Bruce Banner - The Hulk Appreciation 2021

[Cth]

To be fair, that was Waid's "in" for the Hulk.

He wasn't so much a character, but rather an affliction for Bruce. Obviously he was more focused on Bruce and to a degree it made sense for Bruce to see Hulk as an affliction like diabetes. He'll never going to "cure" himself, so why not try to utilize it. Frankly, it could have been MUCH worse. Recall all the times Bendis tried to have him as a killing monster? He finally got his wish with Civil War II and the character was killed off.

Yes, it's jarring to see a full fledged personality devolve into a shell for Bruce. It's still too early, but I agree it's so so and to be fair, not much to go on.

And I must be the only one who likes MODOK. I mean, this guy had the Abomination tortured -- a guy who repeatedly was a match for the Hulk. I just wish the Intelligencia was still around and competent.

[Intothevoid]

Thats an extremely reductive way of viewing Hulk... An affliction like diabetes, downright insulting, Hulk is a character in himself, in fact there are multiple Hulks who are all their own thing. The only thing that stopped it from being much worse was the fact that it had some fun action and cool feats for Hulk, if it wasn't for that it would honestly compete with terrible Aarons Hulk run.

No one really likes MODOK and for the life of me i dunno why this Captain America villain gets pitted against Hulk... He is a giant floating head... He is like the perfect punching bag for Hulk, every time i see him i wonder how Hulk just doesn't punch him and he explodes like a bloody pinata. Luckily Cates didn't treat it seriously either, Bruce just straight up ignores his rantings and just wants some of MODOKs equipment presumably to build his space ship or something? If there is one character that is more of a joke than him it's Abomination unfortunately, the guy hasn't been good or relevant for the last several decades. A character that started off as the only being stronger than freaking Hulk is a either dead or a joke nowadays.

[Vordan]

This doesn’t sound like Hulk at all. I guess Bruce is in control of the body after Immortal Hulk? Marvel demanding brand synergy with the MCU or what Cates wants to do with the character I wonder? Bruce willingly leaving Earth for space has potential, but the dialogue is so bad. It’s too damn quippy, too reminiscent of MCU Hulk which I hate. It also doesn’t mesh well with Ottley’s art at all, Ottley makes the Hulk look intimidating, but then Cates dialogue ruins that.

Waid has done some really decent stuff, like his Superman Birthright comic which is one of my first Superman comics i ever read. But the problem with him and Hulk is he famously did an interview shortly before he was put on Hulk where the interviewer asked him what is one character he isn't interested in writing in at Marvel and his answer was Hulk... So why on Earth editorial put him on Hulk is anyones guess.. My best guess is the Aaron Hulk stuff was so poorly received and ended after barely going on for a year that they had no one else at the time to put on it but Waid. Either way when you put a writer that simply isn't very familiar with Hulks history, on top of that isn't interested in writing him and finally was VERY antagonistic towards Hulk fans who pointed out to him inaccuracies in his run you had a recipe for a very bland run. I remember a friend of mine only liked it because it had decent feats for Hulk but as a story it was bleh... Hulk literally wasn't even a character in it, basically a mindless robot for Banner to point into a direction and say: "Go Smash!".

Oh yeah I know all about Waid and Hulk lol, I listened to the podcast where he first said that. He also doesn’t like Thor or Wonder Woman, he’s not a fantasy guy he’s a scifi guy by his own admission. Cates drawing on Waid’s take for Hulk isn’t something I want. This feels so jarring after Ewing.

[Toxin45]

Thats an extremely reductive way of viewing Hulk... An affliction like diabetes, downright insulting, Hulk is a character in himself, in fact there are multiple Hulks who are all their own thing. The only thing that stopped it from being much worse was the fact that it had some fun action and cool feats for Hulk, if it wasn't for that it would honestly compete with terrible Aarons Hulk run.

No one really likes MODOK and for the life of me i dunno why this Captain America villain gets pitted against Hulk... He is a giant floating head... He is like the perfect punching bag for Hulk, every time i see him i wonder how Hulk just doesn't punch him and he explodes like a bloody pinata. Luckily Cates didn't treat it seriously either, Bruce just straight up ignores his rantings and just wants some of MODOKs equipment presumably to build his space ship or something? If there is one character that is more of a joke than him it's Abomination unfortunately, the guy hasn't been good or relevant for the last several decades. A character that started off as the only being stronger than freaking Hulk is a either dead or a joke nowadays.

Abomination does return in gamma flight. Leader in immortal hulk got some cool moments than abomination does

[Intothevoid]

This doesn’t sound like Hulk at all. I guess Bruce is in control of the body after Immortal Hulk? Marvel demanding brand synergy with the MCU or what Cates wants to do with the character I wonder? Bruce willingly leaving Earth for space has potential, but the dialogue is so bad. It’s too damn quippy, too reminiscent of MCU Hulk which I hate. It also doesn’t mesh well with Ottley’s art at all, Ottley makes the Hulk look intimidating, but then Cates dialogue ruins that.

It's almost certainly Bruce, even still he sounds WAY off. Personally i doubt Marvel demanded Cates make him like that to resemble MCU Hulk, no one even cares about MCU Hulk and most people realize including Marvel that they dropped the ball with him in the movies. Yea the dialogue is what annoys me the most, he talks 200 miles an hour, just doesn't shut up or slow down for a moment, he sounds way to jolly and like some teenage kid not a worn out scientist in his late 30's/early 40's. I also personally noticed Ottleys art is quite inconsistent here which also really annoyed me. I am hoping he cranks it up in the next issues and he used this more as practice/getting used to, I know he said a month or so ago that he is still trying to get used to drawing Hulk.

Oh yeah I know all about Waid and Hulk lol, I listened to the podcast where he first said that. He also doesn’t like Thor or Wonder Woman, he’s not a fantasy guy he’s a scifi guy by his own admission. Cates drawing on Waid’s take for Hulk isn’t something I want. This feels so jarring after Ewing.

So Waid is kinda inept? I mean he is a sci-fi guy... what the hell does he think Hulk is? Especially back then before Ewing brought in so much mysticism. Also he wrote DOCTOR STRANGE lol, the most fantasy character in Marvel. Honestly i think he just didn't know much about Hulk and was much making up excuses.
"I am a sci-fi guy, now let me write Doctor Strange" lol.
Anyway yea as i said many times before reading this felt like a whiplash after Ewings Immortal Hulk.

[Intothevoid]

Abomination does return in gamma flight. Leader in immortal hulk got some cool moments than abomination does

Oh i know, i saw it. Not really a fan of the art, he looks like a giant teddy bear, his face looks too "warm" and not a... well an abomination...

[Toxin45]

Oh i know, i saw it. Not really a fan of the art, he looks like a giant teddy bear, his face looks too "warm" and not a... well an abomination...

Lol leader is the true arch villain to the hulk these days always have been

[ChrisIII]

Actually kind of getting merged/professor feelings from the dialogue. Same kind of humor he usually had while "smashing" at the same time.

[ChrisIII]

Oh i know, i saw it. Not really a fan of the art, he looks like a giant teddy bear, his face looks too "warm" and not a... well an abomination...

It's kind of the way he used to look I think I think-the 90s in particular made him look even more reptilian and also I think half his face was melted off back then as well.

[Kingkalamari]

Yikes, that page of dialogue reads more like Peter Parker than Bruce Banner. Quippy and cocky while jesting about their own show of force, cant say I'm a fan.

Based on this gonna guess all the personalities either merge, sacrifice, or stay in hell for Bruce to return back in the body alone at the end of IH.

[McFarlane's Green Hulk]

Read it, NOT A FAN.
This series might go over like a fart in church.

[Kingkalamari]

Wow, some big reveals in Gamma Flight #3 and some familiar faces returning. Probably my favorite issue so far.

Really wish this arc wasnt being resolved in two issues. Feel like it could have five more.

[ChrisIII]

Yikes, that page of dialogue reads more like Peter Parker than Bruce Banner. Quippy and cocky while jesting about their own show of force, cant say I'm a fan.

Based on this gonna guess all the personalities either merge, sacrifice, or stay in hell for Bruce to return back in the body alone at the end of IH.

I think the cocky/jesting was something Merged did a lot. Especially in the earlier issues. "The Doctor is in. I admit, I'm not a medical Doctor, but I see you have to heavily medicated!" (While smashing one of Maestro's dog robots). etc.

[Kolwyr]

A couple of cool commissions...

[Dinosaur Hulk]

November solicits are out. So uh did somebody order Aaron 2.0?...

“MAD SCIENTIST” Part 1 of 6

The uncontrollable rage of the Hulk has reached an all-new level, and nobody – including the Avengers – is prepared to handle it. But is it really the Hulk that people should be afraid of, or is there something missing to this puzzle? Join the superstar creative team of Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley as they look to the stars for the next era of HULK!