Bruce Banner: The Hulk Appreciation 2018

[McFarlane's Green Hulk]

New commission by Ron Frenz;
"old & new"

[DamianBane]

So, is anyone else reading Thor Vs. Hulk: Champions of the Universe?

This makes me excited for Ragnarok

[ultimatehulk33]

Curious to hear everyone's favorite artist to work on the Hulk comics?
Mine definitely has to be Mike Deotato Jr. his run on Incredible with Bruce Jones was one of the best illustrated Hulks I've seen.

[McFarlane's Green Hulk]

Sal Buscema is tops for me on the classic green Hulk.
Todd McFarlane is tops for the Gray Hulk.
Gary Frank edges out Dale Keown for the Merged Hulk (only because Keown bailed for Image before issue #400 -- which he was planning to draw!)

Honorable mentions go to Art Adams, Herb Trimpe, Steve Ditko, Marie Severin, Deodato Jr. and a bunch of others I'm drawing blanks on.

[McFarlane's Green Hulk]

Gary Frank HULK #340 recreations;

[David Walton]

Curious to hear everyone's favorite artist to work on the Hulk comics?
Mine definitely has to be Mike Deotato Jr. his run on Incredible with Bruce Jones was one of the best illustrated Hulks I've seen.

I don't know that I have an absolute favorite, as there have been so many great artists to work on The Incredible Hulk over the years.

But I do feel like Jeff Purves doesn't get enough credit for his work, in spite of having illustrated most of the Joe Fixit era. I hardly ever see his name come up in Hulk discussions. I feel like most artists gave grey Hulk too much of a superheroic sensibility, including McFarlane, but Purves captured the grit and sheer spite perfectly.

[ultimatehulk33]

Love Gary Frank as an artist oddly enough I've never seen his run with Peter David, might try and track some down

[McFarlane's Green Hulk]

I don't know that I have an absolute favorite, as there have been so many great artists to work on The Incredible Hulk over the years.

But I do feel like Jeff Purves doesn't get enough credit for his work, in spite of having illustrated most of the Joe Fixit era. I hardly ever see his name come up in Hulk discussions. I feel like most artists gave grey Hulk too much of a superheroic sensibility, including McFarlane, but Purves captured the grit and sheer spite perfectly.

Coming off the McFarlane run was a tough act to follow; their styles were miles apart. I was not a fan back in the day.
Learned to appreciate it over the years, but according to PAD in an article he wrote in Amazing Heroes ages ago, Purves wasn't into the super-hero genre. He preferred fantasy, which showed in issues #351 and 352.
I also think he never had a good inker that complimented his style, and when Marie Severin was paired with him, it looked good. Towards the end, it looked more Severin than Purves...then he abruptly quit and never looked back.

[McFarlane's Green Hulk]

Love Gary Frank as an artist oddly enough I've never seen his run with Peter David, might try and track some down

Cam Smith was a great inker for him back in the `90's.
Smoothed out the rough edges, but I'm down for modern Gary Frank as well. Those sketches are great, and he never got to draw the Gray Hulk, except for one panel in one issue.

[McFarlane's Green Hulk]

Simon Williams inks over McFarlane turn-around sketch...

[David Walton]

Coming off the McFarlane run was a tough act to follow; their styles were miles apart. I was not a fan back in the day.
Learned to appreciate it over the years, but according to PAD in an article he wrote in Amazing Heroes ages ago, Purves wasn't into the super-hero genre. He preferred fantasy, which showed in issues #351 and 352.
I also think he never had a good inker that complimented his style, and when Marie Severin was paired with him, it looked good. Towards the end, it looked more Severin than Purves...then he abruptly quit and never looked back.

Ah, thanks for the additional info. That makes a lot of sense. The 'Jarella's world' and Cloot issues were some of Purves' best.

Overall, I tend to prefer McFarlane as well. But there's something kind of cool and unique about Purves' work on Hulk that I can't quite put my finger on, and it seems to fit the mood of the Joe Fixit era perfectly. Maybe it's because McFarlane's eccentric style eventually came to be seen as mainstream, whereas the same can't be said of Purves. He doesn't really have any imitators, at least not as far as the Hulk's look is concerned.

[David Walton]

Has Peter David ever said what his intentions for Janis were when he brought her back in his last year on Incredible Hulk? She says there's another tyrant that's taken Maestro's place, but nothing ever comes of it.

[McFarlane's Green Hulk]

Ah, thanks for the additional info. That makes a lot of sense. The 'Jarella's world' and Cloot issues were some of Purves' best.

Overall, I tend to prefer McFarlane as well. But there's something kind of cool and unique about Purves' work on Hulk that I can't quite put my finger on, and it seems to fit the mood of the Joe Fixit era perfectly. Maybe it's because McFarlane's eccentric style eventually came to be seen as mainstream, whereas the same can't be said of Purves. He doesn't really have any imitators, at least not as far as the Hulk's look is concerned.

As much as I loved McFarlane's Gray Hulk, I don't think his style would have fit the "Fixt"-era stories. At the time, the Gray Hulk was still considered a smaller, lesser-evolved version of the Green Hulk. (Story-wise, he went from green-to-gray because Rick Jones fell into the Nutrient Bath and absorbed a significant portion of gamma radiation from Banner.)



So going from a 7', half-ton green beast to a 6'6", 900 lb gray brute would shed some mass.
Not so with Todd. He made him a BEHEMOTH!
Taking on the identity of "Mr. Fixit" was supposed to keep people from knowing who he was.
Purves made him look like a big, beefy guy, which is what worked.

[Majesty]

I got a question.. has any further developments happened as of late with Betty? aka Red She-Hulk.






Or has she been MIA since Civil War?

[McFarlane's Green Hulk]

Has Peter David ever said what his intentions for Janis were when he brought her back in his last year on Incredible Hulk? She says there's another tyrant that's taken Maestro's place, but nothing ever comes of it.

I used to know this, but forgot.
I want to say it was explained in issues #451 thru 453...where that other long-haired Hulk said he was a divergent of the "Future Imperfect" story, ended up killing the Maestro, but instead of heading back to his own time, stayed to right the wrongs...and ended up almost becoming another Maestro himself.

If that makes any sense...hah!