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The Incredible Hulk (2011)
The Incredible Hulk, Vol. 1
Marvel Architect Jason Aaron joins forces with legendary artist Marc Silvestri! The Hulk and Bruce Banner are now separate entities - but Bruce wants the Hulk back. The Hulk is assigned to take Banner down, but Bruce isn't going without a fight. As the Hulk makes an alliance with mad scientist hunter Amanda Von Doom that changes his destiny forever, Banner unleashes his army of Hulked-out monsters! It all culminates in the fight everyone's been waiting for: HULK VS. BANNER!
COLLECTING: Incredible Hulk 1-7, material from Fear Itself 7
COLLECTING: Incredible Hulk 1-7, material from Fear Itself 7
176 pages, Hardcover
First published July 4, 2012
10 people are currently reading
263 people want to read
About the author
Jason Aaron
2,359 books1,677 followersJason Aaron grew up in a small town in Alabama. His cousin, Gustav Hasford, who wrote the semi-autobiographical novel The Short-Timers, on which the feature film Full Metal Jacket was based, was a large influence on Aaron. Aaron decided he wanted to write comics as a child, and though his father was skeptical when Aaron informed him of this aspiration, his mother took Aaron to drug stores, where he would purchase books from spinner racks, some of which he still owns today.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
December 2, 2021
This was a pretty cool volume!
Hulk and Banner get separated and first we see how they get so and its got something to do with Dr Doom and I kinda like that aspect and Aaron's Doom is pretty good like not that savage and dominant as he is when Hickman is writing it but regardless.
Hulk vs Banner happens what I kinda like is that it makes Banner the crazy scientist and Hulk the hero. Banner finds an island and mutates it and thus has his gamma army while Hulk needs to protect the moloids and then the big war where he teams up with some agents and a woman named Amanda and the war that happens between two foes/friends and its spectacular to see. Banner breaking down and what the Hulk does next and the ending is as predictable as they come.
But I like the execution of it all and it gives a fun dichotomy and reverses the usual status quo and the role of Doom seems to be a lot more than he is letting on and some interesting aftermath in the wake. The art was awesome and yeah coming of Pak's run I can understand some not liking it but then again it depends on one's POV after reading this story so yeah!
Hulk and Banner get separated and first we see how they get so and its got something to do with Dr Doom and I kinda like that aspect and Aaron's Doom is pretty good like not that savage and dominant as he is when Hickman is writing it but regardless.
Hulk vs Banner happens what I kinda like is that it makes Banner the crazy scientist and Hulk the hero. Banner finds an island and mutates it and thus has his gamma army while Hulk needs to protect the moloids and then the big war where he teams up with some agents and a woman named Amanda and the war that happens between two foes/friends and its spectacular to see. Banner breaking down and what the Hulk does next and the ending is as predictable as they come.
But I like the execution of it all and it gives a fun dichotomy and reverses the usual status quo and the role of Doom seems to be a lot more than he is letting on and some interesting aftermath in the wake. The art was awesome and yeah coming of Pak's run I can understand some not liking it but then again it depends on one's POV after reading this story so yeah!
September 1, 2014
Boy does Silvestri like drawing lots of wispy, sharp pointy things. Hell yes, sharks with a million teeth! Water (or maybe fire? The colourist gives us conflicting cues) that looks like shredded burned tissue paper!
Isn't he the dude who came up with WitchBlade - the chick with the spiky metal costume and glove, makes lots of prickly-looking swords and shields out of her costume? It's like Marc lives in a world where everything will stab you dead if you trip and graze anything around you. Must be rough trying to get a good night's sleep with those razor pillows and barbed-wire sheets.
On to Aaron. Banner going all Moreau on us I can take or leave, but the team tasked to bring in the Hulk? These loons are right up my alley, and straight out of the same mad gene pool from which Aaron's craziest ideas slither. Killer robots, evil henchman, floating brain? I'll take one of each Mr. Aaron, why thank you.
Well done, how you box Hulk into the only thing he doesn't want to do. I really believe that Hulk has no fucks to give, and only signs up when there's absolutely no other way to make his life less miserable.
Aaron is absolutely unafraid to blow the budget - he cuts to massively destructive scenes for effect but doesn't linger, or pulls out all sorts of oversized creatures and weapons that would be impossible on TV. It's a joy to see him turn the toy chest upside down and give it a good shake.
Admission made without shame: I haven't read any Hulk solo titles since I started back with comics twelve years ago. It's not that there haven't been notable runs, but that the basic premise seems a bit aged and thin, gaunt by now. It just doesn't excite me to read Hulk - not Pak, not Parker, especially not Loeb
I don't have a lot of context for how well or poorly he's been portrayed recently, but the Banner that shat out of Aaron's brain is positively cookoo for cocoa puffs. And amazing. Fun. Scary as hell, unbalanced and maniacal. I mean, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near him in real life - if he walked in the room I'd probably walk away from my drink and find the nearest, darkest exit - but he's a great slice of character on the page.
When Portacio takes over, the art improves immediately. Cleaner, less washed out and more evocative. Just look at Banner's face and you'll never wonder just what's going through his mind again.
Banner is so Id, and Hulk slips dangerously close to Ego. Banner is a completely manipulative psycho, and Hulk is about as straightforward and above-the-line as you can get.
The further into this struggle between these two forces, the deeper the emotions run. Hulk's quiet disgust for Banner, Banner's increasing mania and rage at what Hulk takes from him - the life he never lived, the love lost, the potential foundered on barren rock of solitude.
I don't remember the last time I experienced this much of a sense of sympathy for the endless losses that mounted up and dragged what little dignity each of these shells of men possessed.
Again I have to call out how much fun Aaron brings to this tragic story - the source of Banner/Hulk's separation is nearly as much fun to watch do their thing as Otto/Spidey has been in the Superior run.
In fact, how much smarter everyone in this story is than we give them credit for it probably the great lesson Aaron is teaching us. Don't underestimate an insane scientist and all the weirdos attracted to him like Rice Krispies in a bowl of warming milk.
This book give Banner/Hulk *pathos*. And brings a great new anti-hero to us in the skin of another Von Doom.
My favourite character is easily Amanda Von Doom, leader of the Mad Squad. Foul-mouthed, irreverent, fearless. Awesome. Is she still single?
Isn't he the dude who came up with WitchBlade - the chick with the spiky metal costume and glove, makes lots of prickly-looking swords and shields out of her costume? It's like Marc lives in a world where everything will stab you dead if you trip and graze anything around you. Must be rough trying to get a good night's sleep with those razor pillows and barbed-wire sheets.
On to Aaron. Banner going all Moreau on us I can take or leave, but the team tasked to bring in the Hulk? These loons are right up my alley, and straight out of the same mad gene pool from which Aaron's craziest ideas slither. Killer robots, evil henchman, floating brain? I'll take one of each Mr. Aaron, why thank you.
Well done, how you box Hulk into the only thing he doesn't want to do. I really believe that Hulk has no fucks to give, and only signs up when there's absolutely no other way to make his life less miserable.
Aaron is absolutely unafraid to blow the budget - he cuts to massively destructive scenes for effect but doesn't linger, or pulls out all sorts of oversized creatures and weapons that would be impossible on TV. It's a joy to see him turn the toy chest upside down and give it a good shake.
Admission made without shame: I haven't read any Hulk solo titles since I started back with comics twelve years ago. It's not that there haven't been notable runs, but that the basic premise seems a bit aged and thin, gaunt by now. It just doesn't excite me to read Hulk - not Pak, not Parker, especially not Loeb
I don't have a lot of context for how well or poorly he's been portrayed recently, but the Banner that shat out of Aaron's brain is positively cookoo for cocoa puffs. And amazing. Fun. Scary as hell, unbalanced and maniacal. I mean, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near him in real life - if he walked in the room I'd probably walk away from my drink and find the nearest, darkest exit - but he's a great slice of character on the page.
When Portacio takes over, the art improves immediately. Cleaner, less washed out and more evocative. Just look at Banner's face and you'll never wonder just what's going through his mind again.
Banner is so Id, and Hulk slips dangerously close to Ego. Banner is a completely manipulative psycho, and Hulk is about as straightforward and above-the-line as you can get.
The further into this struggle between these two forces, the deeper the emotions run. Hulk's quiet disgust for Banner, Banner's increasing mania and rage at what Hulk takes from him - the life he never lived, the love lost, the potential foundered on barren rock of solitude.
I don't remember the last time I experienced this much of a sense of sympathy for the endless losses that mounted up and dragged what little dignity each of these shells of men possessed.
Again I have to call out how much fun Aaron brings to this tragic story - the source of Banner/Hulk's separation is nearly as much fun to watch do their thing as Otto/Spidey has been in the Superior run.
In fact, how much smarter everyone in this story is than we give them credit for it probably the great lesson Aaron is teaching us. Don't underestimate an insane scientist and all the weirdos attracted to him like Rice Krispies in a bowl of warming milk.
This book give Banner/Hulk *pathos*. And brings a great new anti-hero to us in the skin of another Von Doom.
My favourite character is easily Amanda Von Doom, leader of the Mad Squad. Foul-mouthed, irreverent, fearless. Awesome. Is she still single?
March 28, 2013
Disclaimer: I have never read Hulk and know very little about the character, so my opinion might be somewhat less than fully informed. I picked this one up because I wanted to know more and needed somewhere to start, aside from one of the huge Essential or Visionaries collections.
The basic storyline can be summed up quickly: Bruce Banner and the Hulk have seperated, permanently. Hulk seems to be doing ok for himself. He's living underground and has become the warrior hero to a tribe of Moloids. Why is he living underground with a tribe of Moloids? I don't know, and neither, I suspect, does Aaron. Banner, on the other hand, has gone completely Dr. Moreau. Private island, experimenting on animals, injecting himself with radioactive isotopes every morning, the full mad scientist treatment. So, why has he so completely lost it? Because he doesn't have the Hulk anymore. But... why does that make him so completely lose it? There are a few attempts at vague hand waving that question away, but nobody seems to really believe it, least of all me. The most plausible might be that, without the Hulk, Banner has no scapegoat to blame for his failures. Ok, but it's only been a few months, at most. Maybe he was already really, really, really mentally unstable, but that's a very short time to turn form a relatively normal guy into an H.G. Wells character.
I love the idea of the Mad Squad, which gets introduced fairly early on. It looks like this is the only time the group's seen print, but hopefully they get a bit more page time. The idea of an official team with the sole mission of hunting down and neutralizing mad scientists is fantastic.
Sadly, the art here is a big meh. Silvestri isn't a bad artist, but I don't think he's suited for the Hulk. His lines tend towards the wispy, which is just a poor fit. The second artist, Portacio, is just plain bad.
This isn't a terrible collection, by any means, but it's just missing too much for me to really like it.
The basic storyline can be summed up quickly: Bruce Banner and the Hulk have seperated, permanently. Hulk seems to be doing ok for himself. He's living underground and has become the warrior hero to a tribe of Moloids. Why is he living underground with a tribe of Moloids? I don't know, and neither, I suspect, does Aaron. Banner, on the other hand, has gone completely Dr. Moreau. Private island, experimenting on animals, injecting himself with radioactive isotopes every morning, the full mad scientist treatment. So, why has he so completely lost it? Because he doesn't have the Hulk anymore. But... why does that make him so completely lose it? There are a few attempts at vague hand waving that question away, but nobody seems to really believe it, least of all me. The most plausible might be that, without the Hulk, Banner has no scapegoat to blame for his failures. Ok, but it's only been a few months, at most. Maybe he was already really, really, really mentally unstable, but that's a very short time to turn form a relatively normal guy into an H.G. Wells character.
I love the idea of the Mad Squad, which gets introduced fairly early on. It looks like this is the only time the group's seen print, but hopefully they get a bit more page time. The idea of an official team with the sole mission of hunting down and neutralizing mad scientists is fantastic.
Sadly, the art here is a big meh. Silvestri isn't a bad artist, but I don't think he's suited for the Hulk. His lines tend towards the wispy, which is just a poor fit. The second artist, Portacio, is just plain bad.
This isn't a terrible collection, by any means, but it's just missing too much for me to really like it.
February 21, 2013
At the end of “Fear Itself”, one of the story strands that came from the ending of that event was a tantalising glimpse at the new Hulk series Jason Aaron was putting together – Hulk and Banner literally separating into two different bodies and going their separate ways. How?! That brief strip is included in this book and serves as a prelude to the book.
So what do Hulk and Banner do now that they’re newly separated? Hulk, as you would expect, seeks peace from everything and heads deep beneath the Earth’s surface to live with an odd-looking but friendly race of strange monkey/frog creatures who worship him as their God.
Banner misses Hulk so much he tries to replicate the accident that brought him to life, the gamma explosion. But the experiments drive him mad and he begins trying out his various gamma serums on the local wildlife leading to some creepy looking green monsters. He reveals a dark and desperate side to his personality which he can no longer blame on the Hulk – in short, he goes all Dr Moreau on a small desert island.
Jason Aaron writes an interesting take on the Hulk, reversing the “man/monster” paradigm and creating an interesting version of Bruce Banner readers won’t have seen before, in the process giving him another dimension to his character. He also sets up a plausible (within the Marvel Universe) scenario for physically and mentally separating Hulk and Banner. Marc Silvestri does his usual bang-up job of high quality art to match Aaron’s ambitious story and even gives Hulk an awesome beard!
This is a pretty good Hulk book but, as always with the character, even the brilliant Jason Aaron can’t avoid where Hulk stories always wind up: in a big ol’ fisticuff showdown. The fighting dominates what is otherwise a thoughtful take on a seemingly one-note character and brings it back to the usual Hulk comic template. It’s a decent read which definitely has its moments but the constant fighting let it down (you’re never going to beat the Hulk in a straight fight) and made it a bit dull in places. The ending was interesting though it’s unlikely to stick.
Also included with this hardback is a code for a free digital copy of the book if you have the Marvel Comics app.
So what do Hulk and Banner do now that they’re newly separated? Hulk, as you would expect, seeks peace from everything and heads deep beneath the Earth’s surface to live with an odd-looking but friendly race of strange monkey/frog creatures who worship him as their God.
Banner misses Hulk so much he tries to replicate the accident that brought him to life, the gamma explosion. But the experiments drive him mad and he begins trying out his various gamma serums on the local wildlife leading to some creepy looking green monsters. He reveals a dark and desperate side to his personality which he can no longer blame on the Hulk – in short, he goes all Dr Moreau on a small desert island.
Jason Aaron writes an interesting take on the Hulk, reversing the “man/monster” paradigm and creating an interesting version of Bruce Banner readers won’t have seen before, in the process giving him another dimension to his character. He also sets up a plausible (within the Marvel Universe) scenario for physically and mentally separating Hulk and Banner. Marc Silvestri does his usual bang-up job of high quality art to match Aaron’s ambitious story and even gives Hulk an awesome beard!
This is a pretty good Hulk book but, as always with the character, even the brilliant Jason Aaron can’t avoid where Hulk stories always wind up: in a big ol’ fisticuff showdown. The fighting dominates what is otherwise a thoughtful take on a seemingly one-note character and brings it back to the usual Hulk comic template. It’s a decent read which definitely has its moments but the constant fighting let it down (you’re never going to beat the Hulk in a straight fight) and made it a bit dull in places. The ending was interesting though it’s unlikely to stick.
Also included with this hardback is a code for a free digital copy of the book if you have the Marvel Comics app.
July 17, 2023
This isn't Jesse Aaron's strongest work and the negative reviews I've read made me stay away from the series early on. I managed to get my hands on a few of single issues and they weren't bad. In fact it helped form my decision to trade for a download code for a digital copy in exchange for a few of my own codes I got from selected Marvel comics.
The series started out with the Hulk almost unrecognizable. It was certainly a departure from the past superlative work of previous writer Greg Pak. I mean, what was the Hulk living in the center of the earth with a tribe of Moloids? It also established early on that Bruce Banner was physically separated from his monstrous alter-ego. This was a Hulk running around with no more puny Banner in his head. With the Hulk living his noble savage life, Banner became unhinged and he managed to tap on the inspiration of the Dr. Moreau variety, mixing and matching the animal life of an island irradiated by nuclear testing to make his own hulked-out pets, all in the effort to restore his Hulk persona.
The Hulk and Banner split in to individuals is hardly original, this is probably the third time that has happened, once during John Byrne's run and the second during Onslaught. But what is new here is that it was the Hulk who wanted out of the relationship and commissioned an independent specialist for the deed. This is what earned its initial negative reviews as it appeared Aaron was just rehashing elements from earlier stories and other sources. But there is a reason for this. It is all to prove that Hulk and Banner could never be separated. Both are incomplete without each other. Banner devolved into a crazy Dr. Moreau-type mad scientist without his Hulk persona and Hulk would ultimately feel responsible for whatever damage Banner would inflict on the world.
At the end of the first seven issues I feel the need to read the next several. I have reason to believe the series got better as Aaron gained traction on the character, that and the fact I've read a couple of the issues that comprise the next arc. Like Hulk, Aaron's take on the character is just misunderstood and needs to be seen in context. It may not be his strongest work but it is still better than some of the books out there today.
The series started out with the Hulk almost unrecognizable. It was certainly a departure from the past superlative work of previous writer Greg Pak. I mean, what was the Hulk living in the center of the earth with a tribe of Moloids? It also established early on that Bruce Banner was physically separated from his monstrous alter-ego. This was a Hulk running around with no more puny Banner in his head. With the Hulk living his noble savage life, Banner became unhinged and he managed to tap on the inspiration of the Dr. Moreau variety, mixing and matching the animal life of an island irradiated by nuclear testing to make his own hulked-out pets, all in the effort to restore his Hulk persona.
The Hulk and Banner split in to individuals is hardly original, this is probably the third time that has happened, once during John Byrne's run and the second during Onslaught. But what is new here is that it was the Hulk who wanted out of the relationship and commissioned an independent specialist for the deed. This is what earned its initial negative reviews as it appeared Aaron was just rehashing elements from earlier stories and other sources. But there is a reason for this. It is all to prove that Hulk and Banner could never be separated. Both are incomplete without each other. Banner devolved into a crazy Dr. Moreau-type mad scientist without his Hulk persona and Hulk would ultimately feel responsible for whatever damage Banner would inflict on the world.
At the end of the first seven issues I feel the need to read the next several. I have reason to believe the series got better as Aaron gained traction on the character, that and the fact I've read a couple of the issues that comprise the next arc. Like Hulk, Aaron's take on the character is just misunderstood and needs to be seen in context. It may not be his strongest work but it is still better than some of the books out there today.
November 26, 2013
I haven't read any Hulk comics before, and I haven't even seen the MCU movie with Edward Norton. I've only seen him in the Avengers movie, and goodness, I love Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner. Just the -- the tortured look, and... Anyway.
This is an interesting view of Bruce Banner and Hulk, with Hulk as the calm one and Bruce being the one who is insane. I hope MCU canon doesn't go this way, but it's a very interesting look at the character. It does turn into a bit of a smash fest, because it's the Hulk, and the character of Amanda von Doom is just... I don't know if she's elsewhere in the canon or what, but she didn't work as a character for me. She seemed to be just there for sex appeal and witty one-liners.
It's a bit of a weird one, really, and I feel very, very sorry for Bruce, but I'm interested to read more when/if the girlfriend picks 'em up.
This is an interesting view of Bruce Banner and Hulk, with Hulk as the calm one and Bruce being the one who is insane. I hope MCU canon doesn't go this way, but it's a very interesting look at the character. It does turn into a bit of a smash fest, because it's the Hulk, and the character of Amanda von Doom is just... I don't know if she's elsewhere in the canon or what, but she didn't work as a character for me. She seemed to be just there for sex appeal and witty one-liners.
It's a bit of a weird one, really, and I feel very, very sorry for Bruce, but I'm interested to read more when/if the girlfriend picks 'em up.
April 3, 2017
Yikes. Jason Aaron is easily one of my favorite writers in the industry right now but he missed the mark on this one, IMO. This just wasn't for me. At all.
This volume comes on the heels of Greg Pak's legendary stint and attempts to shake things up by turning the man vs. monster theme that's always been at the core of Hulk on its head. Banner and Hulk are, at long last, split apart. Only the monster ends up being Banner himself, the mad scientist who will now do anything to regain what he's lost.
All-in-all, we get some uncomfortable animal abuse, a super slutty mad scientist hunter, the most unlikeable version of Bruce Banner imaginable, and a hodge-podge of The Island of Dr. Moreau, Frankenstein and the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde just not done as well as any of them.
There are things to like and a couple power-packed moments (plus a really good Doctor Doom) but if you want my opinion at all, I'd say pass on this.
This volume comes on the heels of Greg Pak's legendary stint and attempts to shake things up by turning the man vs. monster theme that's always been at the core of Hulk on its head. Banner and Hulk are, at long last, split apart. Only the monster ends up being Banner himself, the mad scientist who will now do anything to regain what he's lost.
All-in-all, we get some uncomfortable animal abuse, a super slutty mad scientist hunter, the most unlikeable version of Bruce Banner imaginable, and a hodge-podge of The Island of Dr. Moreau, Frankenstein and the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde just not done as well as any of them.
There are things to like and a couple power-packed moments (plus a really good Doctor Doom) but if you want my opinion at all, I'd say pass on this.
January 27, 2018
Ok... kinda odd, but had potential. Then it just went silly.
April 5, 2020
3.5/5
February 2, 2018
I'm usually a big fan of Jason Aaron-I actually bought it on his name- but this one's an all-time piece of crap.
Since I don't read any Hulk title on a regular basis I was a little bit disoriented at the beginning: Hulk and Banner separated? Like physically separated?
The very idea seems a bit off to me but let's say I go for it. Then what?
Then Hulk tries to play Charles Ingalls with some small yellow subterraneans or whatever while Banner goes postal. The next thing you know he's Doctor Moreau and cruelly experiments on animals to get back the part of him that's missing: the jollly green giant.
This was reason enough to dislike the book.
Enters a covert crazy scientist hunter who acts like a bitch in heat and whose assistant is a hunchback called Igor! No shit! I just couldn't believed what I had just read.
This marks the beginning of a ridiculous and outré story that gives FUBAR a whole new meaning.
But 'twas not the end of my ordeal dear reader: the art is as crappy as the plot. I very much liked Marc Silvestri when he was paired with Dan Green at Marvel way back when. I lost track of his career at Image and just discovered I didn't like his new style. Rough and scratchy with a more than overstretched sense of proportions. Not for me.
As for Whilce Portacio, the guy seemed to draw with cooking mittens 25 years ago, now he uses boxing gloves! Impressive how he made absolutely no progress in more than 2 decades.
Sometimes you see a movie so cheap, so lousy, so poorly interpreted it becomes funny. Just like with this book.
Except the funny part.
Since I don't read any Hulk title on a regular basis I was a little bit disoriented at the beginning: Hulk and Banner separated? Like physically separated?
The very idea seems a bit off to me but let's say I go for it. Then what?
Then Hulk tries to play Charles Ingalls with some small yellow subterraneans or whatever while Banner goes postal. The next thing you know he's Doctor Moreau and cruelly experiments on animals to get back the part of him that's missing: the jollly green giant.
This was reason enough to dislike the book.
Enters a covert crazy scientist hunter who acts like a bitch in heat and whose assistant is a hunchback called Igor! No shit! I just couldn't believed what I had just read.
This marks the beginning of a ridiculous and outré story that gives FUBAR a whole new meaning.
But 'twas not the end of my ordeal dear reader: the art is as crappy as the plot. I very much liked Marc Silvestri when he was paired with Dan Green at Marvel way back when. I lost track of his career at Image and just discovered I didn't like his new style. Rough and scratchy with a more than overstretched sense of proportions. Not for me.
As for Whilce Portacio, the guy seemed to draw with cooking mittens 25 years ago, now he uses boxing gloves! Impressive how he made absolutely no progress in more than 2 decades.
Sometimes you see a movie so cheap, so lousy, so poorly interpreted it becomes funny. Just like with this book.
Except the funny part.
September 17, 2018
Apparently I'm in the minority here, but I really liked this. It's not perfect. Amanda Von Doom--related but only distantly to the not-so-good (at the time) Doctor--is meant to be amusing...I think. She's not. At least, not to me.
This came out of nowhere for me, as I only read pieces of Fear Itself, and have no idea what Hulk's current state is. That said, I felt like I got enough to figure primarily what was going on. Hulk is sufficiently awake and intelligent to "bury" Banner and go looking for someone to separate them. And, it works. Aaron then plays with expectations as to exactly what would become of the men if separated. It's an ending so final it begs for reversal of some kind, but I enjoyed getting there and would happily follow this team through whatever comes next.
I absolutely loved Whilce Portaccio back in the day before he, Jim Lee, and co. abandoned the MU for Image. And he does great work here. I haven't seen Green Jeans look this good in a very, very long time.
This came out of nowhere for me, as I only read pieces of Fear Itself, and have no idea what Hulk's current state is. That said, I felt like I got enough to figure primarily what was going on. Hulk is sufficiently awake and intelligent to "bury" Banner and go looking for someone to separate them. And, it works. Aaron then plays with expectations as to exactly what would become of the men if separated. It's an ending so final it begs for reversal of some kind, but I enjoyed getting there and would happily follow this team through whatever comes next.
I absolutely loved Whilce Portaccio back in the day before he, Jim Lee, and co. abandoned the MU for Image. And he does great work here. I haven't seen Green Jeans look this good in a very, very long time.
May 26, 2015
This is my graphic novel selection for the Read Harder challenge.
Interesting premise here. What if the Hulk isn't the personification of Banner's rage? What if he's the only thing keeping Banner in check?
I haven't read many superhero comics, and only one other Hulk comic, but I know enough to realize that this is turning everything we thought we knew on its head. I don't have enough context to imagine the possibilities, but I do find the idea very compelling. I may even continue with volume two.
Interesting premise here. What if the Hulk isn't the personification of Banner's rage? What if he's the only thing keeping Banner in check?
I haven't read many superhero comics, and only one other Hulk comic, but I know enough to realize that this is turning everything we thought we knew on its head. I don't have enough context to imagine the possibilities, but I do find the idea very compelling. I may even continue with volume two.
July 8, 2013
Just finished this volume. The interesting thing is that Hulk and Bruce Banner are separated. And it sort of turns out that maybe Bruce Banner is the asshole, not the Hulk. So a twist.
The real question I have after some later situations in this book: Why the fuck do we ever go to Dr. Doom for anything?
Ignoring the fact that his name is DR. Doom…no, fuck that. Let’s not ignoring the fact that his name is Dr. Doom. Victor von Doom.
Quick piece of advice? Anyone von Anything is a bad sign. This Von is bad. Always. I know what you’re thinking, what about the Von Trapp family? Well, if you had to watch that damn movie every year of elementary school, you would understand that the Von still served as a portent of evil to come.
Oh, and let’s not forget the Doom part. That’s pretty terrible. What’s the worst name you’ve ever heard? I mean, as far as frightening. We had a substitute teacher in school named Mr. Bonecutter. At least, that’s what he told us. He was a Santa type who wore those suspenders with the ruler markings on them. I guess you could use those to do carpentry, although I would argue that a flexible ruler made from stretching material is going to run you into some big problems before you even finish framing.
The guy was just not scary. But part of the problem is that his name was Mr. Bonecutter. So it would take a scary-ish guy to even life up to that. And this motherfucker was…well, he was the kind of sub who mostly tried to fight off sleep. His Dead Poets’ Society moment was not hitting his head on the desk when the sandman arrived.
Alright, so based on name alone I would say that we should not be trusting this Dr. Doom character.
But what else?
Oh, I don’t know, how about the fact that he runs a country called Latveria? With an iron fist, and I suppose making the trains run on time is a matter of debate. But again, in name alone, what country sounds more evil than Latveria? This is the kind of place where something like A Modest Proposal is taken very seriously and renamed Staple Food Contingency 714-B. This can’t possibly be a nice place to go on vacation. How many international incidents of people being caned or laser-caned have gone down by now? It’s gotta be 100%.
And guess what? This son of a bitch ain’t even a real doctor! Look it up! He got expelled for burning his own face off. Now, for my money, I don’t know that I’d mind seeing a doctor who was willing to take a chance here and there. My doctor? Lazy. Foolish. With Doom there’s half a chance you’d be terribly disabled by him treating an ear infection with nanomachines, but on the other hand you might go in with a aching finger and come out with the ability to move shit with your mind. I never come from the doctor actually improved, maybe just on the road to being where I was a week before I ever went to the doctor. With Doom, whatever doesn’t kill you only makes you into an unstoppable war machine or terror and genocide. It’s a calculated risk, but I’ve got a lot of sick days overall.
To get back to the book, I do have one piece of advice for the Hulk. He gives the speech, the classic speech where he says he talked to Reed Richards and Hank Pym and a bunch of other scientists and that Doom was his last hope.
Respectfully, Mr. Hulk and all others:
BITCH, THE DUDE YOU TRIED BEFORE YOU TALKED TO DR. DOOM? THAT WAS YOUR LAST HOPE.
The real question I have after some later situations in this book: Why the fuck do we ever go to Dr. Doom for anything?
Ignoring the fact that his name is DR. Doom…no, fuck that. Let’s not ignoring the fact that his name is Dr. Doom. Victor von Doom.
Quick piece of advice? Anyone von Anything is a bad sign. This Von is bad. Always. I know what you’re thinking, what about the Von Trapp family? Well, if you had to watch that damn movie every year of elementary school, you would understand that the Von still served as a portent of evil to come.
Oh, and let’s not forget the Doom part. That’s pretty terrible. What’s the worst name you’ve ever heard? I mean, as far as frightening. We had a substitute teacher in school named Mr. Bonecutter. At least, that’s what he told us. He was a Santa type who wore those suspenders with the ruler markings on them. I guess you could use those to do carpentry, although I would argue that a flexible ruler made from stretching material is going to run you into some big problems before you even finish framing.
The guy was just not scary. But part of the problem is that his name was Mr. Bonecutter. So it would take a scary-ish guy to even life up to that. And this motherfucker was…well, he was the kind of sub who mostly tried to fight off sleep. His Dead Poets’ Society moment was not hitting his head on the desk when the sandman arrived.
Alright, so based on name alone I would say that we should not be trusting this Dr. Doom character.
But what else?
Oh, I don’t know, how about the fact that he runs a country called Latveria? With an iron fist, and I suppose making the trains run on time is a matter of debate. But again, in name alone, what country sounds more evil than Latveria? This is the kind of place where something like A Modest Proposal is taken very seriously and renamed Staple Food Contingency 714-B. This can’t possibly be a nice place to go on vacation. How many international incidents of people being caned or laser-caned have gone down by now? It’s gotta be 100%.
And guess what? This son of a bitch ain’t even a real doctor! Look it up! He got expelled for burning his own face off. Now, for my money, I don’t know that I’d mind seeing a doctor who was willing to take a chance here and there. My doctor? Lazy. Foolish. With Doom there’s half a chance you’d be terribly disabled by him treating an ear infection with nanomachines, but on the other hand you might go in with a aching finger and come out with the ability to move shit with your mind. I never come from the doctor actually improved, maybe just on the road to being where I was a week before I ever went to the doctor. With Doom, whatever doesn’t kill you only makes you into an unstoppable war machine or terror and genocide. It’s a calculated risk, but I’ve got a lot of sick days overall.
To get back to the book, I do have one piece of advice for the Hulk. He gives the speech, the classic speech where he says he talked to Reed Richards and Hank Pym and a bunch of other scientists and that Doom was his last hope.
Respectfully, Mr. Hulk and all others:
BITCH, THE DUDE YOU TRIED BEFORE YOU TALKED TO DR. DOOM? THAT WAS YOUR LAST HOPE.
July 24, 2015
I wanted to like this so much! Jason Aaron is one of my favorite writers in comics these days, and Marc Silvestri is kind of the perfect artist for a Hulk series, with his wild, rough pencils that still somehow manage to be very detailed. This starts out with a great setup: Banner and the Hulk have been physically separated, causing Banner to lose his mind and try everything in his power to regain the Hulk persona. The first 3 issues of this are GREAT. I was thinking this might be the first Hulk story I actually loved since Planet Hulk.
But no. Aaron loses the plot pretty quickly into the 4th issue, abandoning most of the character development he'd been working with in favor of a ton of fighting. Banner goes TOO crazy, and his level of insanity (basically a spittle-spewing maniac combination of the Joker and Dr. Moreau) spins completely out of control. He stops being a believably broken man and turns into a cartoon character.
Aaron also introduces a fairly cool-sounding new super-team, set on "killing mad scientists." This is another idea I was really into, kind of a Warren Ellis-y thing, that quickly gets dumped in favor of standard fighting. I hate watching great ideas get flushed down the toilet.
Beyond these personal gripes, the Hulk logic doesn't make a ton of sense here. Banner starts making a ton of Hulks out of local animals (hence the Dr. Moreau comparison) by injecting them with radioactive isotopes (or something). Not only does this turn them into hulk versions of the animals, it also gives them the ability to speak. Okay, fine, whatever. They also develop a borderline religious devotion to Banner, constantly referring to him as "Father" and lifting him up as the only smart man in the world. Okay, fine, whatever. But then when Hulk is fighting them, he basically says "You know you guys are prisoners, right?" and with that one sentence all of the animals are like "Oh, you're right. Forget Banner, the man who thoroughly brainwashed us!" But then like 10 minutes later, they're back to fighting Hulk again? I mean, let's clear up the character motivations, please.
Then, in a twist that makes no sense and has zero setup in the story, it turns out Banner has also turned some local natives into Hulks and brainwashed them, as well. They're shown to be just as strong as the Hulk, but then a totally normal guy manages to kill them by shooting them with a gun and punching them a bunch. This is some REAL lazy shit, you guys. Figure out what level these Hulks are! Are they Hulks, or are they giant green men with the constitution of a baby? I was constantly confused by what these people were meant to be.
So, yeah, this isn't good. It had a lot of promise, but it just doesn't work in the end. I actually just found out I don't have to read every comic book? Maybe I'll take advantage of that in the future!
But no. Aaron loses the plot pretty quickly into the 4th issue, abandoning most of the character development he'd been working with in favor of a ton of fighting. Banner goes TOO crazy, and his level of insanity (basically a spittle-spewing maniac combination of the Joker and Dr. Moreau) spins completely out of control. He stops being a believably broken man and turns into a cartoon character.
Aaron also introduces a fairly cool-sounding new super-team, set on "killing mad scientists." This is another idea I was really into, kind of a Warren Ellis-y thing, that quickly gets dumped in favor of standard fighting. I hate watching great ideas get flushed down the toilet.
Beyond these personal gripes, the Hulk logic doesn't make a ton of sense here. Banner starts making a ton of Hulks out of local animals (hence the Dr. Moreau comparison) by injecting them with radioactive isotopes (or something). Not only does this turn them into hulk versions of the animals, it also gives them the ability to speak. Okay, fine, whatever. They also develop a borderline religious devotion to Banner, constantly referring to him as "Father" and lifting him up as the only smart man in the world. Okay, fine, whatever. But then when Hulk is fighting them, he basically says "You know you guys are prisoners, right?" and with that one sentence all of the animals are like "Oh, you're right. Forget Banner, the man who thoroughly brainwashed us!" But then like 10 minutes later, they're back to fighting Hulk again? I mean, let's clear up the character motivations, please.
Then, in a twist that makes no sense and has zero setup in the story, it turns out Banner has also turned some local natives into Hulks and brainwashed them, as well. They're shown to be just as strong as the Hulk, but then a totally normal guy manages to kill them by shooting them with a gun and punching them a bunch. This is some REAL lazy shit, you guys. Figure out what level these Hulks are! Are they Hulks, or are they giant green men with the constitution of a baby? I was constantly confused by what these people were meant to be.
So, yeah, this isn't good. It had a lot of promise, but it just doesn't work in the end. I actually just found out I don't have to read every comic book? Maybe I'll take advantage of that in the future!
September 12, 2012
Jason Aaron has breathed much-needed liife into the lungs of the one, true Hulk, as he separates the man and the monster in a re-telling of both Frankenstein and the Island of Dr. Moreau. There isn't much to say about the story other than that. It's fun, solid, doesn't involve a Red Hulk or any other color Hulk, and stays away from the rest of the known Marvel U.
The sticking point here, what drops the rating down from a fun 5 stars to a middling 3 is the art. Silvestri's art was fantastic during his run n X-Men 20 years ago, but for the Hulk today, it feels too airy. There aren't enough boold, solid lines and there are even fewer contrasts. If I were to guess, he's using the same pen for every line, the same guage for an entire page. It makes everything very hard to look at, hard to absorb.
When Silvestri isn't fnishing, we see Whilce Portatio coming into the book and just absolutely ruining it. The man is almost as bad as Rob Leifeld. He has no concept of depth. There are portions of this book where the characters feel deformed because he has no understanding of vanishing perspective. It's so goddamn awful I could barely push through it. So distracting. All these old Image guys have been hidden away in a time capsule and re-emerged with the same level of talent as in 1992. No evolution in their game at all. It's embarrassing.
The sticking point here, what drops the rating down from a fun 5 stars to a middling 3 is the art. Silvestri's art was fantastic during his run n X-Men 20 years ago, but for the Hulk today, it feels too airy. There aren't enough boold, solid lines and there are even fewer contrasts. If I were to guess, he's using the same pen for every line, the same guage for an entire page. It makes everything very hard to look at, hard to absorb.
When Silvestri isn't fnishing, we see Whilce Portatio coming into the book and just absolutely ruining it. The man is almost as bad as Rob Leifeld. He has no concept of depth. There are portions of this book where the characters feel deformed because he has no understanding of vanishing perspective. It's so goddamn awful I could barely push through it. So distracting. All these old Image guys have been hidden away in a time capsule and re-emerged with the same level of talent as in 1992. No evolution in their game at all. It's embarrassing.
June 21, 2012
Abysmal.
After 5 years of amazing Hulk stories, primarily from Greg Pak (with help from Jeff Parker and Jeph Loeb) the title reached highs never before reached. I guess the only way the book could go was down and that I shouldn't be all that surprised. But, I'd read some positive reviews on floppies and wanted to give Jason Aaron's Hulk a decent chance.
What we get is a Hulk and Banner utterly disconnected from the previous glorious five year story arcs. While there's a reason Banner is behaving strangely, there's no reason the supporting cast acts out of turn. I got the feeling Aaron's never read Hulk before. Maybe he watched some cartoons as a child, but he's in water over his head writing this book.
The art is all sharp and angle-ly and looks very 90's. While some of Marc Silvestri's panels are pleasing to the eye, on the whole those sharp angles look a bit sloppy. The fill in artist for the 2nd half of the book is an amateur. How did he get hired at Marvel?
Skip this book and go back and read:
Incredible Hulks: Fall of the Hulks
Hulk: World War Hulks (Incredible Hulk)
Incredible Hulks: World War Hulks
After 5 years of amazing Hulk stories, primarily from Greg Pak (with help from Jeff Parker and Jeph Loeb) the title reached highs never before reached. I guess the only way the book could go was down and that I shouldn't be all that surprised. But, I'd read some positive reviews on floppies and wanted to give Jason Aaron's Hulk a decent chance.
What we get is a Hulk and Banner utterly disconnected from the previous glorious five year story arcs. While there's a reason Banner is behaving strangely, there's no reason the supporting cast acts out of turn. I got the feeling Aaron's never read Hulk before. Maybe he watched some cartoons as a child, but he's in water over his head writing this book.
The art is all sharp and angle-ly and looks very 90's. While some of Marc Silvestri's panels are pleasing to the eye, on the whole those sharp angles look a bit sloppy. The fill in artist for the 2nd half of the book is an amateur. How did he get hired at Marvel?
Skip this book and go back and read:
Incredible Hulks: Fall of the Hulks
Hulk: World War Hulks (Incredible Hulk)
Incredible Hulks: World War Hulks
July 25, 2019
He escuchado muchas cosas buenas de Jason Aaron pero he leído muy poco, y estaba realmente entusiasmado de leer esto (claramente porque suelo no leer los reviews antes de leer algo, por las dudas), pero me pareció aburridísimo, con un Banner irreconocible y un innecesario y mal hecho homenaje a la Isla del Doctor Moreau.
Para peor, entre los dibujos de Silvestri et al. con sus mujeres y hombres que aparentemente se pasan 16 horas al día en el gimnasio para ser campeones de fitness, y la personificación idiotizada de todos los personajes, parece un comic extremo de los noventas (y de los más genéricos). Si hay algo que no necesitamos es traer lo peor de esa época de vuelta.
Para peor, entre los dibujos de Silvestri et al. con sus mujeres y hombres que aparentemente se pasan 16 horas al día en el gimnasio para ser campeones de fitness, y la personificación idiotizada de todos los personajes, parece un comic extremo de los noventas (y de los más genéricos). Si hay algo que no necesitamos es traer lo peor de esa época de vuelta.
January 31, 2015
A fun read but not one of the better Hulk stories. I picked it up due to Portacio/Silvestri whom I followed from 90's X-men and the Darkness.
The short of it is Dr Bruce Banner goes mad ala Island of Lost Souls. The Hulk is once again separated from his alter ego and must confront Banner. The interesting part of this story and one of the high points is that Hulk is the calm grounded one and Bruce is angry and out of control.
The short of it is Dr Bruce Banner goes mad ala Island of Lost Souls. The Hulk is once again separated from his alter ego and must confront Banner. The interesting part of this story and one of the high points is that Hulk is the calm grounded one and Bruce is angry and out of control.
February 14, 2024
Upon re-read, I'll say I like it more now, but the reveal about why Banner is so coo-coo is still pretty typical "Ha ha, This Isn't a Major Character Turning Point, Fooled You!" Marvel/DC shenanigans.
October 28, 2013
Hulk had a beard,just like Jason Aaron does,... later in the book he looks SCALPED, but please don't expect anything near the quality and integrity of SCALPED.
This gets 2 stars ONLY because of the strong art.
This gets 2 stars ONLY because of the strong art.
September 21, 2019
7.6 solid. A 3 anda half is what it gets. Entertaining and a solid story. Few good momments and a great ending with hulk and banner. Not gonna spoil it tho.
September 11, 2022
Aunque estar dentro de la colección definitiva de novelas gráficas de Marvel le queda gigantesco, lo cierto es que no me ha parecido un mal cómic. Es entretenido, los dibujos de Silvestri me encantaron y se puede ver un buen tratamiento de los personajes.
No es una obra de arte, pero los cómics no deben serlo para ser buenos. En este caso nos encontramos a una secuela más de "El Miedo Mismo" (ese pésimo evento que parece que la gente de Salvat adora). En este caso vemos que ocurrió con la separación de Hulk y Banner, esta vez real y físicamente.
Ya esta separación desde la propia concepción del personaje debería ser imposible, pero de realizarse (como ya se ha hecho en múltiples ocasiones en el pasado) no tiene mucho sentido que las partes continúen teniendo atributos de sus contrapartes.
Me explico: Hulk no existía. Hulk es la representación de la ira contenida de Banner, es una representación psíquica de una emoción reprimida que estalla. En resumidas cuentas la versión moderna de Dr. Jenkyll y Mr. Hyde. Si uno extirpa de Banner a Hulk estaría básicamente despojándolo de toda su rabia. Tanto la que es contenida como la futura, es decir Bruce ya no debería ser capaz de experimentar enojo dado que eso es lo que constituye a Hulk.
Por otro lado, si bien con el paso del tiempo se ha brindado a Hulk de cierta racionabilidad (necesaria para que sus historias tuvieran un poco más de sentido), en este caso si se extirpa de él todo lo que Banner representa, solo debería quedar la versión más primitiva y violenta del personaje. Sin ningún tipo de emoción que no sea ira y furia. No tiene sentido que este personaje cuente con pensamientos o la capacidad de razonar.
Esto fue lo que más ruido me hizo del cómic. Parece que Aaron no terminó de entender al personaje. Además plantea que Hulk encontró su lugar en el mundo en la civilización subterránea de los topoides. Entiendo que Hulk no haga referencia a la civilización microscópica de Jarella, pero aunque sea debería recordar y referenciar lo ocurrido en Planeta Hulk...
Pero bueno, todo esto es simplemente un análisis que uno como lector puede llegar a hacer y marcar como deficiencias. Pero aún así considero que la historia no traiciona la esencia del personaje. Me gusta el enfoque que plantea sobre Banner. Es muy interesante de ver y muy bien llevado a cabo por Aaron. Las secuencias están muy bien ilustradas para brindar la mezcla perfecta entre dinamismo e intensidad. El cómic todo está muy bien contado y representado.
No es una obra de arte, pero los cómics no deben serlo para ser buenos. En este caso nos encontramos a una secuela más de "El Miedo Mismo" (ese pésimo evento que parece que la gente de Salvat adora). En este caso vemos que ocurrió con la separación de Hulk y Banner, esta vez real y físicamente.
Ya esta separación desde la propia concepción del personaje debería ser imposible, pero de realizarse (como ya se ha hecho en múltiples ocasiones en el pasado) no tiene mucho sentido que las partes continúen teniendo atributos de sus contrapartes.
Me explico: Hulk no existía. Hulk es la representación de la ira contenida de Banner, es una representación psíquica de una emoción reprimida que estalla. En resumidas cuentas la versión moderna de Dr. Jenkyll y Mr. Hyde. Si uno extirpa de Banner a Hulk estaría básicamente despojándolo de toda su rabia. Tanto la que es contenida como la futura, es decir Bruce ya no debería ser capaz de experimentar enojo dado que eso es lo que constituye a Hulk.
Por otro lado, si bien con el paso del tiempo se ha brindado a Hulk de cierta racionabilidad (necesaria para que sus historias tuvieran un poco más de sentido), en este caso si se extirpa de él todo lo que Banner representa, solo debería quedar la versión más primitiva y violenta del personaje. Sin ningún tipo de emoción que no sea ira y furia. No tiene sentido que este personaje cuente con pensamientos o la capacidad de razonar.
Esto fue lo que más ruido me hizo del cómic. Parece que Aaron no terminó de entender al personaje. Además plantea que Hulk encontró su lugar en el mundo en la civilización subterránea de los topoides. Entiendo que Hulk no haga referencia a la civilización microscópica de Jarella, pero aunque sea debería recordar y referenciar lo ocurrido en Planeta Hulk...
Pero bueno, todo esto es simplemente un análisis que uno como lector puede llegar a hacer y marcar como deficiencias. Pero aún así considero que la historia no traiciona la esencia del personaje. Me gusta el enfoque que plantea sobre Banner. Es muy interesante de ver y muy bien llevado a cabo por Aaron. Las secuencias están muy bien ilustradas para brindar la mezcla perfecta entre dinamismo e intensidad. El cómic todo está muy bien contado y representado.
June 15, 2020
Jason Aaron's take on the Hulk reads a bit like a 90's comic. That is further amplified by the Silvestri/Portacio art, which looks good - but very 90's.
The Hulk and Bruce Banner are no longer the same person. They are two separate entities trying to move on with their life. Well, I say move on, but really Bruce is having a tough time with it. Aaron proposes the notion that the "good guy" in their persona was basically all Hulk. So when you take that away, all you are left with is Banner, who is apparently a mad scientist and nothing more. It's an interesting take... and I can see how he comes to that conclusion, but I personally feel its a bit unfair to write Banner off as purely insane. There's been plenty of stories up until now that had Banner save the day and not Hulk. So to dismiss that, its a bit ...uncharacteristic. But for the sake of this volume, I went with it.
From there the story turns into a take off of " the island of Dr Moreau" but more like "the gamma island of Dr Banner" as he has hulked out every animal on a deserted island. A crew that was assembled to take down and defeat mad scientists is deployed by the US government, and they in turn enlist the Hulk to help.
After the world building of Pak, this felt like a step back. It resorts to very 90's style storytelling complete with the art to boot. The premise and Banner and Hulk being separated - really separated- is a good one, but Aaron takes us down a strange road. Hopefully volume 2 takes us back on track.
The Hulk and Bruce Banner are no longer the same person. They are two separate entities trying to move on with their life. Well, I say move on, but really Bruce is having a tough time with it. Aaron proposes the notion that the "good guy" in their persona was basically all Hulk. So when you take that away, all you are left with is Banner, who is apparently a mad scientist and nothing more. It's an interesting take... and I can see how he comes to that conclusion, but I personally feel its a bit unfair to write Banner off as purely insane. There's been plenty of stories up until now that had Banner save the day and not Hulk. So to dismiss that, its a bit ...uncharacteristic. But for the sake of this volume, I went with it.
From there the story turns into a take off of " the island of Dr Moreau" but more like "the gamma island of Dr Banner" as he has hulked out every animal on a deserted island. A crew that was assembled to take down and defeat mad scientists is deployed by the US government, and they in turn enlist the Hulk to help.
After the world building of Pak, this felt like a step back. It resorts to very 90's style storytelling complete with the art to boot. The premise and Banner and Hulk being separated - really separated- is a good one, but Aaron takes us down a strange road. Hopefully volume 2 takes us back on track.
January 1, 2024
Probably the most wacky Incredible Hulk book that ive read so far. The initial premise is familiar in which The hulk wants to be separated from his other half, Bruce Banner, so as to live life on his own terms. The hulk gets his wish and the mystery of how this was achieved and who exactly is responsible slowly unravels throughout each issue.
I enjoyed the art here, it was a good fit given that the entire volume takes place amongst the islands and jungles that Hulk tries to make his home. It was detailed when it needed to be but always maintained a certain scratchiness and grit much like the beard Hulk sports here. While there is action here its tame and a bit lackluster, the main draw is the parallel between Hulk and Banner as each tries process life without one another. I found the writing to be quite weird since it leans into the surreal, its almost as if Jason Aaron was channeling a bit of Grant Morrison energy here. The characters that hulk encounters seem so off the wall both in terms of design and dialogue thats sprinkled with awkward quips and sexual innuendos about getting in the Hulk's pants. Even though i dont mind that it didnt take itself seriously something about it still just felt off.
I enjoyed the art here, it was a good fit given that the entire volume takes place amongst the islands and jungles that Hulk tries to make his home. It was detailed when it needed to be but always maintained a certain scratchiness and grit much like the beard Hulk sports here. While there is action here its tame and a bit lackluster, the main draw is the parallel between Hulk and Banner as each tries process life without one another. I found the writing to be quite weird since it leans into the surreal, its almost as if Jason Aaron was channeling a bit of Grant Morrison energy here. The characters that hulk encounters seem so off the wall both in terms of design and dialogue thats sprinkled with awkward quips and sexual innuendos about getting in the Hulk's pants. Even though i dont mind that it didnt take itself seriously something about it still just felt off.
June 25, 2020
The main reason i've had to read this? Jason Aaron is my favorite writer. If it wasn't for this, this would probably stay away from me. And, in the end, it was fun, actually.
Aaron's writing is solid. It's not like we see in his own works (Scalped, Southern Bastards...) where he's brilliant, but it's good. It was better than his Avengers run (ARGH!). I usually hate books that make you read other books to understand something, like super, mega, ultra sagas, so i've just read about what happens before this run on some review, didn't read the previous saga or whatever.
But, yeah, that group of Mad people, mad squad or something it's just awful. That Amanda was just a regular character that you will never remember, for sure.
The art was from average to bad. Silvestri got some nice moments, but others are too 90's for me. And Portacio's part, it's a lotta 90's for me. Just too Image Comics. Almost saw Liefield signature over there.
Anyway, gonna keep up with this and see the end of it. Jason Aaron always deserve some attention.
Aaron's writing is solid. It's not like we see in his own works (Scalped, Southern Bastards...) where he's brilliant, but it's good. It was better than his Avengers run (ARGH!). I usually hate books that make you read other books to understand something, like super, mega, ultra sagas, so i've just read about what happens before this run on some review, didn't read the previous saga or whatever.
But, yeah, that group of Mad people, mad squad or something it's just awful. That Amanda was just a regular character that you will never remember, for sure.
The art was from average to bad. Silvestri got some nice moments, but others are too 90's for me. And Portacio's part, it's a lotta 90's for me. Just too Image Comics. Almost saw Liefield signature over there.
Anyway, gonna keep up with this and see the end of it. Jason Aaron always deserve some attention.
December 2, 2016
I haven't read any Hulk titles since Fear Itself, so this one was very different for me.
Hulk and Banner have finally been totally separated, and the person who pulled it off isn't a good guy and probably exactly who you'd guess (but no, not the Leader.) The problem being, once they become separated Banner goes nuts and becomes obsessed with becoming the Hulk again. There's a reason for it which is later revealed. Banner sets himself up as a modern day Dr. Moreau and takes over a deserted island where he creates an army of gamma beasts including spiders, snakes, monkeys, and sharks. Hulk sharks, and yes, it is as cool as it sounds.
As for the art, we got to see two of my old time favorites in Marc Silvestri and Whilce Portacio, so that was very cool and really the art is great.
So while this wasn't the classic type of Hulk story I used to like, it was very good and worth reading if you're a fan of the Hulk or anything else I mentioned.
Hulk and Banner have finally been totally separated, and the person who pulled it off isn't a good guy and probably exactly who you'd guess (but no, not the Leader.) The problem being, once they become separated Banner goes nuts and becomes obsessed with becoming the Hulk again. There's a reason for it which is later revealed. Banner sets himself up as a modern day Dr. Moreau and takes over a deserted island where he creates an army of gamma beasts including spiders, snakes, monkeys, and sharks. Hulk sharks, and yes, it is as cool as it sounds.
As for the art, we got to see two of my old time favorites in Marc Silvestri and Whilce Portacio, so that was very cool and really the art is great.
So while this wasn't the classic type of Hulk story I used to like, it was very good and worth reading if you're a fan of the Hulk or anything else I mentioned.
May 11, 2019
Hulk vs. Banner, kdo vyhraje? Aaron připravil zajímavou zápletku, kde už toho měl Hulk po krk a nechal si toho otravného vědátora vyoperovat. Jenže Banner se zbláznil, dostal rakovinu a chce Hulka zpět. Jeho osobní ostrov dr. Moreau tak hostí utkání dvou monster a nejde jen o tupou mlátičku. Téměř filozofický přesah a otázky týkající se myšlení a psychiky mění nutí hltat jednu stránku za druhou. Pokusy na zvířatech a lidech jsou zde samozřejmostí. Nejsilnější linka je rozhodně Bannerova protože je zde za regulérního záporáka. Ta chvíle kdy se taví v želé je ovšem hořkosladká. Plyne z ní ponaučení. Nikdo se nikdy nezmění a pokud ano tak jedině k horšímu.
June 25, 2019
Hulk stories seem like a balancing act - Hulk (and often Banner) need to be monstrous, but they can't be completely unlikable. I feel like this collection leaned too heavily on the monstrous and unlikable. The set up of separating Hulk and Banner (and who was involved) was similarly cool and kind of dumb. The top secret team of mad scientist hunters was a cool idea, but Banner had a line about knowing all about them that kind of ruined it, and I never really understood the Amanda von Doom character (she was unnecessarily "not related" to Doom and unnecessarily sexy).
February 25, 2025
Wow, I hated this so much. I remembered reading the second volume years ago and never read the first one. Boy, do I regret it now. This volume follows up on Greg Pak's awesome run of the hulk. Aaron starts off with a cool concept of separating the monster from the man. Then it goes downhill very quickly after that. I hated everything about this. The story was bland, the dialogue felt wooden and the characters especially Bruce were written terribly. Avoid this, there are so many better hulk books compared to this.
July 1, 2021
This simply was not good. Jason Aaron seemed like the perfect author for the Hulk but this is bland. Amanda Von Doom? No. Not good. Also, there was some terrible art here (some good). Whilce Portacio is not good and has some of comics' worst panels year after year. The coloring was also bad. Characters remark that they were attacked by green animals who look normal. This was a big miss with only a couple of interesting moments. Overall, a huge disappointment.
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