Hulk by Jeph Loeb: The Complete Collection, Volume 1

Hulk by Jeph Loeb: The Complete Collection

by Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuinness (Illustrator), Arthur Adams (Illustrator)

Collects Hulk (2008) #1-12, King-Size Hulk #1, Incredible Hulk (1968) #600 and material from Wolverine (2003) #50.

Red alert! There's a sadistic new red-skinned Hulk in the Marvel Universe, with keen intelligence and a radioactive touch! Who or what is he? And with Marvel's heroes powerless against him, will it take a Hulk to catch a Hulk? It's an explosive battle as the red and green Hulks collide! But even as Bruce Banner is attacked by a pack of wild Wendigos, She-Hulk recruits a cavalry of super heroines including Valkyrie, Thundra, Ms. Marvel and Storm! Plus: The Defenders are reassembled to take down the Red Hulk, but he's got a team of his own! All this and a shock ending that changes the Hulk's life forever! Guest-starring Iron Man, Thor, Moon Knight, Spider-Man, Doc Samson, Rick Jones and Norman Osborn!

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

370 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2013

About the author

Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III is an Emmy and WGA nominated American film and television writer, producer and award-winning comic book writer. Loeb was a Co-Executive Producer on the NBC hit show Heroes, and formerly a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost.

A four-time Eisner Award winner and five-time Wizard Fan Awards winner (see below), Loeb's comic book career includes work on many major characters, including Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Hulk, Captain America, Cable, Iron Man, Daredevil, Supergirl, the Avengers, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, much of which he has produced in collaboration with artist Tim Sale, who provides the comic art seen on Heroes.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I regret to inform you that this new red Hulk - classified as 'Rulk' - has none of Bruce Banner's reasoning. In fact, up until this point we don't know who the red Hulk is in a calm state of mind." -- SHIELD agent Maria Hill, briefing the assembled Amazonian power trio of Valkyrie, Thundra, and She-Hulk

Although it's basically one extended fight and pursuit scene stretched out to nearly 400 pages, it was sort of incredible (haha!) that this hefty volume was very often so nimbly entertaining. Boasting more guest appearances of Marvel super-heroic characters than there are stars in the sky, featuring an antagonist - that being the ultra-violent, vengeful and verbose red Hulk - who continuously spouts some deliciously villainesque dialogue like he's auditioning for a Bond film in the 70's, and sporting illustrations that truly pack a punch, this collection was a great go-to for unexpected humor and big crunchy action scenes. It does start to lose its way a little towards the end, but when it was good - such as the middle section, with original Hulk, Captain Marvel and Moon Knight confronting a group of tourists-turned-Wendigos (those raging cannibalistic monsters resembling Sasquatches) suddenly invading the streets of Las Vegas - it sustained a rocking, raging and righteous momentum.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always found Jeph Loeb a somewhat empty writer. Very few words per page, but many splashy two-page spreads by the artists

With the beginning of the Red Hulk intro, there's a mystery but this is no Batman Long Halloween. It's basically just Hulk and Red Hulk fighting and smashing, on a tour through the Marvel Universe with fun guest stars whether it makes sense for them to be there or not.

The art by Ed McGuinness is perfect for this. These stories are successful for what they intend to be, and it's frankly not that deep. If you want comics to just be entertaining, then that can be ok.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS WAS SO GOOD!!

It starts off with the sudden emergence of Red Hulk and him having to face off against many people who are hunting him like SHIELD led by Iron Man and he faces off against him, She Hulk and other powerhouses then ultimately Bruce comes in and then Thor, many rounds with Bruce btw in this volume and then everyone is busy finding who this Hulk is but cannot and then there is fun stuff when the Gray Hulk emerges and Sentry and Moon Knight are there too and the story is set in Vegas which is so fun.

Plus there are standalone but fun tales like Hulk and the Defenders in some cosmic competition between Grandmaster and Collector and the insanity it ensues but the art is the winner like its so good and then the emotional aspect of losing someone and then moving on from there and then the stuff with Spider-Man and Wolverine was cool too with amazing covers in the end, this comic is just a collection of whose who in the Marvel Universe fighting the Red Hulk and losing and the mystery as to who he is, is well getting just started. And some great clues in the end!

This is one of those volumes one can just read quickly and have fun and enjoy the great art that is there and the stories falls well into continuity and introduces us to a variety of things!

[Zack! Empire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly enjoyed this one because of the art, which is top notch. It's got what amounts to a whole issue drawn by Arthur Adams: How cool is that! The mystery of the red hulks identity is cool, but its really not looked into. The whole book is basically just one fight. Just different people trying to take on the red hulk, one after the other. With a character like the Hulk you expect some serious smashing, but this isn't the first hulk book I've read. I know he is a character who is capable of greater depth than that.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

SCORE: 70 | B
TRIGGERS: graphic violence
REVIEW: This is my first ever dabble into Hulk centric stories and it wasn't disappointing. It is go go go all of the time with this one, with fight after fight after fight between Red Hulk and whichever superhero they seem to have randomly picked from a hat. Whilst I'm a big fan of action, I do enjoy a good story, and I feel like this is where this collection could have been better. The writing isn't bad, there just isn't enough story to actually work with when there's such a focus on cramming in as many fights and characters as possible. What I would compare this to is a popcorn movie flick. There's enough entertainment there to keep you interested, but if you start to peel back the layers, you realise that there's not much substance.

[Mariano · Rating 3 out of 5]

- Did I decide to read it because of the trailer for Brave New World? Yes, I did.

- I remember the first couple of issues from back in the day and liking them very much. It still holds up really well.

- The first story arc is a good mystery around this new Hulk, but after that, it becomes a collection of battles.

- Is it bad? Well, not really, because those battles are insane. At times the Red Hulk goes NUTS, especially in the Eldest contest (I don't want to spoil anything, but there are a couple of surprises that I didn't see coming).

- It does feel like nothing really happens. It doesn't even answer the title's question! (Although I'm guessing we all know who the Red Hulk is).

- The real star here is Ed McGuiness. I just read his first Deadpool issues and the evolution he pulls off in this, 10 years later, is unbelievable. This stuff works because of him.

- Fave Issue: Issue #12, the Red Hulk unleashed and McGuiness left everything on the page. Fun and awesome to look at.

- Least Fave Issue: Issue #600. It's not bad in itself, but it feels super disconnected from everything that came before and super random.

- Solid 3.5/5. Fun, fast-paced action with great art.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, so this is how it went on this run: these stories are better together, in a retrospective anthology like this. Lively art by McGuinness and Cho, et. al., accompanies Loeb here.
So, the Hulk's identities are often shuffled in order to tell more stories; in this case, the Red Hulk is an opponent, but we don't yet get his full identity or origin. It's left for the next installments.
Shoutouts to the long history of the Hulk are great in this run. My favorite is a story featuring the original 1970-1972 Defenders versus the hastily-assembled Offenders. Also, a revival of the Lady Liberators, drawn by Adams and Cho. Some nice late Herb trimpe art on the Hulk appears, too: was this his last published work on his signature character?You should Google him, and his late-career work as a counselor, too. God bless and keep our man Herb Trimpe.
Mildly recommended.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Modern Classic!
Must Reading for All Hulk Fans!
Nay, Must Reading for All Marvel Fans!

Superb Hulk collection from a peak Hulk era. Not the best place to start. You CAN start here of course. And it's written to be very accessible to all readers. But better to go back and read the full epic which begins with Hulk's exile from the Earth by the Illuminati.

[J.M. Giovine · Rating 4 out of 5]

You either love this arc, or down right hate it. Jeph Loeb used to be one of the most crowd-pleasing writers in the industry, with masterpieces such as the “Marvel Colors” series, or the highly acclaimed “Batman: The Long Halloween”, or its subsequent sequels. Loeb was known for offering great storytelling devices that redefined, and improved over the humane aspects of his protagonists. However, a tragedy in the writer’s life represented his turning point regarding his narrative quality. Afterwards, it was noticeable how much his style and performance was affected, with titles such as “Ultimates 3”, and “Ultimatum”, or his “Wolverine” arc, they all represented a downgrade in his often successful career, and “Red Hulk” can be that strange bridge between his success, and his fall. Accompanied by artist Ed McGuinness– with whom he worked previously in the 2003 “Superman/Batman” series–, in the main “Hulk” title, but also with Frank Cho in the “King Size Hulk”, with the special involvement of acclaimed artist Arthur Adams, undeniably this is a good looking book. The story is where it gets a little “messy”, to say the least. It seems, after the events in “World War Hulk”, a new giant Gamma-threat appears in the shape of a red version of a Hulk, which immediately draws the attention of Iron Man, and his S.H.I.E.L.D. forces, as well as She-Hulk, and General Thunderbolt Ross. Bruce Banners is, as a matter of fact, locked on a secret location under Ross’ authority, and he becomes the only clue as to who might be this new– and seemingly more dangerous – version of Hulk. Without exaggeration, there comes a point where Iron Man, She-Hulk– and like, a bunch of Marvel females–, Thor, the original Hulk, and A-Bomb all ends up fighting this new foe, escalating to a point where even “The Grandmaster”, “The Collector”, and even “Galactus” get involved in the story, in a fight for the fate of the lost loved ones of several random heroes from various time periods, including Hulk’s former wife. It amazes me how much this single arc escalated in a space of 10 single issues, to the point where the story splits between green and red, placing Bruce on a journey trying to locate Red Hulk, which takes him to Las Vegas, Nevada, in order to fight against a constantly growing horde of “Wendigos”– triggered by Red Hulk’s deeds–, and the new Hulk fighting against Jennifer Walters, who previously had an encounter with him, suffering a tremendously humiliating defeat. She-Hulk, suddenly calls for aid, and several Marvel heroines answer to help. This segment of the main title was drawn by Frank Cho so, there is plenty of eye-candy and good looking females within each frames, mostly a compensation for the campiness and silliness of that script. McGuinness draws the whole 12 issues, so the art department maintains its principal consistency, however, the plot grows exponentially insane the more these issues move forward, reaching the ultimate absurd point of having Red Hulk fighting against frigging Galactus himself, with the use of certain powerful items that… well, I’m assuming where subject of plenty of controversy back in 2009. I can see why Red Hulk can be considered a polarizing sort of villain, specially after revealing who he is (which doesn’t happen in this compilation), however enough craziness happens in here to give oneself an idea of the path this arc is taking, and is over-the-top. To be honest, this collection is a great addition to the “Modern Era” of “Epic Collections”, which easily became the best way to collect all these issues of several franchises that, otherwise, would be harder to acquire or to have access to. This is no exception, and with the sole artistic presences of McGuinness, Cho, and Adams makes it worth the while, without forgetting some special covers and sketches made by them, and Michael Turner’s contributions , being his Red Hulk covers some of his latest works before his passing in 2008, during the publication of this comic book. Strangely enough, this is a collection that perfectly encapsulates the state of mainstream comic books in the late 2000s, and as I said, it came almost at the point in which Loeb completely lost his writing appeal. Red Hulk became a heavily criticized character, as well as a fan favorite, and having a compilation of his earliest appearances is worth a place on anyone’s collection. Whether you disliked it, or think it’s a “good enough” series, it is one of the late-2000s most popular titles, and worth checking for the sake of fun.

[Shawn Ingle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Reading this directing after Hulk: Gray was interesting. You'd hardly know it was the same writer. In general, this is much more action-packed than I'm used to from Jeph Loeb. About half of this collection was great. Most of the Red Hulk story is compelling and exciting. But the couple tangents it took were more of a distraction than anything. Plus, it's at the point where it's about to get overly drawn out. So, I hope it gets wrapped up well before the conclusion of the next collection.

[Crazyjamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I simply do not understand how people can be entertained or gripped by this. It’s like what would happen if Michael Bay wrote a graphic novel. All action sequences, but with no real semblance of a plot and dialogue that most high school students could write. The only way that the plot is developed is by throwing in more characters who fight some more. It’s really not good at all. If you’re reading this and enjoyed it, I’m excited for how much you’re going to enjoy writers who can actually put a plot together.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loeb writing big dumb superhero comics, and I don't mean that as a pejorative.

This has phenomenal art for a mainstream superhero comic.

Its basically the next epic (or at least runs parallel after Grek Paks).

Peter David/Greg Oak/Jeph Loeb/Al Ewing are the most notable runs, imo.

Loebs is the dumbest, loudest and most bombastic of them all. But it sure looks great with McGuiness, Adams and Cho.

[Rhys Causon · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who already knew who Red Hulk was I was intrigued at how it would be revealed and was shocked to find that it’s not revealed in this, but there are some good clues that help reader piece together the identity themselves.

Did not expect this to last less than a day if reading but was enjoyable for me as I Love the Hulk as a character but haven’t read a lot of the comics. So making a start with this run.

[Kamil Zawiślak · Rating 3 out of 5]

very enjoyable, especially after a plot-thick recent runs and quite disappointing WWH - this basically is plotless - just fights with some basic premise - if you're having a rough week and you wanna see red Hulk smash things... well, get it.

6+/10 after WWH

if you start here, it might be a lower score

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much of a story. Jumbled sequences of Red Hulk smashing a variety of Marvel characters. I’m curious how/if Loeb brings all this together to end his run.

Overly violent for a character loved by children in my opinion. Lots of talk about killing or wanting to kill.

[Gaurav Vartak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite good at times. But, ultimately, much like Bane in Knightfall, Red Hulk gets a massive leg up on his debut here by defeating some of Hulk's more famous rivals. However, while Knightfall completely broke down the Bat, Hulk has very little role to play in this one.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not particularly deep, I do find the events in Who is the Red Hulk? to meaningfully enhance my
understanding of some aspects of Immortal Hulk. However, do not expect an answer to the title question if you do not already know Red Hulk’s backstory.

[Jirka Navrátil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is RED HULK? This book is all about it.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprised by the number of "guest" Marvel characters in this very good read. Had a guess at who the Red Hulk is?!

[Chris W · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me think ending stupid.

[Jamil · Rating 2 out of 5]

I lost some IQ points

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts out pretty strong and then just kind of meanders for the rest of the volume.

[Rorscharch71 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story 4 Red Hulk 3 Offenders tie-in
Art 4 for McGuinness 5 for Cho

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you can wade through the fluff, you'll find a somewhat interesting story.

[Omni Theus · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5 stars

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up because it's just fun.

Not taking itself too seriously is one of the saving graces of Loeb's run on Hulk. Anytime someone gets close to revealing who Red Hulk(I debte taking a star off for the stupidity that is code name "Rulk") they get smacked around. Of course this being my second time through the series I already know and can therefore pick up the clues that are dropped. It's enjoyable.

The bad: Arthur Adams art on the Vegas story. Ms. Marvel's boobs are ridiculous. We're under them at points. Her costume is painted on in that when her boob lifts because she's flying there is a visible gap. That is not how fabric works! It's not, it's not, it's not. Maybe if her costume was a symbiote this would make sense... Moon Knight's character in Vegas is also awful. He's too quippy. This is during his dark run in his solo title. Here he could be Spider-Man. There is also something off about Shulkie here. I don't know that I can put my finger on it, but she just doesn't seem like quite herself.

[Kameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hulk has to be the most badass character Marvel has created for us. He is a "man" of few words. Yeah, I like he lets his actions speak for himself.

In this collection, we met Red Hulk (Rulk) who was a chatterbox but also brought the pain. His battles against everyone under the sun created a fast pace storyline.

Most memorable scene → When Rulk took Thor's hammer. Sorry folks but I like when Thor gets taken down a notch. He irritates the hell out of me.

Now the epic flow of words wouldn't have packed quite the power punch without the illustrative talents of Ed McGuinness, Arthur Adams, and Frank Cho.

You three have mad skills!!!! Errrr, you four. We mustn't forget Jeph Loeb. :)

And Super Chicks, better luck next time!

(Find more reviews/ratings at www.superkambrook.com)

[Brendan Mckillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

For being a collection of Jeph Loeb’s writing run on The Hulk that started with a #1 issue, it still felt like there was something missing from the start of these stories. Like there was a side story or a preamble that was left out or hidden. But that might just be the soap opera nature of a lot of Marvel comics with all sorts of sub-plots and backstories that are running all over the place within their little comic book universe. Once I got past that awkwardness, I settled in to enjoy some solid meat and potatoes comic book storytelling.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a new Hulk in town and he's pissed. He's smart and can fight. Most of this is just nonstop donnybrooks where this new Hulk stomps people into the ground. We still don't know who the Red Hulk is by the end of this. Loeb doesn't do a great job with this mystery. It's pretty clunky. This is the "Hulk Smash!" of writing. Where this book shines is the art. Ed McGuinness does the majority of it with Art Adams and Frank Cho filling in for 3 issues. That's a murderer's row of terrific artists.