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white pgs; QES Certified: impressive prime focal area, sharp corners, deep color strike (red, yellow & green)
1st appearance of Wolverine (full); Marvel Value Stamp #54 (Shanna); Herb Trimpe cover & art; COMIC BOOK IMPACT rating of 10 (CBI)


Incredible Hulk #181 — featuring the first full appearance of Wolverine taking on the Hulk — is only rivaled by the Punisher's debut in Amazing Spider-Man #129 as the top collectible of the Marvel Bronze Age. These classic comics bookended 1974 with the introduction of anti-heroes who became two of the comic industry's most beloved figures. That was further illustrated when a copy of Incredible Hulk #181 became the first Bronze Age book to break the $100,000 sales mark.

Wolverine quickly stole the show in an already impressive two-part story arc involving the Wendigo. The scrappy and brutal brawler was an instant fan favorite. Marvel then wisely found the character a home in the revamped X-Men of 1976, with Wolverine going on to become a uniquely complicated and spiritual protagonist.

Wolverine also became one of Marvel's most potent weapons for sales-inspiring guest turns and hot spin-off titles. It was no surprise when Hugh Jackman found overnight stardom with the role in 2000's big-screen X-Men film. 25 years later, Wolverine remains one of the hottest figures in both comics and film — as further confirmed when Jackman returned for the massive success of 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine.
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Artists Information

Jack Abel was an American comic book artist best known as an inker for leading publishers DC Comics and Marvel Comics. He was DC's primary inker on the Superman titles in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and inked penciler Herb Trimpe's introduction of the popular superhero Wolverine in The Incredible Hulk #181. He sometimes used the pseudonym Gary Michaels.

Herb Trimpe was an American comics artist and occasional writer, best known as the seminal 1970s artist on The Incredible Hulk and as the first artist to draw for publication the character Wolverine, who later became a breakout star of the X-Men. During his career he would draw nearly every character in the Marvel stable, and a few that weren't including memorable work he provided for Marvel's 1980's licensed titles for Godzilla, Shogun Warriors and The Transformers.

John Romita was one of the driving forces behind Marvel's Silver Age, first taking up the reins on Amazing Spider-Man following the departure of Steve Ditko with issue #38. Romita's long run on Spider-Man would include the introduction of classic characters such as Mary Jane Watson, the Kingpin and many others. He would be a major contributor to the entire Marvel line throughout the 1970s — including designing the look of The Punisher. Romita's influence has since been felt for decades, including the emergence of John Romita, Jr. as one of the industry's top illustrators.