THE INCREDIBLE HULK #2

This Silver Age key (first appearance of the green-skinned Hulk) shows moderate handling wear consistent with a 1962 book: visible white stress lines and ticking along the spine, softened and slightly rounded corners especially at top left and bottom right, and a small crease/crumple at the lower left edge with minor associated paper loss. The cover colors remain bright with good gloss retention and no major creases through the central artwork, but there is light surface soiling and faint edge wear along the top and right borders. Only the front cover was visible for assessment; interior pages, staples, and back cover condition were not evaluated and could affect the final grade.

The Incredible Hulk #2 (July 1962) followed hard on the heels of the character's debut, and it carries its own distinct historical footnote: printing problems with the grey ink used in issue #1 led Marvel to switch the Hulk to green starting with this issue, making it the character's first appearance in the color scheme that would define him for the rest of his publishing history. Stan Lee scripted the issue with Jack Kirby providing the pencils and cover, continuing the collaboration that had launched the title one month earlier. The book also continues the early Rick Jones and General Ross supporting cast established in the origin issue, cementing the core cast just as the series was finding its footing.

Market data shows a title with deep, active collector demand across the full grade spectrum, reflected in a large certified population (over 1,700 graded copies) and consistent sales activity even at the low end. Pricing accelerates sharply in the upper-mid grades, with values roughly doubling between 8.0 and 8.5 and again into the low 9-point range, a pattern typical of a scarce, high-demand Silver Age key where survivors in true high grade are disproportionately rare relative to raw and mid-grade supply. No 9.8 has ever been certified, underscoring how thin the top of the population truly is for a comic already sixty-plus years removed from its 1962 printing.

This is a book pursued both by Hulk specialists building out early appearances and by broader Silver Age Marvel collectors chasing the green-skin transition as a stand-alone milestone. Lower and mid-grade copies trade with regularity and are accessible entry points into the run, while high-grade certified examples are contested by advanced collectors and investors, with any future 9.6 or unprecedented 9.8 discovery likely to command a significant premium given the current absence of such copies on the census.