Simply the Best: HULK King-Size Special #1

In the arena of superhero comic books, Jack Kirby owned the 1960's.  Though certainly an important artist before and after that decade, Kirby's groundbreaking work during the 60's took comic book storytelling to a sprawling, bombastic new level.  Once Kirby kicked down the door, younger artists couldn't help but be inspired to experiment with their own brand of hyper-dynamic visuals.

One such artist was Jim Steranko, whose life prior to entering comics encompassed performance magic, rock music and ad agency work.  After a brief stay at Harvey Comics, Steranko received his first Marvel assignment from Stan Lee in 1966 inking (and later penciling) the Nick Fury, Agent of Shield feature.

In the years to come, Steranko took Kirby's spirit of innovation into stunning, surreal new directions through his use of graphic design, trendy "op art" and cutting edge cinematic techniques.  Marvel also commissioned Steranko to create a number of covers, many of them achieving "instant classic" status.  Chief among those covers, in my opinion, was the HULK King-Size Special #1 (1968).

This image perfectly captured the essence of the Hulk character, demonstrating his stubborn, savage defiance under the crushing "weight" of constant persecution.  The illustration's elemental mass, raw power and tenacity will never quite be surpassed.

After a relatively short stay in comics, Jim Steranko went on to continued success in the book publishing, magazine and film industries....yet his comic book work remains one of the artform's undisputed high points.

Comments

[John Phelan]

This cover rocks. I recall when they copied it for the start of Bruce Jones' horrid run on the Hulk. The "return of the monster" cover looked pretty cool as well, but it's impossible to beat the original.

[Mark Engblom]

Yeah, I caught the re-do of the cover for Jones' run and, while still eye-catching, didn't hold a candle to Steranko's. Ever since I was a kid, I'd always wanted to own the issue, but the comic biz being what it was at the time, it was difficult to track down specific back issues, especially off-the-beaten-path stuff like annuals. Happily, I picked one up not too many years ago (at a convention, I think), and take it out from time to time to display in one of my comic book frames. There are very few actual Hulk covers that really communicate the raw power of the character, as this one does so well....and I couldn't be more thrilled to own it.

[Bob Oldman]

Oddly enough, Steranko didn't draw that face. It was redrawn by Marie Severin (I believe). Apparently this was a common practice at the time. The actual Steranko Hulk has a more monsterous grimace and a longer head with more unruly hair.

I've only seen the actual unaltered image published in a reprint book called "Hulk Megazine" from the mid '90s.

[Mark Engblom]

Hi Bob! Thanks for the background info on the Hulk face. Now that I look at it, it sure does look like Ms. Severin's version of Hulk's face. Incidentally, Marie Severin's Hulk is probably my favorite of anyone's, so I'm sure that contributed to my fondness for the cover.

Thanks for stopping by!