The Scary Hulk
The first two issues of THE INCREDIBLE HULK back in 1962 showed the character as a genuine monster right out of Universal horror movie. He was essentially a werewolf version of the Frankenstein Monster. Every night, Bruce Banner changed against his will into the Hulk. Jack Kirby drew the brute very much in the Karloff image; in the first issue, the Hulk even kept Banner's ripped suit jacket, a nice touch.(The torn shreds of white shirt were a great visual reminder of the transformation from a normal human, but which has long been abandoned.)The Hulk was hostile and murderous (he intended to kill Rick Jones at first ("As for you-- you are the only one who knows who I really am!")
Adding to the terror that the Hulk inspired was that no one knew anything about him. He just appeared out of nowhere to cause destruction, and the fact he only came out at night made him seem scarier. I've wondered how the character would be remembered if he had stayed this way for a few issues before his title folded and then only made a few sporadic appearances to fight Marvel's heroes. It didn't turn out that way, of course. By the third issue, the Hulk had broadened out to be four feet across and had been turned into a mindless servant of Rick Jones. Then he changed so he had Bruce Banner's mind and was sort of a super-hero for a while (a rather crude and unpredictable one). He's been through dozens of phases since then, to the point where there doesn't seem to be a real Hulk, just whichever version is being used at the moment.
Steve Ditko only inked Kirby two or three times when deadlines were tight-- why have him ink when he could be pencilling? -- but the results were a great combination of Kirby dynamics and Ditko mood. This Hulk seems genuinely menacing.
Adding to the terror that the Hulk inspired was that no one knew anything about him. He just appeared out of nowhere to cause destruction, and the fact he only came out at night made him seem scarier. I've wondered how the character would be remembered if he had stayed this way for a few issues before his title folded and then only made a few sporadic appearances to fight Marvel's heroes. It didn't turn out that way, of course. By the third issue, the Hulk had broadened out to be four feet across and had been turned into a mindless servant of Rick Jones. Then he changed so he had Bruce Banner's mind and was sort of a super-hero for a while (a rather crude and unpredictable one). He's been through dozens of phases since then, to the point where there doesn't seem to be a real Hulk, just whichever version is being used at the moment.
Steve Ditko only inked Kirby two or three times when deadlines were tight-- why have him ink when he could be pencilling? -- but the results were a great combination of Kirby dynamics and Ditko mood. This Hulk seems genuinely menacing.