Bruce Banner: The Hulk Appreciation 2019

[Cth]

I think another key to this run's popularity (and this may be controversial) is that it provides a few mysteries. Throughout the series there's been a few popular takes (for traditional non-Hulk fans) and the one consistent thing with those takes has been a mystery.

Bruce Jones - Mr. Blue
Jason Aaron - Hulk/Banner split; Evil Banner
Mark Waid - Who Killed Bruce?
Loeb - Red Hulk; Ross's "death"

Inevitably, the new fans that were brought in, went away. Whether it was the mystery being revealled or dragged out too long.

Another key "formula" is change. The title has always been about that. PAD continually reinvented the character. Pak did the same. It was less about the fights and more about new directions they could pull the character through. It's why the character worked with Avengers because it was different from before.

With Ewing's take, there's multiple mysteries (for new fans) reinventions (for long term fans).

I mean, it's basic storytelling but it's interesting to look back and see how that's affected the title over the years. Why it suddenly gets popular and then wanes once the mystery is over.

Similarly, it goes a long way to explain why when PAD and Pak revisited the title, the "magic" was gone.. fans don't necessarily want a greatest hits collection so to speak (at least from my experience) PAD's 2nd run (Tempus Fugit wasn't a new mystery, but rather retconning things)

[9th.]

I gotta pick this up again, I never expected this run to do so well.

[PlatinumThorns]

Kinda surprising Joe hasn't posted much sketches of issue #20

[Immortal Hulk]

Finally picked up my comics for the week. HOLY CRAP!!!!!!! What an issue?! What I love about this series is that you genuinely don't have a clue about what will happen next.

And the great thing is that it will kepp happening, but, as we've seen, in very natural and intelligent way, and not just stupid writing only for the sake of shock value.

I think another key to this run's popularity (and this may be controversial) is that it provides a few mysteries. Throughout the series there's been a few popular takes (for traditional non-Hulk fans) and the one consistent thing with those takes has been a mystery.

Bruce Jones - Mr. Blue
Jason Aaron - Hulk/Banner split; Evil Banner
Mark Waid - Who Killed Bruce?
Loeb - Red Hulk; Ross's "death"

Inevitably, the new fans that were brought in, went away. Whether it was the mystery being revealled or dragged out too long.

Another key "formula" is change. The title has always been about that. PAD continually reinvented the character. Pak did the same. It was less about the fights and more about new directions they could pull the character through. It's why the character worked with Avengers because it was different from before.

With Ewing's take, there's multiple mysteries (for new fans) reinventions (for long term fans).

I mean, it's basic storytelling but it's interesting to look back and see how that's affected the title over the years. Why it suddenly gets popular and then wanes once the mystery is over.

Similarly, it goes a long way to explain why when PAD and Pak revisited the title, the "magic" was gone.. fans don't necessarily want a greatest hits collection so to speak (at least from my experience) PAD's 2nd run (Tempus Fugit wasn't a new mystery, but rather retconning things)

The main problem when we talk about those previous runs is the quality, Cth.

If we analyse BJ's run, started very well; the writing and the mystery were good, but an year or so later, it went nowhere. It just kept the same plot with nothing really interesting added to it. It was also obvious that BJ wasn't really interested in writing about the Hulk. No surprise the readers left the book.

With Waid and Aaron's runs... I don't think I should even talk about them. The mysteries were interesting in the very beginning, but that's. The writing and art were so, so bad that not surprising the numbers plummeted. I mean, the books were really awful.

Loeb, at the time, was a big name. Hulk, not surprisingly, was a huge book. Specially after coming from a huge event like WWH. And I belive it was top 10 book for a good time.
But, again, the quality simply wasn't there anymore and, after the mystery was revealed, people went away.

[ChrisIII]

I thought Parker did some pretty good work with the Red Hulk and She-Hulk after Loeb left. Although I think they kind of just left a lot of his stuff hanging, like whatever happened to Annie the LMD and all those villains?


Also enjoyed Duggan's run, although a lot of it was kind of undoing the Hulk family (although it looks like that's kind of being reversed with Betty and Rick given new gamma versions)

[Ptrvc]

Hulk needs action. It's a property built around the conceit that the main character is the strongest one there is.

Now not every issue or even every arch needs to contain a huge fight. But when whole runs are build build build with little payoff you get what happened to Bruce Jones.

That's the problem with a mystery. Everything hinges on the reveal. If it's a shitty reveal though.

That's the thing, Ewing run is not a mystery. It is mysterious, but that's not the same thing. Most of the questions being asked don't have simple answers.

Ewing and Bennett have made a Horror-Thriller, with a heavy dose of Action with a splatter asthetic. At once fresh and recognizably a Hulk book.

[Immortal Hulk]

Another perfect score review (and the average now is of 9.5!)

Black Nerd Problems (10/10)

This issue of the Immortal Hulk did not go at all the way that I expected it to. Packed with great character moments, shocking surprises, and all the horror genre vibes that you can ask for, this has to be one of the best issues of Hulk yet.

https://blacknerdproblems.com/immortal-hulk-19-review/

[a2542]

I thought Parker did some pretty good work with the Red Hulk and She-Hulk after Loeb left. Although I think they kind of just left a lot of his stuff hanging, like whatever happened to Annie the LMD and all those villains?


Also enjoyed Duggan's run, although a lot of it was kind of undoing the Hulk family (although it looks like that's kind of being reversed with Betty and Rick given new gamma versions)

I loved Parker's Red Hulk run. I was actually hoping for him to write for the main Hulk book after Duggan's run and after Secret Wars 2 before Bruce "died" and Cho took over for a bit as the main Hulk. Duggan's Hulk wasn't bad either, it was basically a springboard to depower the Hulk family before Secret Wars 2 from the looks of it and introduce a different Hulk persona who's fate we don't know of currently.

[Immortal Hulk]

I thought Parker did some pretty good work with the Red Hulk and She-Hulk after Loeb left. Although I think they kind of just left a lot of his stuff hanging, like whatever happened to Annie the LMD and all those villains?


Also enjoyed Duggan's run, although a lot of it was kind of undoing the Hulk family (although it looks like that's kind of being reversed with Betty and Rick given new gamma versions)

Parker's Hulk was the better Hulk book during almost its entire run. Nt only was it very well written, it also had great art, compelling characters; and better yet: Parker's introduced interesting villains in short time, some of them very menacing and better than quite a few rogues from our favorite Green Goliath.

Hulk needs action. It's a property built around the conceit that the main character is the strongest one there is.

Now not every issue or even every arch needs to contain a huge fight. But when whole runs are build build build with little payoff you get what happened to Bruce Jones.

That's the problem with a mystery. Everything hinges on the reveal. If it's a shitty reveal though.

That's the thing, Ewing run is not a mystery. It is mysterious, but that's not the same thing. Most of the questions being asked don't have simple answers.

Ewing and Bennett have made a Horror-Thriller, with a heavy dose of Action with a splatter asthetic. At once fresh and recognizably a Hulk book.

We probably agree on a lot of things, but I have to say i have a different view concerning the book.

I'd say that Immortal Hulk is immensely difficult to classify, to put into a box, let's say.

Imagine a blend of mystery, horror (and not only physical, cronenbergian horror, but also supernatural and psychological), suspense and action (but even this last aspect is not that simple, because a lot of action is not your typical superhero fight, even though we also have that one).

Now, sum it all, focus more on some of these aspects, depending on the issue, and you get a bookwhich can have different shades from issue to issue. You get the Immortal Hulk. Something that is unlike anything being published, specially when we consider what Marvel and DC are doing nowadays.

[Vordan]

Goddamn what a great issue. The symbolism with the butterfly, spider, and web was obvious but still meaningful. I can see a comparison to Betty’s Harpy persona and Bruce’s own Devil Hulk in that both are rather malicious and downright brutal in getting what they want. Guess we’re going to find out what happens when Devil Hulk dies huh? Can’t wait for the next issue.

I agree with comparisons to Swamp Thing but this run also reminds me of Miracleman quite a lot in that it explores the rather horrorifying implications of heroes, and gets very visceral with the violence.

[catbellysqueezer]

So how is he going to come back from this

[GrandEleven]

So how is he going to come back from this

I'm waiting for something twisted. Hulk's gamma to mix with Betty's once eaten and some merged monstrosity to face the merged monstrosity that is abomination.

Who knows what that would look like (wouldn't that be fun if Hulk now contains a red hulk persona as a result)

[ChrisIII]

I loved Parker's Red Hulk run. I was actually hoping for him to write for the main Hulk book after Duggan's run and after Secret Wars 2 before Bruce "died" and Cho took over for a bit as the main Hulk. Duggan's Hulk wasn't bad either, it was basically a springboard to depower the Hulk family before Secret Wars 2 from the looks of it and introduce a different Hulk persona who's fate we don't know of currently.

It might've still been Doc Green when Bruce was depowered by Cho.


Also, Duggan's run seemed to imply that Doc Green was actually just the savage hulk (or Waid's version of it), just altered by the effects of Extremis, as part of the plot was that Doc's intelligence was starting to slip.

[Immortal Hulk]

That's what I've got from Duggan's run.

But that time was extremely confusing for the Hulk. What we got from Hulk in Hickman's Avengers (Illuminatti) didn't seem to reflect what was happening in the Hulk book. Unless my memory is failing.

[Subzero89]

I hated Duggans book with a passion, almost as much as i hated Aarons Hulk run.