This is the Hulk issue I never had the chance to read.  For some reason, while I had no problem buying 314-318 when they came out, this was totally absent from the newsstand.  Maybe the issue was picked up by non-regular buyers because of the wedding.  I never bothered to pick it up from the back issue bins.  May have to now.

Like many, I've always wondered what might have been,  JB's Hulk was picking up a lot of steam.

One thing, though, if Banner were to become the Hulk again, I think it would have had to have been for a noble reason -- similar to how he became the Hulk in the first place. If he thought becoming a Hulk he could control himself would be the only way to stop the out-of-control, mindless Hulk.

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Note, however, that in the earliest Hulk stories, Banner willingly transformed himself into the Hulk to deal with various menaces (because he believed he was in control at that point). So JB's proposed "new" Hulk would have been a throwback to that.

If Banner seemingly found a way to harness the Hulk's power (under his control--or so he thought) for the good of humanity (and perhaps to defeat the mindless Hulk), then that's certainly in-character with Banner as he was presented in the early stories.

Banner's frustration is that he was given great power--which he wants to use responsibly--, but the power itself is his enemy. The Hulk's uncontrollable rage prevents Banner from using that power to aid mankind.

JB, were you offered the opportunity to draw as well as write the Hulk when you came back to him?

How did Garney get tossed into the mix?

Is there a link of JB's interview in Amazing Heroes?  I would love to read what he said.

Yes.  This stuff is great.  JB drew a nice looking Hulk and I love his stories.  Looking at all this great stuff, I'm shocked Hollywood wouldn't channel this into a film.

Is there a link of JB's interview in Amazing Heroes?  I would love to read what he said.

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I posted it in the "Strongest Thread There Is" thread.

Same with She-Hulk, which is even harder to pull off, especially when their is nothing near her to show scale.

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I think it's the hair.  No one does her hair that way.

I've never seen that art before. That level of detail is insane!

Another reason why I wish things didn't happen the way they did.  Like Man Of Steel, Mr. Byrne had a plan for The Incredible Hulk and unfortunately we'll never see it happen.

Maybe a member may hire JB to complete his idea through a commission piece?  I wish someone had tried that with The Last Galatus Story.  Those projects should be completed.

It would also explain the hint that a "very, very, very important death" was forthcoming in future issues. I believe that JB planned on killing off the mindless, Buscema-esque Hulk. Perhaps there would have been a battle royale between the new, Banner-controlled Hulk and the mindless Hulk.

Thanks Greg. As if I wasn't already haunted enough by JB's run as it is.

I think the "noble" cause for Banner becoming the Kirby Hulk would have been to stop the mindless Hulk, who had (I think) been established killing people in his rage, which Samson was trying to put an end to. The Avengers were instructed to butt out, since their high-power conflict with the Hulk was going to result in mass destruction.

Perhaps Banner would have become the Kirby Hulk from issues 4-6 of the original series, the "Thug Hulk" Peter David picked up on for his Gray Hulk.

For some reason, I've always thought Doc Samson was heading for a bad end during that storyline. He was becoming progressively more obsessed with killing the Hulk...either Samson himself was going to do a Captain Ahab and die destroying the mindless Hulk, or he was going to take General Ross' place as the primary Hulk-Hunter...meaning after ridding the world of one Hulk, he decides Banner can't be trusted and starts hunting the Kirby Hulk, who would be on the run.

So, either Samson was the "important death" along with the mindless Hulk construct, or just that Hulk bites it and Samson's obsessive need to destroy Hulks makes him worse and more dangerous than Ross or Talbot ever were.

I wonder if JB prefers the Gamma Ray Machine inducing of the Hulk, or just by will?