Phase One: The Incredible Hulk

by Alexander C. Irvine

Bruce Banner was once just a shy scientist. But after a devastating lab accident, he became The Incredible Hulk.

Join the action as this Super Hero fights against Abomination in his complete origin story as told in The Incredible Hulk. Re-live all of The Avengers' individual stories before they reassemble in Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron. © 2014 MARVEL

Genres: Middle Grade, Superheroes, Marvel, Comics, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Audiobook

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 6, 2015

About the author

Alexander C. Irvine is an American fantasist and science fiction writer. He also writes under the pseudonym Alex Irvine. He first gained attention with his novel A Scattering of Jades and the stories that would form the collection Unintended Consequences. He has also published the Grail quest novel One King, One Soldier, and the World War II-era historical fantasy The Narrows.

In addition to his original works, Irvine has published Have Robot, Will Travel, a novel set in Isaac Asimov's positronic robot milieu; and Batman: Inferno, about the DC Comics superhero.

His academic background includes an M.A. in English from the University of Maine and a PhD from the University of Denver. He is an assistant professor of English at the University of Maine. He also worked for a time as a reporter at the Portland Phoenix.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Retelling of TTA #90 and #91 - first appearance of the Abomination (A). Nice way to transition A into the ever widening MCU. Really did not understand A appearance in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: the concept of Wong having him as a 'student' and training him to fight really does not register (sorry to get off track). A is one of the few Hulk foes that can go toe to toe with him: there is no question he is in the Marvel 'super heavyweight' club. Hope the MCU really gives him his proper place soon!

[Suzzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as entertaining as the other in the Marvel movie novelizations but at least this one was complete (ish). I actually only seen the Hulk movie once years ago and never felt compelled to watch it again; whereas I have watched all the other Marvel Cinematic Universe movies countless times. Still a great little read for a few hours of quick entertainment.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid 3. Better than Iron Man, which fizzled out, but not as good as Thor, which had the best structure. This is the only book in this novel set which I haven't seen the movie. I never had the desire to see it, but now I do! Unfortunately I know the movie doesn't have Mark Ruffalo which is who I pictured as Bruce Banner the whole time. Instead it's Ed Norton and I'm really not excited about that.

I didn't realize Bruce Banner had a love interest. Out of all the books, this one had the romantic storyline most fleshed out (still bare bones, but at least I understood they both liked each other). But now I'm confused. I kept thinking that Betty must die at the end because I've never heard of her in any of the other movies the Hulk shows up in. But she didn't. So what happened? Is there a sequel I don't know about?

Now that I think about it, I have lots more questions about the Hulk and other storylines that haven't wrapped up... will they ever be addressed again? What happened to the scientist that helped Bruce and Betty and got some Hulk blood on him? Why can't anyone replicate the experiment? Why didn't Bruce die from radiation poisoning? If sound waves hurt the Hulk, why don't people try that in the other movies he's in? And what happened to Betty? Maybe I do need to watch the movie instead of relying on a children's book version of it.

With all these unresolved questions, I feel like I ought to downgrade my rating, but because I pictured Mark Ruffalo as Bruce the whole time and he's just so likeable, it keeps its 3 stars intact.

[Aaron C]

The Incredible HULK is about a man (Bruce Banner) who was a scientist first. He has this green monster inside of him, when he gets angry or his heart rate goes up it causes him to turn into The Incredible HULK.
This happens because of the super cells (gamma radiation) in his body. Super cells are the things that make the incredible HULK. The hulk tries to find out what happened to him and what went wrong. Through the whole book he has a special bond with Betty that he cares very much for, and she tries to help him but her father the general in the military doesn't want his daughter with him.
Because the father knows that he can't control his temper.

I would definitely recommend this book to someone who likes a good book with suspense and action in it. In conclusion the incredible HULK is a great book . This book intrigued me because I really like super heroes.

[The Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asher (9yo) read. "Bruce Banner is trying to cure himself from the mysterious gamma radiation in his blood while also trying to keep The Hulk side of him under control. Meanwhile, the government is searching for Banner to make another Hulk. It was very cool how the soldiers tried to fight back against The Hulk."

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is such a pleasure to see my son fall in love with a book series and quietly hide away so he can get in some more reading. He is already checking prices to see what book he wants to buy next in this series!...krb 1/5/17

Ellie is reading this book now..krb 9/15/17

[flomer · Rating 3 out of 5]

smash

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Review of the Audiobook

Published in 2015 by Blackstone Audio
Read by Jim Meskimen
Duration: 2 hours, 52 minutes
Unabridged

Marvel Press has released a series of junior novelizations of their Avenger and Avenger-related movies. The term "Phase One" in the title means that this is a pre-Avengers book that serves to introduce an Avenger. The publisher recommends them for ages 8-12 but my wife and I listened along with the kids in the car and we enjoyed it as well - my wife was really getting into it. I was the only one in the car that had actually seen the The Incredible Hulk movie.

This is a faithful re-telling of the movie. Unlike some novelizations, this one does not really expand past what the movie viewer would have seen in the movie. No new secrets revealed or anything.


The book starts with Bruce Banner already having been exposed to gamma radiation and having already changed into the Incredible Hulk. In fact, the real plot gets going five years after his exposure.

Banner is on the run, the target of a secret military program that is trying to re-create the Super Soldier program that produced Captain America. He is hiding out in Brazil while trying to find a cure and working at a soda pop factory. But, he makes one tiny mistake - just one little mistake and soon special forces units are flying to Brazil to try to round up Banner without making him angry...

Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2015/...

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite of the Hulk stories that have been presented as movies. Bruce Banner starts out living in Brasil where he works at a soft drink factory. The United States military pursues him as they wish to use his condition as a weapon. There is even one soldier associated with the military in his pursuit that seeks to have the power of the Hulk in himself. This is a great retelling of the story.

[Nicolas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The movie always gets a bum wrap, but it's one of my favorites. I enjoyed this novelization very much. It captured the vibe of the movie, but also just worked really well as Hulk novel.

We discussed this series with the author over on Previously on X-Men: https://previously-on-x-men.libsyn.co...

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but good re-telling of the movie. It doesn't go deeper into anything but it gets the main points across well and the writing is good. An enjoyable read.

[Tariq Latif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, it was slow in the beginning.

[Ayala Deer · Rating 3 out of 5]

All i have to say is!


I love the Hulk! And I couldn't believe a kids book came out of him in preparation for age of ultron! So of course I had to pick it up and read it. It's a toned down duplicate of the 2008 Hulk movie with Edward Norton.
This has the exact same lines as the movies but it's dumbed down to more appropriate language for younger audiences.
One of my favorite substitute lines has to be when Emil Blonsky says "You'll have a bunch of professional tough guys running for their Mama's" But in the movie he says "pissing in their pants" I think it's hilarious!
Anyway I hate Stories that are just about the hulk and nothing but hulk! What about the man behind the monster? Bruce Banner! This story has good balance between monster and man and I really appreciate that they did the 2008 film instead of the 2003 film!
The writing was so-so, and they couldn't include all the good stuff, because of those darn kids!!!!!
If you're searching for a more adult book of the same movie recommend Peter David's Incredible Hulk novel!!!
Anyway I give this book Three and a half stars!

[Diego S]

Phase One:The Incredible Hulk by Alex Irvine was a great book but the best by Alex is Captain America The First Avenger. I liked this book because it explains the backstory of Bruce Banner (aka. Hulk). The conflict is that Bruce Banner has a serum injected into him and when he reaches a certain beats per minute he turns into this big green monster that can’t be controlled. So the U.S. government is trying to capture him so he can be experimented on. This story takes place in a 3rd world country and New York. I would recommend this book to people who love the Hulk or need a better understanding of the Hulk.

[CraftyChara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad that this one is complete, unlike MANY other marvel novelization.

[Santosh Thapa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shrawan 28, 2077, Wednesday

Phase One: The Incredible Hulk - Alexander C. Irvine (2015)

Genre: Children's Literature > Middle Grade/ Superheroes > Marvel/ Science Fiction/ Action/ Fantasy/
Young Adult
Pages: 192
Rating: 6/10

Theme: Alienation/ Heroism/ Self-sacrifice/ Self control

Opener:
“Bruce Banner sat straight up out of the nightmare, sweaty, his pulse racing. He reached over to the metronome he kept by his bed and put one hand on it, listening to its steady tick, tick, tick at sixty beats per minute. He tried to slow his pulse down to that rhythm. When he had gotten it under control, he stopped the device.”

Summary:
Scientist Bruce Banner desperately seeks a cure for the gamma radiation that contaminated his cells and turned him into The Hulk. Cut off from his true love Betty Ross and forced to hide from his nemesis, Gen. Thunderbolt Ross, Banner soon comes face-to-face with a new threat: a supremely powerful enemy known as The Abomination.

Final review:
The previous book Captain America: The First Avenger, I had said, could be enjoyed both by adults as well as kids, this book, however, seems more geared towards a younger audience. Perhaps it is because the movie is so.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not trying to hate on this series, but The Incredible Hulk was another snooze fest. Granted, I'm not too familiar with this one, having only seen the movie once...but this was boring. The climatic scene where Bruce Hulks out to save Betty could have been epic...but it felt stale. Bruce read like a real whiner the entire time. The majority of this rather short book was Bruce in hiding, moping around because of an experiment gone wrong. He worked at a soda factory in Brazil terrified his heart rate would raise and he'd transform into the Green Beast. He was getting some training but it apparently didn't do anything to help. The U.S Army finds him and he's reunited with his love Betty who somehow reaches through to Bruce when he's Hulk. There's this sad ending of him having to leave her again and Marvel never mentions Betty again or what happens to her...so maybe that's why this book was hard, just knowing the Hulk and Bruce Banner were never given fair enough treatment. I think kids will be bored with this one too as it's low on the action. Maybe a nice addition to any super-fans of the Hulk though.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are so weird. Middle-grade novelizations of movies that have zero children in them just aren't quite right. And this one in particular is a bland retelling of an even blander movie. However...it was so nice to rest my stressed-out brain and drink a cup of coffee and read this quick one. And I do quite like the first half, which takes place in Brazil.

(quarantine book #50; read a middle-grade book that takes place somewhere other than the US or UK)

[Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serviceable adaptation of the movie, but I don't think TIH's plot and characters is terribly appealing to the young readers this novelization is aimed at (a scientist goes into hiding, spends a lot of time trying to not become The Hulk, makes up with his girlfriend, etc.)

[caffeinated reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought all along that Dr Bruce Banner was one scientist who botched a science experiment. But I'm seeing a pattern here among these Marvel superheroes: they are all connected in some way to the US Super-Soldier Program.

[Natalia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my kind of book honestly. In the middle section of the book, it's quite interesting and action-filled, but once you're approaching the final few pages, it gets a little boring. However, the last 5-ish pages are amazing and Marvel had a great way to finish the book.

[多奈 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hulk is one of my favorite characters of all the time and I am so glad that I pick this book from the library.

[Paul Najdek]

It was good

[Ken Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

A straight adaptation of The Incredible Hulk movie. Not too much difference. An enjoyable read if you like the movie, but don't count on too much variation from it.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

686 - 2020

[Rav · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was decent considering I'm not the target audience

[Rebekah Pekar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abram (9 years old) gives it a 5!

[Natalie (lone-bookworm) Frowen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice little read. I read the Iron Man one a while back and I do enjoy the Marvel universe so these little insights are good. It didn't take that long to read and I feel like they'd be good for all ages.

[Sawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Characters 5/10
Plot 6/10
Story 8/10
Ending 9/10
Pacing 9/10

[Andrew Sammut · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this but can completely gather why many people think the movie is terrible without having watched it myself after getting this book over and done with. The Hulk is portrayed as a much stronger, scarier character in the comics than he was in the movies and in this book which is basically a narration of the first 2008 film. I learned about the Hulk anyway so that was a win for me since I had literally no affiliation with his character but he came across as feeble although Bruce Banner really is a genius. I feel as though the government agents are stupid for trying to shoot him when his skin is literally bullet proof. The abomination was also portrayed very little here and yet he gave more fearsome vibes as a villain. It was interesting to learn that the Hulk was a result of the super soldier experiment gone wrong or too well! Hulk's love life was explored in too much depth for no reason in this book and perhaps the movie and there wasn't as much action as I had anticipated. I look forward to continue reading this series as although there are some inconsistencies and some unbearable typos, they are quick reads and convey the message of the movies well, as though watching the movie in your mind, as I mentioned after having read iron man volumes 1 and 2.