Issue(s): Hulk #227
Cover Date: Sep 78
Title: "The monster's analyst"
Credits:
Roger Stern & Peter Gillis - Writer
Sal Buscema - Penciler
Klaus Janson - Inker

Review/plot:
Doc Samson has the Hulk on the psychiatrist's couch.

Unfortunately, he doesn't engage in traditional psycho-analysis. Instead he uses a super-science REM-Integrator to enter the Hulk's brain while he's dreaming. In the Hulk's head, he first sees scenes from Banner's childhood. Unfortunately again, we don't see any of the scenes of abuse that will later be developed for Bruce's early days that go a long way to explaining the Hulk's rage problems. Still, there's some good elements in this issue that lay a foundation for the idea that the Hulk's problems are related to psychology.

There's also some good surreal moments when the original Avengers show up and we see how they look to the Hulk, with multiple iterations of the same characters showing up at the same time, and with Iron Man being literally a suit of armor with no one inside.

And we see the tragedy of the fact that all of the people the Hulk has called 'friend' have died.

    

In the end not much is really learned (because the childhood trauma hadn't been 'invented' yet). In fact, Doc Samson's conclusion, that the Hulk and Banner are actually two separate beings...

...will turn out to be exactly wrong, if taken literally. Nonetheless, this is an interesting issue and lays a good foundation for looking at the Hulk from a psychological angle.

It also turns out that the scientists miscalculated the dosage of gamma-ephinephrine that Banner was given in order to keep him Hulked out through the session. It turns out that the Hulk will remain the Hulk for at least a week due to the overdose.

Quality Rating: B-

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - continuing the psychological delving into the Hulk

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• Samson says that he's already had Bruce Banner on the psychiatrist's couch, in Hulk #141, although we only got to see that for a single panel in a montage scene during that issue.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

The title refers to the 1967 James Coburn film "The President's Analyst".

There was a character called Kropotkin in that movie as well.

I'm impressed, Stern wrote in that Russian prisoner that helped heal Hulk's wound then gave him food way back when.