Meeting The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk was the highlight of my week.

It ran from 1977 until 1982, so the Hulk must have been the most important thing in the world, at least until He-Man, GI Joe, and The Transformers took over during the following years.

This show was crazy interesting!

Dr. David Banner (as opposed to Bruce Banner in the comics) is exposed to dangerous gamma radiation—they call it an accidental overdose, which is kind of silly, since there’s no such thing as a “proper dose” of gamma radiation. Of course, this accident causes David to transform into the Hulk.

The Hulk is a classic monster in the sense that David doesn’t remember anything he does while he’s in Hulk Mode, but the sci-fi elements drew me in when I was little.

"Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry" opened every show.

It was classic!

The Hulk sparked creativity in my young mind in a lot of different ways. One of my parents was smart enough to snap a pic of this cage I created to hold the Hulk in, at least temporarily:

I was also enraptured by Lou Ferrigno, Bill Bixby’s counterpart (Bixby played Banner, while Ferrigno got to Hulk out). Lou had two Mr Universe titles (after Arnold retired), so he was thought of as among the most “perfectly built” humans ever to live. I’m sure I didn’t know or care about these titles, but Young Andrew thoroughly admired his physique.

Some time during the early 80s, I created this. I want to leave it here for a sec so you can let it linger:

The astute reader will notice my eight(ish) year old’s attention to detail, with a very early interest in scientific accuracy. I also didn’t understand that Hulks also have necks, I guess. That cursive isn’t bad, though!

You might also notice a much newer, more adult-looking script in the bottom left corner. Let me tell you about how that came to be there.

ComicCon came to Richmond in 2014, so I went! There were plenty of cool artists and movie stars there, but I was mostly interested in meeting one person: Lou Ferrigno.

If you’ve ever seen Pumping Iron, you probably already love Lou. While Arnold teased him for show, Lou came across as determined, genuine, and kind. Even beyond all this, he had overcome a hearing impairment to become a star, and this may have been the first time I noticed a celebrity with any kind of disability.

Naturally, I brought my then 30-something year old drawing with me to show him. Sure enough, Lou signed it for me, and then we took this photo together:

The photos is… well, epic. Here is me, meeting The Incredible Hulk, holding a drawing of The Incredible Hulk, immediately after the Hulk signed said photo.

I told Lou that when I grew up, I had wanted to be either an astronaut or a weight lifter (that’s how I thought about it when I was a kid), and I explained that I ran a martial arts gym now, and had continued with a lifelong interest in science, both at least partially inspired by watching his show on TV.

Lou’s response was almost as epic as my drawing:

It’s never too late to start lifting weights.

Thanks for following me down Memory Lane today! This piece is a part of a celebration of all things science fiction we call Sci-Friday.

If you’re interested in reading some recommendations about sci-fi to watch, read, or otherwise check out, these folks are here to help, and they know and love the genre at least as much as I do.

Dré Labre writes the delightful Design Fiction Daily. His posts are short and futuristic, taking a look at the world in the future through a cheeky, clever lens.

Rudy Fischmann and BrianAlfred1983 are both writers I respect and admire, and whom I’ve worked with several times now. Check out their thoughts and tell them what you think!

Carla Pettigrew, Jeff Kinnard, and Alejandro Piad Morffis are all off and running in their own creative endeavors, and I’ve enjoyed discussing the genre with all of them.

Kathryn Vercillo is finding interesting commentary on mental health in sci-fi, among tons of other (very prolific) work. Alex S. Garcia, Michael S. Atkinson, Ross Bingham, and Scoot have provided some great commentary via Notes and by way of full pieces on sci-fi.

Check out what Hefty Matters, radicaledward, Lausanne Davis Carpenter, Cole Noble, Jordan Moloney, Edward Rooster, John Coon, and Raptor Velocity are up to this week! Each of them has a unique voice, and all love sci-fi.

Welcome A.C. Cargill, Author, Redd Oscar, and Ferns of Columbo this week!

This might look like link-vomit, but this is a growing family for me. I really look forward to what everyone recommends and wants to talk about!

If you want to go back and check out some of my previous sci-fi recommendations, here are Sci-Fi you can watch on TV right now, Sci-Fi Writers Who Contributed to Science, how important Transformers: The Movie (1986) was for me, Time Travel Paradoxes, Five Great Sci-Fi Reads, Five Dystopian Future Films, Five Sci-Fi Comedies, Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Films, and my Favorite Sci-Fi Shows ever.

Did you grow up watching the Hulk like me? If you grew up earlier or later, was there a show that inspired you the way this show did for me? Let me know!