Bruce Banner: The Hulk Appreciation 2019

[Immortal Hulk]

As a long time Hulk fan who rarely read's modern Marvel comics, I'm curious about something. Hopefully this doesn't come off as too negative.

I get that this series is generally critically acclaimed, but is it a good Hulk comic? I've browsed the series and I can't say that what I've seen appeals to me. It strikes me as eerily similar to the hated (for me at least) Bruce Jones run that made me stop reading the Hulk after having followed the series since 1987. I don't get how you can build suspense and rarely show the Hulk when he's a worldwide icon plastered on toy boxes. I also don't get the appeal of the Hulk as a horror character. This seems to me to be another case of a writer using the Hulk's iconography to tell an unrelated story that doesn't mesh with 50+ years of the characters mythos. I could be wrong, I'm just looking for opinions, mainly from reader's who are also fans of "classic" 70's Hulk, Peter David's run, etc.

It's a great Hulk comic, one of the best ever. Ewing is using ALL of the history and continuity, and adding a lot to the mythos. The comparison to the Jones' run is basically impossible. Jones only wanted to write a suspense story That happened to feature Banner and, maybe, the Hulk.

Ewing writes a fantastic Hulk. And, yes, Hulk works perfectly as a horror character. That's what he was originally after all. Also, we've had a lot of horror during the first Grey Hulk stories by PAD, that, in many ways, were like Hulk's original issues.

Again, this run has elements of all of Hulk's history, that you can check. The critical, both by professionals and fans, and the big commercial success simply are consequences of everything that I mentioned here.

[ChrisIII]

The first few issues might seem a bit like a Jones redux for a bit, but I think their main intention was to really introduce this new incarnation and how he operates before getting to the meat of the overall story.

[stillanerd]

Wow, even when the Hulk's not even the main focus of the story, Immortal Hulk is still one of the best comics Marvel is putting out right now. Who would've thought General Fortean could become such a fascinating villain? Then again, it totally speaks to Ewing's excellent craftsmanship as a writer.

Stillanerd Read: The Immortal Hulk #21

[Vordan]

Anyone who is looking to get on board the Immortal Hulk, ComiXology has their SDCC sales going on right now, with the Immortal Hulk trades going for $2.99, which is a bargain.

As a long time Hulk fan who rarely read's modern Marvel comics, I'm curious about something. Hopefully this doesn't come off as too negative.

I get that this series is generally critically acclaimed, but is it a good Hulk comic? I've browsed the series and I can't say that what I've seen appeals to me. It strikes me as eerily similar to the hated (for me at least) Bruce Jones run that made me stop reading the Hulk after having followed the series since 1987. I don't get how you can build suspense and rarely show the Hulk when he's a worldwide icon plastered on toy boxes. I also don't get the appeal of the Hulk as a horror character. This seems to me to be another case of a writer using the Hulk's iconography to tell an unrelated story that doesn't mesh with 50+ years of the characters mythos. I could be wrong, I'm just looking for opinions, mainly from reader's who are also fans of "classic" 70's Hulk, Peter David's run, etc.

It draws a lot on previous Hulk stories such as PAD and Jenkins. Bruce is only unknown for the first couple issues, but then the Avengers learn he’s back and the Hulk fights them, so it’s not like the world at large is unaware he’s out and about anymore. What helps the horror aspect is the nature of the Hulk’s immortality. We’ve learned there’s a supernatural aspect to his powers (which was always there to be fair with his ability to see ghosts and what not) and Ewing is focusing on that. Another aspect of this run is the fact that the Hulk is both intelligent and much more “malevolent” than he’s been depicted in recent years. The current “Hulk” personality that’s dominant is the “Devil Hulk” from Jenkins and Ewing explains why he’s different from how he was portrayed back in Jenkins run. One thing Ewing kept is that Devil Hulk is very protective of Bruce and is somewhat hostile to humanity which makes it uncertain what his plans are. There’s all sorts of great body horror scenes that honestly work great with Hulk, who even in PAD’s run had scenes like when Green Hulk makes his return after 20+ issue sor so by literally exploding out of Banner’s body. Stuff like that is definitely here.

In short: It’s got the hallmarks of a modern classic, it’s reviewing and selling well, and if you’re a Hulk fan I encourage you to pick it up.

[Immortal Hulk]

If Vordan can't convince you after this, I don't know who else can.

[Gamma Irradiated Being]

Anybody that thought the last issue was weak is buggin'. It was an excellent backstory for Hulk's newest foe.

Also, speaking of bugs, if someone could put a bug in his head and tell Al Ewing that Hulk and Blue Marvel need to meet, it'd be greatly appreciated.

[KingsLeadHat]

I'll certainly read it and give it a fair assessment. I do admit that it irks me that the Hulk's powers might now be supernaturally based (as opposed to "science based") but I'm old enough to realize that that probably will only lasts until Peter David retcon's it in a mini-series or something.

[Ptrvc]

I'll certainly read it and give it a fair assessment. I do admit that it irks me that the Hulk's powers might now be supernaturally based (as opposed to "science based") but I'm old enough to realize that that probably will only lasts until Peter David retcon's it in a mini-series or something.

Hulk's always had a bit of the supernatural behind him even back to Lee and Kiirby. Remeber the dude is based off of Frankenstein and Dr Jekyl/Mr Hyde, who both straddle that line.

Edit: PAD was actually the guy that establish Hulk as Immortal originally if I remember correctly. The "ghost" of Maestro said that they always come back.

[Hush]

I just read the last two issues (yeah I'm late lol) and this series keeps getting better and better! Now I'm curious about what's going to happen to Rick and if he's going to get a new "form". I'm also really curious about the Metatron plot and after finishing the last issue I have to admit Fortean is really scary and I can't wait to see Hulk facing him.

What's shocking about this issue is that when I first read it I thought that Fortean's 'meat hell' was a vision in his head. But looking at it again...

Did he just infest Shadowbase?

That's what I was wondering as well, but yeah it looks like he infected the whole base, that's crazy


By the way, does anyone know if Ewing will write the Absolute Carnage Immortal Hulk tie in?

[PlatinumThorns]

Eisner Awards are today. What're the chances IH wins Best Continuing Series?

[Ptrvc]

Eisner Awards are today. What're the chances IH wins Best Continuing Series?

Even for me.

Depends on whether they go for actual quality or a political statement.

Awards are political tools most of the time. I don't need some panel of judges to tell me what I like.

[Gamma Irradiated Being]

I'll certainly read it and give it a fair assessment. I do admit that it irks me that the Hulk's powers might now be supernaturally based (as opposed to "science based") but I'm old enough to realize that that probably will only lasts until Peter David retcon's it in a mini-series or something.

I don't know why this would irk anyone. As said above it's been written in the comics that Hulk has air of the mystic around him. Some of his abilities are seeing ghosts, he grabbed pure intangible energy a few times, he has a uncanny sense for finding people that has been shown at times and has done a few other things that can't be scientifically explained.

[Cth]

Footage is from a handheld cam and is the tutorial level.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJQKiOXlHgw&t=5m10s
PT 1
https://www.reddit.com/r/MarvelAveng...m_medium=web2x
PT 2

A demo is set to be released after next month.

FIXIT:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_yoZ3BX...jpg&name=small

??? House of M?
https://i.redd.it/8a2iehpl25b31.jpg

A whole lot of costumes/skins and possibly the ability to tweak them further (Fixit can be gray, etc)

[Cth]

As a long time Hulk fan who rarely read's modern Marvel comics, I'm curious about something. Hopefully this doesn't come off as too negative.

I get that this series is generally critically acclaimed, but is it a good Hulk comic? I've browsed the series and I can't say that what I've seen appeals to me. It strikes me as eerily similar to the hated (for me at least) Bruce Jones run that made me stop reading the Hulk after having followed the series since 1987. I don't get how you can build suspense and rarely show the Hulk when he's a worldwide icon plastered on toy boxes. I also don't get the appeal of the Hulk as a horror character. This seems to me to be another case of a writer using the Hulk's iconography to tell an unrelated story that doesn't mesh with 50+ years of the characters mythos. I could be wrong, I'm just looking for opinions, mainly from reader's who are also fans of "classic" 70's Hulk, Peter David's run, etc.

Got my start in 1977. I'm loving this series personally. I've been clamoring for a horror take on the Hulk for years, hoping that Joe Hill would take a stab at it. Ewing's a continuity junkie and doesn't shy away from big concepts, so I have confidence that he's not just going to crank out "Hulk fights X" month after month. Like PAD and Pak, he's using the supporting characters to add to the story.

As far as Bruce Jones goes, I can tell you that the problem largely stemmed from editorial. Both Jones and Ewing came from horror backgrounds, hence the similarity. The big difference is Jones knew nothing about the character and was encourged by editorial to ignore all that came before and just write what he wanted. The mandate was to aim for something like the 2003 movie (which Marvel wasn't let in on, so they were writing blindly). Initially, it was very popular with new readers as editorial wanted stories to be new reader friendly and easy to collect into TPBs. When it succeeded, editorial did all sorts of stupid things like inserting another arc within the current arc just to use characters from the 2003 film (again, editorial encouraged Jones not to worry about anything that came before) Similarly, they changed the identity of "Mr Blue" when fans complained about the lack of previous supporting characters. At that point, you saw characters being forced into the storyline inorganically. Jones didn't want Betty as Mr Blue, and using classic characters he didn't know. Near the end, it appears he had enough and started looking for work at DC and presumably editorial didn't like that and fired him from the book mid arc. EDIT: Also, the lack of Hulk isn't a problem with Ewing's run. And again, Jones pitched it as Hulk appearances being special. Editorial saw it was popular and kept pushing that angle which blew up in their faces.

Anyways, Hulk has always been about change, that's the one constant over the years. Ol' Salad Head's days are long gone and there have been more issues featuring a smart Hulk than not. I loved PAD's run, Mantlo's, Pak's etc. Too many writers can't do Salad Head right and there's plenty of writers who want to make the Hulk a killer so they can have their favorite characters fight him.

If you liked PAD's Future Imperfect, this run should be right up your alley.

There's been plenty of horror stories told with the Hulk over the years, PAD and Mantlo especially.

[Ptrvc]

Got my start in 1977. I'm loving this series personally. I've been clamoring for a horror take on the Hulk for years, hoping that Joe Hill would take a stab at it. Ewing's a continuity junkie and doesn't shy away from big concepts, so I have confidence that he's not just going to crank out "Hulk fights X" month after month. Like PAD and Pak, he's using the supporting characters to add to the story.

As far as Bruce Jones goes, I can tell you that the problem largely stemmed from editorial. Both Jones and Ewing came from horror backgrounds, hence the similarity. The big difference is Jones knew nothing about the character and was encourged by editorial to ignore all that came before and just write what he wanted. The mandate was to aim for something like the 2003 movie (which Marvel wasn't let in on, so they were writing blindly). Initially, it was very popular with new readers as editorial wanted stories to be new reader friendly and easy to collect into TPBs. When it succeeded, editorial did all sorts of stupid things like inserting another arc within the current arc just to use characters from the 2003 film (again, editorial encouraged Jones not to worry about anything that came before) Similarly, they changed the identity of "Mr Blue" when fans complained about the lack of previous supporting characters. At that point, you saw characters being forced into the storyline inorganically. Jones didn't want Betty as Mr Blue, and using classic characters he didn't know. Near the end, it appears he had enough and started looking for work at DC and presumably editorial didn't like that and fired him from the book mid arc. EDIT: Also, the lack of Hulk isn't a problem with Ewing's run. And again, Jones pitched it as Hulk appearances being special. Editorial saw it was popular and kept pushing that angle which blew up in their faces.

Anyways, Hulk has always been about change, that's the one constant over the years. Ol' Salad Head's days are long gone and there have been more issues featuring a smart Hulk than not. I loved PAD's run, Mantlo's, Pak's etc. Too many writers can't do Salad Head right and there's plenty of writers who want to make the Hulk a killer so they can have their favorite characters fight him.

If you liked PAD's Future Imperfect, this run should be right up your alley.

There's been plenty of horror stories told with the Hulk over the years, PAD and Mantlo especially.

Pretty much this.

Basically nobody gets the Savage Hulk right by anymore. Heck people can't even get Hulk Speak right anymore.