I can suspend disbelief enough to assume Bruce Banner figured out how to create some pants that wouldn’t completely come apart at the seams later, but the first time there’s no way Banner’s pants would have survived the transformation. How did it happen, besides the Comics Code not allowing nudity? The could have kept the forbidden parts either out of the panel or strategically hidden behind something. Along the same lines, Ben Grimm should have been left with nothing on as well; that would have given new meaning to Sue’s “misshapen thing” comment in the origin comic.
The suggestion of nudity might have also been unacceptable to the CCA
You can’t just set aside the actual reason then ask what the reason is.
More astounding were Jack Kirby’s earlier monsters who all wore nearly identical “Kirby Speedos”.
Fanwank on:
Now now, the comic is obviously a visual representation of what actually happened, it isn’t a video of course! Of course he was naked the first time, it’s just that the comics show him with pants to comply, just as you said, with the comic code when rendered in visual form!
You don’t think the comics are real do you?
Maybe he was wearing Zubaz
He wasn’t really that big the first time he changed:
Still basically the size of a human, albeit a large one. I guess he figured out how to make stretchy pants before they really ramped up his size.
I’d forgotten how small Gray Hulk was, relatively speaking.
Much bigger question: Where did his extra mass come from?
So few Sci-Fi and Super-stories really take Conservation of Matter into account… hmmm, can’t think of any that DO…
.
eta: Just thought of the Animorph books!
Not at first, but the Kids-Who-Can-Mimic-The-DNA-Of-Any-Animal-They-Touch eventually get schooled that when they change into birds their extra mass is ported to another dimension.
“Z-Space”…? [off top of head of a boomer who read all the books to his kids twenty-five years ago]
A Physics professor wrote a book about the physics of superheroes where he explained how Giant Man was able to grow. He sometimes called in the “miracle exception”, but I don’t think he did in that case.
It’s handwave-ium. As per the Hulk’s entry in the Marvel Wiki:
That “same place” isn’t really defined, AFAIK, and if it ever has been defined, it’s probably not been consistent.
The Hulk, as well as just about every super hero out there, has had multiple explanations as to how things work, and each writer’s explanation pretty much ignores the previous writer’s explanation, with the understanding that *their * explanation will likely become non-continuity when the next writer comes along.
Thanks. I was going to mention that. The Hulk was originally grey, much smaller, not remotely as tough or strong and Bruce Banner’s change was triggered by the sun setting not anger.
ETA
Reed Richards quickly went on to invent unstable molecules. Fabric made from unstable molecules is unbelievably tough to destroy and changes size and shape if the wearer transforms.
In Spider Man 2099, unstable molecule fabric is sold commercially. The price is never mentioned but it is hinted that you have to be rich to afford it.
His buddy isn’t even that surprised. “You changed!” Same tone as if Banner had gotten a bad sunburn or something.
It’s Hammerspace all the way down.
That would be Rick Jones, who was Marvel’s perpetual non-powered (usually) sidekick. Hung out with the Hulk, Captain America, Captain Mar-Vell, etc., etc.
Wolfsbane is Rahne (pronounced rain) Sinclair, a small teenage girl who transforms into a wolf. Ursa Major (I cannot remember his real name) is a man who transforms into (you guessed it) a very large bear. The Official Handbook To The Marvel Universe printed in the 1980’s says roughly ‘It is unknown where the extra mass Ursa Major transfrorms come from. Possibly it is from an extradimensional source’. Same explanation with Wolfsbane and the rest.
One Exception
I cannot remember her real name- A member of the Great Lakes Avengers is a beautiful super model in everyday life. She can transform into Big Bertha- a woman of superhuman toughness and strength. Big Bertha is also superhumanly obese. To return to normal, she must vomit up all the extra mass.
Ashley Crawford.
Thanks!
Re The Comics Code Authority
The CCA eventually became so permissive and pointless that the Marvel miniseries Pinhead was approved. OTTOMH just in the first few pages you learn somebody got a puzzlebox from a “one eyed hermaphrodite whore”. As you would expect the rest of the series is full of monsters, gore, sex, blasphemy etc.
I have some comics that show the changes the CCA demanded. In one story, a man dies and meets the grim reaper. The robed skeleton takes him on a tour of hell. We see very sinister devils torturing people who are tastefully nude. The man is told he is neither good enough for heaven or bad enough for hell. He is sent back to earth. The last panel has him debating whether to be kind to his wife and get into heaven or kill her and go to hell.
The CCA approved version- The grim reaper has flesh hands and an odd but human face. The devils are redrawn to be comedic rather than threatening. Most of the damned are gone entirely. The last panel has the man promising to be good to his wife to avoid returning to hell.
It is a safe bet that nudity of any human or quasi human was forbidden.
As spelled out by his cousin in Sensational She-Hulk #4:
