He may not be the most intelligent superhero, but the Incredible Hulk is undoubtedly the strongest one. Be it as Bruce Banner, the brilliant scientist, or as Incredible Hulk, the green-skinned monster with his heart in the right place, there is more to the misunderstood superhero than meets the eye.

In Michael Teitelbaum’s The Story of the Incredible Hulk, you will get to know about this superhero’s origin, his friends, his nemesis and how he was the reason behind the creation of The Avengers.

The author must be commended for summarising Hulk’s journey in these pages; he explains why Hulk is not always considered a superhero, but at times perceived as a supervillain, why his transformation trigger changed from time to anger, why his father-in-law doesn’t like him, and how becoming friends with the very person he tried to save ahead of the ‘explosion’ helped him. Also, the information in the sidebars is nothing short of a treasure trove for information seekers who would get all the answers in these columns.

If you didn’t know that Bruce Banner is the Hulk, then you need this crash course more than anyone else. However, if you did know that Hulk is the alter ego of one of the most intelligent scientists in the world, there are other things you should also know about him, and this book provides you that information.

There is a She-Hulk, who is Bruce Banner’s cousin and gained powers after Bruce used his blood to save her; Banner got married to his colleague while he and Hulk were separated for a time period, and there was also an adventure where the original grey hulk fought the green hulk (yes they did!) while Bruce Banner was reduced to a mere spectator.

What makes this book different from the other Hulk books in the market is its simple language, accompanying photographs, and engaging narrative that will help you develop an interest in both the superhero and reading. Also, you get to know everything about the green-skinned monster, while going through these pages.

So find out what were the inspirations behind his creation, why were radioactive gamma rays a huge thing in the 1960s, and which character ‘aided’ in Hulk’s transformation and how, besides what makes him angry! Interesting, isn’t it?

Hulk smash!

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 22nd, 2021