In 1967, the Silver Surfer was a relatively new character to the Marvel Universe, having only been introduced by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby about a year-and-a-half earlier in the pages of The Fantastic Four #48. However, the idea of the Marvel Universe being interconnected wasn’t new, so it was inevitable that more and more Lee/Kirby creations would meet the space-born Surfer, like the Hulk did in Tales to Astonish #93.
The Hulk had been around since the spring of 1962 and had been a victim of his own emotions for just as long. Doctor Bruce Banner was always trying to reverse his destiny and permanently remove the gamma radiation that would cause his transformation into the Hulk. The Silver Surfer had only recently entered the Marvel universe when the two first met. Originally a pawn of the epically-powerful planet-devourer Galactus, Norrin Radd had chosen to break from his position and defend Earth from his hungry master. Though he kept the portion of Galactus' Power Cosmic he had already been gifted, he was secluded to Earth, unable to return to his home-world of Zenn-La.
What happens when the immovable force meets the cosmic object? That question (or a variation of it) is the basis for a lot of superhero misunderstandings, meet-ups, and punch-outs over the years, especially where the Hulk is concerned. The legendary Stan Lee scripted this famous first encounter in Tales to Astonish #93, with the late Marie Severin penciling and Frank Giacoia inking. In the previous issue, the Hulk spied the Surfer's board and leapt to the sky in hopes it was some kind of spaceship that could carry him away from the forces chasing him.
He succeeded in grounding the Silver Surfer but knocked himself unconscious in the process. Curious, Norrin Radd then used the Power Cosmic to read the Hulk's mind and realized the Hulk wishes only to be left alone. As the Surfer gestured to remove all the gamma radiation he could, the Hulk snapped awake, misjudged Surfer's reaching hands and punched the Surfer right in the jaw. At this, the Silver Surfer has had enough and flies away, exclaiming, "A monster you are -- and so shall you remain!"
This was yet another moment of tragic loss for Bruce Banner played out on an epic stage. Though casual fans certainly regard the story of the Incredible Hulk as a fun power fantasy, the character's die-hard fans know the saga's strongest thread is about the tragedy of his unique curse. The interesting thing here is that the Surfer is not much less of a victim of circumstance than the Hulk is. They are both suffering from an unending super-ennui, born out of the moment they took a risk to help others, and the prices they have paid for their choices.