Hulk Week!

The first Silver Age run that I ever completed was Hulk 1 - 6 in the early 90s. Thinking back, collecting was a lot tougher then. There was no eBay or Internet to seek out issues. Basically, all you had was the local shops, conventions and print ads in Comic Buyer's Guide. So, if one of these sources didn't have a book you wanted, you had to wait. It's not like today where almost any issue can be immediately had with the click of a mouse or a phone call -- as long as you are willing to pay the price. Prices are higher today, but collecting itself is easier.

I will show my Hulk 1 - 6 run -- warts and all -- over the coming week.

About twelve years ago, I was a lot less conscious about condition than I am today. Looking at some of these books now, I wish they were in better shape. But, the fact of the matter is, I can't afford to upgrade them at today's prices... especially the #1. I also wish I had known more about restoration back then... we'll get to that unpleasant topic in a few days.

So, here is my Hulk #1. I bought it in 1992 from Long Island Comic's Frank Verzyl, the brother of well-known dealer John Verzyl. It was sold to me as a VG. That grade looks optimistic now. It suffers from a multitude of small flaws, but is solid and complete. Page quality is actually very nice. It does compare favorably with some VGs from the old Overstreet Grading Guide, but now I'd say it's a G/VG (3.0).