Why was there a Hulk #1

[shadroch]

Looking back,it seems strange that the Hulk debuted in his own title.With the exception of the FF, i believe all the characters introduced in this time frame were first given tryouts in established titles-Spidey, Thor, Ironman,Antman all were first introduced in anthology titles and in some cases-Spidey and Antman - it was a while until they were given regular slots. Hulk,the most unlikable of the bunch was given his own book to sink or swim in. Does anyone know why this was, or have an explanation for this?. I would imagine Mr Lee has spoken on the subject.

[Aces]

I would venture a guess:

 

The Hulk was the second Super-Hero after the FF (not counting Ant-Man because he wasn't "in-costum" until ToA 35).

 

The FF sales were great but Old Greenskin's sales were not.

 

I guess they want wanted to test out other Heroes more carefully before just giving them their own title.

 

Hence:

TtA 35

AF 15

JIM 83

ST 110

ToS 39

 

I think X-men 1 was the next book after the Hulk to get a fresh title.

The Avengers 1 didn't have any new Heroes.

[Aman619]

Marvel only had a handful of "mailing permit slots" to their name then (between 8 and 10, right? So starting a NEW title meant cancelling an existing one. (It was a complicated system then that I dont really understand the ins and outs of) So as ACES says, after one hit and one miss, they must have gotten gunshy about cancelling a titkle for an unproven character/idea.

[shadroch]

Marvel only had a handful of "mailing permit slots" to their name then (between 8 and 10, right? So starting a NEW title meant cancelling an existing one. (It was a complicated system then that I dont really understand the ins and outs of) So as ACES says, after one hit and one miss, they must have gotten gunshy about cancelling a titkle for an unproven character/idea.

 

I may be wrong but I think you might be mixing apples and oranges.

Marvel was distributed by DC and only had a few slots on the newstands so one book would have to go for a new one to come out.

The mailing permits were a different story. They are the reason that books continued the numbering of older books-ie why a lot of ECs horror books do not start with #1,why LSH starts with 200 instead of #1. This is even more of a reason Not to have started Hulk with a #1.

Speaking of these 3rd Class mail permits, I find it difficult to believe they were not some sort of attempt to censor comicbooks.-

[Aman619]

youre exactly right. I was mixing maiing with the DC limitation. So the question isnt really Why Hulk#1, but How FF#1 in the first place?

[fantastic_four]

I've read some interviews where Stan talked about this in the past, but I can't find them now. My recollection of what he said, which might be slightly off, is as follows:

 

• Marvel had room for 8 titles
• 1961 - They cancelled a title that wasn't selling well to make room for Fantastic Four, but I can't remember which title they cancelled.
• Mid-1962 - They cancelled Amazing Adult Fantasy, which wasn't selling well, to make room for Hulk, with the idea being that FF had proven that superheroes were selling better.
• Late 1962 - they crowded Thor into "Journey Into Mystery" because they had no more title room. They didn't want to cancel Journey Into Mystery because it was selling well, and if Thor didn't pan out, they could always just switch back to more horror/mystery stories in the title.
• Once they realized that Amazing Fantasy 15 sold so well, they cancelled Hulk and moved him into Tales to Astonish so they could create the Spider-Man title.

I don't think Jack and Stan thought Hulk was an "unlikable" character. With Jack being a huge monster fan and Stan being a great creator of semi-complex characters, the Hulk was a character that I'm sure they both liked a heck of a lot.

[shadroch]

Trouble with relying on stan is that he often tells different tales about the same thing. It was quite awhile between the cancelling of Hulk and his return as a featured co-star.

Amazing Fantasty was due to be canceled o there was an opening for Spidey without Hulk being canceled.I understand why Hulk was canceled-mediocre sales,I just don't think we have discovered why it was started in the first place.

Thanks for your input.

[Lantern]

Trouble with relying on stan is that he often tells different tales about the same thing.... I understand why Hulk was canceled-mediocre sales.

 

I agree with Stans story telling getting a little varied from one day to the next.

 

Case in point : Wizard #144 has a quote from Stan The Man that says that Hulk was cancelled because Jack Kirby was overloaded with his drawing duties. It was either Sgt. Fury or Hulk, and we all know where that went.

 

I cannot believe that I just used Wizard as a source.

[shadroch]

After being pretty much a hack writer for many many years,going from fad to fad, I doubt Stan really care for his heroes at the inception of the Marvel Universe. I think he was just happy to be getting a paycheck and worrying about the next one.

At some point he realized he was onto the next big thing and allowed his passion to come thru. As the years went on the storyteller in him has embelished the origins to the point of absurdity.While he was head of the company Marvel took out an ad crediting him with creating Captain America.

 

[joe_collector]

Does anyone remember seeing those "concept covers" for future Hulk issues that never came out? Was it in Masterworks?

 

Either way, I think Hulk sold like crepe because he was fighting like the Toad Men and Metal Master, instead of getting involved with the main Marvel Universe. Those covers showed a whole new direction and it would have been nice to see the stories behind them.

[Aces]

I never saw those covers...

 

Are they on-line somewhere?

[joe_collector]

Now as I'm really not sure where these are from, and due to the fact that I'm CONSTANTLY being accused of various forum offenses, I'm not sure I should...

 

Ah, what the heck.. This one ring any bells?

 

[Aces]

Great topic!

 

Forced me to do a little research...

 

Are you sure they had 8 titles?

 

Millie the Model (romance)

Kid Colt (Western)

Tales to Astonish (Horror/Sci-Fi)

Strange Tales (ditto)

Tales of Suspense (ditto)

Journy into Mystery (ditto)

Amazing Adult Fantasy (ditto) (cancelled for Hulk) (Hulk cancelled for Spider-Man)

Fanatsic Four

 

That's eight...

 

When they added X-men and Avengers that went to 10.

Did I leave anything out (up to 1963)?

 

Marvel Mystery tales was cancelled in 1957(?).

That was to make room for Tales to Astonish I think...

 

What was cancelled in 1961 for FF...

More research coming...

[Aces]

OMG...

 

That looks like I'd buy it in a heartbeat!

 

 

[joe_collector]

OMG...

 

That looks like I'd buy it in a heartbeat!

 

Yeah I know, some of those covers are absolute killer and if that one had appeared in the first run of 1-6, Marvel history might have been different.....

 

We all know Hulk as a killer subject for tag-team matches with other heavy-weights, but Marvel didn't catch onto that until later.

[joe_collector]

But the question still remains, where were those covers featured? Masterworks?

[supapimp]

 

that would've been the 2nd superhero X-over in the marvel universe.

[fantastic_four]

Who's art is that on the Hulk 7? It isn't Kirby or Ditko...is it a recreation or something?

[joe_collector]

Who's art is that on the Hulk 7? It isn't Kirby or Ditko...is it a recreation or something?

 

The way I understood it, Marvel was toying with the idea of bringing the Hulk back in his own mag, and those covers were concept work for something that didn't materialize.

 

I could be wrong, but that's the way I understood it. I'm sure the work as presented might be a "improved/redone/re-inked/colored" for publication, but I thought the cover and art was real.

[supapimp]

it's a recreation/concept cover, the pic of thor is actually from JIM 117.