The Incredible Hulk has become one of the few comic book heroes to truly be ubiquitous the world over. The fame of this character is so great that his name has actually become a verb, meaning "to become extremely angry." The character's history, villains, and appeal make his comics one of the best investments.
Hulk comics premiered in 1962, with the publication of "The Incredible Hulk #1." The comic played on America's fascination and fear of the new atomic age, with the brilliant scientist Dr. Bruce Banner falling victim to a huge dose of radiation from one of his experiments. This blast turned him into The Incredible Hulk, a huge green monstrosity with physical strength eclipsing most of the other heroes in the Marvel canon. Although Hulk turns back into Bruce Banner when he calms down, any strong fit of rage will turn the doctor back into the Hulk, prompting his famous catchphrase, "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." Over nearly 50 years of publication history, Banner has had many an adventure in his search for a cure to his condition. The Hulk has had split personalities, gone to outer-space and ruled over the planet of the Hulks, while Bruce Banner has attempted to create some semblance of a normal life with his lover, Betty Rose.
The villains of The Incredible Hulk
After Hulk's initial series was canceled, the character reappeared in "Tales to Astonish." Here, he was an antagonist against the superhero Giant-Man. While Giant-Man is an obscure hero nowadays, Hulk remains popular with fans of comic books. As such, his "Hulk" series of comic books still runs to this day. Although villains with similar super-strength such as the Abomination or Rhino often go up against Hulk, his main antagonist is the US government, often led by General "Thunderbolt" Ross. An interesting aspect of the Hulk's character is that, in most incarnations, he is very simple-minded and driven by anger. This means he can often go up against other heroes as a villain. As such, Hulk has fought Spider-man, Thor, and other Marvel heroes have had to take down Hulk at one time or another, and even DC comics hero Batman fought the green giant in a one-time crossover.
The Incredible Hulk as a collection
Hulk's ability to cross-over to other comics, as well as his long run in both his own series, "Tales to Astonish", and other guest spots, make him a well-known figure. An original "Incredible Hulk" issue can sell for upwards of $10,000, and other issues are extremely valuable as well. Because of this, many other issues are expected to rise in value as well, making The Incredible Hulk one of the best investments a collector can make.