I Hope the Hulk gets Better after #2

Issue: Incredible Hulk (1962) #2

Name: The Terror of the Toad Men

Published: Marvel, July 1962

Blurb: From Comixology:

The Toad Men are about to invade and America's only hope is the monstrous Hulk.

Creators:

Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Inker: Steve Ditko
Letterer: Artie Simek

Characters:

The Good: The Hulk, Rick Jones, Betty Ross, General “Thunderbolt” Jones
The Bad: The Toad Men

Story (C):

This issue is broken down into 5 chapters:

Enter… The Toad Men
Prisoners of the Toad Men!
Bruce Banner, Wanted for Treason!
Hulk Runs Amok!
The End of the Hulk?

The story starts with the Hulk wandering in a swamp toward a town that he ends up terrorizing. He really puts out a Frankenstein vibe and exudes menace. But then we flash back to last issue when Dr Banner becomes the Hulk because of the gamma ray bomb.
Jumping back to the present, we are introduced to the villains of the issue, the Toad Men. Their use of magnetic energy allows them to locate the most brilliant scientific brain…Dr. Banner who they want to capture.
Back in Earth, Bruce turns back into himself at dawn and he and Rick head to a cave buried under a lake where they hope to lock the Hulk each night, but before night falls, they are captured by the Toad Men.

With Dr. Banner and Rich aboard their ship, the Toad Men threaten destruction to the Earth if Bruce doesn't help them in chapter 2. But little do they realize that once the ship crosses to the night side of the planet, the Hulk is unleashed. He proceeds to smash things up on the ship until the army shoots it down.

Part 3 sees the alien ship crash and Bruce, once again human due to the daylight, captured by the army while the Toad Men escape using their magnetic technology. They alert their armada and the invasion begins.

In part 4, the Toad Men armada threatens General Ross with the destruction of the planet if he doesn't surrender while in the jail, nighttime falls and the Hulk re-emerges. He goes on a rampage bashing watch towers and artillery until he arrives at the General's home where he meets up with Betty.

Surrounded by the army, part 5 shows the power of the Hulk as he fights off over a dozen soldiers and steals away with Betty. But Rick finds them and as they are all knocked around by an earthquake the sun begins to rise once again and the Hulk transforms back to Banner. This is fortunate as they need to use the gamma ray gun to destroy the Toad Men, and Banner is the one who knows how to use it. He shoots the alien ships and sends them spinning across space, saving the day and stopping the Moon from crashing into the Earth. Having saved the planet, General Ross declares Bruce is not a traitor but he still suspects some connection between Banner and the Hulk.

I really wish the origin story was told once and let stand, let's tell new tales rather than repeating something we read in the last issue.

As far as new tales, the issue starts out with the Hulk doing a full on monster act and scaring the crap outta a bunch of people. He's really doing a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing which I think is a detraction from the character I though they made in the first issue – that could be a problem if they are just trying to make him a monster…he doesn't seem very heroic. And the day/night cycle seems a bit forced so that the Hulk appears then transforms back.

Art (C):

The Hulk seems to have woken up on the Frankenstein side of the bed in this issue. While he is greener than in the previous issue, he is way too monster-like for my liking. I also don't like to depiction of the toad men it is at the same time too easy and too rudimentary for my liking. The panel with the Hulk using the Toad Men's gun on page 10 is also pretty funny – I wonder if the Hulk ever uses a gun again.

Characters (C):

The Toad Men seem a bit more goofy that menacing and their incredible magnetic powers make me question the level of education of the target audience, but then again, back in the 60s the general knowledge about magnetism was not a Google search away. In any case, in 2016, magnetism is not as scary and all powerful as it is portrayed in the comic so I don't see the major threat. Beyond that, the motivations are not very clear and I feel the lack of a solid enemy detracts from this issue.

Enjoyment (C):

I did not enjoy this issue as much as the first Hulk. I dont associate the Hulk with being a monster as much as they seem to be portraying him as and the depiction of General Ross is still too much of a characiture for my taste.

Special extra (D):

Other than the introduction of the Toad Men, who I really didn't like, this issue doesn't have much in the way of things I'd call special.

Overall (C):

I'm not very impressed with this issue and I'd have to say it's the worst I've read so far in my reading of Marvel's Silver Age.

A Rookie Perspective:

I hope they get away from the monsterous Hulk. I also am sad they have tied his transformation to the day/night cycle – it makes the days seem rushed in comparison to the other comics I've read. Without a space ship that can go from day to night easily, I worry the transformation either won't happen or it'll feel forced as it does in this issue.

This comic can be found on Marvel Unlimited and Comixology.

Comics Corner 1.7