THE INCREDIBLE HULK #116

Cover shows notable tanning/discoloration along the top edge and spine area, with a visible spine roll and some whitening at the top-left corner tip. There appears to be a small stress line near the top edge and slight corner blunting at the top right. The book is in a protective sleeve which adds some glare but overall the ink colors remain bright with no major tears or creases visible on this side; interior and back cover were not assessed.

The Incredible Hulk #116 (June 1968) arrived during Herb Trimpe's tenure as the title's defining artist, continuing a run that helped cement the visual identity of the Hulk for the late Silver Age. The issue falls within the multi-part Missing Link storyline that had begun the previous issue, pitting Bruce Banner's alter ego against a towering, gamma-derived adversary while supporting cast members including General Ross and Rick Jones remain entangled in the fallout. Gary Friedrich's scripting and Trimpe's increasingly confident linework, often inked by veteran John Severin during this stretch, mark a transitional period for the series as it moved away from Steranko-adjacent experimentation toward the more grounded, action-driven house style that would define Hulk comics into the 1970s.

Market data shows a book with substantial certified population (538 Universal copies in a total census of 586) and steady, if unspectacular, demand across the grading spectrum. Prices climb gradually through the mid grades before accelerating sharply above 9.0, with the 9.8 tier commanding roughly seven times the 9.4 value despite a comparatively deep census at that top grade, a pattern typical of Silver Age Marvel back issues that see consistent collector interest but lack a single first-appearance or landmark event to drive outsized premiums. Low- and mid-grade copies trade as affordable reading copies for run-builders, while high-grade examples appeal to Hulk specialists and Trimpe-era completists rather than crossover speculators.