Bruce Banner: The Hulk Appreciation 2020

[Vordan]

spoilers:

No he almost certainly just put the Green Scar disguise on himself, it doesn't seem like he killed him, because he put the GS disguise before he ever even entered Banners mind Anyway what a crazy issue, so much to process i dunno where to even begin, i mean look at all those green doors at the end, is something big coming? Honestly i am calling it now, Devil Hulk is coming back, one line solidified it for me, it's when Sterns said to him "you are still on your leash", he is gonna come back and we are gonna see Devil and the other Hulks like we've never seen before.

end of spoilers

Also the solicitations were basically a complete throw of, I guess Al is doing that so they wont spoil us about whats going on.

spoilers:

I believe the “leash” he was talking about was Banner/Savage preventing Devil Hulk from hurting their father. That’s why Devil wasn’t able to kill Leader because Leader and Brian are one now.

end of spoilers
Damn my mind is swirling now. I can’t wait to see where Ewing goes with this. The solicits were a fake out for certain.

spoilers:

If you’re right then that means Green Scar and Professor are still in play. We know Joe is basically going to be piloting Savage’s body like Devil did, but I wonder if Green Scar and Professor will make an appearance. Professor is the only one to not show up yet

end of spoilers

[Intothevoid]

spoilers:

I believe the “leash” he was talking about was Banner/Savage preventing Devil Hulk from hurting their father. That’s why Devil wasn’t able to kill Leader because Leader and Brian are one now.

end of spoilers
Damn my mind is swirling now. I can’t wait to see where Ewing goes with this. The solicits were a fake out for certain.

spoilers:

If you’re right then that means Green Scar and Professor are still in play. We know Joe is basically going to be piloting Savage’s body like Devil did, but I wonder if Green Scar and Professor will make an appearance. Professor is the only one to not show up yet

end of spoilers

spoilers:

It's possible but even that plays into what i am talking about, Devil Hulk was still put on a leash one way or another and i think a moment will come where Savage Hulk gets his redemption, Devil Hulk is no longer leashed by anyone. They are the quesiton is if Ewing plans on actually using them, as far as we know they might be completely buried inside Banners subconscious and Ewing doesn't plan to use them which would be a shame

end of spoilers

[Ptrvc]

spoilers:

I believe the “leash” he was talking about was Banner/Savage preventing Devil Hulk from hurting their father. That’s why Devil wasn’t able to kill Leader because Leader and Brian are one now.

end of spoilers
Damn my mind is swirling now. I can’t wait to see where Ewing goes with this. The solicits were a fake out for certain.

spoilers:

If you’re right then that means Green Scar and Professor are still in play. We know Joe is basically going to be piloting Savage’s body like Devil did, but I wonder if Green Scar and Professor will make an appearance. Professor is the only one to not show up yet

end of spoilers

I suspect...

spoilers:

That the personalities that existed before the bomb, Fixit, Banner, Devil, and the Savage are goingto remain center stage this run.

end of spoilers

[Vordan]

I suspect...

spoilers:

That the personalities that existed before the bomb, Fixit, Banner, Devil, and the Savage are goingto remain center stage this run.

end of spoilers

You’re probably right but given how strongly Ewing has leaned into Jenkin’s ideas with his run I feel like spoilers:

Using the Professor which Jenkins established as a healthy version of Adult Banner would be a good way to examine Bruce’s child-like fear, love, and hatred of his father. But it does look like the last Act will be the Joe Fixit Saga

end of spoilers

[Intothevoid]

Joe Fixit arc is not the last arc, it's actually the arc that follows right now, after that we are gonna have 1, maybe 2 more arcs and that will be final, likely 1 more final arc, after Joes arc. And knowing Ewing i do feel like we are gonna see Green Scar and Professor for real, show themselves up in the most desperate moment, when it all looks hopeless i think Ewing is gonna bring them back, it might not happen obviously but i personally think it will and they are gonna play a small but crucial role in the end. Because going off Ewings twitter i think he is setting it up that ALL Hulk incarnations will end up working together with Banner in the final confrontation with TOBA and we are gonna get the inverse of issue 33 where "evil" Banner had a vision of what he would look like if he embraced all the evil side of him and all the Hulks.

[Hulkbanner12]

The problem I have with Al Ewing and Joe Bennett is lack of epic battle. I was kinda expecting Devil hulk vs Leader to become a epic fight but it was too short. I wouldn't mind a 40 page of this issue. Overall, it was a good read.

[Intothevoid]

The problem I have with Al Ewing and Joe Bennett is lack of epic battle. I was kinda expecting Devil hulk vs Leader to become a epic fight but it was too short. I wouldn't mind a 40 page of this issue. Overall, it was a good read.

That's really the only criticism i have of the book, which i wouldn't even have if we had like an epic battle every 5-7 issues or something, but even when we rarely get a fight, it's extremely short and underwhelming. I know Ewing said that's not gonna be one of his focuses but i feel like he is dropping the ball hard there... Because he already nails a much harder job which is writing a great story, writing great characters, writing great cliffhangers, writing great horror, subverting our expectations, etc... Literally everything is amazing and then when it comes to the much easier part which is have a 4-5 pages long fight where he choreographs together with Joe what he wants, he just drops the ball completely and probably tells Joe something like: For page 17 we gonna have Devil Hulk one-punch a guy and the fight is over, i leave that to you Joe, now for page 18 we move back to...." like that's almost every time... I feel like it hurts what could otherwise be a perfect Hulk book.

No matter how great a Hulk book is, it will never be a "GREAT" Hulk book while missing one of the core elements of the character, which is smashing. And that's really a shame because as i said Ewing nailed down the much harder jobs, but i guess not every writer is the same, maybe choreographing epic battles is something he just isn't good at, I've read a number of his books and i am honestly starting to think that, since of the common criticism of him is that his fights are short/underwhelming.

[Vordan]

Joe Fixit arc is not the last arc, it's actually the arc that follows right now, after that we are gonna have 1, maybe 2 more arcs and that will be final, likely 1 more final arc, after Joes arc. And knowing Ewing i do feel like we are gonna see Green Scar and Professor for real, show themselves up in the most desperate moment, when it all looks hopeless i think Ewing is gonna bring them back, it might not happen obviously but i personally think it will and they are gonna play a small but crucial role in the end. Because going off Ewings twitter i think he is setting it up that ALL Hulk incarnations will end up working together with Banner in the final confrontation with TOBA and we are gonna get the inverse of issue 33 where "evil" Banner had a vision of what he would look like if he embraced all the evil side of him and all the Hulks.

The solicits make it seem like Joe will be taking over as the “main” Hulk, same way Savage took over for Devil after the Xemnu arc. Obviously solicits lie or omnit so perhaps there will be a twist coming but it looks like we’ll be following Fixit as we approach the issue 50 endgame.

The problem I have with Al Ewing and Joe Bennett is lack of epic battle. I was kinda expecting Devil hulk vs Leader to become a epic fight but it was too short. I wouldn't mind a 40 page of this issue. Overall, it was a good read.

Hah! On one hand I can sympathize, but on the other part of the horror comes from how helpless Hulk is. That he can’t punch the threat away. And I saw elsewhere some people complaining that every arc is just “Bruce seems f***** then Devil Hulk or another alter pops up and saves the day at the last second”. Well Ewing subverted the hell out of that this time. Definitely would’ve been cool to see Leader and Devil tear up the Hulk’s mindscape I’ll admit, but I think what Ewing went for helped sell the “absolutely screwed” atmosphere Ewing has been cultivating. And Leader being able to outwit Devil is more in character than the two just slugging each other, that’s never been Leader’s forte after all.

[Intothevoid]

The solicits make it seem like Joe will be taking over as the “main” Hulk, same way Savage took over for Devil after the Xemnu arc. Obviously solicits lie or omnit so perhaps there will be a twist coming but it looks like we’ll be following Fixit as we approach the issue 50 endgame.

No i don't think the solicits are lying, Joe is taking over it's just that this isn't the last arc, we are gonna have at least 1 more arc after that until issue 50 where it will end(probably will end at issue 51-52 because Ewing wants to throw a curve ball) and i don't think Joe is gonna be the main Hulk until that last issue together with Savage Hulk, in fact he certainly wont be, they will get Banner before that and Devil Hulk will most certainly revive.

Hah! On one hand I can sympathize, but on the other part of the horror comes from how helpless Hulk is. That he can’t punch the threat away. And I saw elsewhere some people complaining that every arc is just “Bruce seems f***** then Devil Hulk or another alter pops up and saves the day at the last second”. Well Ewing subverted the hell out of that this time. Definitely would’ve been cool to see Leader and Devil tear up the Hulk’s mindscape I’ll admit, but I think what Ewing went for helped sell the “absolutely screwed” atmosphere Ewing has been cultivating. And Leader being able to outwit Devil is more in character than the two just slugging each other, that’s never been Leader’s forte after all.

All of that can be achieve via epic fights too, not with every issue or every other issue, certainly Leaders powers lie in his mind, not in his fists so that's understandable but the book overall is lacking in epic action, hopefully with the U-Foes we see some of that again and Hulk doesn't just one-shot them with 1 thunderclap at the end and the fight is over.

[Cth]

spoilers:

Anyway what a crazy issue, so much to process i dunno where to even begin, i mean look at all those green doors at the end, is something big coming? Honestly i am calling it now, Devil Hulk is coming back, one line solidified it for me, it's when Sterns said to him "you are still on your leash", he is gonna come back and we are gonna see Devil and the other Hulks like we've never seen before.

end of spoilers

Well..

spoilers:

Leader pulled parts of them into Hell and since we see Banner as the centerpiece could it be Ewing using Jenkins interpretation about there being a LOT more Hulk inside? Like each door is a window to the other alters? I can't see it being a window to every gamma being as that expands the scope of things to a point that can't be addressed whereas it could be setting the stage for Leader to consume all of his remaining alters/them coming to the rescue. All I know is that ultimately it's up to Joe to "Fixit" (the system).. I wonder if that's intentionally why he's been referring to him as Joe and Sunshine Joe. Will we get a scene where Joe sacrifices everything to save everyone, turning to the reader and saying something like, "That's why they call me, Mr. Fixit. I'm just some Joe."

end of spoilers

But yeah, I agree, Savage has seen some sh!t.. he's going to go away for a while. Can you imagine if every time Bruce tries to change in the future, and Savage appears, he just starts crying and pulls a Hulk in Avengers Infinity War?

[Intothevoid]

Well..

spoilers:

Leader pulled parts of them into Hell and since we see Banner as the centerpiece could it be Ewing using Jenkins interpretation about there being a LOT more Hulk inside? Like each door is a window to the other alters? I can't see it being a window to every gamma being as that expands the scope of things to a point that can't be addressed whereas it could be setting the stage for Leader to consume all of his remaining alters/them coming to the rescue. All I know is that ultimately it's up to Joe to "Fixit" (the system).. I wonder if that's intentionally why he's been referring to him as Joe and Sunshine Joe. Will we get a scene where Joe sacrifices everything to save everyone, turning to the reader and saying something like, "That's why they call me, Mr. Fixit. I'm just some Joe."

end of spoilers

But yeah, I agree, Savage has seen some sh!t.. he's going to go away for a while. Can you imagine if every time Bruce tries to change in the future, and Savage appears, he just starts crying and pulls a Hulk in Avengers Infinity War?

spoilers:

I mean it's possible but wouldn't one of the first things he does just shut the green doors for any other Hulk still left, mainly Joe and Savage? Also i asked Ewing this quesiton months ago about how many alters he thinks there are inside Banner and he said the ones he showed are the main ones and he doesn't want to put an exact number but it didn't seem like he was in favor of their being hundreds/thousands of alters inside him, it's possible but i doubt it. I honestly don't think most of those doors will ever come to play, maybe a couple that are important to the story but others are there just because the image of it visually looked great and intimidating, now no gamma being is safe. This might be how Leader revives Sasquatch and possesses him to keep Joe and Savage inside the prison. It's possible, Joe is definitely undergoing his own arc and transformation, he definitely started to care more for Banner, this will definitely be his character growth moment, although i dunno if he will actually sacrifice himself, i am gonna say it right now. I don't think Ewing is gonna kill off permanently any Hulk alter, nor do i think if he ever did that such a thing will stick, because all it takes is another writer to revive him maybe a year after the run is over or 5 or 10, it wont matter but it's not realistic to think that change is gonna stick permanently, which is why i don't think Ewing is gonna even attempt that.

end of spoilers

[Cth]

spoilers:

I mean it's possible but wouldn't one of the first things he does just shut the green doors for any other Hulk still left, mainly Joe and Savage? Also i asked Ewing this quesiton months ago about how many alters he thinks there are inside Banner and he said the ones he showed are the main ones and he doesn't want to put an exact number but it didn't seem like he was in favor of their being hundreds/thousands of alters inside him, it's possible but i doubt it. I honestly don't think most of those doors will ever come to play, maybe a couple that are important to the story but others are there just because the image of it visually looked great and intimidating, now no gamma being is safe. This might be how Leader revives Sasquatch and possesses him to keep Joe and Savage inside the prison. It's possible, Joe is definitely undergoing his own arc and transformation, he definitely started to care more for Banner, this will definitely be his character growth moment, although i dunno if he will actually sacrifice himself, i am gonna say it right now. I don't think Ewing is gonna kill off permanently any Hulk alter, nor do i think if he ever did that such a thing will stick, because all it takes is another writer to revive him maybe a year after the run is over or 5 or 10, it wont matter but it's not realistic to think that change is gonna stick permanently, which is why i don't think Ewing is gonna even attempt that.

end of spoilers

Good point, it may just be a visual shorthand to show how he's "leveled up" and I agree with your theory about who gets possessed next. I remember Ewing making a point to inventory the alters so yeah, that's more than likely the case.

[PlatinumThorns]

TOBA is powerful enough to affect comics set in the future.

[Triniking1234]

Well that issue didn't go as I expected.

[your_name_here]

Holy ****.

We are in the Endgame now.