The Incredible Hulk Visionaries: Peter David, Vol. 4

The Incredible Hulk (1968) #355-363

by Peter David, Bob Harras, Jeff Purves (Illustrator)

Incredible Hulk (1968) #355-363 and material from Marvel Comics Presents #26 & #45.

The golden god-man Glorian wants to give the gray Hulk an emotional makeover, but the mysterious Mister Cloot thinks they'd both look better in demon red! Peter David's remarkable run continues as the Hulk goes after gangsters, ghouls and the Grey Gargoyle! Plus: wrestlers, killer whales and more! Guest-starring Iron Man and Werewolf by Night!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 25, 2007

About the author

aka David Peters

Peter Allen David, often abbreviated PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games. His notable comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as runs on Aquaman, Young Justice, SpyBoy, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Captain Marvel, and X-Factor.
His Star Trek work included comic books and novels such as the New Frontier book series. His other novels included film adaptations, media tie-ins, and original works, such as the Apropos of Nothing and Knight Life series. His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Young Justice, Ben 10: Alien Force and Nickelodeon's Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.
David often jokingly described his occupation as "Writer of Stuff", and he was noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real-world issues with humor and references to popular culture, as well as elements of metafiction and self-reference.
David earned multiple awards for his work, including a 1992 Eisner Award, a 1993 Wizard Fan Award, a 1996 Haxtur Award, a 2007 Julie Award and a 2011 GLAAD Media Award.

Reviews

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the weakest collection of stories so far but not horrible.

So this guy Glorian, who I never really heard of, wants to make Hulk a hero and happy. He comes in like a ball of love and gets murdered by the Hulk. Which makes his gf dip because, well, he's a murderer. But this guy doesn't give up and comes back, Hulk goes to basically hell because Glorian makes a deal with the devil. This eventually leads to a big battle. Then hulk fights against the mighty werewolf as well as learns to say goodbye to his gf and maybe the Mr. Fixit personality? Things are about to get shakey for good old gray hulk.

This is a weird volume. It's funny at times, stupid at others, and yet I couldn't stop reading. I'll be honest though the Gray Hulk is starting to get uninteresting. I await the big green monster to return. A 3 out of 5.

[Malum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hulk fights a bunch of supernatural menaces in this volume, such as Nightmare, The Ghoul, Werewolf by Night, and the devil himself.

This volume also seems a bit unfocused. David plays with the idea of Hulk and Banner fighting it out in their shared mindscape, just to drop the idea (and randomly pick it back up and drop it again) at random times.

Also, the Marvel Comics Presents stories-where Hulk fights Hulk Hogan and Shamu the whale-were as terrible as they sound.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"So did the gamma bomb actually realign your DNA?"

"Yes, Phil. It was total cellular bombardment. It reconstructed my DNA make-up. And for that reason, I am growing more and more concerned over...children."

"Bruce, you're my first concern, not children. Look, altered DNA explains the Hulk. But if the entire make-up of your body was changed...Look, it's not like a car where you can change the engine, but the outside remains the SAME. This is genetic structure. Biochemically, you're a totally different individual now, but as Bruce Banner, you look the SAME as you did before."

"I don't think I'm following you."

"I think you ARE. The Hulk is The Hulk. But how can Bruce Banner continue to exist, UNCHANGED on the OUTSIDE, when so much has changed INSIDE?"

"I don't know."

from Still Life

Peter David's fourth collection of Hulk stories vary in quality. There's some profound moments, bits of interesting conversations and situations, but there's also bad dialogue, terrible in-jokes, and, at times, terrible art. David's pop-culture allusions do not age well (though I enjoyed seeing a substitute Siskel & Ebert in the background of a couple of frames arguing then punching one another over Michael Keaton's Batman). The series has heaping dollops of melodrama, instances of silly fighting--and, then, suddenly, something provocative, something astonishing (in a pleasant way). It's an interesting yet inconsistent ride.

If you enjoyed the Peter David run prior to this collection, then all I can add is that there's a distinct improvement in portions as a whole. And that, when dealing with comics, is often as good as it's going to get.

[Michael Emond · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is why love Hooplah (a streaming library service where I live) - it gives me a chance to read books like this without investing in it. All I hear is how great Peter David's run on the Hulk was and if this volume is an indicator - this wasn't the run for me. Yes, I like the fact he went with the decision to depower Hulk (back to his original Grey and full sentences) and give him a brain. I like the tug of war he has between Bruce and the Hulk. Although - Banner doesn't get a lot of screen time in this volume. And I do not question the fact that Peter is a great writer - he knows how to write dialogue, humour and have stories with a start and finish. But these stories were very forgettable.

Let's start with the art. I have never heard of Jeff Purves before and I think his time on comics was limited. He is by no means a bad artist and for 90's artists he was above average but he still didn't click for me. I am not a huge Todd MacFarlane (the artist who started the Peter David run) fan but I will admit his exaggerated style really worked on this title.

The stories are the main problem. The key arc is about a cosmic weirdo called Glorian - the less said about him - the better. We get him trying to better the Hulk and almost losing his soul to the Devil in the process. Yikes. Hulk works better without the mystic cosmic stuff. We get an Iron Man tale that was confusing. And we get a ghoul. Overall - there is no focus. Hulk has an alter ego of Mr. Fixxit but he makes no effort to try to hide the fact he is Hulk and everyone knows he is.

I am not saying these are the worst stories but...with the fact I don't really love Hulk as a character to start with...they just become mindless "punch em up" tales in the end. No character development (other than a brief love story) and no real direction. And the direction there was (Mr. Fixxit and the Hulk living in Las Vegas) is torn down.

I am sure these aren't the best of Peter's Hulk run but they are proof that I am not the target audience for them.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not PAD's best work. I felt like I was missing half the story in a few instances - like the change from Vegas to LA in the Iron Man issue, or why Doc Doom is at all interested in the Hulk in the Grey Gargoyle issue. The metaphysical/cosmic elements (Satanus, the Shaper of Worlds, etc.) also felt slightly out of place, though I can see where PAD was trying to develop the Hulk's self-involvement and forcing him to consider the direction of his life.

I expected more compare/contrast in the Werewolf by Night issue, but alas...

Purves's art is lacking in storytelling clarity and aesthetic appeal.

[Desmond Killian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hi guys. I just finished reading The Incredible Hulk Visionaries: Peter David, Volume 4. Peter David's run is well-regarded for a lot of reasons, not least of which for introducing Joe Fixit, a new Hulk that's more smart but less strong than the regular Jade Giant. And Joe Fixit went on to be a big deal-- dozens of variant covers, a bunch of Marvel Legends action figures. If Hulk ever pops up in a video game, JF usually shows up as an alternate skin. That's why I started cracking on David's eleven-year Incredible Hulk run. I finally wanted to read the classic Joe Fixit stories that everybody seems so fond of. And...

... and...

... and they're really weird. In this volume, Joe Fixit:

* Breaks up an underground dogfighting ring by stepping on one of the dogs
* Plays dice for his soul against Biblical Satan
* Kills Hulk Hogan
* Gets fired from his job as a Las Vegas mob enforcer
* Sics a werewolf on his gun moll ex-girlfriend

Meanwhile Betty Banner has a miscarriage and the forces of darkness threaten to drag her to Hell. And I'm left wondering, are these the iconic stories that everybody remembers? They're fun to read but they're so bizarre that I'm having a hard time understanding their mainstream appeal. Next time I'm at the comic book store I'll ask one of the oldheads who were collecting way back then.

I really want to mention the art before I leave, though. Jeff Purves follows Todd McFarlane as the series' main penciller and he turns in some great work, especially in this volume. Embarrassed that I didn't know his name prior to reading this book but I won't forget it anytime soon. Excited to see more of him! 3.5/5

P.S. Feels weird reviewing the Visionaries collections of this series since this publishing line has long since been abandoned by Marvel. Collecting back issues is now split between the $49.99 Epic Collections and the $100+ Omnibii, neither of which are accessible to collectors working on a budget. I like what Visionaries stands for-- smaller collections of older issues at a lower price point. At the same time I understand that the specific author gimmick prevents people from assembling a comprehensive collection. Not everybody gets to write the Hulk for eleven years. Some guys only show up for a few issues at a time. Maybe it's better to collect the issues by year instead?

[Alex E · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow... Peter David really doubled down on the whole Joe Fixit aspect of this series eh?

If your'e not a fan of Joe Fixit, then this volume is not fun. So for me, it was definetley not my cup of tea. Besides that, this volume has alot of fighting against supernatural enemies as well, which is so reminiscent of golden age story lines. And if you couple that with writing style, which is heavy on over exposition and typical 70's/80's writing tropes, then this becomes a real slog to read through.

Also, the art is not great. Some of the coloring is off because it seems the art team wasn't communicating properly enough either. It's not that great to look at.

This is not my wheelhouse at all. I did enjoy some of the stuff regarding Betty and Bruce and the characterization and relationship between them. But it wasn't nearly enough to warrant even two stars from me.

[Csaba Rusznyák · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost gave this 2 stars.
So yeah... Four books in I am not entirely convinced of the alleged genius of Peter David's legendary run. I like this asshole/thug version of the Hulk, there are some really good story and character elements, but all in all this book is an uneven, unfocused mess with some very tiring and dull bits and just very very bad (and ugly!) art overall.

[Jdetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say, the grey Hulk is so much more interesting than the green Hulk.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best collection of the Mr. Fixit stories so far. The sea world knock-off he visits was awesomely funny.

[Lavell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Artwork: Nothing Special. Story: Average. This trade was average for me. With the minor exception of the loss of the baby, it is average. The artwork went from ugly to uglier. Lol.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly fun but not much going on in the overall plots.

[Don Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

The “Mr. Fixit” storyline concludes, as the Hulk faces a variety of enemies ranging from ordinary gangsters to supernatural demons.

The stories collected here include the infamous Bob Harras-written issue, revealing the fate of Betty Banner’s baby; an entertaining team-up with Iron Man; the “Acts of Vengeance” tie-in, pitting the Hulk against the Grey Gargoyle; and a horror-tinged story guest-starring another night-bound Marvel monster, Werewolf By Night. Horror is a genre that works particularly well with the Hulk, who has his roots in the classic tales of Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

It’s the Jekyll-and-Hyde aspects Peter David revels in, and the role-reversals of the Hulk and Bruce Banner are played to even greater effect in this volume. No longer at the mercy of his alter ego, Banner finally takes charge and haunts the Hulk, doing everything from trying to turn his girlfriend against him to playing upon his growing rage and making him hallucinate. By interfering with his well-established paradise, Banner often comes across as deceitful, which in turn makes the Hulk seem sympathetic by comparison. Not an easy accomplishment for a darker variation like the gray Hulk, but David’s depiction makes it work.

The end of another distinctive chapter in Peter David’s run, with more excitement to come.

[The_Mad_Swede · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fourth Visionaries volume of Peter David's Hulk run collects # 355–363 as well as Marvel Comics Presents # 26 and # 45.

The art duties are still handled by Jeff Purves, who is definitely a qualified comics artist, but not entirely to my own taste (and not necessarily the best choice for Hulk in my humble opinion). As a result, while there are definitely interesting and well told stories in here (the Glorian arc, Nightmare and D'Spayre, Iron Man, Werewolf by Night, and the Gray Gargoyle), I cannot help but feel that these stories could have been even sharper in the hands of a penciller with a less "cartoony" style (for want of a better word... in the sense of a style better suited to a humour title).

The visual triumph of the volume remians the John Byrne drawn cover to # 359 (also used as cover for this volume). I am betting that someone getting that particular issue, or in fact even the volume at hand, based on that fabulous looking art, would be mighty disappointed with the overall visual content.

But, "cartoony" or not, I cannot fault Purves' storytelling and at the end of the day, as said above, the volume does conatin a number of interesting and well told stories... and it is a fun read.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

As if Banner being back in the picture wasn't bad enough, Glorian rides in on a rainbow, ass first, thinking he's going to turn Hulk into a noble being. Hulk pounds him to a pulp, obviously, and loses his redhead girlfriend in the process. In a hilarious interlude, the Hulk takes on the Hulk (Hogan), who proves to be less of a match for him than even Glorian (though to be fair, Hulk Hogan doesn't have a rainbow to ride on). Then we're back to an arc of several issues where Glorian (unwittingly) joins forces with the Devil, and sets Hulk up to fight a demon all across Las Vegas, partially destroying the casino Hulk works at and causing him to lose his job. Hulk saves Glorian from the Devil in an effort to redeem himself (somewhat), then exiles himself to the desert, where he and Banner try to keep a low profile (despite sparring with a werewolf) and try to use science to get rid of the other.
This volume unfortunately spells the end of Hulk's stint in Vegas as Mr. Fixit, and it is a very sad day indeed.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter David's Hulk run is some of the best and worst of the jade giant's history.
He was on it for so long that every now and then he'd shake it up and try something different.

The 'Mr. Fixit' arc was a nice break from what had come before. Something different and a nice step back from the big drama that had come before.

This collection is from the end of the arc, things are starting to fall apart and PAD is getting ready to take the Hulk in another direction, so not as much fun as the earlier stuff set in Las Vegas ( "not Vegas. We never call it Vegas.") but some interesting bits from that and a few decent odds and ends stories that serve as the in-between before PADs next big thing.

Purves art was nice. Didn't seem to do much art after Hulk that I remember. Shame, as he had a nice style.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this three stars and not four because I still don't like the Joe Fix-It stuff, but when David writes the Gray Hulk as a real character and not some Vegas enforcer, this is good. The beginning story with Goldie and dreams was less entertaining but Ghoul and Nightmare made for good reading. The issue with Nightmare and D'Spare was the turning point for me. Suddenly, the book felt like a Hulk story again and then kept with that feel. Ironman made a good show and so did the Werewolf. The Gray Gargoyle issue left something to be desired, though.
Overall, this book looks like it's getting back on track and moving up in quality. If it keeps on this turn, the next book could be four stars easy.

[Nicolas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ug. I think I may have hit my limit with the Joe Fixit storyline. It was one thing when he was just a smarter meaner Hulk. Now, with the girlfirend and all of the Vegas enforcer stuff it's just getting a bit lame. I got the sense that Peter David was wrapping it up in this volume so hopefully #5 will get back to basics. Another complaint I had with this volume was that it was so disjointed. Up until now it seems like it has been one continuous storyline. This was one seemed to jump a lot. Overall, it had some good moments but it wasn't great.

[Khairul Hezry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like the artwork in this volume. But Hulk playing dice with Satan to save Glorian's soul? Priceless.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another passable volume. Waiting for the goods...

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Improving greatly!