Hulk: Grand Design - Madness!

Hulk Grand Design #2

by Jim Rugg

Writer/artist Jim Rugg concludes his creative reimagining of the entire history of THE INCREDIBLE HULK in this can't-miss oversized issue. You'll never look at Bruce Banner the same way again!

Genres: Comics, Marvel

Mass Market Paperback

Published April 27, 2022

About the author

Jim Rugg is an Eisner and Ignatz Award-winning cartoonist based in Pittsburgh. His books include STREET ANGEL, The PLAIN Janes, The Guild, Afrodisiac, and Notebook Drawings. Awards and recognition from the Society of Illustrators, AIGA, Communication Arts, Print magazine, American Illustration, SPX, and Creative Quarterly adorn his mantle.

His studio is pencils, paper, ballpoint pens, ink, Photoshop, cats, and comics.

Reviews

[OinkFish Pigs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a phenomenal story overall. I really wanna read Hulk now.

Low 9.8

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rugg's Hulk: Grand Design is divided into two parts, Monster and Madness. The second volume is really the Peter David phase of the Hulk's adventures. David spent more than a decade as the main Incredible Hulk scribe, practically writing the character for a generation of readers.

David took a psychological approach to the character, identifying Hulk as the id and Banner as the ego. David created a gestalt of the Hulk's personalities, Green Hulk's strength, Banners smarts, and Grey Hulk's cunning.

I get the impression that Rugg also had a lot of fun recreating the classic cover of the Hulk and Wolverine by McFarlane from Incredible Hulk (1962-1999) #340. It's a comic book that defined the Hulk and Wolverine dynamic for decades.

Rugg's Hulk narrative ends with David's last issue and made key events after it as epilogues. David truly defined this phase of Hulk stories.

[Nick LeBlanc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hulk loves Betty, gets turned into Banner or some berserk version of lizard-brain Hulk, gets sent into the future or somewhere in outer space, destroys some towns on Earth, has run-ins with Thunderbolt Ross and Leader, Beats up Abomination, fails with Betty, gets into partnerships with other hero’s, destroys the partnerships, and then repeat it all in some other order. As I said in the review for the first half, MONSTER. This is an illuminating way to view a character’s history and presents a fascinating statement on characters/archetypes and storylines. As before, beautiful art.

[Eladio Garro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second and final issue of Hulk: Grand Design focuses on the character's tortured mind because of his terrible past, the return of the Grey Hulk, how Bruce Nanner and the other Hulks must join forces to become whole, his future imperfect, him being a slave to Apocalypse, and Betty Ross' tragic death. Not only do both issues serve as a visual encyclopedia to Hulk, but also encapsulate his tragic history.

[Gunnar Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m just now trying to get into The Hulk after ignoring him and his books for years. Thanks to Immortal Hulk I’m more interested than ever in the green giant.

and this was basically a crazy history lesson on Hulk over the decades. and now I actually know some stories and ones I’m interested in reading!

(also hulk history is crazy. the same three characters die like 4 times each in this)

4/5

[John Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

oh no you left out the bruce jones and jason aaron runs what a shame

[Drake Zappa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant summarisation of Hulks history

[Scott Waldyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible artwork and paneling. This fun book collects the rest of Hulk's history after Grand Design: Monster and leading up until World War Hulk.

[K G · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the art but absorbed 0 information

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Dave Oram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good catch up and review of a long span of Hulk comics