My favorite cartoon hero has always been Popeye the Sailor. I grew up watching his cartoons religiously. I liked that he was the underdog and stood up against bullies. I started drawing him and his cast of characters, which I can still draw to this day.
The first comic book hero that I grew to admire was the Incredible Hulk. I loved the live-action show that starred Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. The Hulk also stood up for underdogs, and made sure that the villains in each episode got what they deserved. I always felt bad for Dr. Banner, because he never knew where he would wake up next or what the Hulk had done. The sad outro piano theme by Joseph Harnell symbolized the kind nature and misfortunes of this misunderstood gentle giant.
I had a few Hulk toys, coloring books and games. My mom even made me a homemade Hulk costume for Halloween one year. All she had to buy was a plastic Hulk mask. The rest she created with items that were already at home.
I didn't start reading super hero comics until I was about nine years old. My first non-kiddie or science fiction comic book was Marvel Two-In-One #76. That issue featured the Thing with guests Giant Man and Iceman who went up against the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime. From there, I started reading more of Marvel's popular titles, including the Incredible Hulk. As I started reading more issues and growing my collection, I got to understand Bruce Banner and his emerald alter ego.
My favorite story line was written by Bill Mantlo and illustrated by the amazing Sal Buscema in the early 1980's. Banner finally gained mental control over the Hulk and was able to control the change. It was a good premise, one which led to an eventual pardon by the U.S. government. Unfortunately, the good days didn't last long. Banner was soon tormented in his dreams by the Dr. Strange villain Nightmare, and he eventually gave up the fight, allowing the Hulk to become a brainless, savage behemoth.
The Hulk became such a danger to the world around him that his former Defender teammate Strange had no choice but to exile him to another dimension. The rise and fall of such a powerful character came out about the same time as Mantlo and Buscema's Skrull/Dire Wraith war in another Marvel mag, ROM: Spaceknight.
As much as I like Spider-Man's origin, I've grown to appreciate the Hulk's beginning more. To me, the Hulk has been the physical manifestation of a person's anger and rage. I know all too well what it's like to have those types of feelings and emotions bottled up until they can't be contained any longer.
Any good super hero story also has a key family component. In the Incredible Hulk #312, readers were able to get a glimpse into Banner's family life. Mantlo and artist Mike Mignola introduced us to Banner's parents, and we got to see where his softer and darker sides originated.
There have been several incarnations of the Hulk since his debut in 1962. There have also been several other gamma-powered heroes and villains, such as the She-Hulk, Skaar (Hulk's son from another planet that we first saw during the Planet Hulk storyline), the Leader, the Abomination and others. The Hulk and Bruce Banner have been through just about everything a fan could imagine, but we keep coming back for more.
Heroes like the Hulk, Spidey, the Avengers, the X-Men and others give us hope. They're fantasies but they usually deal with problems and moral dilemmas that many of us can relate to. Diving into a good comic book series or graphic novel can keep us entertained and take our minds off of the outside for a little while too. Sometimes that break is very necessary.
Well, that's all for now. Until next time, have a great week, everyone!
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