18 months after his first abortive series Marvel's second most iconic character - after Spider-Man of course - gets another shot.

In the meantime Stan Lee had worked on the original failed concept and worked out how to make an effective anti-hero out of Ol' Green Skin.

A final supporting role in a Giant Man story from Tales To Astonish #59 leads this volume off before the second Hulk series commences in the following issue.

Steve Ditko handles the art on the first 8 stories but his quirky, surrealistic style doesn't work as well here as it did on Spider-Man and Dr Strange. Nonetheless Ditko manages to introduce an important new character in Major Glen Talbot as well as creating a gamma ray villain The Leader as a kind of cerebral opposite number to The Hulk.

With Ditko's departure though things geta bit confused artwise. The credits page tells the story: Jack Kirby, Mike Seposito, Bob Powell, Gil Kane, John Romita and Bill Everett all take a shot and the material suffers a little as a result.

Importantly The Hulk's real identity as Bruce Banner is revealed which helps set him apart from the usual super-heroes.

It would be a little while longer before some stability set in with Marie Severin and Herb Trimpe handling the art chores but much of the characterisation they worked with is set up here. ( )