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The Incredible Hulk (2011)
The Incredible Hulk, Vol. 2
The Hulk thought he was finally rid of Bruce Banner, his puny alter ego split from him and incinerated in the blast of a Gamma bomb. But somehow, buried deep in the Hulk's mind, a twisted, insane Banner is back. And when the Hulk calms down, the maniacal doctor comes out to play. As Banner uses every opportunity to further his intricate plot, the Hulk fights to stay in the game in ever more bizarre locales. In a desperate bid to keep Banner at bay, the Hulk must stay angry! Writer Jason Aaron's paradigm-shifting run roars to a conclusion as the Hulk faces drug-dealing dogs, backwater Atlanteans, Russian bears in space and a hidden city of sasquatches - not to mention Kraven the Hunter, the Punisher, the Thing, Wolverine and Dr. Doom! COLLECTING: Incredible Hulk 7.1, 8-15
168 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
About the author
Jason Aaron
2,343 books1,701 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 41 reviews
July 30, 2015
What’s the proper tone for an Incredible Hulk story line? This is a question that has been stumping philosophers for millennia. This particular humorous installment is a few notches below a second-rate Deadpool comic on the jocularity scale. It works...occasionally.
The book opens with the Hulk burying Bruce Banner at sea. Sure, big guy, that’ll work. It seems that both parts of the whole are (again!) at war for control. Here, the Hulk is lucid (but lacking Banner’s smarts), but not the mind-of-toddler-Hulk-smash version. Oh, and the Hulk is bald. Not a good look.
The Hulk soon becomes part of scavenger hunt that’s being manipulated by Banner. The Hulk ends up in Mexico battling some Dogmen (sadly, no anthropomorphic dachshund guy) with the Punisher (remember when character crossovers meant something? I think it was 1968.), in the hillbilly section of Atlantis (yeah, you read that right) and in various other colorful Marvel locales. Ultimately, the Hulk (and Banner) end up battling a villain called The Vegetable. Yes, the Vegetable.
The humor that works (and this is all this book has going for it) is as follows: an Hulk-on-Hulk sexual encounter between the Hulk, the red She-Hulk with The Orb watching (creepy, no?); a fight at an Antarctic base that the League of Nations created (and forgot about) that involves references to World War I weaponry and Banner using Hulk hands (the cool toy that my son had) against the aforementioned Vegetable. Also, there’s a pecking order among the Doombots. Who knew?
The best bit here is a battle between the Hulk and Wolverine and The Thing. Neither of the latter two heroes have ever had any luck against the Hulk and one would think pairing them together might give them an edge.
Personally I’d prefer Peter David, Bruce Jones or some of the more recent storylines to this treatment.
Hulk find Jason Aaron, Hulk use Jason Aaron's head for bocci ball!
The book opens with the Hulk burying Bruce Banner at sea. Sure, big guy, that’ll work. It seems that both parts of the whole are (again!) at war for control. Here, the Hulk is lucid (but lacking Banner’s smarts), but not the mind-of-toddler-Hulk-smash version. Oh, and the Hulk is bald. Not a good look.
The Hulk soon becomes part of scavenger hunt that’s being manipulated by Banner. The Hulk ends up in Mexico battling some Dogmen (sadly, no anthropomorphic dachshund guy) with the Punisher (remember when character crossovers meant something? I think it was 1968.), in the hillbilly section of Atlantis (yeah, you read that right) and in various other colorful Marvel locales. Ultimately, the Hulk (and Banner) end up battling a villain called The Vegetable. Yes, the Vegetable.
The humor that works (and this is all this book has going for it) is as follows: an Hulk-on-Hulk sexual encounter between the Hulk, the red She-Hulk with The Orb watching (creepy, no?); a fight at an Antarctic base that the League of Nations created (and forgot about) that involves references to World War I weaponry and Banner using Hulk hands (the cool toy that my son had) against the aforementioned Vegetable. Also, there’s a pecking order among the Doombots. Who knew?
The best bit here is a battle between the Hulk and Wolverine and The Thing. Neither of the latter two heroes have ever had any luck against the Hulk and one would think pairing them together might give them an edge.
Personally I’d prefer Peter David, Bruce Jones or some of the more recent storylines to this treatment.
Hulk find Jason Aaron, Hulk use Jason Aaron's head for bocci ball!
December 2, 2021
This is probably the most fun I have had in quite a while reading a Hulk comic.
The start is with Hulk finding that he has merged with Banner again and well come Betty and a fight and a kiss then Hulk finds himself in different lands as he sees that Banner is collecting something. Some of his adventures are in space where he rescues Russians from space bears and that was a fun issue or another one with Atlantis but it should have involved Namor and wasn't that exciting.
Then another random adventure where he has to battle the Thing and Wolverine and what fun that was, him battling the two new Avengers and giving them a humiliating defeat and its a nod to Marvel's history and it was fun!
Overall the adventures we find Banner collecting the items to cure himself of the Hulk but its that moment where they realize that they need each other and incomplete and that is such a big resolution to however many years of Hulk publication and just is lovely and then thats the moment where they fight the mind-assassin and doombots and gamma mutated monsters and that was a lovely fight and ahh its awesome! Loved that one!
This volume has so many resolutions and yes there are stories that feel pointless or random adventures but that sort of thing I like and in a way its good seeing Hulk vs random enemies or in random adventures and now that they are at peace and realizing the whole they make is just perfect and leads to even more interesting story possibilities! Btw the art was great the full time and just makes the reading a much more suitable experience.
The start is with Hulk finding that he has merged with Banner again and well come Betty and a fight and a kiss then Hulk finds himself in different lands as he sees that Banner is collecting something. Some of his adventures are in space where he rescues Russians from space bears and that was a fun issue or another one with Atlantis but it should have involved Namor and wasn't that exciting.
Then another random adventure where he has to battle the Thing and Wolverine and what fun that was, him battling the two new Avengers and giving them a humiliating defeat and its a nod to Marvel's history and it was fun!
Overall the adventures we find Banner collecting the items to cure himself of the Hulk but its that moment where they realize that they need each other and incomplete and that is such a big resolution to however many years of Hulk publication and just is lovely and then thats the moment where they fight the mind-assassin and doombots and gamma mutated monsters and that was a lovely fight and ahh its awesome! Loved that one!
This volume has so many resolutions and yes there are stories that feel pointless or random adventures but that sort of thing I like and in a way its good seeing Hulk vs random enemies or in random adventures and now that they are at peace and realizing the whole they make is just perfect and leads to even more interesting story possibilities! Btw the art was great the full time and just makes the reading a much more suitable experience.
September 19, 2014
Love the rotating artists during the hunt for whatever Banner is up to. And I liked what Palo brought to this beautiful, rock-your-funny-organ story.
The .1 issue is the funniest shit I've read in a long time. Great to see the Aaron I fell in love with from the best Wolverine and the X-Men. Where does he get this off-the-wall imagination? How can I steal some of it? Will any of you come with me to hold him down while I squeeze his precious bits and collect the honeyed imagination juices out of him? Let me bring a terrible oversized toothpaste tube squeegee, and thread his feet through it, so his head eventually splodies with the grotunditude of his imaginariuous granddarium.
Cool little mystery and chase across the globe Hulk has on his brain-bursting hands: what if he was trying to keep Banner from taking over and being the completely insane psychopath he's recently learned to become? Colour me...schadenfreude green.
This time Aaron's gone and taken the deepest dive off the deep end. Dog men, redneck Atlanteans, silliness and wanton destruction around every dark corner of what's left of his brain.
There's a certain Nextwave flavour to all this. Aside from the serious talking to between Banner and Hulk, the mayhem and destruction has a gleeful, madcap twist that is far too much fun for an authorized Big Two book.
And at the last minute, I realized this series was Aaron's version of Punisher MAX for our Hulkie - a deep examination of the psyche, the life history and the outcome of all that was Dr. Bruce Banner, cloaked in the acting-out persona of the Hulk.
It's a beautiful thing, when creators such as Aaron, Slott or Waid get ahold of a great character and really get inside them. When Aaron wears a character like a Norman Bates suit, you really get to know what's real about them, what's the center of the fun pop. This one's a chewy morsel: how is Hulk both the worst and the best thing to happen to Banner?
The .1 issue is the funniest shit I've read in a long time. Great to see the Aaron I fell in love with from the best Wolverine and the X-Men. Where does he get this off-the-wall imagination? How can I steal some of it? Will any of you come with me to hold him down while I squeeze his precious bits and collect the honeyed imagination juices out of him? Let me bring a terrible oversized toothpaste tube squeegee, and thread his feet through it, so his head eventually splodies with the grotunditude of his imaginariuous granddarium.
Cool little mystery and chase across the globe Hulk has on his brain-bursting hands: what if he was trying to keep Banner from taking over and being the completely insane psychopath he's recently learned to become? Colour me...schadenfreude green.
This time Aaron's gone and taken the deepest dive off the deep end. Dog men, redneck Atlanteans, silliness and wanton destruction around every dark corner of what's left of his brain.
There's a certain Nextwave flavour to all this. Aside from the serious talking to between Banner and Hulk, the mayhem and destruction has a gleeful, madcap twist that is far too much fun for an authorized Big Two book.
And at the last minute, I realized this series was Aaron's version of Punisher MAX for our Hulkie - a deep examination of the psyche, the life history and the outcome of all that was Dr. Bruce Banner, cloaked in the acting-out persona of the Hulk.
It's a beautiful thing, when creators such as Aaron, Slott or Waid get ahold of a great character and really get inside them. When Aaron wears a character like a Norman Bates suit, you really get to know what's real about them, what's the center of the fun pop. This one's a chewy morsel: how is Hulk both the worst and the best thing to happen to Banner?
November 24, 2013
One of the big discoveries I made about reading Jason Aaron’s Marvel stuff is realising how funny he is. It’s not immediately apparent when you read his debut, The Other Side, which deals with the Vietnam War and its aftermath, or the equally serious - but no less brilliant - Vertigo series, Scalped, because both titles are dramas and Aaron gives them their due.
But when Aaron made the transfer over to mainstream comics with his Marvel work, it immediately became apparent this dude could write funny stories for some of Marvel’s biggest and brightest stars, and write them really well. Readers of his Wolverine and the X-Men series can attest to this and if you’re looking for more whacky Aaron, look no further than Incredible Hulk, Volume 2.
Reading Volume 2 of Aaron’s short-lived Hulk run was a really pleasant surprise because Volume 1 was played so deadpan and dull that it was exactly that to read. I don’t know if this was always the plan but it’s like Aaron said “fuck it” and just went nuts in this book, throwing in every crazy bit of imaginative awesomeness onto the page. And I’m so glad he did because this book was so much fun to read!
So in the first volume Hulk somehow separates himself from Banner which led to the question, who is Banner without Hulk? Well, a crazy mad scientist it turns out, and, after the events of that first volume, Hulk and Banner are fused together once again after Hulk tries to kill Banner by holding him in front of a gamma bomb explosion.
This book puts Hulk through the wringer. Almost as if he’s apologising to Hulk for this, Aaron gives Hulk a holiday in the prologue: Hulk swims with whales, has a relaxing spa day in a volcano, eats some fresh reindeer, rides a triceratops, and drinks a lot of beer. To top it off he has two hours of intense sex with Betty Ross/Red She-Hulk - so intense, they fall asleep on a pile of burning wreckage in the middle of a destroyed street!
Now Banner has a plan and he’s going to manipulate Hulk into achieving it: finding a cure for the Hulk. We never see Banner in each of the following issues until the final act of the book, with each issue told from Hulk’s perspective where he “wakes up” without realising what’s happened and each time discovers he’s in danger. This is a genius move because it maintains the mystery, puts us straight into the thick of the drama without the boring pseudo-science stuff and it’s also an amazing cat and mouse game, like Jack and Tyler in Fight Club, where the antagonist and protagonist are in the same body!
Remember me telling you Jason Aaron can write comedy? These issues are where he had me genuinely laughing out loud as I read this. Who else but Steve Motherfucking Dillon could Aaron get to draw the Punisher issue? Hulk and Frank are down in Juarez taking on a team of drug-trafficking man-dogs - the name literally evoking the person. I can’t tell you how funny the visual is but it had me cracking up, especially the poodles in the backseat. And the way Hulk maintains Hulk instead of turning back into Banner is to remain really angry so he asks Frank to shoot him in the face, which of course Frank unquestioningly does, and the visual Dillon gives of Hulk with a face full of bullets is too much, it’s too perfect!
There’s no way I’m going to be able to describe every scene I loved in this book without making this review even longer than it is so here are the broad strokes: Atlantean hillbillies drinking Atlantean moonshine; cyborg Cold War bears in space; the secret land of the Sasquatches; and a fight in Hulk/Banner’s mind between a mental assassin called the Vegetable who Banner fights using Hulk hands (the kind you can buy in real life!). It’s all gold. It’s so entertaining, clever, and funny, and there’s no way the reader can predict the story’s trajectory, that it all adds up to enormously fun comics from a master.
I wasn’t crazy about all that Dr Doom stuff, or the fight between Hulk, Thing and Wolverine, which is just your usual Marvel bullshit to get covers and whatnot, plus the whole stated aim of getting rid of Hulk and Banner - well, we all knew that would never happen, right? As if Marvel would get rid of one of their most iconic and popular characters! These were the only predictable moments in the story.
Otherwise, this might be the best Hulk comic I’ve ever read. Aaron is on fire in nearly every chapter in this book, bringing you the best of what you love about Hulk - the action, the lunacy, the unpredictability - with the best of what you love about the Marvel Universe - the fantastic, colourful, barmy and amazing things that can happen within it. The writing and plotting is top notch and Aaron is joined by a roster of terrific comics talent - Jefte Palo, Tom Raney, and Carlos Pacheco to name a few. Honestly, there are far, far too many scenes in this book that I loved and haven’t mentioned that you should discover for yourselves. This is how every Hulk book should be!
Check it out guys, this one is hilarious, creative, and highly enjoyable - Jason Aaron writes his funniest Marvel book yet.
But when Aaron made the transfer over to mainstream comics with his Marvel work, it immediately became apparent this dude could write funny stories for some of Marvel’s biggest and brightest stars, and write them really well. Readers of his Wolverine and the X-Men series can attest to this and if you’re looking for more whacky Aaron, look no further than Incredible Hulk, Volume 2.
Reading Volume 2 of Aaron’s short-lived Hulk run was a really pleasant surprise because Volume 1 was played so deadpan and dull that it was exactly that to read. I don’t know if this was always the plan but it’s like Aaron said “fuck it” and just went nuts in this book, throwing in every crazy bit of imaginative awesomeness onto the page. And I’m so glad he did because this book was so much fun to read!
So in the first volume Hulk somehow separates himself from Banner which led to the question, who is Banner without Hulk? Well, a crazy mad scientist it turns out, and, after the events of that first volume, Hulk and Banner are fused together once again after Hulk tries to kill Banner by holding him in front of a gamma bomb explosion.
This book puts Hulk through the wringer. Almost as if he’s apologising to Hulk for this, Aaron gives Hulk a holiday in the prologue: Hulk swims with whales, has a relaxing spa day in a volcano, eats some fresh reindeer, rides a triceratops, and drinks a lot of beer. To top it off he has two hours of intense sex with Betty Ross/Red She-Hulk - so intense, they fall asleep on a pile of burning wreckage in the middle of a destroyed street!
Now Banner has a plan and he’s going to manipulate Hulk into achieving it: finding a cure for the Hulk. We never see Banner in each of the following issues until the final act of the book, with each issue told from Hulk’s perspective where he “wakes up” without realising what’s happened and each time discovers he’s in danger. This is a genius move because it maintains the mystery, puts us straight into the thick of the drama without the boring pseudo-science stuff and it’s also an amazing cat and mouse game, like Jack and Tyler in Fight Club, where the antagonist and protagonist are in the same body!
Remember me telling you Jason Aaron can write comedy? These issues are where he had me genuinely laughing out loud as I read this. Who else but Steve Motherfucking Dillon could Aaron get to draw the Punisher issue? Hulk and Frank are down in Juarez taking on a team of drug-trafficking man-dogs - the name literally evoking the person. I can’t tell you how funny the visual is but it had me cracking up, especially the poodles in the backseat. And the way Hulk maintains Hulk instead of turning back into Banner is to remain really angry so he asks Frank to shoot him in the face, which of course Frank unquestioningly does, and the visual Dillon gives of Hulk with a face full of bullets is too much, it’s too perfect!
There’s no way I’m going to be able to describe every scene I loved in this book without making this review even longer than it is so here are the broad strokes: Atlantean hillbillies drinking Atlantean moonshine; cyborg Cold War bears in space; the secret land of the Sasquatches; and a fight in Hulk/Banner’s mind between a mental assassin called the Vegetable who Banner fights using Hulk hands (the kind you can buy in real life!). It’s all gold. It’s so entertaining, clever, and funny, and there’s no way the reader can predict the story’s trajectory, that it all adds up to enormously fun comics from a master.
I wasn’t crazy about all that Dr Doom stuff, or the fight between Hulk, Thing and Wolverine, which is just your usual Marvel bullshit to get covers and whatnot, plus the whole stated aim of getting rid of Hulk and Banner - well, we all knew that would never happen, right? As if Marvel would get rid of one of their most iconic and popular characters! These were the only predictable moments in the story.
Otherwise, this might be the best Hulk comic I’ve ever read. Aaron is on fire in nearly every chapter in this book, bringing you the best of what you love about Hulk - the action, the lunacy, the unpredictability - with the best of what you love about the Marvel Universe - the fantastic, colourful, barmy and amazing things that can happen within it. The writing and plotting is top notch and Aaron is joined by a roster of terrific comics talent - Jefte Palo, Tom Raney, and Carlos Pacheco to name a few. Honestly, there are far, far too many scenes in this book that I loved and haven’t mentioned that you should discover for yourselves. This is how every Hulk book should be!
Check it out guys, this one is hilarious, creative, and highly enjoyable - Jason Aaron writes his funniest Marvel book yet.
January 27, 2018
Entirely ridiculous. And Hulk looks stupid most of the book. On a random treasure hunt for Banner.
And Amanda Von doom isstupid. VVD isn't much better, but at least they realize the 2 belong together.
And Amanda Von doom isstupid. VVD isn't much better, but at least they realize the 2 belong together.
February 8, 2018
2,5*
Better than vol.1-no big surprise, I hardly imagine it being worse- but still no cigar.
Looks like Aaron went all Tex Avery on these volumes. First one was a dud, this one's reveals a bit more Aaron's real funny side-something not so evident reading Scalped or Southern bastards. Oddly he can deliver some clever fun-some situations/dialogues are really worth it- as well as gross humor, about as subtle as a sledgehammer.
This being said the plot itself is not too bad. Hulk tries desperately to outsmart Banner, always 2 steps ahead, and to prevent him from... something ominous he can't figure out.
Aaron brilliantly uses huge ellipses, putting the reader in the same position than Hulk, wondering what happened to get him into yet another shitty situation.
The conclusion is not very original but well-crafted enough to be satisfying.
A lot of pencillers to fill the issues. If Jefte Palo made my day, the rest of the cast mostly did not.
To conclude I wouldn't recommend the 2 volumes to anyone but huge fans of the Hulk or people with a bigger sense of humor than me (which shouldn't be too hard to find)
Better than vol.1-no big surprise, I hardly imagine it being worse- but still no cigar.
Looks like Aaron went all Tex Avery on these volumes. First one was a dud, this one's reveals a bit more Aaron's real funny side-something not so evident reading Scalped or Southern bastards. Oddly he can deliver some clever fun-some situations/dialogues are really worth it- as well as gross humor, about as subtle as a sledgehammer.
This being said the plot itself is not too bad. Hulk tries desperately to outsmart Banner, always 2 steps ahead, and to prevent him from... something ominous he can't figure out.
Aaron brilliantly uses huge ellipses, putting the reader in the same position than Hulk, wondering what happened to get him into yet another shitty situation.
The conclusion is not very original but well-crafted enough to be satisfying.
A lot of pencillers to fill the issues. If Jefte Palo made my day, the rest of the cast mostly did not.
To conclude I wouldn't recommend the 2 volumes to anyone but huge fans of the Hulk or people with a bigger sense of humor than me (which shouldn't be too hard to find)
July 8, 2013
Another pretty good volume. What's fun about it, again, is the switch. We get events from the Hulk's perspective, which is a great swap because...
Okay, for those of you who know nothing about the Hulk, I'll break it down.
Bruce Banner is a dude. When Bruce Banner gets upset or injured, he turns into the Hulk. The Hulk is essentially a separate entity, so when we look at things from the Hulk's perspective, he "wakes up" in the midst of a terrible situation that he probably had nothing to do with.
Imagine waking up every morning to some new disaster. You don't know where you are, you don't know why Captain America is punching you in the head. You don't even know if you're going to be wearing any sort of pants.
All of a sudden we start to see thing not from Banner's perspective, a guy trying to rein in a monster, but from the Hulk's perspective, who is born always of chaos and therefore has kind of a terrible life, especially when one considers that he turns back into Banner as soon as he's not angry anymore.
Kind of a terrible life. Wake up pantsless and getting punched, then live out the worst 20 or so minutes of the day, then sort of fall back asleep, only to be awakened the next time someone tried to stab your alter ego with a piece of rebar.
Okay, for those of you who know nothing about the Hulk, I'll break it down.
Bruce Banner is a dude. When Bruce Banner gets upset or injured, he turns into the Hulk. The Hulk is essentially a separate entity, so when we look at things from the Hulk's perspective, he "wakes up" in the midst of a terrible situation that he probably had nothing to do with.
Imagine waking up every morning to some new disaster. You don't know where you are, you don't know why Captain America is punching you in the head. You don't even know if you're going to be wearing any sort of pants.
All of a sudden we start to see thing not from Banner's perspective, a guy trying to rein in a monster, but from the Hulk's perspective, who is born always of chaos and therefore has kind of a terrible life, especially when one considers that he turns back into Banner as soon as he's not angry anymore.
Kind of a terrible life. Wake up pantsless and getting punched, then live out the worst 20 or so minutes of the day, then sort of fall back asleep, only to be awakened the next time someone tried to stab your alter ego with a piece of rebar.
May 2, 2022
Well, we got Hulk waking up on the most strangest place on earth, trying to understand what Banner was up to and trying to stop him to do it.
Actually, it's nothing new, and ended up as we all was waiting it would. It's not one of Aaron's best job, but it's cool. And the first volume was better. And i believe that mix of artists at every issue was hard to follow. Besides the issue with the Punisher and the late Steve Dillon's art. It was just amazing to see Hulk asking Frank to shoot him in his face to stay hungry, and Frank doing it, without any question. Awesome!
But, again, if you're waiting for something like Al Ewing's Immortal Hulk, you'll not gonna get it, but it's a good run, better than some. Give it a try if you're a Green Goliath fan.
Actually, it's nothing new, and ended up as we all was waiting it would. It's not one of Aaron's best job, but it's cool. And the first volume was better. And i believe that mix of artists at every issue was hard to follow. Besides the issue with the Punisher and the late Steve Dillon's art. It was just amazing to see Hulk asking Frank to shoot him in his face to stay hungry, and Frank doing it, without any question. Awesome!
But, again, if you're waiting for something like Al Ewing's Immortal Hulk, you'll not gonna get it, but it's a good run, better than some. Give it a try if you're a Green Goliath fan.
Read
February 14, 2021İlk arc bir nebze olsun kendisini okutuyor fakat ikinci arc'ı neredeyse zor bitirdim. Al Ewing'in yükselttiği çıta sonrası bu okuduğum Hulk hikayeleri çok basit geliyor. Aynısı Cates'in Venom'u içinde geçerli.
November 30, 2013
I am definitely guilty of hyperbole, but this is the best Hulk story I ever read. The idea of telling the story from Hulk's perspective, and not some dull brute who smashes things, but a cynical wanderer is just excellent. The icing on the cake is having that cynic fight against plots that Bruce Banner has set up for him. It was just so great to see the Hulk "Wake up" in scenarios that Bruce Banner had gotten him into. I can picture the hulk, shaking his head saying "What did this asshole get me into this time?" every time Banner goes into a rage.
Don't get me wrong, Planet Hulk was pretty good, and the whole thing with the Intelligencia was fun, but for the most part I am not a Hulk-as-main-character kind of fan. This book was an exception
Don't get me wrong, Planet Hulk was pretty good, and the whole thing with the Intelligencia was fun, but for the most part I am not a Hulk-as-main-character kind of fan. This book was an exception
December 7, 2016
This was a good read, if a little uneven. I enjoyed the "Stay Angry" arc with the guest stars. I'm a big Punisher fan so it was cool to see him in a story, plus who doesn't love a good Wolverine vs. Hulk throwdown. Kraven the Hunter even showed up, which was a pretty neat twist.
However, the rest of this volume sort of lost momentum. The big conclusion to Aaron's run wasn't bad, but it just got a little too silly. I was hoping for more serious and gritty rather than campy.
Not a bad read overall though, and the art was nice as well. Just didn't quite reach the level I was expecting.
However, the rest of this volume sort of lost momentum. The big conclusion to Aaron's run wasn't bad, but it just got a little too silly. I was hoping for more serious and gritty rather than campy.
Not a bad read overall though, and the art was nice as well. Just didn't quite reach the level I was expecting.
December 1, 2016
Quite fun and a bit better than the first volume. Now I'm sad Aaron only did these two.
June 23, 2020
I really enjoyed the first half of this volume, then the last half... kind of goes off the rails.
So the first half puts us directly into the perspective of the Hulk. Jason Aaron hits upon this really cool premise where, if we just cut out all the Banner parts of the story, we essentially get the Hulk's point of view. In other words, just waking up and wondering where he is, why he is there, and how is he gonna get out of the mess that Banner put him in. And Banner is taking him from strange location to strange location, so you really have no idea what the big plan is that Banner is working towards. Instead, we get to feel the confusion that Hulk feels during these moments. Good stuff by Aaron.
The art during this first half is handled by different artists per issue. And while the styles are wildly different thus felt fragmented, it was still cool to see different artists like Steve Dillon, Pasqual Ferry, Tom Raney, and more put their own spin on the Hulk and his world. It also added to the confusion in a weird way to match the tone of the overall story.
The second half of the book is Aaron tying up all the loose ends, and there are a lot, from his overall run on the Hulk. To be honest, its a mess and it ends very conveniently. For me, it really suffered from the ending, as I was ready to give the book 4 stars up until that last half.
Overall, a bit of an uneven run from Aaron on the Hulk. There are some cool elements to his tenure, so I would say, if you are a fan of the character, pick this up.
So the first half puts us directly into the perspective of the Hulk. Jason Aaron hits upon this really cool premise where, if we just cut out all the Banner parts of the story, we essentially get the Hulk's point of view. In other words, just waking up and wondering where he is, why he is there, and how is he gonna get out of the mess that Banner put him in. And Banner is taking him from strange location to strange location, so you really have no idea what the big plan is that Banner is working towards. Instead, we get to feel the confusion that Hulk feels during these moments. Good stuff by Aaron.
The art during this first half is handled by different artists per issue. And while the styles are wildly different thus felt fragmented, it was still cool to see different artists like Steve Dillon, Pasqual Ferry, Tom Raney, and more put their own spin on the Hulk and his world. It also added to the confusion in a weird way to match the tone of the overall story.
The second half of the book is Aaron tying up all the loose ends, and there are a lot, from his overall run on the Hulk. To be honest, its a mess and it ends very conveniently. For me, it really suffered from the ending, as I was ready to give the book 4 stars up until that last half.
Overall, a bit of an uneven run from Aaron on the Hulk. There are some cool elements to his tenure, so I would say, if you are a fan of the character, pick this up.
July 2, 2021
While Jason Aaron's run here is far from my expectations, this volume was much more fun than the first. There was some hilarious scenes in the Stay Angry arc that were perfectly crazy. Doom's overall involvement in this run was severely lacking but I liked all the other guest stars. The new characters created for the arc are lacking and easily forgotten. Here, we get art from a tons of artists and for the most part it was really successful. Overall, some great ideas here that couldn't pull the series up higher than middle of the road.
March 11, 2025
I must admit, there were times I hated this, but also times I really enjoyed it. It’s all over the place as a collection and a storyline
Firstly, I hate the bald Hulk. Just looks stupid visually.
I also thought the vein of humour that ran through the book was a bit too much, making the actual plot less believable often for the sake of a cheap gag. The constant art changes also take you out of the story a lot.
On the plus side, the Banner/ Hulk dynamic, certainly for the earlier issues, worked very well, and the cameos were all great fun.
Very readable, but fast food comics.
Firstly, I hate the bald Hulk. Just looks stupid visually.
I also thought the vein of humour that ran through the book was a bit too much, making the actual plot less believable often for the sake of a cheap gag. The constant art changes also take you out of the story a lot.
On the plus side, the Banner/ Hulk dynamic, certainly for the earlier issues, worked very well, and the cameos were all great fun.
Very readable, but fast food comics.
November 29, 2020
Let's start with what hurts the most... the art for the first issue of this volume is one of the worst I've seen in a long time. For whatever reason they decided not to keep Silversti this time and go with different artists each issue. Art does get better by issue 9 or 10, but I find this decision to be more distracting than anything.
As far as the story goes, it ain't that bad but it wasn't really captivating.
As far as the story goes, it ain't that bad but it wasn't really captivating.
July 11, 2017
It missed so much that you have forgotten the hits like Wolverine and Thing team-up and the squabbling Doombots. Give it a miss if you can.
November 1, 2018
I've been wondering, is there anything Jason Aaron cant do? turns out the answer is write a Hulk comic that makes a lick of sense.
August 17, 2019
Hulk goes on a Banner-planned scavenger hunt. Chaos and hilarity ensues.
April 27, 2020
Good, solid fun Hulk story with excellent art by diverse hands each issue/chapter.
September 7, 2021
Some of the art in here is amazing. Even when it's not amazing, it's good storytelling. The story being told though. Well, at least the art is good.
August 25, 2022
3.5 stars.
September 17, 2022
This was a lot of fun. I’m no purist but I do love the Hulk. So I was just into this for the fun and loved the concept and the illustrations
February 5, 2026
There are a lot of fun ideas in this series, but it just didn’t pop like other Aaron works.
March 19, 2017
Really enjoyed this run of stories. It both follows on nicely from the previous issues and provides a solid tale in itself. The inconsistency in art didn't bother me at first but toward the end I found some of Paki's storytelling to be hard to follow which was a pity in some of the more dramatic moments. Great stuff from Dillon, Raney (cyborg space bears!) and Pacheco
September 18, 2020
The bald Hulk designs is aggressively unappealing. That aside this series just didn't do it for me. I prefer a splashier, more epic Hulk to the haunted serious one, so maybe that's just on me.
We discussed this series more in Comic Book Coffee Break:
https://youtu.be/bN7fqZdCoqc
We discussed this series more in Comic Book Coffee Break:
https://youtu.be/bN7fqZdCoqc
November 22, 2012
I am assuming you have already read Vol 1 of Jason's run on the Incredible Hulk and have been through his homage to not just Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Frankenstien which all good Hulk writers have tried to do throughout the years but also his addition to the list by including elements from H G Well's "The Island of Dr Moreau"
Jason treads an interesting path by a) separating the man from the monster and then b) asking the question in which lies the core of this story - what maketh a monster - size - deeds or thoughts ?
Vol 1 's story was quite novel and interesting in the sense that it reverses the way we've perceived Banner and Hulk till now. However it suffered from too much Hulk Smash and Fights and less of the man - monster concept which is at the heart of this otherwise beautiful story.
Also the art (with the exception of the cover art) was at best supporting / illustrative and not powerful enough to show the rage, desperation and sadness of the characters. Even the action panels which fill up so many pages are done in a rather unimaginative way.
The sad part is that both these negatives continue in Vol 2 as well but that said :
The cover art of almost all the comics in this trade paperback were eye catching as was with the Vol 1(esp if you are a Hulk fan)
The story goes deeper (if only a bit - but deeper nonetheless) in the man - monster argument and shows an interesting internal conflict.
More enjoyable than Vol 1 for sure.
That said - if you are Hulk fan (like the writer of this note) - read it once for the turning the table capability of this story.
Overall - (in case you are a Hulk fan) a must read to witness this interesting story and the imagination of Jason (have no expectations of the art though)
In case you are not a Hulk Fan - you are not missing much.
Jason treads an interesting path by a) separating the man from the monster and then b) asking the question in which lies the core of this story - what maketh a monster - size - deeds or thoughts ?
Vol 1 's story was quite novel and interesting in the sense that it reverses the way we've perceived Banner and Hulk till now. However it suffered from too much Hulk Smash and Fights and less of the man - monster concept which is at the heart of this otherwise beautiful story.
Also the art (with the exception of the cover art) was at best supporting / illustrative and not powerful enough to show the rage, desperation and sadness of the characters. Even the action panels which fill up so many pages are done in a rather unimaginative way.
The sad part is that both these negatives continue in Vol 2 as well but that said :
The cover art of almost all the comics in this trade paperback were eye catching as was with the Vol 1(esp if you are a Hulk fan)
The story goes deeper (if only a bit - but deeper nonetheless) in the man - monster argument and shows an interesting internal conflict.
More enjoyable than Vol 1 for sure.
That said - if you are Hulk fan (like the writer of this note) - read it once for the turning the table capability of this story.
Overall - (in case you are a Hulk fan) a must read to witness this interesting story and the imagination of Jason (have no expectations of the art though)
In case you are not a Hulk Fan - you are not missing much.
March 26, 2014
This is better than the first volume, if only due to art, including decent-to-good work by Steve Dillon, Pascal Ferry, and Carlos Pacheco, but it's still pretty dumb. After the Hulk supposedly killed Bruce Banner at the end of the last volume, it turns out that nope, they just got squooshed back into the same body, like usual. So this volume sees them fighting each other mentally, with Banner sending Hulk all over the world on a series of strange errands, which gives Aaron a chance to throw in a bunch of wacky characters and situations, like a bunch of redneck Atlanteans, an abandoned space station populated with Soviet super soldiers and cyborg bears, and a secret city of bigfoots, sasquatches, and yetis. It's all pretty nonsensical, part of a scheme by Banner to gather exotic ingredients and create a cure for the Hulk, but he never explains why he needs these various ingredients, other than that he's smart. It all leads up to a reconciliation, as Banner and Hulk make nice and decide to work together to stop Doctor Doom, whose out-of-character actions are explained away in the usual fashion: Doombots. Eh, whatever. There's a lot of attempted humor, but most all if it is forced, and I just don't buy the actions of any of the characters, from the main stars down to the guest stars like Punisher, Kraven the Hunter, the Thing, Wolverine, or even the Doombots. I wasn't really expecting much from either of these volumes, but they were still a letdown. Avoid.
July 8, 2013
Jason Aaron's run on Incredible Hulk met an odd reception when it was released in single issues as far as I can remember, and now that the paperback collection has been released, I can see why.
It's got some very good ideas, but executes them in a strange way that means some of the issues are completely useless, and there's a big reliance on 'it's science, so it works' for the finale to play out. The reveal of the villains of the piece is interesting, and I do like the supporting characters of Amanda Von Doom and her MAD Squad that I hope will pop up somewhere else, but for every good idea, there are equal amounts of bad ones.
The biggest problem is the artwork; Jefte Palo draws most of the issues, but his artwork isn't as refined as it used to be, feeling rather rushed and blocky. Then there's the section in the middle of the trade that has one artist per issue, which is a stupid idea that keeps getting thrown around at Marvel. Each artist is decent in their own right (except perhaps Steve Dillon), but having one artist per issue ruins the flow of the book completely.
The ending plays out well, but this is nowhere near as good as much of the Hulk that went before it. Perhaps having one artist would have improved the score rating, and perhaps having a few more issues to play out the ideas rather than the truncated run we seemed to get would improve the experience.
It's got some very good ideas, but executes them in a strange way that means some of the issues are completely useless, and there's a big reliance on 'it's science, so it works' for the finale to play out. The reveal of the villains of the piece is interesting, and I do like the supporting characters of Amanda Von Doom and her MAD Squad that I hope will pop up somewhere else, but for every good idea, there are equal amounts of bad ones.
The biggest problem is the artwork; Jefte Palo draws most of the issues, but his artwork isn't as refined as it used to be, feeling rather rushed and blocky. Then there's the section in the middle of the trade that has one artist per issue, which is a stupid idea that keeps getting thrown around at Marvel. Each artist is decent in their own right (except perhaps Steve Dillon), but having one artist per issue ruins the flow of the book completely.
The ending plays out well, but this is nowhere near as good as much of the Hulk that went before it. Perhaps having one artist would have improved the score rating, and perhaps having a few more issues to play out the ideas rather than the truncated run we seemed to get would improve the experience.
January 19, 2016
Surprisingly funny stuff from Jason Aaron, who tends to stick to intensity and violence as his storytelling go-tos. My one problem with reading this, though, is that the comedy feels derivative of other people's styles more than it feels naturally Aaron's. In fact, it is VERY similar to Warren Ellis's sensibility in series like Nextwave.
That said, I'm at least happy that this volume seemed so much more fun than the previous one. Now the ridiculousness of the plotting seems to be embraced and even planned, rather than just feeling unfocused and all-over-the-place like it did in his opening act.
Ultimately, though, this felt a little pointless. Each issue ends with a little cliffhanger that feels like it's adding up to a larger mystery, and the plot points are presented as if we, the reader, can possibly solve that mystery. In the end, though, the answer to what Banner was doing behind Hulk's back was just completely random and unpredictable, so that left me feeling a little cheated. Like the carrot at the end of the stick wasn't a carrot at all.
This is worth checking out for the sole fact that it feels so different from Aaron's other material, though I don't think it's a must-read by any means. Still, it gets me excited to see Jason Aaron grow further as a writer, something a lot of comics writers refuse to do for whatever reason.
That said, I'm at least happy that this volume seemed so much more fun than the previous one. Now the ridiculousness of the plotting seems to be embraced and even planned, rather than just feeling unfocused and all-over-the-place like it did in his opening act.
Ultimately, though, this felt a little pointless. Each issue ends with a little cliffhanger that feels like it's adding up to a larger mystery, and the plot points are presented as if we, the reader, can possibly solve that mystery. In the end, though, the answer to what Banner was doing behind Hulk's back was just completely random and unpredictable, so that left me feeling a little cheated. Like the carrot at the end of the stick wasn't a carrot at all.
This is worth checking out for the sole fact that it feels so different from Aaron's other material, though I don't think it's a must-read by any means. Still, it gets me excited to see Jason Aaron grow further as a writer, something a lot of comics writers refuse to do for whatever reason.
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