The Incredible Hulk #343, page 15 (1988) - Rick Jones (and the Hulk) vs. Giant Robots!

Say the name "Todd McFarlane" and what's the first thing to come to mind? Probably insanely intensive detailed art, or splashy pin-up style images, right? Well, while all of that is true, there's much more to his art, than the mere "wow factor."

While he's probably always going to forever be synonymous with Spider-Man, my first exposure to Todd's work was on the Hulk, so I'm glad to have something from his run with Marvel's mightiest mortal. And while not as flashy as some of the most memorable images from him tend to be, this page shows off that McFarlane is more than just a "splash page artist." He's got some serious storytelling chops, too. The flow of the story from panel-to-panel here, is not something most would associate with him, but is a skill any great artist needs to know to create compelling visuals. This page mostly focuses on Rick Jones, but we do manage to squeeze a little bit of the Hulk in there. And who doesn't like giant killer robots? Where would comics be without them? But something else about this page that makes it so special to me, is that it is from one of only a handful of issues where Todd did both the pencils and the inks. Most of his Hulk run is inked by others, so I'm extremely happy to have a page that is "pure McFarlane!"

I can't think of any other artist, from my comic reading lifetime, who is held to the heights of admiration that Todd McFarlane is. He has inspired many imitators and fired off the imaginations of a generation. He helped to usher in an exciting period in comic book history. One that we haven't seen the like of since and might never see again. So, to have a page by him, from the work I first took note of him by, is a joy beyond description for me!