Incredible Hulk: Abominations

Marvel Berkley/Byron Preiss Productions Prose Novels

by Jason Henderson

Dr. Bruce Banner, the incredible Hulk, once again matches wits with an old nemesis, former KGB agent-turned-Abomination Emil Blonsky, who has allied himself with URSA, a secret and deadly organization dedicated to restoring the old Soviet Union

Genres: Science Fiction, Comics, Marvel

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1997

About the author

I've been writing for a long time-- comics, games (like Destiny 2), books-- there's always *something.* But lately I've gotten into modern-day YA novels with the Alex Van Helsing series and now middle grade with the new Young Captain Nemo series.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The casual Marvel fan might pick this one up and expect a non-stop smashfest between Hulk and his Gamma-powered nemesis Abomination but instead you will get...a Cold War espionage thriller primarily focussed on characters who are not Bruce Banner that also serves as a somber reflection on the nature of grief and acceptance?



Still, there was some pretty good smashing, and I felt the narrator did a very good job juggling the different voices and accents without slipping into caricature.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of the most thought-provoking books based on a comic book that I've ever read. Theological ideas are presented in context of the book that are quite interesting. What did it mean in Genesis 6 when God was grieved that he made man?

I don't know what the most recent developments in the Hulk mythology are. I haven't read a Hulk comic for many, many, years. This particular book takes place during a period in which Banner and Hulk are one in the same... Banner, in Hulk form, is not the mindless rampaging beast, but has his normal intellect.

Banner is called to take action against a character called the Abomination, a gamma-mutated being that likely appeared within the pages of Hulk comics, but that I am not familiar with. This creature has managed to maintain his intelligence, but is horribly deformed into a reptiliish monster.

Henderson develops his plot well, provides some good mystery clues (from the Bible, no less) for the evil action of the Abomination, and brings it to an interesting resolution. Along the way, Banner struggles with fate, relationships, and as usual, being misunderstood as the Hulk. His wife, Betty, struggles with helping him feel confident in their relationship. Everyone else seems to struggle with the Abomination or the Hulk, though there are some personal vendettas going on among the supporting characters.

All in all, perhaps the best novelization of a comic story that I have read with the probable exception of "Kingdom Come." Well worth reading, an excellent find from a used bookstore.

[Max Driffill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a surprising read. Novelization of comic book characters can be quite fun but the experience often doesn’t go beyond “action adventure.”

This book manages to graduate to thoughtful science fiction by taking the characters and their conditions seriously and exploring those conditions. The best writing on the Hulk has always revolves around the psychology of identity, and this book has that. The Ahomination’s rationalizations for his violence, religious, philosophical, even biological were quite fascinating.

I think this book could work for fans of Hulk or just fans of thoughtful science fiction. It is well paced, and manages to fill in readers who may not have a deep well of Incredible Hulk knowledge without ever dragging.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an ambitious Marvel novel featuring the face-off of Banner and the Soviet Abomination. The action sequences are pretty good, but there's a bit too much religious speculation and philosophical introspection for my taste. It breaks up a good story a little more than it should; we should be shown the concept, not be told the concept.
Remember back when Hulk referred to himself in third person and expressed himself with simplicity? (As Brian Keene pointed out, Hulk's dialog was identical to Trump's tweets.) Before there were so many flavors and iterations of Hulk that no one even tries to keep track of them all anymore? This one was good from that perspective, a Peter David era version. Don't agree? Well, then... Hulk will smash puny human!

[Derrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you enjoy Hulk audio books, then this is more of the same. It's an ok story, but it's amazing how you get used to viewing the pictures in a comic or movie and how that helps.

[P.M. Ozborn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tho I really enjoy Marvel and its characters, this story left me a bit perplexed. A smart Hulk still feels a bit out of context for me.

To read my full review, check out my blog at: http://ozmosisbookmarked.blogspot.com...

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an entertaining read for the insight it gives to the characters of Abomination and the Hulk. Unfortunately, a few of the liberties taken by the author give the Hulk flaws that are worrisome. I guess readers should not be too concerned about characters that are fantasies.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright, but not the best Marvel Novel I've read. If you are really into Hulk go for it.