Red Hulk: Scorched Earth

Hulk (2008) (Collected Editions) #7

by Jeff Parker, Gabriel Hardman (Illustrator), Ed McGuinness (Illustrator)

Take cover, here comes a rampaging engine of awesome force--and we're talking about our creative team of Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman bringing Red Hulk into a new age of sci-fi adventure! The score has been settled, Red Hulk has been beaten by the Incredible Hulk decisively. The war is over and Steve Rogers is on tap to give these explosive characters a sense of direction! Red Hulk heads out to deal with a deadly contingency plan left behind by Leader and MODOK, for once on the side of the angels. But Iron Man didn't get the message.

Collecting: Hulk 25-30

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Bande Dessinée

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Димитър Цолов · Rating 3 out of 5]

Спешно издирвам дилъра на сценариста, за да разбера какво точно му е продал, преди да седне да дращи текстовите наброски на тая графична новела... Убеден съм, че Marvel могат да ни предложат и по-стойностни неща от нелепи, тъпомеро-чупещи сюжети. Поне артът е без забележка.

[Felix Zilich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Не люблю, когда в комиксах Большой Двойки антигерой-одиночка типа Халка или Венома внезапно начинает тянуть лямку за условный Пентагон. Еще вчера они прятались в подворотнях и ныкались от ментов, а уже сегодня, получив мотивационный спич от дедушки Стива (и обязательный наушник в ухо), сражаются с кайдзю или банановыми диктаторами. Веришь в это как в тарантиновский Stolz der Nation.

В 2008 году, на закате Гражданской войны, Marvel придумали Красного Халка. Не беглеца, не вигиланта, а изначально - пентагонера со стажем. Кубического, в вакууме. Генерал Тадеуш Росс всегда был токсичной мразью с полным набором комплексов и деформаций своей профессии, но теперь из него необходимо было срочно слепить ламповое и знакомое «халк-смэш».

Осенью 2010 года (то есть начиная с 25-го выпуска обнуленного онгоинга) за это взялся Джефф Паркер. Стартовал он весьма недурно, соломку для этого заранее подстелили. В первом же номере МОДОК и Лидер, утратив свои суперинтеллектуальные способности, запускали «программу Судного Дня» - план Scorched Earth. «Если мы больше никогда не сможем захватить Землю - пусть она горит синим пламенем».

Океаны кипят, кайдзю воют, завирусованные мутанты крушат Силиконовую долину. Бэннер и Роджерс приходят в камеру к Тадеушу Россу и делают предложение, от которого он не сможет отказаться. Следующие несколько выпусков, пока Рик Джонс молодецки геройствует, Росс проясняет свои искупительные отношения с Брюсом, Стивом, Тони, Тором, Намором и прочими. Успевает зарядить в табло даже Наблюдателю Уату (надеюсь, у этого эпизода будет продолжение).

Тем не менее, лучшая история в сборнике - про космический рестлинг и Импоссибл-мэна, где Красный и Зелёный выступают вместе на ринге против всех халков Вселенной. История крайне мультяшная (напоминает Invincible) и очень детсадовская, но мне нравится.

В золотую сокровищницу цитат: когда Красный Халк говорит побитому инопланетнику - «постригись, хиппи». В этом весь Тадеуш.

[Martin Doychinov · Rating 2 out of 5]

Най-хубавото в тая книжка е незапомнящият се арт. Останалото е малоумие на всички нива и яко пата-кюта. А, другото хубаво е, че имаше леко забавен момент в последния комикс.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman take over from Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness, and Red Hulk doesn't miss a beat. From the first issue by the new creative team, we're back waist-deep in action, with Red Hulk being sent on missions by Steve Rogers to "make up for his time working with the Intelligencia". First up: dealing with the "Scorched Earth" protocols, put in place by MODOK and Leader in the event of their Master Plan failing (which, we all know, DID fail [see World War Hulks]). Team-ups with Iron Man, Thor, Namor, and A-Bomb, dealing with a virus-infected alloy and beating up creatures on a Monster Island. We also get the rebirth of MODOK and a fun stand-alone story that is best left unspoiled...

This series is consistently delivering the goods, and this latest entry promises us many more good times to come... Fans of Hulk, don't pass it up!

[MatiBracchitta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aunque veo muchos comentarios negativos al respecto, la verdad es que la historia me gustó. Logró hacerme empatizar rápidamente con el personaje y meterme de lleno en la trama. En esta relectura ya tengo visto al personaje de alguna que otra saga, pero en el momento en que lo leí por primera vez no lo conocía y me dieron ganas de leer más sobre este Hulk Rojo.

Tiene a su vez, cierto encanto de antihéroe solitario y golpeado al estilo Agente Venom (justo el libro que sigue a continuación). Todo lo que estoy diciendo, claro está, no incluye la última historia donde aparece el hombre imposible (el personaje más detestable y desagradable de todo Marvel) que baja muchísimo el nivel de la colección.

Aclarado esto, continuo: Entiendo que también los quiebres que la historia posee para trasladarnos a las aventuras de Rick pueden resultar un tanto anticlimáticas (e incluso chocantes desde la parte gráfica dado que manejan un estilo completamente diferente), pero creo que no solo se disfrutan estas historias, sino que además permiten conocer a un personaje (Bomba-A) el cual la mayoría seguramente no reconoceríamos.

Si bien la historia no es una locura, lo cierto es que cumple, entretiene y posee el plus de contarnos más acerca de un personaje tridimensional e interesante. Es recomendable.

[Alex E · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jeff Parker continues along the same tone that Loeb left behind. Lot's of punching and action - little on plot.

After the Leader and MODOK have been defeated, Bruce Banner finds a "scorched Earth" plan that they left behind in case of said defeat. Basically, if we lose, lets just destroy the Earth via various disaster scenario's, usually involving giant monsters. So Captain America and Bruce Banner enlist Rulk to basically "take care of" each new monster, event that pops up.

Gabriel Hardman takes over on the art, and he has a style that is pretty different from McGuinness. Which is a good thing I think to go a different way, as that style is pretty much nailed by McGuinness and trying to emulate that would have been a mistake. Hardman has a more realistic tone to his art, and it actually looks pretty badass. Pretty good art.

There isn't much else as far as story, except the return of a certain villain, and lots of punching and fighting.

If you like punching and not much else, this is the book for you.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the events of World War Hulks, we find out MODOK and The Leader put into place a series of doomsday protocols that would destroy the Earth if they lost. Red Hulk is recruited to help stop the Doomsday Protocols, but some of his allies (Iron Man, Thor, Namor) aren't willing to forgive and forget without some payback. Then we find out there was a plan behind the plan. Along the way the Hulks and Abomb take a trip to Monster Island, and we find out that even a Watcher can hold a grudge.

Overall there's some good battles in this volume and it's interesting to watch how things unfold post World War Hulks.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed. A-Bomb, Hulk, and Red Hulk. What a team-up. Plus, Watchers, Red Holes, and M.O.D.O.K. Supreme.

[Joe Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeff Parker - writer
Gabriel Hardman - Illustrator

Red Hulk (AKA General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross) is in a secret prison after the Hulk and co. narrowly defeated The Intelligensia's plan for world domination, and reduced the formerly brilliant villains to men of pedestrian intellect. Now, seeking to redeem himself for the carnage he wrought at the behest of his former villainous masters, Red Hulk is employed by Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner to help combat the Intelligentsia's failsafe plan of unleashing disaster after disaster on the world in an effort to destroy what they could not rule.

I enjoyed this graphic novel collection more than I thought I would. The storytelling was quite good and the art was consistently strong. I had dismissed the Red Hulk and multiple Hulk(s) storylines in the past, mostly because I strongly dislike Jeph Loeb's (writer of much of the Red Hulk/Incredible Hulk(s) stories) writing style. It felt like Mr. Loeb was simultaneously trying to do too much with The Hulk(s) and also dumbing things way down. However, it is not unheard of for one writer to create a character that seems one-note only to have future writers expand that character into one that is fleshed-out, interesting, believable and enjoyable (*cough* Deadpool *cough*). Thanks to the strength of this collection, I look forward to reading Mr. Parker's work in the future! Recommended for fans of the Incredble Hulk, super hero action or marvel comics. Worth a checkout at your local public library.

[Gustavo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esta fue una elección medio rara para una colección de "Novelas Gráficas Esenciales" o lo que sea.

Por un lado, la historia está bastante bien y es entretenida de leer (incluso las partes ridículas con Rick Jones a.k.a. Bomba-A). Es básicamente alguna variante del hulk pegandole a cosas y otras cosas pegándole a Hulk.

Por el otro, este es creo que el tercer arco del personaje (el tomo comienza a partir del #25), y muchas de las cosas que pasan tienen un contexto que no está en los límites de este libro, y parece ser el comienzo de algo más, por lo que se siente como un libro de transición entre dos arcos más que un arco cerrado en sí mismo.

[Kurahuma Yukama · Rating 1 out of 5]

Deberia llamarse Plata Quemada !! Bastante malo, un caleidoscopio de Hulks (sale principalmente el Rojo, un poco del azul y muy poco del verde y el gris), y ensima al final cuando pensas que la historia da un giro copado te toman el pelo con una especie de reportero intergalactico que...vamos.... Tampoco estan buenos los dibujos, muchas ecenas de accion no se entiende que carajo pasa, lo unico bueno es que salen bastantes personajes (thot Iron Man Namor Capitan America, ademas de todos los hulks posibles).

[Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I personally found this volume to be much more entertaining than its predecessors. I appreciated that the story was slightly less incredulous, and Red Hulk definitely less obnoxious, but the work of the new art team is what really captivated me. Each page was stunning and the issues on monster island had some of the most awe-inspiring art I've ever seen in a comic.

[Ian Raffaele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a plot point that the Red Hulk made it so Banner couldn't be the Incredible Hulk again? If they explained how he got his powers back then I missed it. I don't know. Continuity is sometimes an issue with comics. Anyway, it was fun watching the Red Hulk's character arch swing to the side of the good guys. Also satisfying watching the Avengers get a few punches in.

[Gulq · Rating 3 out of 5]

Der Comic ist - wie kann man es anders erwarten, wenn gleich zwei Hulks auftauchen - ein einziges Haudrauf-Szenario. Ich selbst mag diese Dauerschlägereien nicht, aber trotz allem fehlt es nicht an einem gewissen Tiefgang in der Story. Die Zeichnungen sind toll in Szene gesetzt, für Hulk-Fans ein must have,

[Eligos Vespillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeff Parker takes over the HULK series from Jeff Loeb and immediately humbles the previously illimitable Red Hulk. Now working to atone for his villainous recent past, Rulk finds himself at the mercy of consequence.

[Nicholas Talio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red Hulk is a fun character, a Hulk with a brain and mean streak. This story is a fun read, even if it's not the best Red Hulk story.

[Al Capwned · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's probably the first time ever I wanted to DNF a book so badly. But, I finished it after all.

[Kiriakos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Τα τέυχη 25-29 ήταν τίμια αλλά το τεύχος 30:wtf?

[Η Cultσα · Rating 1 out of 5]

Από τα χειρότερα πράγματα που έχω διαβάσει στη ζωή μου. Είπαμε, χαζομάρα, αλλά όχι κι έτσι.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 3 out of 5]

What starts well soon becomes extremely silly, even by Hulk-comic standards. 3 stars feels generous.

[Doctor Doom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, individualized stories with Red Hulk, A Bomb, Hulk and loads of guest stars [Thor, Namor, Cap, Iron Man, etc.] and yet all the stories are interconnected. Good art, good story, good fun.

[John Wiswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm told Jeff Parker wouldn't write that sort of thing, but this reads like fan vengeance. Jeph Loeb introduced the Red Hulk as obnoxiously as possible, having him throttle established characters while spouting atrocious one-liners and outright violating continuity. In this trade, Red Hulk gets enslaved by Bruce Banner, has his butt kicked three times, by Iron Man, Thor and finally Namor, and is dissed by the Watcher. By the time of the Namor fight, it sure feels more like the comics readers are getting revenge rather than the characters.

But Parker's Red Hulk is actually worth reading. At it's core, this is a neat idea: Thadeus Ross, who spent decades reviling and hunting the original Hulk, has now become one himself. His defenses and denials are stripped away. He revels in the empowerment even as he knows he's become what he hated. Parker adds to Ross's dilemma by keeping up the phantom of his daughter. If he plays nice, the government may let him see her again - if she even wants to. At this point she could be even more unstable than he is, and we are left to guess, and left with his hopes for a cathartic reunion.

Scorched Earth is all setup, though. There is no payoff to his desire for reunion. We do not get to the bottom of all the terrorist plots he's dispatched to foil. This is a solid two hundred pages of Red Hulk punching things, heroes punching Red Hulk, and grand schemes merely getting hinted at. Gabriel Hardman's art, relying on fewer hard contour lines and Bettie Breitweiser's crackling coloring, makes it all quite pleasant to follow. The combination of these colors and bodies summons nostalgia, even though no oldschool period in comics looked this way. It's a trick that makes this look different from most Marvel titles. The dinosaurs, sea monsters and plague of cyborgs help, too.

[Jon Arnold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Or Red Hulk: What Happened Next.

Scorched Earth is essentially an exercise in tying up all the loose ends from Jeff Loeb’s initial Red Hulk storyline and setting the new Hulk off in a different direction. Loeb’s story is essentially played out with the revelation of the Red Hulk’s secret identity, the rest is just plot. Jeff Parker finds the character a purpose; the old soldier Thunderbolt Ross, now freed of the plans of MODOK and The Leader, is true to himself by turning his powers in service of his country. His first mission is to defeat the Scorched Earth project, the backup plan left from their Red Hulk plot – apparently if AIM cannot have the world it will destroy it.

What follows is a series of entertaining fights between the Red Hulk and some of Marvel’s heaviest hitters who all want a piece of Red Hulk for their own reasons. The test, of course, is whether Ross’s sense of patriotism keeps him on the straight and narrow. Whilst the outcome’s never really in doubt this is at least an interesting new wrinkle on how the Hulk powers might affect a person and outlines a few possibilities for the character’s future. As a bonus it provides a delicious final twist which puts a new perspective on previous events.

The volume’s padded out with a one part scrap with Xemnu which involves both Hulks merging. It’s inconsequential, but decent character material. This may be standard Hulk fare of big fights with melancholy character interludes, but it’s a superior, entertaining version of it.

[Ian Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. It's weird, I've never been a massive Hulk fan, yet each story arc chosen by the Marvel Graphic Novel Collection has surprised me, and have all been thoroughly enjoyable. And this is no exception, building upon the foundations of the great Jeph Loeb, this charts the Red Hulks attempt at redemption, and it's not going to be easy. To the point where he's even fighting his partners, Thor admitting to hearing the whole message from Steve Rogers an early highlight. On top of this we get a highly fun back up story with Rick Jones that becomes part of the main narrative. It's an interesting dynamic seeing Ross and Banner dealing with each other in this new situation. And all comes to a head with issue #30, who ever said Red and Green should never be seems has never thought of a Red/Green hybrid Hulk. The artwork is amazing thorough out whether in the main storyline or the A-Bomb adventure. Thoroughly enjoyable!!!

[Phillip Berrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

For the sake of a few rare moments of interesting characterisation and the reveal of the real villain towards the end of the book I will give this 2.5 stars.

Apart from those moments, this was just a huge slugfest between the Red Hulk and various other super-powered opponents strung together with a thin storyline about a doomsday plan set up by a pair of vanquished villains with little if anything changing for the world or the characters involved.

As well as this, there was a cameo series with Rick Jones in his A-Bomb personae, which really did nothing for me. And I thought the last issue should have been forgotten about completely, it was an absurd story to get Ross and Banner seeing eye to eye about something they both care for the supposed sake of the planet.

Your mileage may differ.

In my opinion, this could (and should) have been done in a much better way.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Library copy. Nice that this series got a shot of adrenaline from the last couple books from a different writer. There are 3 stories going on: the over arcing one deals with the Red Hulk doing missions for Bruce Banner and Steve Rogers. It's got great, wonderful art by Gabriel Hardman. Next, there's a co-feature or backup story that's split in a couple parts that deals with Rick Jones AKA A-Bomb. I really liked the zany-ness of the art, it reminded me of Image's Chew. Finally, there was another co-feature that dealt with The Watchers. I liked that considerably less than all the rest because it's about boring Watcher characters. The last story brought back the original artist Ed McGinnis (issue #30) and while I liked it all right, it's too bad it wasn't a more serious or important tale.

[Travis Duke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red hulk is back and and a little more sensible thanks to Jeff Parker. Ross is still under lock and key but Banner has made a deal with him. Now Red Hulk is working with banner to help locate some Doomsday devices left over from their pals Leader and M.O.D.O.K. The story is pretty straightforward, locate devices and smash them to avoid earth's destruction. the collection of comics is a bit off base and the x-men part was way left field for this book. The A-bomb stories are O.K. they are more for a younger audience same with the art. I did like the M.O.D.O.K update and the watcher side story was somewhat interesting.I dint care for the literal mash up the end either, Nothing special but worth a once over.

[Johnny Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really nice art work that brings each page vividly standing out. Story wise it's a fun ride for anyone who knows who the Red Hulk is as most of the people hate him. Along the arc is basically a team up in each issue presented here and again it works to have the likes of Iron Man or Namor beat up on Red Hulk to show that yes they are working as a team to stop this Scorched Earth crisis put into play by M.O.R.D.O.K and the Leader before they were reverted back to human status.
But there is a huge difference between Red and Green and they have played on that quite well. However almost like a bonus issue, the Impossible Man turns up to film a rematch fight of the ages and Red and Green Hulk LITERALLY have to work together.

[Nicolas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I suppose cabin fever played a hand in this rating, but what can I say? I loved this.
For starters, the look of the book is just right. It's colorful and cartoony, just as it should be.

Plus, it's fun how everyone hates Red Hulk. Everyone he meets takes a turn pounding on him then reluctantly working with him. It just works.

I even liked the A-Bomb backups.

I'm in it now, kids.

This made my list of favorites for 2020. You can find the others over on Howe's Things: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/fr...

[Paul-Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Completely readable story that makes good use of the Marvel universe, while being vaguely fun and engaging. Tellingly, I can't remember much about it, and still have no real interest in the Red Hulk and his wooly power set. Speaking of 'wooly', he's just a non-evil General Eiling, right?

I do not regret taking this out of the library, so there's always that.