Bruce Banner - The Hulk Appreciation 2021

[Intothevoid]

I watched the interview and it sounds like Cates is going to write a very unlikeable Hulk.

This is a problem I have with modern writers, they seem to have forgotten nuance. Now that we saw Devil Hulk kill (not the first time Hulk has taken a life before), it seems we are going to get a Banner controlled Hulk that kills people.

The Hulk has always been misunderstood and his actions misconstrued. A Bruce Banner “breaking bad” with the Hulk sounds good in a self-contained story but in the main title could be problematic down the line.

His goal is to write an unlikable Banner, which probably wont make his Hulk more likeable either.

I dont wanna drone on this forever, as i said i will give it a chance but when the writer himself openly comes out and says YOU ARE GONNA HATE the run and that he will probably lose some of the readers that does not fill me with confidence, in fact it obviously does the exact opposite.

[Lukmendes]

His goal is to write an unlikable Banner, which probably wont make his Hulk more likeable either.

I dont wanna drone on this forever, as i said i will give it a chance but when the writer himself openly comes out and says YOU ARE GONNA HATE the run and that he will probably lose some of the readers that does not fill me with confidence, in fact it obviously does the exact opposite.

Didn't Cates admit he's a fan of 90's comics? 'Cause that really would explain the way he writes some characters.

Even if he's not, he still follows a similar formula of making characters unlikable assholes, which, it can work, but you have to be really good at it to manage, and what I read of Cates, it's, not always an interesting read.

[Frontier]

I'm oddly reminded of initial interviews for his Thor run where he said Thor is like Superman...but a jerk. Which didn't really make sense.

Didn't Cates admit he's a fan of 90's comics? 'Cause that really would explain the way he writes some characters.

Even if he's not, he still follows a similar formula of making characters unlikable assholes, which, it can work, but you have to be really good at it to manage, and what I read of Cates, it's, not always an interesting read.

Well, his first prominent book was Venom, so...

[The Cool Thatguy]

I'm oddly reminded of initial interviews for his Thor run where he said Thor is like Superman...but a jerk. Which didn't really make sense.

Well, his first prominent book was Venom, so...

Everyone keeps referring back to that, even though that's not Cates' Thor at all, lol.

But yeah, it'll be a train wreck

[Lukmendes]

I'm oddly reminded of initial interviews for his Thor run where he said Thor is like Superman...but a jerk. Which didn't really make sense.

Yeah, that was just questionable...

Well, his first prominent book was Venom, so...

Which's probably why the "He writes unlikable assholes" works a bit better, but still, after a while, the way he wrote Eddie, and specially the symbiote, well, one of the things that really made my decision to drop his run on Venom not a difficult choice.

Though I did check a few issues of King in Black, but I also dropped that **** after the first issue was kinda boring and the second one, stayed boring lol.

Everyone keeps referring back to that, even though that's not Cates' Thor at all, lol.

I guess he does kind of a reverse advertisement then, since usual advertisement tries to make something look better than it really is, while Cates makes it look worse than it really is lol.

But yeah, it'll be a train wreck

Time will tell to be fair, maybe Cates will screw up, maybe not, but regardless, readers won't like his run just because it's coming out right after IH, which has happened a lot, it'll only be a few months or even years later that readers will generally get the gyst of the quality of his run.

Not saying everyone will do that, just that it's how it usually goes after something on IH's level of quality ends, which's understandable.

In my case, not a lot of hopes Cates will do something that interesting, he's very hit and miss.

[Vordan]

Didn't Cates admit he's a fan of 90's comics? 'Cause that really would explain the way he writes some characters.

Even if he's not, he still follows a similar formula of making characters unlikable assholes, which, it can work, but you have to be really good at it to manage, and what I read of Cates, it's, not always an interesting read.

Well he loves Venom so he’s definitely fond of the 90s era. I know he loves Kingdom Come for DC work, and he seems to love Todd McFarlane so I do think he’s a fan of 90s XXtreme

[ChrisIII]

We don’t know, first issue or Ewing’s last will probably clarify. Right now it seems to be Banner controlling Savage’s body like how he’s down in the past. Then I guess they’re going to space for some reason.

Preview art for #50 shows what appear to be two Hulks, but I'm guessing that's Red Joe and Savage in the mindscape or below area.

[HeavenlyDemonic]

Preview art for #50 shows what appear to be two Hulks, but I'm guessing that's Red Joe and Savage in the mindscape or below area.

Yeah, Joe and Savage split apart at the end of issue#49.

[ChrisIII]

Yeah I actually just got the issue yesterday.

We do see what appears to be Hulk pounding at a door in one of the artworks, perhaps Banner does eventually get out next issue but leaves the Hulks behind? Or maybe even becomes TOBA in some way, but different than the Galactusesque Hulk...instead of TOBA posessing Banner, it goes the other way around. A literal "Devil". Given all the other biblical subtext already, I wouldn't put it beyond Ewing. I'm wondering if it'll be like a mirror image of issue #24, but with Banner on the throne. Maybe the chair Banner is sitting in some covers and art from the new run isn't some kind of "Captain's chair" for spaceship Hulk as much as it's a throne.


Maybe that's why it's implied that Cates's Banner is sort of mad/evil.

Just guessing here.

[Hypestyle]

so now that he's going into space, no more traditional Hulk villains for a good while?

[Vordan]

so now that he's going into space, no more traditional Hulk villains for a good while?

Damn didn’t even think of that. No probably not, not unless Abomination or Leader or whoever follow him. Well there goes my hopes to see more of Hulk’s Rogues get revamped Anyone reading Cates’ Thor run, is he making OCs for Thor or using his traditional Rogues?

[Cth]

Damn didn’t even think of that. No probably not, not unless Abomination or Leader or whoever follow him. Well there goes my hopes to see more of Hulk’s Rogues get revamped Anyone reading Cates’ Thor run, is he making OCs for Thor or using his traditional Rogues?

Hulk's rogue gallery is pretty anemic.

That being said, he's got some space rogues.. Galaxy Master, Klaatu, Dark Crawler, Puffball Collective, Troyjan/Armaggedon, etc

I'm tired of the same villains, especially when watered down. Case in point, Abomination in Gamma Flight.

Likely, he'll go up against the Maker (evil Reed Richards from Ult. Univ.) -- that one is pretty much guaranteed. Which will likely result in him going through alternate universes so you may get "traditional revamped villains".. of course if they're popular they'll likely end up like Maestro did with crossing over and being watered down.

[Superfan90]

Hulk's rogue gallery is pretty anemic.

That being said, he's got some space rogues.. Galaxy Master, Klaatu, Dark Crawler, Puffball Collective, Troyjan/Armaggedon, etc

I'm tired of the same villains, especially when watered down. Case in point, Abomination in Gamma Flight.

Likely, he'll go up against the Maker (evil Reed Richards from Ult. Univ.) -- that one is pretty much guaranteed. Which will likely result in him going through alternate universes so you may get "traditional revamped villains".. of course if they're popular they'll likely end up like Maestro did with crossing over and being watered down.

Aren't most of the space villains like puffball, galaxy master and Dark Krawler dead?

[Cth]

Aren't most of the space villains like puffball, galaxy master and Dark Krawler dead?

Wasn't Bucky dead?

It's comics. Nothing ever dies permanently.

Puffball didn't die on panel. Galaxy Master reformed once before (like the Maestro). Dark Crawler's status is in limbo.

[HeavenlyDemonic]

Yeah I actually just got the issue yesterday.

We do see what appears to be Hulk pounding at a door in one of the artworks, perhaps Banner does eventually get out next issue but leaves the Hulks behind? Or maybe even becomes TOBA in some way, but different than the Galactusesque Hulk...instead of TOBA posessing Banner, it goes the other way around. A literal "Devil". Given all the other biblical subtext already, I wouldn't put it beyond Ewing. I'm wondering if it'll be like a mirror image of issue #24, but with Banner on the throne. Maybe the chair Banner is sitting in some covers and art from the new run isn't some kind of "Captain's chair" for spaceship Hulk as much as it's a throne.


Maybe that's why it's implied that Cates's Banner is sort of mad/evil.

Just guessing here.

I absolutely love your theory! It actually would make a ton of sense! The power of The TOBA could be influencing Bruce into going into space to gain more power for itself 🤔