Bruce Banner: The Hulk Appreciation 2020

[Jness]

Oh snap!! How did I not clue into this?!?!

[Intothevoid]

I hope someone super familiar with continuity can give some annotations for the issue. I love finding out where Ewing's specific nods come from.

https://twitter.com/Gary_M_Miller/st...55114113294336

All the sources.

[Immortal Hulk]

https://twitter.com/Gary_M_Miller/st...55114113294336

All the sources.

Gary is a Hulk encyclopedia.

Btw, I have to read this issue for the 3rd time.

[The Cool Thatguy]

I love these kind of stories, where old canon is used to give life to an over reaching arc.

[Jody Garland]

https://twitter.com/Gary_M_Miller/st...55114113294336

All the sources.

Thanks! That's exactly what I was looking for.

A few notes from myself on the issue: The title (The Apotheosis of Samuel Sterns) draws upon the ancient religious tradition of apotheosis, a fancy term for a human ascending to godhood or divinity. As a term, in our Judaeo-Christian oriented society, it's largely fallen out of favor and been replaced with synonyms (IE, the Catholic Church, which uses terms like divination and deification to describe the ascension of Christ). Where it has lived on, however, is in the artistic tradition. There are buttloads of paintings that follow the "The Apotheosis of X" nomenclature; for reference, Ingres' "The Apotheosis of Homer"

The interesting thing about this story, though, is how it intermingles science and the religious. IMO, this issue works fantastically as a piece of religious horror as Sterns begins to understand what *really* makes his universe work and how the lines between his science and religious get increasingly blurry the farther down the rabbit hole you go. It draws to mind a quote from Peter Atkins on the Wikipedia page for apotheosis that could have been the page quotation had Ewing not went the lyrical route: "Science, above all, respects the power of the human intellect. Science is the apotheosis of the intellect and the consummation of the Renaissance. Science respects more deeply the potential of humanity than religion ever can".

In a way, Sterns is sort of an Alchemist figure in Ewing's Gamma cosmology, a post-modern Nicolas Flammel (Who also sought alchemical immortality as Sterns has achieved here) or Isaac Newton. I'm not entirely sure what, if anything, it all means yet, but it puts him staunchly at odds with the other gamma figures (Banner as the Anti-Christ figure whose apotheosis seeks destruction, Rick as the world's most unfortunate Christ analogue whose resurrection wasn't really him anyways and certainly isn't going to lead to anything good).

The One Below All calling Sterns "His Son" brings to mind the epigraph Ewing used for issue 12: ""Ye are of your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." (John 8:44). The talk of "his mark" brings to mind the Mark of Cain as well. And that goes without saying, if the son of The One Above All would be Christ, then the son of the One Below All would be Anti-Christ-like at the least....

[HulkSmash!]

Thanks! That's exactly what I was looking for.

You're welcome! It took up a good hour or so of my morning, but it was definitely a project worth completing. When others see impenetrable continuity, I just see a challenge.

I also really enjoyed the dichotomy Ewing explored between the scientific and the spiritual. When you think about it, he's been doing it during the whole run, specifically because of how he discussed Gamma Rays. Puck's speech in The Hell Below All Hells brings it all home, about Gamma following rules and then it doesn't. Can't wait to see things progress.

Has the Leader ever been more evil and insidious than during this run, with just one issue looking back at his history? I think not...

And hey, if the Leader is the "son" of The One Below All, what's that make the Hulk? Things that make you go hmmmm.....

~G.

[Jness]

You're welcome! It took up a good hour or so of my morning, but it was definitely a project worth completing. When others see impenetrable continuity, I just see a challenge.

I also really enjoyed the dichotomy Ewing explored between the scientific and the spiritual. When you think about it, he's been doing it during the whole run, specifically because of how he discussed Gamma Rays. Puck's speech in The Hell Below All Hells brings it all home, about Gamma following rules and then it doesn't. Can't wait to see things progress.

Has the Leader ever been more evil and insidious than during this run, with just one issue looking back at his history? I think not...

And hey, if the Leader is the "son" of The One Below All, what's that make the Hulk? Things that make you go hmmmm.....

~G.

"Tell me, Bruce Banner...what will you become?" =)

[juan678]

https://twitter.com/Marvel_FFightUS/...87079894163456

[ChrisIII]

Cool that he managed to work even the Omnibus tangent in there. And of course skips over the Jones run.

[Immortal Hulk]

You're welcome! It took up a good hour or so of my morning, but it was definitely a project worth completing. When others see impenetrable continuity, I just see a challenge.

I also really enjoyed the dichotomy Ewing explored between the scientific and the spiritual. When you think about it, he's been doing it during the whole run, specifically because of how he discussed Gamma Rays. Puck's speech in The Hell Below All Hells brings it all home, about Gamma following rules and then it doesn't. Can't wait to see things progress.

Has the Leader ever been more evil and insidious than during this run, with just one issue looking back at his history? I think not...

And hey, if the Leader is the "son" of The One Below All, what's that make the Hulk? Things that make you go hmmmm.....

~G.

I'd say all Gamma Beings are TOBA's sons in a way.

[your_name_here]

You're welcome! It took up a good hour or so of my morning, but it was definitely a project worth completing. When others see impenetrable continuity, I just see a challenge.

I also really enjoyed the dichotomy Ewing explored between the scientific and the spiritual. When you think about it, he's been doing it during the whole run, specifically because of how he discussed Gamma Rays. Puck's speech in The Hell Below All Hells brings it all home, about Gamma following rules and then it doesn't. Can't wait to see things progress.

Has the Leader ever been more evil and insidious than during this run, with just one issue looking back at his history? I think not...

And hey, if the Leader is the "son" of The One Below All, what's that make the Hulk? Things that make you go hmmmm.....

~G.

Wonder if the two cribs we saw back in The Hell arc are referring to Hulk and the Leader, the two sons of TOBA?

[Immortal Hulk]

So, reading the issue again, it seems that Ewing will correct the crap Aaron (as usual) did to She-Hulk. If someone can, it's him.

[Vordan]

Wonder if the two cribs we saw back in The Hell arc are referring to Hulk and the Leader, the two sons of TOBA?

Damn good insight, that’s probably exactly what that was foreshadowing.

[McFarlane's Green Hulk]

RIP Joe Sinnott...


Sal & Joe


Pure Joe


Pure Joe

[Jness]

RIP Joe Sinnott...


Sal & Joe


Pure Joe


Pure Joe

Where is the first image from? Would be interested to read that story. Also really love that they drew the Hulk with more of Banner's facial features there...it's a subtle touch but one I enjoy.