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The Incredible Hulk by Peter David Omnibus
The Incredible Hulk by Peter David Omnibus, Vol. 2
Peter David's groundbreaking Hulk run continues! The Hulk is fi nally getting his head together, with Doc Samson's help - but will the dominant personality end up being gray, green or something new? Either way, he'll need both brains and brawn when the mysterious Pantheon comes calling with an off er of recruitment! The gray Hulk battles Freedom Force, the Super-Skrull and the Rhino, while the green goliath takes on the Abomination, the U-Foes - and X-Factor! Meanwhile, Rick Jones falls in love...but will tragedy strike when a face from his past surfaces? The Hulk revisits his origins in an anniversary psychodrama and teams with the Punisher for a Las Vegas homecoming. But events build to a (great big) head when the Leader returns! COLLECTING: INCREDIBLE HULK (1968) 369-400, INCREDIBLE HULK ANNUAL (1968) 16-18, X-FACTOR (1986) 76, MATERIAL FROM MARVEL HOLIDAY SPECIAL (1991) 2
1048 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1992
14 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Peter David
3,568 books1,363 followersaka 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 2, 2021
Peter David's second Omnibus starts off as a bit of a meander, but with issue #377, we get to the second big arc of David's time on the Hulk, as Bruce gets psychoanalyzed into reintegrating his personalities, resulting in the smart green Hulk.
The whole idea of Banner being psychologically damaged was entirely new in the early '90s, and issue #377 was the strong culmination of that plotline, something that might not be as obvious from a generation later.
As for the new status quo: it's great, not just because we get a smart Hulk, but also because we get the introduction of the Pantheon, a fun group of mythically themed characters operating in semi-secret doing semi-black-ops stuff. It's a good new direction for the Hulk, and as unique of a direction as when he was a legbreaker in Vegas.
In the last half year (issues #395-400), the Hulk even returns to greatness. We get a great two-issue return to Vegas, and a great four-issue return of the Leader, allowing one of the Hulk's greatest foes to also bring this second volume to an end, as if he were ticking off each of the arcs in David's time. There's so much going on in this second Leader storyline that it's impossible to comment on it all, except that it's David at his best.
The whole idea of Banner being psychologically damaged was entirely new in the early '90s, and issue #377 was the strong culmination of that plotline, something that might not be as obvious from a generation later.
As for the new status quo: it's great, not just because we get a smart Hulk, but also because we get the introduction of the Pantheon, a fun group of mythically themed characters operating in semi-secret doing semi-black-ops stuff. It's a good new direction for the Hulk, and as unique of a direction as when he was a legbreaker in Vegas.
In the last half year (issues #395-400), the Hulk even returns to greatness. We get a great two-issue return to Vegas, and a great four-issue return of the Leader, allowing one of the Hulk's greatest foes to also bring this second volume to an end, as if he were ticking off each of the arcs in David's time. There's so much going on in this second Leader storyline that it's impossible to comment on it all, except that it's David at his best.
May 14, 2023
Peter David continues his run with Hulk in this second volume, getting deeper into Banner's troubled past while letting the Green hulk show himself once more.
The start of this volume feels a little iffy but soon into it we get into the real meat of the story. Banner dealing with his past. I loved this arc where Banner is trying to connect Joe Fix and the green Monster while also having SOME type of control too. But to do that he also has to visit his past, what happened with his father, and mother. It's a great arc, really amplifies the mentality Banner has, and why these Hulk's were even created.
Then we get into professor hulk. This is Hulk with Banner in full control. Basically the strength of the green monster version but the smarts of Banner, leaving with a very interesting new version of the Hulk. He soon joins a group of "do gooders" to help behind the scenes but it might not actually be such a good group.
This was a lot of fun. I think I enjoyed it even more than the first. Bruce's evolution to professor hulk was great, and the stuff with him as Professor Hulk is pretty stellar. Betty gets a nice upgrade here with plenty of great characters moment. I also love that we have other supporting cast that get to shine here too.
I think Peter David has a lot of fun with this volume and the art stays strong throughout, even when it changes hands here or there. I'm hoping this run continues to be impressive.
A 4 out of 5.
The start of this volume feels a little iffy but soon into it we get into the real meat of the story. Banner dealing with his past. I loved this arc where Banner is trying to connect Joe Fix and the green Monster while also having SOME type of control too. But to do that he also has to visit his past, what happened with his father, and mother. It's a great arc, really amplifies the mentality Banner has, and why these Hulk's were even created.
Then we get into professor hulk. This is Hulk with Banner in full control. Basically the strength of the green monster version but the smarts of Banner, leaving with a very interesting new version of the Hulk. He soon joins a group of "do gooders" to help behind the scenes but it might not actually be such a good group.
This was a lot of fun. I think I enjoyed it even more than the first. Bruce's evolution to professor hulk was great, and the stuff with him as Professor Hulk is pretty stellar. Betty gets a nice upgrade here with plenty of great characters moment. I also love that we have other supporting cast that get to shine here too.
I think Peter David has a lot of fun with this volume and the art stays strong throughout, even when it changes hands here or there. I'm hoping this run continues to be impressive.
A 4 out of 5.
November 26, 2020
I’m really glad I gave this a shot. I was iffy after volume 1, but now I understand why David’s run is so revered. It’s got a great arc to it that comes together at the end of the back so satisfyingly, now I’m frustrated I have to wait a few months for volume 3. Definitely worth picking up even for casual Hulk fans.
April 22, 2023
both this volume and the first are wholly mixed bags of peter david greatness, and other elements holding it back
in the first volume, the story started out very mixed due to peter having to follow up on something the other writers started. hulk was in a very weird point. rick jones was hulk, and bruce was part of this group called the hulkbusters, it was a mess that peter david had deal with and clean up, but the stellar todd mcfarlane art more than made up. but just when peter david got to really start his run fresh, and let his story shine through, the art took a nosedive with jeff purves.
in this volume however, there's finally a nice compromise of good art and writing, and just in time for banner and his hulk personas to do the same. this chapter of the hulk has things get back on track, almost to status quo, but not quite. betty and bruce reunite, only for hulk to cause problems in their relationship again, but not in the typical manner. rick jones is back, now a minor celebrity and rockstar. marlo is back from the "joe fixit" era of the last volume. doc samson is still around, doing his thing, and even the not-so-jolly green giant himself comes back after being replaced by the grey hulk in volume 1. to me, this is where peter david's hulk truly begins. the saga (and buildup) of professor hulk. peter david's ideas are on full blast, along with his tongue-in-cheek cleverness and sense of humor, none of which detract from the actual story, most the time, sometimes even enhancing the mood, his sharp wit can make a dramatic scene have more of a punch, or even showcase some poetic irony. this is the point where peter david begins to feel more confident in his direction with the hulk, but for all the praise i've given it, there is one thing holding it back
the pantheon
the pantheon is this think tank of unlikable losers, with some of the lamest designs and such a tryhard setup, it's constantly like the book is shoving it in your face about how much it wants you to like the pantheon, wouldn't you read the pantheons own comic or even watch a cartoon with these guys and buy their toys? look they all have glowing weapons! anytime they're on screen, the book is a chore to get through. funfact, despite being so heavily used in peter david's legendary hulk run, the pantheon has only appeared in in a single 4-issue miniseries after peter david concluded his era. and marvel comics love to bring back anything from any run. nobody liked the pantheon. beyond the pantheon, there are also some tie-in comics that just jump you into the hulk sections written by peter david, and give you a page of either recap or telling you what happened after. i understand not including the entirety of infinity gauntlet, but it's kind of a shame the rest of "the return of the defenders" wasn't included, i quite liked the first chapter of it in hulk annual 18, but then again what i liked about it was largely due to peter david's style of writing and story telling, so who knows maybe im being spared mediocrity
all-in-all, despite my issues with this era of the hulk, namely the pantheon, there's too much i love about it preventing me from giving it a lower score. it's largely a step forward in the right direction from the previous volume, and i hope that as these stories go on, i won't keep saying "it's great.... but-" anytime i recommend these books
in the first volume, the story started out very mixed due to peter having to follow up on something the other writers started. hulk was in a very weird point. rick jones was hulk, and bruce was part of this group called the hulkbusters, it was a mess that peter david had deal with and clean up, but the stellar todd mcfarlane art more than made up. but just when peter david got to really start his run fresh, and let his story shine through, the art took a nosedive with jeff purves.
in this volume however, there's finally a nice compromise of good art and writing, and just in time for banner and his hulk personas to do the same. this chapter of the hulk has things get back on track, almost to status quo, but not quite. betty and bruce reunite, only for hulk to cause problems in their relationship again, but not in the typical manner. rick jones is back, now a minor celebrity and rockstar. marlo is back from the "joe fixit" era of the last volume. doc samson is still around, doing his thing, and even the not-so-jolly green giant himself comes back after being replaced by the grey hulk in volume 1. to me, this is where peter david's hulk truly begins. the saga (and buildup) of professor hulk. peter david's ideas are on full blast, along with his tongue-in-cheek cleverness and sense of humor, none of which detract from the actual story, most the time, sometimes even enhancing the mood, his sharp wit can make a dramatic scene have more of a punch, or even showcase some poetic irony. this is the point where peter david begins to feel more confident in his direction with the hulk, but for all the praise i've given it, there is one thing holding it back
the pantheon
the pantheon is this think tank of unlikable losers, with some of the lamest designs and such a tryhard setup, it's constantly like the book is shoving it in your face about how much it wants you to like the pantheon, wouldn't you read the pantheons own comic or even watch a cartoon with these guys and buy their toys? look they all have glowing weapons! anytime they're on screen, the book is a chore to get through. funfact, despite being so heavily used in peter david's legendary hulk run, the pantheon has only appeared in in a single 4-issue miniseries after peter david concluded his era. and marvel comics love to bring back anything from any run. nobody liked the pantheon. beyond the pantheon, there are also some tie-in comics that just jump you into the hulk sections written by peter david, and give you a page of either recap or telling you what happened after. i understand not including the entirety of infinity gauntlet, but it's kind of a shame the rest of "the return of the defenders" wasn't included, i quite liked the first chapter of it in hulk annual 18, but then again what i liked about it was largely due to peter david's style of writing and story telling, so who knows maybe im being spared mediocrity
all-in-all, despite my issues with this era of the hulk, namely the pantheon, there's too much i love about it preventing me from giving it a lower score. it's largely a step forward in the right direction from the previous volume, and i hope that as these stories go on, i won't keep saying "it's great.... but-" anytime i recommend these books
December 29, 2024
Peter David's phenomenal run on The Incredible Hulk continues in this omnibus, with Dale Keown taking over as the primary artist over Todd McFarlane and Jeff Purves. In the first omnibus, Peter David introduces the "Joe Fixit" persona of Bruce Banner's mangled psyche, a grey-skinned Hulk that serves as a mob enforcer in Las Vegas. Brought to life with McFarlane's and Purves' scratchy, edgy linework, David's initial stretch on the title introduced a more anti-hero, if not near-villain, depiction of the character. The "Jekyll & Hyde" concept is not new to the character, but it's Peter David's seminal run that brought it to the forefront.
With this omnibus, we see a return of the more classic green Hulk, but his return doesn't come without some significant changes. Hulk's splintering personalities were touched upon in Vol. 1, though the significance of that development isn't fully realized until the now classic issue, The Incredible Hulk #377.
Incredible Hulk #377, "Honey, I Shrunk the Hulk"
The issue serves to analyze the extent of Banner's various raging personalities, of which David has now introduced a few. The culmination of this issue leads into the era of the "Smart Hulk", a Hulk that maintains the intelligence of Banner while in his transformed state. The lead up is at times meandering, but David is patient with the character development, ensuring that the climax lands with the now invested readership. And along the way, Dale Keown is delivering some truly stunning bits of artwork, including brand new ways to depict the gnarly transformations between Banner and Hulk. The re-emergence of the green Hulk in The Incredible Hulk #372 might be one of my favorite splash pages in this entire volume:
Incredible Hulk #372, "He's Back"
There are various great one-off stories contained in this volume, with one of my personal favorites being the Doc Samson standalone issue. The issue doesn't feature the Hulk at all, but instead looks at Samson's outlook as a hero. He's called in to make sure the execution of a prisoner goes smoothly, only for Samson to learn more about the morbid details behind the case. It's a tragic story that doesn't really develop the central story much, but the fact that Peter David was willing to take the time to flesh out a supplementary character shows his dedication towards building a foundational Hulk run.
Incredible Hulk #380, "Crazy Eight"
The final stretch of this omnibus is one of the greatest portions of David's run on the title, featuring a return to Vegas and a clash with the Leader. Many one-off villains are highlighted throughout this volume along with a fairly forgettable crossover with David's X-Factor run, but the real highlight remains the stretch from issues #395-400 that shows why Peter David is one of the all time great writers for the Hulk.
With this omnibus, we see a return of the more classic green Hulk, but his return doesn't come without some significant changes. Hulk's splintering personalities were touched upon in Vol. 1, though the significance of that development isn't fully realized until the now classic issue, The Incredible Hulk #377.
Incredible Hulk #377, "Honey, I Shrunk the Hulk"
The issue serves to analyze the extent of Banner's various raging personalities, of which David has now introduced a few. The culmination of this issue leads into the era of the "Smart Hulk", a Hulk that maintains the intelligence of Banner while in his transformed state. The lead up is at times meandering, but David is patient with the character development, ensuring that the climax lands with the now invested readership. And along the way, Dale Keown is delivering some truly stunning bits of artwork, including brand new ways to depict the gnarly transformations between Banner and Hulk. The re-emergence of the green Hulk in The Incredible Hulk #372 might be one of my favorite splash pages in this entire volume:
Incredible Hulk #372, "He's Back"
There are various great one-off stories contained in this volume, with one of my personal favorites being the Doc Samson standalone issue. The issue doesn't feature the Hulk at all, but instead looks at Samson's outlook as a hero. He's called in to make sure the execution of a prisoner goes smoothly, only for Samson to learn more about the morbid details behind the case. It's a tragic story that doesn't really develop the central story much, but the fact that Peter David was willing to take the time to flesh out a supplementary character shows his dedication towards building a foundational Hulk run.
Incredible Hulk #380, "Crazy Eight"
The final stretch of this omnibus is one of the greatest portions of David's run on the title, featuring a return to Vegas and a clash with the Leader. Many one-off villains are highlighted throughout this volume along with a fairly forgettable crossover with David's X-Factor run, but the real highlight remains the stretch from issues #395-400 that shows why Peter David is one of the all time great writers for the Hulk.
January 31, 2022
J'ai détesté le premier volume, pour moi rien n'allait, de la narration en passant par l'histoire et le style graphique hideux. Je ne partais donc pas du bon pieds pour apprécier ce récit.
Je ne sais pas si cest le remplacement de Macfarlane par Keone, mais le récit change du tout au tout. Déjà graphiquement, c'est beau, magnifique même, entre les couleurs, les poses, les planches contemplatives et le ton global qui sert parfaitement le récit, c'est très plaisant à lire.
Et ensuite niveau narration et récit global, c'est excellent également. Le récit n'est plus du tout descriptif, on avance enfin et on s'attaque aux thèmes principaux que David avait mis en place dans le premier volume, et qu'est-ce qu'ils sont bien traités. De manière très dur mais très poignante, David se sert de ses personnages pour les confronter à leurs propres traumatismes pour les faire avancer, traumatismes auxquels ont ne peut que relater. De la mort de proches en passant par le sida et surtout les violences qu'a subit Bruce dans son enfance, et dont découlent ses différentes personnalités en tant que hulk, sans parler de thèmes plus societaux à travers le Panthéon et leurs actions, comme l'interventionisme au nom du bien, en opposition aux jeux diplomatiques des USA avec certaines dictatures, ce 2eme tome est des plus complets, tout en restant sur des intrigues simples mais terriblement efficaces.
Je ne sais pas si cest le remplacement de Macfarlane par Keone, mais le récit change du tout au tout. Déjà graphiquement, c'est beau, magnifique même, entre les couleurs, les poses, les planches contemplatives et le ton global qui sert parfaitement le récit, c'est très plaisant à lire.
Et ensuite niveau narration et récit global, c'est excellent également. Le récit n'est plus du tout descriptif, on avance enfin et on s'attaque aux thèmes principaux que David avait mis en place dans le premier volume, et qu'est-ce qu'ils sont bien traités. De manière très dur mais très poignante, David se sert de ses personnages pour les confronter à leurs propres traumatismes pour les faire avancer, traumatismes auxquels ont ne peut que relater. De la mort de proches en passant par le sida et surtout les violences qu'a subit Bruce dans son enfance, et dont découlent ses différentes personnalités en tant que hulk, sans parler de thèmes plus societaux à travers le Panthéon et leurs actions, comme l'interventionisme au nom du bien, en opposition aux jeux diplomatiques des USA avec certaines dictatures, ce 2eme tome est des plus complets, tout en restant sur des intrigues simples mais terriblement efficaces.
June 29, 2021
I grew up reading Peter David’s run on the Hulk and enjoyed it for being a fun romp back into the day. Now rereading it again as an adult I’ve found that it has a surprising amount of humor and pop culture references of the time that I never picked up on when I was really young. The transformation from the grey hulk to professor hulk had very high stakes and despite Bruce, the savage hulk and grey hulk merging together as one personality, you can tell that there are definite red flags and foreshadowing to hulk’s ultimate reversal into a raging force of nature once more down the line. Overall the stories were fun reads including hulk’s brush with X-Factor, the U-Foes, Marlo being killed then brought back to life by the Leader—all were great through and through. The best critique I can give this book is that the issues captured in this book have aged fairly well given the era it takes place in and they all are paced very well and move along nicely. This book does end with a cliffhanger which makes me want to jump into the third omnibus right away!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2023
Wow. This is a great continuation of Peter David’s run on Hulk. This story really ramps up when Bruce gets all of his personality’s in order and it’s a blast from start to finish thanks to Hulk becoming a fun almost spidey like hero jabbing the villains as he takes em out. The side characters get some serious love here as well and they’re a massive plus. Following the burgeoning friendship between Marlo and Betty is great and helps give some emotion to the final story here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2024
3.5 stars for me.
The Dale Keown issues are pretty nice, the story is dynamic and interesting (I read it pretty quickly actually) and it brought me back to when I read it the first time in the 90s.
The problem are the annuals, that are not very interesting, and the artists that sometimes replace Keown, some of which are REALLY bad.
Mixed feelings, but not a 4 starts for me.
The Dale Keown issues are pretty nice, the story is dynamic and interesting (I read it pretty quickly actually) and it brought me back to when I read it the first time in the 90s.
The problem are the annuals, that are not very interesting, and the artists that sometimes replace Keown, some of which are REALLY bad.
Mixed feelings, but not a 4 starts for me.
August 26, 2025
Bro he’s cooking
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