Bruce Banner, The Incredible Hulk Appreciation 2022

[Vordan]

I love this Rugg guy already,

MFR: What story arc did you like the least?
RUGG: The Pantheon. I hated it. It was the storyline that made me quit reading Hulk. And when I look at it critically, it’s the least Hulk-like arc and runs for 4 years. I can see how a creator would go in this direction. It’s a different take on the character. But I feel like it turned a unique character into something generic. It featured a civilized Hulk in a costume – i.e. like most of Marvel’s superheroes. And Hulk was constantly getting his ass kicked during this arc. I don’t read Hulk because I want to see Hulk smashed. The supporting cast of the Pantheon bored me as well.

I love creators that dont mince words and are brutally honest, when i got to this question i expected the generic response "Oh all of it was great i dont have any story line i like the least", nah he just straight up says he hated it lol. I look forward to Hulk Grand design a lot more now.

I appreciate the honesty even if it likely will tweak some noses lol

[ChrisIII]

Like a lot of Hulk's more 'stable' periods (The Banner Hulk, Joe Fixit, The later parts of Planet Hulk, pretty much anytime he joins the Avengers outside of the MCU,that short part where he was willing to work with Ross until Betty died,I suppose you can kind of count Shadow Base as well) of course the Pantheon crashed and burned in spectacular fashion pretty much. Merged/Professor becoming more unstable (The Savage Banner, for instance) Betty almost dying the first time, Hulk and Betty forced to hide in Florida etc...kind of the beginning of the end for that particular version of the Hulk, although Merged/Professor did have a small re-emergence during the Jenkins run (Not sure if he's really been seen since? He's mentioned in a few issues of Immortal as being dormant and of course he appeared on one of the covers but that's it-although the current MCU version is often addressed the same).

Kind of a recurring theme of Hulk, or sort of a tragedy. Seems like he might have things together, even if he's not 'cured', but then things go straight to hell (Although usually due in part to outside parties rather than Hulk himself).

[McFarlane's Green Hulk]

Hopefully this link works.
Peter David is suffering from kidney failure.

https://www.facebook.com/peter.david...87404384688562

[SJNeal]

Hopefully this link works.
Peter David is suffering from kidney failure.

https://www.facebook.com/peter.david...87404384688562

Goddamn it...

[Vordan]

Hopefully this link works.
Peter David is suffering from kidney failure.

https://www.facebook.com/peter.david...87404384688562

My sympathies go out to him

[Baron of Faltine]

Goddamn it...

This is not a good news, at all.

[Cth]

Some more covers I haven't seen posted:

[Cth]

Bonus image:

[Rzerox21xx]

https://monkeysfightingrobots.co/mar...review-hulk-4/

Damn I know Ryan is known for his violent artwork but to see the Jim Lee style X-MEN get slaughtered is too much. kinda weird for Bruce to ask about Moon Knight and Blade, 2 characters he hardly interacted with on panel.

[Intothevoid]

https://monkeysfightingrobots.co/mar...review-hulk-4/

Damn I know Ryan is known for his violent artwork but to see the Jim Lee style X-MEN get slaughtered is too much. kinda weird for Bruce to ask about Moon Knight and Blade, 2 characters he hardly interacted with on panel.

That was the FIRST thing that came to my mind as i read that. Why would he ask about Blade or Moon Knight, the 2 characters he BARELY EVER interacted with and not start with the more obvious Captain America, Doctor Strange, Thor, any of the F4 members... I mean it's a minor gripe but its just so weird...

[Cth]

Agreed it is a bit weird, although I can imagine the Avengers aren't the first he's asking about given their history.. Strange absolutely though. The FF are also in a group that tends to fight with him, aside from Ewing's run but that's another story. So being generous, anyone involved in the Illuminati probably aren't high on his list (side note, surprised they didn't do the Dr Strange Crossroads thing and exile him to another reality)

But Blade and Moon Knight... only thing I can think of is MCU synergy which Marvel writers tend to do a lot recently.

The real question is does this set up Chekov's gun? Will we see Ross in a Hulkbuster Iron-man suit or something? Is that what's approached the base at the end of the preview?

[Intothevoid]

Agreed it is a bit weird, although I can imagine the Avengers aren't the first he's asking about given their history.. Strange absolutely though. The FF are also in a group that tends to fight with him, aside from Ewing's run but that's another story. So being generous, anyone involved in the Illuminati probably aren't high on his list (side note, surprised they didn't do the Dr Strange Crossroads thing and exile him to another reality)

But Blade and Moon Knight... only thing I can think of is MCU synergy which Marvel writers tend to do a lot recently.

The real question is does this set up Chekov's gun? Will we see Ross in a Hulkbuster Iron-man suit or something? Is that what's approached the base at the end of the preview?

I mean he would ask for the core Avengers members first in this context. Because we are not talking about how "friendly" Hulk/Banner is with them here, but how familiar. Obviously even if Banner absolutely despised the Avengers right now his first thought would be in this situation. Where are the Avengers? Aren't they suppose to protect the world from this? He wouldn't go, where is Moon Knight? lol. Not only is he barley familiar with Moon Knight, i am sorry but no one would be asking for Moon Knight in a situation where America went crazy and nuked the whole world, genocided the entire X-men population and instated a dictatorship.

[McFarlane's Green Hulk]

Incredible Hulk #374
“No Autographs”

Cover Date: October 1990
Sale Date: August 21st, 1990
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Dale Keown
Inker: Bob McCleod
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Guest Stars/Supporting Cast: Rick Jones, Betty Banner,
Villain: Super Skrull
Synopsis: Open to Rick Jones getting tackled in an alley by an unidentified person. After clobbering him with his favorite guitar, he is shocked to run into the Fantastic Four’s Thing. The small talk is cut short when the Thing backhands him and morphs into a little girl with pig-tails and a pink dress. Elsewhere, the Hulk fends off a group of muggers from Betty and they discuss their next move in finding Rick…who we now find tied up and having visions and arguments with his past self. Morning comes and a very impatient and grumpy Bruce Banner is not in a particular mood to chat with Betty and her overnight dealings with the Hulk. More Rick interactions with other past identities, this time with his small stint as Bucky. Bruce and Betty arrive at the bookstore Rick is supposed to be at, but the store owner says he didn’t show. His dismissive demeanor about Rick pisses off Bruce even more, and Betty calls him out on it. Bruce admits that “he’s tired of the world doing whatever it wants to me and mine.” Betty counters with getting some decent sleep or he’ll go crazy…to which Bruce closes with, “You’re talking to a man who presently has three personalities. What makes you think I’m not crazy now?” Back to Rick, and this time it appears the interrogation by his mysterious attackers has broken him. Bruce and Betty arrive and the police station and are given the same dismissive attitude about Rick’s disappearance by the police. Again Bruce is pissed at this and threatens to “push this whole town down around your ears!” before Betty intervenes. A little girl with pig-tails tugs at Bruce’s leg and says she knows where Rick is. At that moment, Rick is finished playing possum and takes out his Bucky impersonator and swipes his uniform…and is startled at what he sees (but we the readers don’t just yet.) The issue ends with Bruce and Betty being led to a building where the little girl is revealed to be the Super Skrull…
Commentary: I remember getting this during our family trip to Washington D.C., along with Spider-Man #3. McFarlane’s new series was damn popular and I didn’t want to miss an issue, no matter where I was.
I found this issue a little boring, not much Hulk action. I did geek out at on page 23, where Rick was interrogated about his partners and identities, and we see the Rick Jones Hulk. For the longest time, I had no idea who the other green brute was supposed to be, until I ran across Rom #72 in the 25 cent bin at my LCS. I flipped through it and went “Ohhhh, ok. Got it.” It would be another 20 years until I actually read the issue on my Rom read-through. At the moment, I’m in a second attempt at a Rom read-through and not having much luck, and am thinking about ridding myself of this series. My stint with Covid a couple months ago put me in a weird head space with my life, job and collecting mentality. I joked that if I had to quarantine, etc. I would have plenty to read. But all I did was stare at bookshelves and stacks upon stacks of attempted reading and go “WHY do I have this?” I am past the point of having stuff to have it. Even my Hulk collection isn’t safe. (Honestly, there’s some stuff from 20 years ago I look at and in my best Butt-Head voice go “Ehhhh…this sucks.” So I’m doing a hard-core review of stuff I haven’t touched in decades; dropping them off and my LCS to see if he’s interested and then taking them to Half-Priced Books. Ultimate goal is to be able to remove one entire lateral file cabinet of comics from my loft.

[mugiwara]

A question for Hulk historians: did he ever fight Bulldozer without the rest of the Wrecking Crew?

I have a vague memory of an issue where Hulk was chilling in a cave, and some villain attacked him. And I believe the villain was charging and headbutting, but it was not the Rhino.

[Shadowcat]

That is heartbreaking news. My thoughts go out to his family.