Bruce Banner - The Hulk Appreciation 2021

[Immortal Hulk]

Incredible Hulk #328
“Piece of Mind”

Cover Date: February 1987
Sale Date: November 11th, 1986
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Dwayne Turner
Inker: Tony DeZuniga
Letterer: Janice Chainge
Colorist: Petra Scotese
Editor: Bob Harras
Villain: Fragment
Synopsis: Bruce Banner is contemplating current events in his life and ends up having a fever dream that results in a battle with a mental creature called Fragment. He transforms into the Hulk and they fight, with plenty of mental games. A figment of Rick Jones tries encouraging Banner to commit suicide, but Banner chooses to live and is able to fully suppress the Hulk from emerging again. Believing the entire event never happened, he gets back into his jeep and heads back to Gamma Base…leaving behind the cackling eyes of Fragment.
Commentary: Peter David’s first issue on the Hulk. Obviously done as a filler issue, as there is barely any attachment to the current storyline, other than an acknowledgement of Rick’s plight as the new Hulk and Betty’s dismay. Dwayne Turner wasn’t a good artist for the Hulk either…at least not at this time. Very, very early on in his career and DeZuniga’s inks didn’t help at all. I avoided this for years, as I read this on another Shopko excursion and had a very mild reaction to the story and art. I still wasn’t into the Gray Hulk and his look wasn’t very consistent in this either – was he or wasn’t he wearing a tattered shirt over his shoulders? Was this the old school bowl-cut look or just a funny part down the middle?

My first issue; the one that made me start collecting this comic.

[McFarlane's Green Hulk]

odd issue.. I hadn't quite yet started buying the gray hulk issues yet. the night-time changing was odd.. and Fragment. did we ever see him/it again? oh well..

Surprisingly, he's never made a comeback. Considering how many one-off tales PAD did during his tenure, I'm shocked he never showed up again.

[Immortal Hulk]

I'd love to see Half-Life again. He would've fit so well into the horror atmosphere of Immortal Hulk.

[nj06]

That IH preview looks gruesome and the U-Foes look like they might be getting a serious beating. I'm glad that we are going to see the Hulk be strong again. He's been taking some L's since the Leader revealed himself and payback is in order. I also like the red veins and glowing red eyes.

[Immortal Hulk]

Immortal Hulk #50 cover by the master Alex Ross! 80 pages from one of the most epic runs ever.

[Vordan]

Immortal Hulk #50 cover by the master Alex Ross! 80 pages from one of the most epic runs ever.

Yeah that’s definitely a “grand finale” cover. Ross really stepped it up with his covers for this series, some of his best work ever.

[Dinosaur Hulk]

I am... speachless. W O W. What a cover!!!
Interesting what Bennett will come up with.

[Hypestyle]

So who is the outlined figure in white? Somebody we've seen yet? Or someone totally new?
really, a roll call is in order.. lol.

[TCHRISJ]

So who is the outlined figure in white? Somebody we've seen yet? Or someone totally new?
really, a roll call is in order.. lol.

Looks like the being from #46, kinda reminds me of Metraton too
RCO018_w_1608149722.jpg

[Intothevoid]

What an amazing cover...

Few things to keep in mind, Ross gets the "general" idea of what the issue is about that he gets the cover for, so not all covers are 100% accurate, in fact sometimes they are quite misleading but almost always they do show the characters that will at least appear, even if they don't appear exactly in the same way, like we know covers for 46, 47, etc... show the return of Immortal Hulk but he looks like regular green Hulk while in the comics we know he is much different.

In that same way i asked Ewing a long time ago and he answered in a video format that yes TOAA himself will appear in IH and he will have some things to say about TOBA.

So IMO looking at the cover i think we can safely say that the last issue at least the final fight perhaps will take place in Hell, TOAA will appear himself most likely, we are gonna see a bunch of other characters that have been either the supporting casts or the antagonists of the series. Other than that it's anyone's guess.

[ChrisIII]

Yeah, a few months ago his cover for the Devil Hulk vs. Leader/Green Scar issue had the merged/ Professor Hulk, Maestro, and even Guardian Glow, and Goblin, none of whom appear in that issue.


Also on two covers he portrayed Sunshine Joe wearing his old business suit and hat, instead of the Hawaiian shirt/sunglasses combo we normally see (and more recently the beard and long hair, although one of his covers did have that).

[ChrisIII]

odd issue.. I hadn't quite yet started buying the gray hulk issues yet. the night-time changing was odd.. and Fragment. did we ever see him/it again? oh well..

The night time transformation was the original method of transformation, and there were a few other ways (such as a gamma ray projector) before they settled on the angry/stress thing. It then came back for the Grey Hulk run, and then again for the Immortal Hulk.

[Immortal Hulk]

Looks like the being from #46, kinda reminds me of Metraton too
RCO018_w_1608149722.jpg

Exactly, it's either Metatron - Sentience of the Cosmos or TOAA.

What an amazing cover...

Few things to keep in mind, Ross gets the "general" idea of what the issue is about that he gets the cover for, so not all covers are 100% accurate, in fact sometimes they are quite misleading but almost always they do show the characters that will at least appear, even if they don't appear exactly in the same way, like we know covers for 46, 47, etc... show the return of Immortal Hulk but he looks like regular green Hulk while in the comics we know he is much different.

In that same way i asked Ewing a long time ago and he answered in a video format that yes TOAA himself will appear in IH and he will have some things to say about TOBA.

So IMO looking at the cover i think we can safely say that the last issue at least the final fight perhaps will take place in Hell, TOAA will appear himself most likely, we are gonna see a bunch of other characters that have been either the supporting casts or the antagonists of the series. Other than that it's anyone's guess.

TOAA & TOBA confronting themselves can be incredible.

Btw, I believe you mean the Devil Hulk.

[ChrisIII]

The book of Job, curiously, is where Satan first shows up, at least by name (He's often identified with the serpent in Genesis as well, at least by later interpetation).

[HeavenlyDemonic]

Yeah, a few months ago his cover for the Devil Hulk vs. Leader/Green Scar issue had the merged/ Professor Hulk, Maestro, and even Guardian Glow, and Goblin, none of whom appear in that issue.


Also on two covers he portrayed Sunshine Joe wearing his old business suit and hat, instead of the Hawaiian shirt/sunglasses combo we normally see (and more recently the beard and long hair, although one of his covers did have that).

Al Ewing Said That Alex Ross is commissioned to do a cover months before the accompanying issue is even written or completed. He also said that he had originally intended for Guardian, Glow and Goblin to appear in that issue, but as the story progresses, he decided that there wasn’t space for them narratively.