10 Amazing Comic Books That Should Have Flopped
7. Incredible Hulk #1
Could an out-of-control rage monster be a hero? Furthermore, could he be made a sympathetic hero? Stan Lee thought so. Written by Lee and drawn and co-plotted by Jack Kirby, the Hulk as shown in The Incredible Hulk #1, was heavily influenced by Quasimodo from the Hunchback of Norte Dame, Frankenstein’s Monster, Dr, Jekyll’s monstrous alter-ego Mr. Hyde, and the Golem from Jewish mythology.
It shouldn’t have worked, and in fact, at first it didn’t. The initial run ended with issue # 6, but the Hulk guest-starred in the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and became a founding member of, and antagonist for, the Avengers. And the popularity of the character just skyrocketed. The character also became an extremely popular mascot for the college students and counter-culture of the 1960s. In 1978, the character became part of a popular TV series that showed a man struggling with the creature inside him.
In the hands of writer Peter David, the Hulk became a fascinating examination of the ideas of dual identity and dissociative identity disorder, a condition brought on by the abuse by Bruce’s father, Brian. A character that only ever wanted to be left alone but was constantly attacked on all sides by villains, the military, and even his own friends at times, how could something that ultimately speaks to the way so many feel sometimes have not succeeded?