Written on March 8, 2012 by Mark Seifert via bleedingcool.com
Remember on August 8 last year when everybody took note that it was the best specific date to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Fantastic Four, and Bleeding Cool told youthat’s because that is the most common date stamp to be found on Fantastic Four #1?
Well, looks like the Hulk turned 50 last week, and not too many people noticed. March Madness indeed. Sorry Hulk, I’ve been busy.
The Incredible Hulk #1 by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and George Roussos came out in 1962, and is cover-dated May — but the cover date is an indication as to when unsold copies of the comic were to be removed from the stands.
As you can see from the scans below, stamped and penciled newsstand arrival dates have the comic hitting the stands on dates ranging from Feb 28 to March 29 (I got bored after looking through 100 copies in the ever-handy Heritage archives, so there might be others).
And as we found with Fantastic Four #1, one date stands out above the others as most common: March 1, 1962 is the Hulk’s birthday.
