After the Hulk and She-Hulk, who's next in line? Doc Samson

With all the focus on the Hulk and now also She-Hulk, it is only a matter of time until the other similarly gamma-irradiated Doc Samson also gets a turn in the sun. Time to get in on these Doc Samson comics before they spike. And for the TV/movie speculators, who do you think She-Hulk will turn to when she wants to air her superhero and lawyer grievances? Doc Samson the psychiatrist (not psychologist).

THE INCREDIBLE HULK #141

In the Incredible Hulk #141, after Betty Ross is turned into glass due to the Sandman, General Thunderbolt Ross seeks the help of a Dr. Leonard Samson; thus marking his first appearance. Dr. Samson manages to extract gamma radiation from the Hulk and uses it to cure Betty. The curious scientist that he is, Leonard then experiments with the gamma radiation on himself.  He would become the green-haired, super-strong Doc Samson that we all know. When Doc Samson starts fighting crime and even drawing the attention of Betty, jealousy grows in Bruce Banner.

For insight into The Incredible Hulk #141’s market behavior, we focus on sales at the CGC 9.6/9.4 levels, which represent the top 10.3/26.8% of the CGC census. The sales volumes for the two grades noticeably took off in 2011 for CGC 9.4 and a year later in 2012 for the higher CGC 9.6; almost double each subsequent year to prior years. The specific event that caused this change in the 2011/12 timeframe is a bit of a mystery.

Despite having wide sales price ranges, the book at both grades has trended upwards slowly and steadily. Since the increase in market activity at the start of the decade, the 9.6/9.4 prices have also nearly doubled. And for the curious, CGC 9.8 sales prices have nearly tripled in the same timeframe; this grade being initially excluded due to very low volume. Overall, this comic does appear to be an attractive long-term opportunity at CGC 9.4 and above. A more thorough look would be needed for the grades below.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK #330

With a striking cover of Doc Samson possessed by the Nevermind, The Incredible Hulk #330 makes the Doc Samson collection list not just for the cover imagery itself.  The added significance is that the cover artist and the book’s penciler were both Todd McFarlane. It was his first-ever work for Marvel Comics. It does coincide with Daredevil #241 which was released in the same month, but on that book, he was only the penciler. This book is a worthy addition for collectors of Doc Samson or McFarlane; and if you’re a collector of both, it’s a double win.

At the moment, the FMV of a CGC 9.8 slab of The Incredible Hulk #330 sits at $100. Raws appear to be going for around the $15-25 level. With relatively flat sales prices over the last two decades, this book is more for the collector and less for the speculator.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK #320

Next up in the Doc Samson book popularity is the classic Hulk vs Samson cover of The Incredible Hulk #330; collectors do seem to gravitate towards the hero versus Hulk covers. This book’s sales volume is the lowest of the books featured in this article. Since mid-2016, only a single CGC 9.8 slab was sold; specifically, in Sept 2020 for $50. In addition to the low volume of sales, Incredible Hulk #320 also has the lowest FMV of the books featured here.  The FMVs of Incredible Hulk #320 and #330  are so far below Incredible Hulk #141’s.  It would probably be best to focus on getting the best #141 your budget can afford before pursuing the #320 and #330.

“The answer was obvious. You couldn’t change back because, deep down, you didn’t want to change back.” – Doc Samson to She-Hulk