Bruce Banner: The Hulk Appreciation 2020

[Intothevoid]

Which means we might be getting more than 50 issues

We are certainly getting more than 50 issues, i knew this would happen as soon as interviewers kept asking Ewing about issue 50 being the last and we all know that Ewing cares mostly about having things be unpredictable, so IH will probably end in issue 52-53 or so just to throw people off.

[Cth]

Actually we learn that Maestro didn't come from Professor Hulk who went crazy, this was all Banner, it was Banners mind both Hercules and Rick state this.

Which is interesting, but that also means he is one of the weakest versions of Hulk unfortunately as he has troubles getting angry and instead when he fights a strong opponent the "logical" side of his brain kicks in and he basically surrenders thinking it's easier to just trick them later on than to outmuscle them now.

Also PAD definitely overuses/recycles some stuff, this was like the 3rd time i saw him reference the "Hulk smashing Loki" from Avengers move.

I agree completely.

Here's what I said elsewhere:

It is perplexing that it took 4 issues to get to this point.

I get that he has to reintroduce things and establish the world all over again but I really think this would have benefited from being a prose novella with illustrations ala What Savage Beast leading into the sequel mini which has already been announced.

As we already know, a merged Hulk is the weakest Hulk due to Banner's limiting control. Or as Herc best put it, Banner knows he'll get beat, ergo he's going to get his ass beat.

But as Rick said (paraphrasing) add in a crazy Banner, and who knows what kind of Hulk you'll get. Or in this case, a very pissed off, vengeful Hulk. A Hulk who consciously choose to kill two people in a calculating manner. This isn't the Hulk we've seen 4 issues now.

Banner's pride got the best of him and this is what happened. And maybe this is reading too deep, but the beating he took may have reminded him of his dad (the last real ass kicking he got -- not that his dad is flipping him around by the big toe, although an adult Brian attacking a child Bruce could feel that way)

Again, something that would have been explained with prose better, or if they inserted flashbacks during that sequence. But that would interrupt the Avengers joke.

[Intothevoid]

I agree completely.

Here's what I said elsewhere:

Yea i agree too.

I will say this Maestro mini has been very weak so far, not much has happened each issue, the whole story seems more like an afterthought than a well thought out thing. And i still maintain that it did more harm than good when he revealed that Hercules was Maestro first, why on Earth PAD did this is have no idea... he took one thing that made Maestro unique and cool and gave it to Hercules, now it's gonna be completely pathetic when Hulk announces himself as Maestro in the next issue, it just wont have the same weight and it will make him feel like a petty and unoriginal thief.

This whole thing doesn't make me excited about the next Maestro mini, in fact it makes it fairly pointless. Also i know PAD is a great writer and all but holly crap i don't think ANY other writer re-uses and recycles/repeats old ideas as much as he does.

[Cth]

It's interesting to view Maestro like Fixit.. built in restrictions making him weaker but his cunning and intelligence making him more a threat.

[Intothevoid]

It's interesting to view Maestro like Fixit.. built in restrictions making him weaker but his cunning and intelligence making him more a threat.

True but that only gets his so far, like he was at Hercs mercy here and could have died if Herc wanted it to, you would think he had a back up plan or something already in place.

[Immortal Hulk]

Another thing that isn't helping this series at all is the art. :/

[Intothevoid]

Another thing that isn't helping this series at all is the art. :/

Yep, i am just not feeling it at all, it's inconsistent at times and Hulk looks puny even when he is standing taller than Hercules, he just lacks mass. Compare him to Keown Hulk, compare him to Bennett Hulk, to Mcguiness Hulk, to Deodato jr Hulk, Garney Hulk, etc...

[Immortal Hulk]

Yep, i am just not feeling it at all, it's inconsistent at times and Hulk looks puny even when he is standing taller than Hercules, he just lacks mass. Compare him to Keown Hulk, compare him to Bennett Hulk, to Mcguiness Hulk, to Deodato jr Hulk, Garney Hulk, etc...

Yeah, and I'm talking as someone who really liked the art in the first issue.

[Immortal Hulk]

From Joe's instagram, now inked:

[ChrisIII]

I was thinking, Devil Hulk said he locked up in pieces a version of Hulk that's just pure rage and doesn't care who it hurts and then he said this

Attachment 102555

So now i am wondering was this foreshadowing, now that Devil Hulk is gone are Joe and Savage unaware that they are in big trouble and that this locked up version of Hulk might escape?

Peter David had a Doc Samson essay about the Hulk (Done in the style of the "Marvel saga" stuff from back then, basically select panels and a paragraph or two explaining the story) in Hulk #393, the big 30th anniversary issue (. Basically it hinted that the Mindless Hulk from #300 and so on was actually a *fourth* persona (Remember this was back when it was just Grey/Savage/Banner) that Samson couldn't quite figure out.

[Jody Garland]

I was thinking, Devil Hulk said he locked up in pieces a version of Hulk that's just pure rage and doesn't care who it hurts and then he said this

So now i am wondering was this foreshadowing, now that Devil Hulk is gone are Joe and Savage unaware that they are in big trouble and that this locked up version of Hulk might escape?

Given the attention Civil War II's use of Banner has had in this run- if more in impact than in actual continuity- I'm curiuos if Ewing is going to tie-in the prophecy of the Mindless Hulk from that in.

[Hulkbanner12]

Another thing that isn't helping this series at all is the art. :/

The art looks badass for me

[ChrisIII]

From Joe's instagram, now inked:

Looks like Betty's back in the story. Thinking maybe she works with Joe, who doesn't mind/prefers? her Harpy look.

Also given how many times Leader's messed with her it'll be interesting to see them confront each other. Especially since he helped bring her back in the first place, and of course that's pretty much what this whole series have been about.

[Immortal Hulk]

Joe Fixit vs. The Thing by Dale Keown

[ChrisIII]

Wonder if they'll ever bring back Pineapple/Stegosaurus Thing again. Granted, it's really only a temporary mutation and not a separate character really. After Ben turned back into the Thing in the early 90s after being depowered for a while I think there was a short period where he kind of would transition between the 'smooth' Thing and this version before settling on the classic look for good (Walt Simonson run?). That Thing also seemed to be the basis of the "Infinity war" (Comics version that is) doppelganger, created a few months out of date it seemed.

Then of course there was a short period of him being the original "muddy" Thing for a bit when a cure got botched during the Bryne run. (And also the She-Thing had that look too but also became more classic Thing later on).