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The Hulk Bounces Back in Incredible Hulk #102, Up for Auction

Published Sun, 24 Oct 2021 13:42:09 -0500

The Hulk was a character that 1960s Marvel refused to give up on. Despite the short, six-issue lifespan of his debut series, Marvel put him in the Avengers, crossed him over with the Fantastic Four (for the second time) and Spider-Man, and then let him share Tales to Astonish with Giant-Man. When the character received his own series again with The Incredible Hulk during Marvel's 1968 expansion, Stan Lee treated it like the signature moment that it ultimately was: "This is the beginning of the second Golden Age of Marvel — and it's going to be a never-ending joyride", Lee wrote in that month's Bullpen Bulletins. And Lee was not wrong about that 1968 moment for the publisher. Incredible Hulk took over Tales to Astonish's numbering with issue #102, and the issue has been a popular Marvel key ever since. There's an Incredible Hulk #102 (Marvel, 1968) CGC VF+ 8.5 Cream to off-white pages up for auction in this week's 2021 October 24-25 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122143.

The Incredible Hulk #102 (Marvel, 1968).

Also part of Marvel's cartoon push during this period, the character was quickly entering the cultural zeitgeist. As The Vancouver Sun would say a few months later, "One of the Marvel Heroes who is allowed emotion is The Incredible Hulk. As the question is asked at the opening of the series: "Can a green-skinned introvert with anti-social tendencies find happiness and fulfillment in a modern, materialistic society?… Naturally, the Hulk is the idol of the college crowd. Max Ferguson, whose impersonations are broadcast every morning on CGC radio, has a five-year-old son who growls around in a huge green Hulk sweatshirt and bunks down every night under a raging Hulk poster."

The character's unlikely rise to pop culture phenomenon has continued ever since, and his second shot at a solo series is with Incredible Hulk #102 is one of the elements that sparked that rise. An enduring Marvel key issue, there's an Incredible Hulk #102 (Marvel, 1968) CGC VF+ 8.5 Cream to off-white pages up for auction in this week's 2021 October 24-25 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122143.

The Incredible Hulk #102 (Marvel, 1968) CGC VF+ 8.5 Cream to off-white pages. First issue of the (new) series. Origin of the Hulk retold. Story continued from Tales to Astonish #101. Warriors Three, Odin, and Enchantress appearances. Marie Severin cover and art. George Tuska art. Overstreet 2021 VF 8.0 value = $182; VF/NM 9.0 value = $404. CGC census 10/21: 332 in 8.5, 705 higher.

View the certification for CGC Certification ID 2048807010 and purchase grader's notes if available.