut...
...as well as his icky
humanoids...
The Chameleon was around for awhile as a villain, making him on of
Marvel's first crossover bad guys...
Even though Ditko didn't draw the Hulk with his classic muscle-bound physique, he was there as old
Jade-Jaws gradually upped his strength...
And Ditko was the first to give the Hulk
mascara!!
Ditko was also there when
Rick Jones came back into the fold, and Rick went to the White House and comvinced
LBJ to give Bruce Banner a pardon!!
SPOILER ALERT: That really pissed off
Thuderbolt Ross.
Anyway, Ditko was Ditko, he was around for some of the most important early issues of one of Marvel's most important characters...Yet
nobody seem to remember his run on the Hulk.
From Tales To Astonish #60-67 (1964-1965)
Wow, thanks for letting me know about his run there. I know Ditko did some Hulk Annuals later in the character's run, but did not know about this early run.
ReplyDeleteGood grief, Ruby Tuesday is rather skinny in that panel where Rick appeals for Bruce.
ReplyDeleteWhat gets me is that I never picked up on Ditko having a run on Hulk, when I have Hulk#400, that features a reprint of the Leader's first appearence, which you highlight here. Ditko's Hulk wasn't bad, and really not that different than Kirby's, at least in my opinion.
ReplyDeletePardon my ignornance, but is before, during, or after his Spidey run? Based on the numbers, I wanna say during, but I could be wrong.
During.
ReplyDeleteDitko did an awesome inking job on Kirby's pencils for Hulk#2 (go look up the splash page for this issue) and all the art on Hulk#6.
ReplyDeleteSo what's the objectivist theme behind Sam Sterns' story, then?
ReplyDeleteWhen Stan scripted, Ditko's more Randian influences were kept at bay. After all, "with great power, there must also come great responsibility" is about the least objectivist mantra you could come with...
ReplyDeleteIt's "Objectivist", not "Randian".
ReplyDeleteAs to "with great power, there must also come great responsibility"—there is nothing anti-objectivist about this statement in context. Man does have a responsibility to himself, to the truth, to be fair and just with people around him. Peter allowed a form of narcissism and displacement to take hold of his mind when he allowed that criminal to fly by him. Indeed, he had a responsibility as an American citizen to assist law enforcement if he could, in that instance—particularly if he wished to continue to live in a society rules by the principle of justice.