The Rampaging Hulk #1 (Marvel magazine/1977)

The Rampaging Hulk #1 (Marvel Comics)

Hulk: Doug Monech (w) & Walt Simonson & Alfredo Garcia (a)

Bloodstone: John Warner (w) John Buscema & Rudy Nebres (a)

The seventies saw a boom in the black & white magazine comic market with Marvel trying to cash in on the success of Warren's various titles. One of the longer lived Marvel magazines was The Rampaging Hulk which lasted 9 issues under that title before becoming simply The Hulk with issue 10 with colour stories for the rest of it's run.

The first issue contains two features, the adventures of the Hulk being the main story which focused on the period between the end of the Hulks first colour adventures and his subsequent re-appearance in Tales to Astonish #60.

It's often forgotten that the Hulk was not a success when first launched in 1962 and only lasted 6 issues before being cancelled. Although the Hulk himself guest starred in other Marvel titles such as The Avengers & The Fantastic Four, he was not popular enough at the time for his own comic.

 

The character of the original Hulk was somewhat different as well. Bit of a monster on the inside, let alone the outside before he became the rampaging simpleton that just wanted to be left alone.

That had all changed by by the time this comic came out and The Rampaging Hulk is generally considered "out of continuity" because of the discrepancies in the stores. Not that this matters much because if this first issue is anything to go by these magazine sized adventures are a great read.



Oddly the co-star of the book is Bloodstone, a minor character who appeared in Marvel Premier #1 & 2 before disappearing into comics limbo.