There is no single total for how many Hulk comics there are: counting every series, we find seventeen regular runs since May 1962, from The Incredible Hulk #1 to #6 through issues #60 to #101 of Tales to Astonish and on to the volume launched in 2023. Legacy numbering ties several relaunches together, but annuals, the #-1 issue and spinoff series fall outside the count, so the answer depends on what you are willing to count.
Ask three collectors how many Hulk comics exist and you will get three different numbers. The green monster has changed titles, numbering and shelf space far more often than most Marvel heroes: his first series stops at issue six, he then survives in the pages of another magazine, and finally gets his own name back for almost thirty years.
As always in this guide, we only state verified facts (creators, issue numbers, dates); the analysis is our own, with no reproduction of protected art or dialogue.
Series 1: The Incredible Hulk, #1 to #6 (1962-1963)
It all begins in May 1962 with The Incredible Hulk #1. Stan Lee writes all six issues, Jack Kirby draws the first five and Steve Ditko the sixth, which is also the last: the series is canceled in March 1963. It is the shortest of the character's runs and the only one whose count is beyond dispute: six single issues, with no annual and no in-between issue.
Our page on Hulk's first appearance covers that first issue in detail.
Series 2: Tales to Astonish, #60 to #101 (1964-1968)
After the cancellation, Hulk vanishes from the newsstands for more than a year, then returns in October 1964 in Tales to Astonish #60, where he shares the page count with another hero. Stan Lee writes his adventures, Steve Ditko draws them at first, Jack Kirby takes over for issues 68 to 87 and Marie Severin finishes the period. The Leader and the Abomination are born in these pages.
This run matters to the Hulk collector, but only in part: the magazine contains stories other than the monster's, and it had started long before #60. A reasonable count therefore keeps forty-two single issues, #60 to #101, each of which carries a Hulk adventure. With the next issue the title changes and the numbering continues without a break.
Series 3: The Incredible Hulk, #102 to #474 (1968-1999)
With #102, dated April 1968, the magazine takes the character's name back while keeping the Tales to Astonish counter. This series is the backbone of the character: it runs to #474 in March 1999, close to thirty-one years and a little over three hundred and seventy single issues, annuals and the #-1 issue aside.
Writers follow one another in blocks: Gary Friedrich, Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Archie Goodwin and Steve Englehart before Len Wein signs issues 179 to 220, then Roger Stern and Bill Mantlo, the latter from #245 to #313. John Byrne writes issues 314 to 319, Al Milgrom the following ones up to #330, and Peter David takes over from #331 through #467 of August 1998. Joe Casey writes the ending, up to #474. A #-1 issue exists on the margins of the series, a reminder that no total can be read from the final issue number alone.
To work through Peter David's run, our reading order for his Hulk shows how to approach those one hundred and thirty-seven issues.
Series 4: Hulk, #1 to #11 (1999-2000)
In April 1999, Marvel follows up with a series under a shortened title, Hulk, whose first issue is written by John Byrne and drawn by Ron Garney. It lasts eleven issues, until February 2000. Erik Larsen and Jerry Ordway briefly share the writing before the next relaunch.
This series is the first numbering trap: its cover shows #1, but the historical counter places it right after #474. A 1999 issue 1 is told apart from the 1962 one by its date, its printed price and its cover style, and a careless seller sometimes mixes them up in a single listing.
Series 5: The Incredible Hulk, #12 to #112 (2000-2008)
In March 2000, the title gets its adjective back and continues the numbering without starting over: the first issue of the series is #12. Paul Jenkins launches it, Bruce Jones then writes forty-three issues, Peter David returns with the story Tempest Fugit and Greg Pak arrives in 2006. The series ends with #112 in January 2008; Incredible Hercules then picks up the thread and continues the numbering at #113.
Here, the covers carry a number that is not the one from the historical sequence: the section on legacy numbering, further down, picks up the math.
Series 6: Hulk, #1 to #57 (2008-2012)
In March 2008, Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness relaunch Hulk with a new #1 and an unexpected antagonist, a giant red figure who holds the title for most of the run. It continues to #57 in October 2012, then changes its name with #58 to become Red She-Hulk, which runs to #67.
For a collector, the printed number starts over at 1, even though reference tables tie its first twelve issues to the legacy counter.
Series 7: The Incredible Hulk, #600 to #611 (2009-2010)
In September 2009, Marvel revives the original numbering with The Incredible Hulk #600, which runs to #611 in October 2010, twelve issues in all.
The problem is that some references count this issue as #599 of the historical sequence, and others as the #600 printed on the cover. Always write down the printed number rather than the deduced one: it is the one that will appear on the single issue you receive.
Series 8: Incredible Hulks, #612 to #635 (2010-2011)
The same series changes title with #612 of November 2010 and becomes Incredible Hulks, a plural that announces a family of green, blue and red characters. It runs twenty-four issues, up to #635 in October 2011.
The end of this series is also the end of a cycle: after #635, the historical numbering is interrupted for several years and the counter starts again at 1. It is a good landmark for organizing your boxes, since everything before it files into the long sequence, and everything after it into separate volumes.
Series 9: The Incredible Hulk, #1 to #15 (2011-2012)
In December 2011, Jason Aaron and Marc Silvestri relaunch The Incredible Hulk with a new #1. The series lasts fifteen issues, until December 2012. A short volume, a stable creative team, a clean start and a clean finish: this slice can be completed without any ambiguity.
The Jason Aaron hub and the Marc Silvestri hub bring together their other work, if you want to extend this reading.
Series 10: Indestructible Hulk, #1 to #20 (2013-2014)
In January 2013, Mark Waid and Leinil Yu launch Indestructible Hulk, which lasts twenty issues until May 2014.
The series is short and well bounded: it suits a reader who wants to build a complete run without committing to a slice of several dozen issues.
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Series 11: Hulk, #1 to #16 (2014-2015)
A new Hulk starts in June 2014 and lasts sixteen issues, until July 2015. Its interest for the collector lies less in its content than in its position in the chain: it extends the legacy counter, which reference tables advance from #670 to #685.
Another book with the same name will appear in 2017: file this series by its cover date and printed price, never by the name alone.
Series 12: Totally Awesome Hulk, #1 to #23 (2016-2017)
From February 2016 to November 2017, Totally Awesome Hulk stars Amadeus Cho as the green giant. The series runs twenty-three issues, plus a decimal issue outside the count, #1.MU.
That #1.MU fits in no continuous slice: count it separately in your tracking list.
Series 13: Hulk, #1 to #11 (2017)
The same year, another Hulk appears, from February to December 2017, following Jennifer Walters, better known as She-Hulk. It runs eleven issues and follows its own numbering, which goes from #148 to #158 in the heroine's lineage.
This series therefore belongs to two families at once: Hulk's by title, and She-Hulk's by counter. Depending on the filing logic you choose, you will put it in one or the other, but not in both.
Series 14: The Incredible Hulk, #709 to #717 (2017-2018)
In late 2017, Marvel reinstates legacy numbering with The Incredible Hulk #709, which runs nine issues to July 2018.
The series is brief, but it serves as a bridge: the issue that follows it in the chain is not #718 of a classic title, but #1 of a horror series.
Series 15: Immortal Hulk, #1 to #50 (2018-2021)
From August 2018 to December 2021, Al Ewing and Joe Bennett sign Immortal Hulk, fifty issues that put the character back in the horror register. A #0 issue appears in November 2020 on the margins of the series. The legacy table places this series between #718 and #767.
Our Immortal Hulk reading order describes the fifty issues in sequence, and the Al Ewing hub gathers the writer's other series.
Series 16: Hulk, #1 to #14 (2022-2023)
Between January 2022 and June 2023, a new Hulk runs fourteen issues, with Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley at the helm. The legacy counter places them at #768 to #781, which continues the Immortal Hulk sequence without a break.
The Donny Cates hub collects his other series.
Series 17: The Incredible Hulk, #1 to #30 (2023-2025)
The Incredible Hulk returns in August 2023 with a new #1: Phillip Kennedy Johnson handles the writing, Nic Klein the art. The thirty issues of this series, through December 2025, correspond to legacy #782 to #811. A following series, Infernal Hulk, has taken over, with the same creative team.
It closes our table, but not the list: as long as Marvel publishes Hulk, the end date keeps moving back.
Legacy numbering: the math behind the total
The volumes from 1999 to 2008 were numbered to fit into the historical sequence: Hulk #1 to #11 corresponds to #475 to #485, and The Incredible Hulk #12 to #112 to #486 to #586. The 2008 relaunch shows a new #1 but also ties into the counter through its first twelve issues, and the #600 of September 2009 reconnects with the original number.
The link shows up again later: the #709 of 2017, the #718 that corresponds to #1 of Immortal Hulk and the #782 that corresponds to #1 of the 2023 relaunch. But references do not all agree to the exact issue on these links, and the off-counter issues (#-1, #0, #1.MU) are not part of them. No reliable total comes from a subtraction; it is built series by series.
Annuals and spinoff series
Around the main line orbit annuals, several series and miniseries that cannot be listed in full. Among the best known: The Rampaging Hulk, a magazine from 1977-1978 in nine issues; Hulk 2099, ten issues in 1994-1995; Skaar: Son of Hulk, twelve issues in 2008-2009, followed by Son of Hulk from #13 to #17; and Incredible Hercules, which inherited the numbering of the old series from #113 to #141.
Add to those the series devoted to Jennifer Walters, including The Savage She-Hulk (twenty-five issues between 1980 and 1982) and The Sensational She-Hulk (sixty issues between 1989 and 1994). Our selection of Hulk annuals and specials helps you sort out which ones deserve a place on your list.
Completing a run: where to start
The safest method is not to aim at "Hulk" as a whole. Split the collection into series, as this guide does, note the start and end of each, then check off the issues you own. A want list that says "Hulk 16" does not tell you which of three single issues you are looking for; written "Hulk (2014) #16", it leaves no doubt.
Start with a short, clean slice, like Indestructible Hulk or the Jason Aaron series, before tackling the three hundred and seventy issues of the second volume. Save the first series and the Tales to Astonish period for last: those are the slices where condition and authenticity call for the most checking. Before any purchase, compare the cover date and printed number with the catalog, then value the copy from completed sales.
Frequently asked questions
There is no single total. We count seventeen regular series since 1962, ranging from six to more than three hundred and seventy issues each, plus annuals, miniseries and spinoff series. It all depends on where you draw the line: Hulk's own titles only, or the series of his supporting cast too.
Yes, from #60 to #101, because those single issues contain Hulk's adventures between 1964 and 1968 and the numbering continues directly into The Incredible Hulk #102. Issues before #60 do not feature the character and so do not belong in a collection centered on him.
Marvel relaunched the series in September 2009 by reviving the historical numbering, in the spirit of milestone issues. The #600 opens a period that runs through #611, then the title becomes Incredible Hulks at #612, before ending at #635 in October 2011.
That depends on your goal. A run is called complete when all of its regular issues are gathered; annuals, the #-1 issue or the #1.MU are filed separately. Note them on a separate list, then decide which ones you want based on the space you have and the interest of the story.
A short, well-bounded series, like Indestructible Hulk in twenty issues or Immortal Hulk in fifty. They are completed faster than the 1968 series and teach you how to read the numbering before you take on the long slices.
Once you have identified your Hulk series, get a value for the copy you own or are being offered.
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