“Tales to Astonish #89: Hulk p 6” (March 1967)
by Gil Kane (1926-2000)
13.5 x 20 in., ink on paper
Coppola Collection

The Stranger takes Banner to a cave where he has set up an device to make him his slave. Forcing Banner to change into the Hulk proves to be more trouble as Hulk doesn’t want to be made the Stranger’s slave and attacks.

Fifty years ago!

I’ve got a few pages from comics published in these few months in 1967 that stem from a particular nostalgia. I turned 10 years old in February 1967, and this page was from the Hulk story in the second issue of Tales to Astonish that I ever bought. I have a Sub-Mariner page from #87, but so far (and probably never) a page from #88.

There is a page up from that issue at the Comic Connect auction for March 2017 (as it turns out). The auction results tells you why I do not have a page from this issue – I was willing to pay $2800 but (a) it was below the hidden reserve (a practice that I simply do not understand, unless you are not serious about selling and just want to see what people will offer), and (b) I was outbid, and (c) wherever it ended up was still below the reserve, so it did not sell.