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Jack Kirby cover/art; Hulk's origin retold; COMIC BOOK IMPACT rating of 7 (CBI)


Incredible Hulk #4 would already be notable for the first take on the Hulk's origin where the creature is green from the start. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, however, are also busy introducing other classic elements into this early issue. For starters, the two stories here include the first time that the Hulk claps his hand together to make a sonic wave that wipes out his enemies. "The Monster and the Machine!" also has Bruce Banner and his young pal Rick Jones fooling around with a gamma ray projector to control the Hulk's transformations. This leads to the first times that the Hulk actually retains Bruce Banner's intelligence (in a slightly more brutal form) — foreshadowing the coming of Hulk variants such as Professor Hulk and Joe Fixit. Bruce Banner will also briefly rely on the gamma ray projector to change into his alter-ego, until Avengers #3 begins to establish that Banner's transformation is usually triggered by stress or anger.
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