The incredible HULK--A misunderstood hero!

We have all seen Superheroes in our times. How many of us remember the Superman series with George Reeves? How about the Batman series with Adam West? Most are familiar with those heroes and as a kid, I spent most of my time seeing TV, so I was familiar with all these guys. Apart from seeing Superman and Batman, I watched the Marvel Super Heroes, which came on TV. Every day was a different Superhero and the Hulk came on Tuesdays!

I want to focus on an unusual Superhero and that is The incredible Hulk. We are used to seeing heroes with capes and masks, but not this one. This one looks like he could be anyone's nightmare! Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this Superhero has seen his share of TV series and movies. Stan Lee said that he wanted this hero to be a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type. A type of Frankenstein monster, while intimidating, meant no harm to people.

There are different types of stories concerning the origin of The Hulk, but I am old school. I like to go by the comic version. In the Origin of the Hulk, Dr. Bruce Banner is a scientist working for the government. One day, while performing experiments with Gamma rays, he sees a young man by the name of Rick Jones in the line of fire. Rushing out to rescue him, he takes a full brunt force of gamma rays.

He is taken to the hospital by Rick and the doctor doesn't find anything wrong. After spending time in the room alone with Rick, Dr. Banner turns into the Hulk. This episode was shown in Marvel Super heroes back in the '60's. What most people don't know is that Rick Jones would later wind up being Captain America's sidekick, who he also, called Bucky. This association, however, was short-lived, but that is another story for another time. (Link enclosed below for more information)

The Hulk appeared in his own issue back in May 1962. The first five issues were drawn by Jack Kirby. In his last issue (Issue six), he was drawn by Steve Ditko, who had drawn the initial issues of Spider Man. After that, Hulk made several guest appearances. He appeared in the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, but then he faded out of sight.

After a period of time, Stan Lee brings back the Hulk to the comic book world. Appearing in Tales to Astonish #60 (Oct 1964), this magazine, also, included a story of Giant Man. Years later, he would be replaced by Submariner.These stories were full of suspense and kept you at the edge of your seats. To top it off, it would, usually end in a cliffhanger. Soon, Hulk had a full feature length comic book of his own and the rest is history.

Hulk came, again, to the TV. This time as a series with Bill Bixby. Bixby had worked in series such as Courtship of Eddie's Father and My Favorite Martian. He was a seasoned actor, who tragically, died of cancer. This time, there was no Rick Jones. His name was Dr. David Bruce Banner and his origin was different from the comic book. In this TV version, he did a series of experiments that turned him into the Hulk. A fellow scientist dies as a result of the explosion. He,also, makes the world think that he died in that accident. All that is related in the TV introduction.

I like Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk. He looked intimidating. This series was so successful, that, even my mother liked it. Then, years later, another Hulk would show up in the comic books-The She Hulk. Then, afterwards, the Red Hulk and much more. Hulk has seen a lot of transformations during the years. Years later, they would make two movie versions of the Hulk.

The first was not a big hit, but the second one was. I, personally, did not see the movie but I heard that Edward Norton was outstanding in this one. After seeing the latest Hulk movie trailer, it seems to parallel the comic book story. Anyway, it does look like a good movie, so I might be seeing it soon.

I like the Hulk, but get to wonder-I hope Dr. Banner has some money saved up, because he does tear up his clothes.(Smile) The Hulk has gone down thru the years as a misunderstood hero. He has a good heart, but society sees him as a monster. Appearances can be deceiving. What's in store for the Hulk in the future? Only time will tell! In the meantime, we have TV series and movies to enjoy the Hulk episodes for a long time. 'Nuff said!