The Hulk/Spider-Man: Murdermoon

Marvel Novel Series #11

by Paul Kupperberg

Can Spidey survive a one-on-one confrontation with the mightiest mortal alive, the monstrous Incredible Hulk?!

Genres: Marvel, Spider Man, Science Fiction, Superheroes

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1979

About the author

Paul Kupperberg is a nearly 50-year veteran of the comic book industry as a writer and editor for DC Comics, Archie Comics, Marvel, Bongo Charlton, and many more. He is also the author of more than three dozen books of fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages, as well as of short stories, articles, and essays for Crazy 8 Press, Heliosphere, Titan Books, Stone Arch Books, Rosen Publishing, Citadel Press, Pocket Books, TwoMorrows, and others.

Reviews

[clumsyplankton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty bad

[Christopher Obert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book #11 in the Marvel Novel Series based on the famous Marvel comic book superheroes. This book features Hulk and Spider-Man and is mostly geared to a young adult audience, although anyone that has been reading Marvel comics would enjoy the book. Although Hulk and Spider-Man do not interact often in the story, the two characters work well together and it is worth the wait to see them together. I found this story one of the better ones that I have read in the series.

[Kieran Westphal · Rating 2 out of 5]

to its credit, this book features the only time spider-man has ever followed a lead into a gay bar on Christopher St to get information.

[Michael P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the late seventies Len Wein and Marv Wolfman had an idea that publishing had not tried before. Feature popular comic book characters in a series of mass market paperback novels. Oh, other characters had been novelized, usually if they were in a film or TV series, and there had been a Superman novel in 1942 that was loosely tied to the radio series, and a novel about the original character Blue Streak in 1946, and not a lot else. They would hire comic book writers like themselves, mostly, to write the books.

Benefits: There was money to be made from fans of the characters who also read geeky novels and in the unlikely event that a non-comic reader bought one of these book and actually liked it, they might try the comic. It probably happened.

Problems: being a good comic book writer does not make you a good novelist. Plots have different structures, most comic book writers are not prose stylists, and what is effective visually is not effective as words without pictures. Most of the writers tended to retell the origin stories of the characters as a lengthy aside to the main plot, which slowed the stories to a dull crawl.

The book under review was up against a lot, and it failed. Kupperberg delivers a repetitious story with too many improbabilities. It becomes maddening when it isn’t tedious. One thing novels do well that comics do not is allow writers to examine the inner-lives of their characters. Credit Kupperberg with doing this for Spider-Man as he finds ways to manipulate The Hulk into doing what needs to be done. When it comes to similarly exploring subtle human emotions and the things that matter to the heart, well, there isn’t a lot of that in this book, nor would the core audience want there to be. Still, that is the sort of thing that novels do well and it ain’t here.

This isn’t a terrible book, but it isn’t very good.

[Eric Troup · Rating 3 out of 5]

All in all, this was a fun read. It felt like a novelized comic book, even down to the thought bubbles. The details were great. I just wish the story had been more memorable. I found this book used. It does make me want to track down the rest of the series. As a blind reader, my ability to read comic books is severely limited, so anything that gives me a similar experience is something I'll seek out with great enthusiasm, even if the stories are mediocre. It still gives me my superhero fix. And whenever I can, I prefer to…

MAKE MINE MARVEL!!!!!!!!

[Rock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Paul is a decent comic script writer but not a good novel author. I struggled towards the end of the book. The only moment that had some emotion was when Bruce travelled into the the bar and had a moment with the bartender and her family. All else were just action without expression and pulpy villain who wish to rule the world.

[Ekenedilichukwu Ikegwuani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simple story. I just feel like the writer forgets important things about these characters. Bruce is a scientist, but throughout the story he seems dependent on other people's science. And Spider-Man is just straight up dumb at times. Still decent though.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this a long, long time ago (when it was first published). Enjoyed it as a kid, though I knew even then it was just a cheap pulp novel.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good novel adaptation of the comics. if you are a comic super hero fan these are Very recommended.

[Mark Ricard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is my review. https://dailypop.wordpress.com/2016/1...