What did you think of the Bruce Jones run of the Incredible Hulk?

[Mister Mets]

Recently, I've started rereading the Bruce Jones run of the Incredible Hulk. It got initial critical acclaim, and seemed inspired by the 1970s TV show (at the time, the most high-profile Hulk adaptation) with Bruce Banner on the run, framed and chased by a strange conspiracy.

What did you think of the run? Did you have any favorite or not so favorite stories?

[ChrisIII]

Thought it was good at first but kind of got weighed down and drawn out (although to be honest I stopped reading it around the weird absorbing man arc which was kind of intended to tie in with the movie).


Despite it being fairly long it seems to be pretty much ignored or treated as non-canon by later authors. Betty was brought back during the Red Hulk saga but with no mention of this (although I don't think it mentions Tempest Fugit either). Ditto with Samson and Leader.

Kind of wonder if there's ever going to be kind of an explanation to what Hulk canonically was doing during the 'real' story of the run (Between him being cured of Lou Gehrig in Jenkin's run and Tempest Fugit/Planet Hulk prelude)? Like Hulk: The Hidden years or something (Which dealt with the original X-men's lost adventures while the main book was a reprint)

Kind of helps that when Hulk appeared in other comics in FF, Avengers etc. they just kind of went with a generic persona or savage, which kind of fits that he was still using the Paul Jenkins Savage/Joe/Professor rotating system and didn't mention the events of Hulk's own book.

Think the Order series happened around the same time too, could explain why Professor was made dormant since he kind of was evil there...(although so was Joe).

[jebsib]

It was terrible.

And VERY emblematic of it's time:
Bill Jemas / Axel Alonso's attempt to deconstruct the Marvel Universe & essentially burn down the House that Stan built.

Bruce Jones - who had not been on the scene in 20 years - was dug out to essentially write a DC Vertigo book - continuity, character and logic be damned.
It was a 40 issue decompression arc with a payoff that sucked and didn't even flow with previously established tone / clues.
When the run wrapped, Jones then went back into mainstream obscurity.

The good:
Fair art (Promising JRJR, Mike Deodato Jr alongside murky, hard to follow fill-ins)
Oddball but interesting covers - rarely reflected story inside, but that was the Jemas mandate at the time.

The Bad:
PAD and Pak's retcons were well-intentioned (and necessary) but left the era even more murky in terms of what actually happened.

[LifeIsILL]

Well Hulk seems to be always on the run in those older comics. I really liked this run for the most part, some parts are a bit confusing, villains were weak. But Banner traveling from one old dilapidated town to the next was always interesting.

It actually got me into Hulk comics, since I just couldn't bring myself to read the 70s-80s Hulk runs, I just could not stand Hulk's dialogue at that time.

[kcekada]

I read a good bit of it -- not every issue. Probably not as good as Peter David's run, but different from other runs and engaging. Haven't looked at those issues in 20 years.

[Username taken]

It was an odd run in that it featured very little Hulk.

A lot of it was suspense with Banner being constantly hunted.

It was actually well-written but as others have pointed out, it was extremely decompressed. It was one of those "wait for the trade" type books.

[Ptrvc]

Bruce Jones run was a good idea for a six issue arc. The problem was that it went on for a lot longer than that.

[McFarlane's Green Hulk]

It was terrible.

And VERY emblematic of it's time:
Bill Jemas / Axel Alonso's attempt to deconstruct the Marvel Universe & essentially burn down the House that Stan built.

Bruce Jones - who had not been on the scene in 20 years - was dug out to essentially write a DC Vertigo book - continuity, character and logic be damned.
It was a 40 issue decompression arc with a payoff that sucked and didn't even flow with previously established tone / clues.
When the run wrapped, Jones then went back into mainstream obscurity.

The good:
Fair art (Promising JRJR, Mike Deodato Jr alongside murky, hard to follow fill-ins)
Oddball but interesting covers - rarely reflected story inside, but that was the Jemas mandate at the time.

The Bad:
PAD and Pak's retcons were well-intentioned (and necessary) but left the era even more murky in terms of what actually happened.

Exactly this.

[Quill-Han-Vos]

His early 80's run on the Ka-Zar the Savage ongoing is much better in my opinion.

[ChrisIII]

It was terrible.

And VERY emblematic of it's time:
Bill Jemas / Axel Alonso's attempt to deconstruct the Marvel Universe & essentially burn down the House that Stan built.

Bruce Jones - who had not been on the scene in 20 years - was dug out to essentially write a DC Vertigo book - continuity, character and logic be damned.
It was a 40 issue decompression arc with a payoff that sucked and didn't even flow with previously established tone / clues.
When the run wrapped, Jones then went back into mainstream obscurity.

The good:
Fair art (Promising JRJR, Mike Deodato Jr alongside murky, hard to follow fill-ins)
Oddball but interesting covers - rarely reflected story inside, but that was the Jemas mandate at the time.

The Bad:
PAD and Pak's retcons were well-intentioned (and necessary) but left the era even more murky in terms of what actually happened.

The Vegas inciddent in FF definetly happened, and Hulk was involved in some capacity in the counterattack against Kang during the Kang War I think, although the same panel shows Wolverine in his yellow costume during a time when he was wearing the black jacket or some variation (Like the 2003 look that debuted in the Evolution toon which was designed to be his standard look across all universes). Although I'm not sure where the Kang Dynasty story arc takes place relative to New X-men.

[Mister Mets]

I'm reading through it right now. I thought the first two issues were great.



The Incredible Hulk Volume 2 #34
This is a single issue introduction to the Jones run, setting up a new status quo. Bruce Banner is on the run, blamed for the death of a young child. He’s hiding out in a cheap hotel in St. Louis , surrounded by gangs. One of his neighbors is Jerome, a promising high school student who is getting a bit too deep into the local scum-bags. So Bruce has to decide whether to talk away, or whether to expose himself.
The issue gives a sense of what this run is going to be. Bruce Banner’s on the run, and just like the old 1970s TV show, the stories of the bystanders are just as important. We don’t see the Hulk. He’s kinda like the shark in Jaws. We get a few hints of an ongoing mystery as Bruce has an online ally. It certainly works here, even if I’m not sure the run ever matches the calling card.
The sense of atmosphere is incredible. John Romita Jr exercises different muscles than we usually see from him. Jerome’s story is compelling, as is Bruce’s quest to just stay out of trouble.
A+





The Incredible Hulk Volume 2 #35
This was a silent issue, part of Marvel’s ‘Nuff said initiative. Bruce found his way to a midwestern diner, where he tries to make nice with a little girl, but it turns out she’s autistic. Mysterious agents follow him there, and he tries to escape.
Jones and Romita take what worked in the first issue and do it again without dialogue. But it’s perfectly fine here, especially with a bystander who isn’t able to articulate effectively. There are decent cat and mouse sequences, and I like Bruce’s dream. When he Hulks out, it is earned.
A

[Mister Mets]

In the first full arc, it's not quite on that level.



The Incredible Hulk Volume 2 #36-39
In the first full arc of the Jones run, he’s got new enemies tracking him: Doc Samson, a ridiculously effective hitman in Slater, Verdugo ( a seemingly immortal woman who may be the mother of the kid who Bruce Banner is accused of killing) and something else that seems to be killing people and possessing their bodies. It culminates in a showdown in a diner.

Some of the best scenes are about the bystanders, like Bruce having a friendly conversation with a truck driver or Samson helping a kid out with bullies. A pet peeve is protagonists in serials stumbling into situations that are unlikely, although some of it’s earned like a young driver making a serious mistake. The plot against Bruce is solid; there’s a good sense that the bad guys have an effective strategy against something as powerful as the Hulk.
The mystery is already getting convoluted with body jumping bad guys and faked deaths and multiple villains with their own agenda, and I don’t remember any satisfying conclusion to it. It also makes it difficult to care about some of the characters if I don’t get a sense of their stakes. Once Verdugo kills a bystander, it’s pretty much immoral for Bruce or Samson to consider working with her (even if they’re not fully aware) and it’s hard to get a read on what’s goin on. Verdugo tells a story that’s immediately seen as a lie, which also just highlights the difficulty of getting your bearings here. And it’s getting a bit repetitive, with Bruce going to diners, communicating online with the mysterious Mr. Blue and fighting weird agents.

The story also feels a bit padded at times. A cliffhanger involves Verdugo taking off her towel to explain how she’ll distract Bruce. And then the actual ending is really sudden; it’s one thing to be mysterious, it’s another to skip over major action set pieces, and just cut to the aftermath.
B