The Incredible Hulk #3 (July 1962) is an opportunity for the creative team behind the Hulk to completely change the “rules” around the Hulk, presumably for better story-telling. Rick Jones is tricked by General “Thunderbolt” Ross into luring the Hulk into a military rocket that is shot into space. While traveling up into space, the ship encounters more gamma radiation, bathing Bruce Banner’s body in these “mysterious, powerful rays”.
Rick discovers the military was planning to send the Hulk forever into outer space, but he can’t let that happen to his friend, Bruce Banner. He figures out how to turn the rocket around, but a shock passes between the ship and him (?), linking the Hulk to Rick in a new way.
Rick discovers that daylight no longer triggers the Hulk’s metamorphosis back to mild, mannered Bruce Banner. The Hulk also seems to be glowing now and obeys Rick’s every command, as long as Rick stays awake.
The military catches up with Rick, but he uses the Hulk to escape – who leaps into the air “propelled by the most powerful muscles of any living thing on Earth”.
The Hulk Jump takes Rick and he into their next adventure this issue, where the Hulk meets his first true super-villain: Timely’s Golden Age The Ring-Master, a circus criminal mastermind who hypnotizes people. The story was boring.
