"CRACKAJACK" JACKSON
Real Name: Jackson (first name unrevealed)
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Hobo; formerly worked as a musician in bars
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Hulk (Bruce Banner)
Known Relatives: Leroy "Hammer" Jackson (son)
Aliases: Crackajack
Base of Operations: Mobile throughout the United States
First Appearance: Incredible Hulk II#182 (December, 1974)
Powers/Abilities: Having no superhuman abilities, Jackson was patient, understanding, generous, and friendly; he played a harmonica.
Height: Unrevealed (5'10"; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black (graying)
History:
(Incredible Hulk II#182 (fb) - BTS) - Almost
nothing was revealed about Crackajack Jackson's early life -- he once
had a wife and a son, but was allegedly always on the road working in
several "cheap nickel-an'-dime bars," where he played music ("Heck,
ain't a honkytonk from N'Orleans t' Baton Rouge don't know the name'a
Crackajack Jackson"). At some point, he lost everything and became
a hobo. Eventually learning his son Leroy was in prison, Crackajack
began the long 1200 mile walk to visit him.
(Incredible Hulk II#182) - Shortly after his encounter with the Wendigo and Wolverine (James "Logan" Howlett), the Hulk was wandering aimlessly when he heard entrancing music that drew him to its source; he found the campsite of Crackajack Jackson, a hobo playing his harmonica. Crackajack was very friendly and offered the Hulk a place to sit and warm himself by the fire. He then gave the Hulk a plate of beans -- the Hulk poured the entire plate into his mouth and liked the beans very much.
The next morning, the Hulk and Crackajack went fishing for breakfast. Crackajack told the Hulk that he was off to see his son, and invited him to come along -- since the Hulk had nowhere in particular to go, he tagged along.
That night, Crackajack made a fire and they had some more beans -- this time, he gave the Hulk a fork to eat the beans with, and he had a good laugh when the Hulk bit the fork in half and complained about its taste. Then, Crackajack taught the Hulk how to write the alphabet and spell his own name, telling his giant green friend, "A man ain't got nothin' if he ain't got his name!"; the Hulk was very happy to have a new friend.
They finally neared the prison where Crackajack's son was incarcerated, but found the road blocked by a police car -- the Hulk smashed the car aside and leaped with Crackajack into the prison. However, when they landed inside the prison yard, they found that Crackajack's son was Hammer of Hammer and Anvil fame -- the two convicts had returned to the prison from which they had escaped earlier to destroy it in vengeance.
Crackajack approached his son and apologized for never being there for him when he was a kid; but Hammer was still angry because of his father's neglect. When Crackajack tried to touch his son with an imploring hand, he accidentally brushed the energy synthecon "chain" (created by the extraterrestrial Chleee) that gave Hammer and Anvil their power, and was immediately killed by it.
Later on, after he defeated Hammer and Anvil, the tearful Hulk picked up Crackajack's body and leapt out of the prison walls and into the surrounding forest; he buried Crackajack, and remembering his friend's words, the Hulk marked the grave with a tombstone on which he spelled Crackajack's name (...or tried to, anyway).
Comments: Created by Len Wein and Herb Trimpe
This was the first time a human
friend of Hulk's died.
Crackajack wasn't the Hulk's first human friend to be
killed. That "honor" probably goes to the unnamed scientist killed by
Commies in Tales to Astonish I#66.
--Continental Op
Crackajack Jackson also appeared in a vision to the Hulk while Doc Samson had him under a hypnotic trance (@ Incredible Hulk II#227), but this is obviously not an actual appearance.
Thanks to Leader's Lair for the original main image. This is my 41st profile, not including ones I reformatted from Spider-Fan, and Leader's Lair has provided images on at least 25% of these.
And a funny tidbit to add:
After the Hulk's encounter with Crackajack, he becomes OBSESSED with
beans, at least for the remainder of the Len Wein run of Incredible
Hulk.
--Nicholas Peron
New and additional images by Ron Fredricks.
Profile by STUNNER.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Crackajack Jackson should not be confused with:
images: (without ads)
Incredible Hulk II#182, p4, pan3 (main image - "Crackajack" Jackson)
Incredible Hulk II#182, p10, pan6 (headshot - "Crackajack" Jackson)
Incredible Hulk II#182, p12, pan7 ("Crackajack" Jackson dies after touching Hammer and Anvil's energy synthecon; Leroy "Hammer" Jackson [foreground])
Incredible Hulk II#182, p17, pan8 (crudely carved tombstone by "Crackajack" Jackson's grave; Hulk [background])
Incredible Hulk II#182, p4, pan7-8 ("Crackajack" Jackson introduces Hulk to beans)
Appearances:
Incredible Hulk II#182 (December, 1974) - Len Wein (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils/inks), Glynis Wein
(colors), John Costanza (letters), Roy Thomas (editor)
First posted: 09/13/2003
Last updated: 03/10/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info
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