Best of 2021 :: Published/Unpublished Comic Book Covers

HULK #272 COVER- The Holy Grail!

Owner: Ruben DaCollector
Artist: Allen Milgrom (All)

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HULK #272 COLOR- The Holy Grail

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Artwork Details

Title:	HULK #272 COVER- The Holy Grail!
Artist:	Allen Milgrom (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Cover
Views:	2,755
Likes on CAF:	52 53
Favorited on CAF:	2
Added to Site:	4/27/2021

Description

THE. HOLY. GRAIL.

In 1982, I discovered my first comic shop, "EXCALIBUR". I walked in and literally just stood there, jaw agape, and when my eyes finally focused, I was staring at the new comics rack, directly at the cover of Incredible Hulk #272 which I quickly purchased and ran home to read. I first flipped through it, wanting to take in all the mesmerizing imagery, and I vividly remember the sheer TERROR depicted on Banner's face (Page 9, last panel) as he turns around while exploring an empty cabin in the woods and is confronted by the sheer savagery of the Wendigo standing behind him! I could literally FEEL the terror Banner was feeling in that panel at that moment, and I immediately wanted to know the name of the artist. That was the first time I went to the credits to specifically find out the name of the artist who drew the art, in the very first comic I ever bought myself and I've been a fan of our pal Sal ever since.

Inside this story, there is a brief flashback to Wendigo's previous appearance in X-Men #139 & #140. I was suddenly in love with Wolverine and the X-Men as well as Sasquatch and Alpha Flight. The fateful day I stepped foot into "Excalibur" was also the start of a lifelong love affair with the fine art of storytelling with pictures. Although I couldn't have known it back then, I was well on my way towards reaching that day 8 years into the future when I'd purchase my first piece of original comic book art, which would shape a large part of who I'd become for the rest of my life.

Fast forward to April 27th, 2001. By that point I had already known for the 4 years I'd been actively collecting and dealing comic art, that THE HOLY GRAIL for me would be the original cover art to HULK #272. Suffice it to say, that was the day I went to my bank and purchased the Money Order that I then sent to Spencer Beck, who was instrumental in connecting me with Al Milgrom, the artist of this, my HOLY GRAIL. So if you're still reading this and keeping track of the timeline, yes, today is officially the 20th Anniversary of the day I became the owner of this piece, THE HOLY GRAIL of comic book art. For me, this has always been THE ONE. I've never shared this piece publicly, and only at most a handful of art collectors have ever known I own this piece. So, why have I kept it a secret for 2 decades, and why am I sharing it publicly now? There's no single answer to that two part question. But I can tell you that even 20 years ago, the bad habit by collectors of truncating the term "THE HOLY GRAIL" down to simply "grail" and thereby rendering it meaningless and just another word synonymous with "cool" or "great", had already begun in earnest. To me, it's very clear. There is either one single piece of art that you clearly know means more to you to own, far and above ANY other piece you could acquire, or there isn't. If there is a piece like that for you, then it is your HOLY GRAIL. Anything else is just another cool or great piece to own. So I guess a part of the reason I kept this acquisition exclusively to myself, is because I already saw people around me diminishing the meaning of what a HOLY GRAIL is supposed to be, and since that was completely antithetical to what the term HOLY GRAIL means, I didn't want to give anyone the opportunity to "taint" this piece by diminishing its importance TO ME, by casually referring to it as just another "grail". So by keeping it to myself all these years, I've been able to maximize the enjoyment that the piece represents to me. To be clear though, I had always intended to share it in public eventually, I just didn't pick a date for that to happen. I considered finally posting it to my gallery several times over the years, but each time I did, I would get a negative vibe that told me to continue keeping it to myself. Last year, I once again thought about posting it here. But that's when I realized that on this day in 2021, it would be the 20th Anniversary of my having acquired it, so I told myself I'd keep it private for one final year before finally sharing it with other Hulk fans on this anniversary.

Oh, and for those of you who have in the past asked me or wondered why or how I could possibly trade away or sell so many of the great pieces I've owned over the last 2+ decades? I likely gave you a reasonable sounding answer to that question. But the truth is, if you have a HOLY GRAIL in this wonderful comic art hobby and you're fortunate enough to one day acquire it, it really isn't too difficult to part with other pieces. Because after all, if you already own THE HOLY GRAIL, then everything else is, well, just another grail.

NOTE: For those of you interested in owning this, you missed your chance at a measly $5,000,000. Given that the Hulk is at LEAST 100 times more valuable as IP, important and popular around the world, the Milgrom Black Cat Cover that sold for $1,020,000 has now raised the value of this piece to $100,000,000. Bank Transfers only, no PayPal.

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About the Owner

	Ruben DaCollector Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	April 2008
Last Login:	September 2025
Website:	http://www.ComicBookArtGallery.com
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Premium Member Q&A Ruben's Classifieds Ruben's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF Read More About RubenDaCollector

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