Sheepish new reader raising hand: Can anyone point me to a web site that summarizes relevant Hulk plotlines? I’m enjoying this new run, but am somewhat lost, as I haven’t read Hulk before now.
Have to say: The Hulk playing solitaire while Bruce gets beaten up had me giggling in my chair.
The Incredible Hulk by Peter David Now featuring 100% more Hulk. Finally I’m able to buy the Hulk and read a story about the Hulk. This story is definitly picking up steam with this issue. Great to have you back PAD. Keep up the great work.
Does anybody remember what issues the “Hulk Island” story ran in?
I LOVE the little clues Peter drops in this issue – just enough hints to give a suggestion of what MIGHT be going on, but nothing definite. For instance, it’s pretty probable now that whoever the Hulk’s rival is, it’s clear that he/she/it somehow has direct access to the Hulk’s memories, giving them physical manifestation on the island. WHY he/she/it would go about doing this is another question entirely, and I can’t wait to see how Peter answers it. I’m not going to make any predictions, just to make sure I don’t look like a COMPLETE idiot when the final episode of the story arrives. (For instance, for all we know, the fellow who appeared in the final panel of issue #78 might very well be the real deal. I wouldn’t put it past Peter to screw with our heads like that. In a good way, of course.)
The “Hulk Island” stuff was in #451-453, for those who want to know.
Fanta–I mean, incredible stuff this time out. Will post more comments later. Glad at least to see Lee reference “JUSTICE” on Bruce’s notebook cover…:-)
~Gary
Thank you Peter, Lee & Tom! An enjoyable issue. Always fun to see Hulk wearing tattered shoes! I hope The Incredible Hulk’s incredible creative team stick around after this storyline! Now if only something could be done about that awful HULK logo.
Dig the final splash-page shockers you’ve got working in this series. The shifting story line is working well too. Also liked the King Kong allusion.
Rock On,
Walshy
Just got to say: Welcome home, Pad. You were missed
So Thomas Wolfe was wrong. You can go home again.
Oh… I know! Its Nightmare! From Dr.Strange see… I was close. Who else is going to be able to monitor Banners memories? To paraphrase ” That’s no lady, Thats Nightmare!” hahaha
Or so I am guessing. (
This continues from the first new PAD issue the winning streak.
This is a comic that needs to be read!
I must agree with Tim Robertson. I’ve been a a comic book fan since I was 3, (I’ll be 32 on March 10.) and it’s great to have MY Hulk back after nearly three years of Bruce Jones, Destroyer Of Continuity. Welcome Back, Peter.
JHL
1
WOW! Issue 78 was great PAD. I echo the sentiments made by many others in thanking you for returning the Hulk to these pages as well as keeping the psychological angle of Bruce’s MPD.
I do have a question though.
Bruce began developing his MPD at a young age, due to the traumas in his youth. As we see in this issue (if what we see *actually* happened), Bruce is talking to one of this other personalities–which to others is just an imaginary friend–the Hulk (it seems that Bruce’s mind may have started to fracture). Yet in chronologically-subsequent appearances, neither Bruce nor the Hulk communicated with one another (not until you came along).
So if the flashbacks to the past are accurate, I wonder if maybe the gamma bomb which gave physical form to the Hulk also altered the structure of Bruce’s mind, eliminating their ability to communicate, and effectively providing the “nail in the coffin” for Bruce’s MPD.
In any event, it’s been a long time since I’ve actually *thought* about the Hulk for more than 5 minutes, so thank you.
Tony
Wonderful, wonderful. So glad to have Peter back on the Hulk!
Like many others, I am also glad that PAD has returned to the Hulk. I’m not sure what’s really going on on that mysterious island but I think I like it. It’s certainly better than the never-ending conspiracy that had taken over the series for so long. However, I agree with those other commenters who want to see elements from some of PAD’s earlier Hulk stories.
Also, I noticed something odd about Bruce’s aunt, Miss Banner. In her only previous appearance (as Mrs. Drake in Incredible Hulk #312) she was Bruce’s maternal aunt, the sister of his mother, Rebecca Banner, but in this issue she is now the sister of Bruce’s father, Brian Banner. Unless Bruce is the product of incest, something would appear to be wrong here. Is it just a continuity error? Or is it a foreshadowing that something is off about those “flashbacks” to Bruce’s days at school? Of course, now that I think about it, that meeting between Miss Banner and Principal Guiness couldn’t be one of Bruce’s memories since he wasn’t present. So where did that scene come from?
Ah well, I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what’s really going on.
Don
Peter,
Welcome back, Mr. David! It’s good to have the PAD-man back on the Hulk comic.
As for the story: the details of how Bruce/the Hulk came to be in the ocean, “walking” towards the island is still a mystery. It’s been a long time since I read THE INCREDIBLE HULK, and I really wasn’t a fan of Bruce Jones’ run on this comic. So just to get some of us up to speed on the Hulk’s current continuity, here are a few questions:
1) Are Betty and General Ross both still alive?
2) Will we be seeing some of the old supporting cast such as Rick Jones and Marlo?
3) Just a guess, but is that the Leader sitting “off-camera” in that one scene? And didn’t the leader have robot/drones that could look a bit like the “Mindless Ones” of Dormma…Dormamamal…er….Dormamoomoo…you know who I mean!
1) Are Betty and General Ross both still alive?
Yes
3) Just a guess, but is that the Leader sitting “off-camera” in that one scene? And didn’t the leader have robot/drones that could look a bit like the “Mindless Ones” of Dormma…Dormamamal…er….Dormamoomoo…you know who I mean!
PAD’s confirmed that it’s not, no, after the previous two writers used Leader-brains to deus ex machina their plots away at the end of their runs, yes….
Moments ago, I finished reading the first two parts of Tempest Fugit.
Wow.
Now THAT is the INCREDIBLE HULK that I’ve been longing for.
Lee Weeks is such an underappreciated artist. He’s been in the industry for so long, and yet he’s never really received the wider recognition he deserves. The book looks fantastic, from the pencils to the inks, the colors, the letters, everything.
As for the story, I’m loving it. I’m a big lover of Shakespeare, so I can’t wait to see how this story continues to take it’s cues from the premise of that play. The Incredible Hulk on Monster Island…c’mon, that’s just pure fun.
And that last page of #78 has me grinning from ear to ear. I love it when a comic can do that for me.
Highest possible recommendation!
Peter,
I like your Hulk. The imaginary friend works. I also liked much of the Bruce Jones series, but your script is more Hulk-centered, which pleases me.
I read it this evening and enjoyed it a great deal. I was a Hulk from from his early Tales to Astonish days all the way through to the Al Milgrom issues, when I dropped it. I missed all of PAD’s first run, but I’ve heard great things about it, so I picked up this return, and it has been very rewarding. I’ll be here as long as he is. And you can tell Tom Brevoort that by hiring Peter he has reclaimed a verrrry lapsed reader from a decade and a half ago. Or if that’s not a good thing to tell him, don’t.
–your pal, Hoy
“Are Betty and General Ross both still alive? Yes.”
Er…uhm…that’s kind of up in the air, actually. General Ross is indeed alive and well, but Betty – that’s a little more iffy. There’s been some serious doubt cast on whether the woman who’s been appearing in the last issues of Bruce Jones’s run is REALLY Elizabeth Ross, or just a product of yet ANOTHER jáçkášš trying to screw around with Bruce’s already-seriously-screwed-up head. Frankly, I prefer to believe the latter, as Betty’s “resurrection” was so hideously executed by Jones, and in such an embarrasingly anti-climactic way, that it makes me feel better to think that the real article is still lying entombed in a glass cylinder somewhere. The “Betty” Bruce Jones tossed our way is probably a clone. Or a mirage. Or the Leader in disguise. Or Doc Samson in disguise. Or a rhino in disguise. I DON’T CARE!!
After only two issues, I think it is still to early to comment. I do however, liked the way to explained the extra fluid in hulk lungs………..
Actually, I kinda miss the shark…
When I learned Peter would be returning to writing the Hulk, I decided to subscribe to The Hulk, to make sure I didn’t miss any issues. (I’m gambling that he will continue beyond the 6 issues he is committed to. But I’d rather waste money getting 6 non-PAD issues than waste many hours of my life bemoaning the fact I forgot to order The Hulk one of the months Peter was writing it — which, with my memory, seems a highly likely possibility.)
The first subscription copy arrived in the mail Monday — # 78. AAARGH! Obviously I was too slow in mailing in the subscription order. Now I’ve got to figure out some way to pick up # 77. (It’s 30 miles to the nearest comics store, and I don’t drive.)
Tuesday my monthly box of comics from Westfield arrived, and in it was Hulk # 77. Yay! Apparently I’m not as dumb as I thought — I realized my subscription order wouldn’t arrive in time for # 77 to be included, so remembered to order it from Westfield.
Even reading the 2 issues out of order, I though both were great. I posted a recommendation for PAD’s run over at the JREF forum (a place that some posters here might enjoy visiting) and am very eagerly awaiting the next 4 issues (and, I hope, the ones to follow that…)
(For anyone interested, JREF link = http://www.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=52431 . That’s a link to the post in the entertainment section where I recommend PAD’s new run on Hulk, but there’s also a lively politics area to the forum.)
No worries, Nova. PAD is on Hulk until at least the end of 2005 due to the tremendous outpouring of support he’s received.
Good fun with #78 (I know, I keep saying that), and thanks to one of Lee’s scribblings on Banner’s notebook, now I’m wondering what Bruce’s religious orientation is and if that was something intentional or what (“John 3:16,” for anyone who’s interested).
And yeah, curious point about Mrs. Drake now being on Bruce’s father’s side of the family when she seemed to be on his mom’s side in her last appearance. PAD, anything to say in your defense?:-D
Good stuff all the same.
~Gary
I miss the sharks. Sniff. Sniff.
Bob Jones laments: I miss the sharks. Sniff. Sniff.
Yes. Although its appearance was brief, the shark truly became a staple of the Hulk comic. Perhaps twenty years from now we’ll find out that General Ross slept with it, resulting in two children that, tragically, can’t swim backwards. The lesson here: Don’t jump the shark.
“The Incredible Hulk on Monster Island…c’mon, that’s just pure fun.”
Can’t shake the image from my mind.
Back when Marvel was advertising the [mostly dreadful] monthly GODZILLA series, one sketch they used was of a LARGE reptilian footpring and, embedded in the ground in the middle of it, a very cheezed-off Hulk who was promising to “… smash lizard-face when Hulk gets up again”.
I guess we’ll have to make do with Fin Fang Foom instead. Ah well …
It always seems difficult to continue to write compelling fiction with superheroes, who by their copyright holders, require a certain status quo for obvious business and marketing reasons.
That being said, some writers manage to squeeze in new history that becomes part of the characters history and not just standard forgettable fare.
For the Hulk, PAD is one of those guys and always delivers.
PAD took the color glitch of the first issue and created another persona.
He created several Hulk personas as well as some future Hulk personas that give a scary peak into a possible Marvel future where HULK RULES ALL.
And last but certainly not least, if I’m correct, I believe it was PAD who came up with Banner’s father killing the mother and hence truly giving a reason for the rage and something the reader could really develope sympathy for.
This has become such an intergral part of Banner’s psyche it was the driving force of the movie. Without PAD’s delving into Banner’s psyche and CREATING and ADDING to the Hulk origin – what movie would they have made?
And now? Well, I can’t pretend to know where PAD is going, but might we be seeing that Banner always had HULK and that HULK was his imaginary friend adn the keepr of the rage?
We already know that Hulk’s personality stems from Banner’s frustration with his father and his his evil deed – but could this be another shade of how messed up Bruce was before that Gamma bomb ever hit?
I think once again, PAD is going to leave a mark on this character that will not just be a great story-arc, but will forever define him.
And even if I’m wrong – it made me think and imagine – which is all we want our writers to do. I did enjoy the begining of the Jones run and the hype they claimed. It becoming a cross between X-Files and the old Hulk TV show with some other twists thrown in COULD have worked – but the final acts never delivered.
I believe PAD is recapturing his and the characters past glory. Pencils ain’t bad either.
Thanks PAD
I had to work late on Wednesday and didn’t get a chance to drop by the comic book store until Thursday when I was told all copies of the issue were sold out. Good news then (unless they under-ordered, which wouldn’t have been wise but stranger things have happened).
Oh, one thing:
“PAD took the color glitch of the first issue and created another persona.”
The “gray” hulk persona was evident in the first few issues of the title. I think PAD was the first to acknowledge it rather than retcon the “Hulk Smash” Hulk as having been there from the start as was the case for a while.
Actually, SER, Joey–
Bill Mantlo first suggested the Hulk really was grey during those first few changes in some flashback scenes in IH #302 and some flashbacks in subsequent stories. John Byrne later cemented the idea in dialogue in IH #317 (I think…maybe #318). Byrne’s original plan the first time around was to make the Hulk green and crafty (restoring the Lee/Kirby paradigm as he is wont to do), much the same as he is now, in fact, but when he left the book, Al Milgrom completed the changes he set in motion and we got the first prolonged exposure to the smarter, crueler, grey behemoth.
Seven issues later, PAD began his regular tenure on the book, and the rest, as they say, is history.
~Gary
this was my 3rd Hulk comic. (I picked up the What If)
When the last issue came out, PAD said new readers could jump right in, as long as they weren’t confused by a guy turning into a green monster and back again. Having watched a few episodes of that old cartoon I was cool with that, but I wasn’t prepared for two Hulks.
But while I am a bit confused, I’m comfortable enough with everything else PAD I’ve read that I’m sure the haze will dissipate as the issues progress, and more is made clear.
Posted this to the wrong thread the first time(colour me RED!)
Peter David stopped writing the Hulk because Marvel wanted him to do ‘fight issues’. So, the first storyline he does when he comes back(which at its core is a head trip down memory lane) three of the five covers look to be ‘fight issues’. D’oh! Very interesting…perhaps even ironic…and why one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
Anyroad, I’m enjoying the Hulk again, enjoying the humour and twists and turns of the plot because I know that eventually it will make some kind of sense. I’m glad that the Hulk is being drawn proportionally, again…kudos to Lee Weeks and his ‘old style’ Grey Hulk rendition.
Looking forward to the rest of the story…dreading the unknown after PAD’s tenure on the Hulk ends…wish it was a TEN-YEAR…
I thought PAD quit because Marvel wanted Hulk crossovers a la Onslaught. Same with DC and Aquaman.
Another stint as Mr. Fixit. The “Las Vegas” adventures remain some of my personal favorites.
If there is a God, Mr. Fixit will return. Love to see what Rick & Marlo are up to.
But, thats far away, right now I’m enjoying more original headscratcher story.
Love the flashbacks, though. Love ’em.
The only request I have for PAD is the return of the Maestro, last seen buried under several tons of rubble. The Hulk’s sinister future self was shoved into the background by PAD’s successors, so I’m eager to see if PAD ever returns to one of his more popular creations one day. Besides – it’s fitting that one of the greater enemies of the Hulk would be the Hulk himself. That’s so twisted. That’s so f***ed up. That’s so…Hulk.
Mr. David,
Thank you so much for coming back to this book. We missed you and many of us were lost in limbo with the previous writer. Please understand I am not saying that Bruce Jones work was horrible, however I did not care for the direction that he took the character. I have been a Hulk for many years dating back to issue #224, one of my favorite childhood memories.
I am like many people and would welcome a trip down memory lane with some of the early incarnations of Hulk that you have written. However, exploring new boundaries will be just as satisfying as long you stick around for at least another 10 year stint.
For those who want to know what has been happening with Rick & Marlo then you should have picked up the Captain Marvel series and if you didn’t, go get it!
QUESTION FOR MR. DAVID: Will the “What Savage Beast” story ever break into comic form? For those of you who have not read this novel, you should be shot immediately. One should not call themselves a Hulk fan if they do not go out and get this book. The story is fantastic! Think of it this way Bruce, Betty, baby and the Maestro, nuff said! Get it! Read it!
******* POSSIBLE SPOILER *******************
I have some thoughts on who might be behind this new story line. I think our mysterious villian may be Mephisto. They are dead and in his domain and he is pulling the strings. Many of the supporting characters are either dead or think they are dead in the current Marvel continuity. Grey Hulk (in a sense the first incarnation is dead and gone), Thadeous Ross, Fin Fang Foom, and the two shipwrecked surviors (think their dead). They say when you die your life flashes before your eyes, thus the flashbacks to Bruce’s teenage years. Hulk needs to fight his way back from death, something he has done in the past so we know he can do it again. Well, it’s just a guess and I will probably be proven wrong, but the story is great keep it up.
Mostly off topic:
Noticed that the May solicitations from DC listed Fallen Angel #20 as the final issue. Sorry it didn’t work out for you.
I’m still confused, but a bit less confused than I was after reading issue #77.
The art was excellent.
Harold… T-Bolt Ross isn’t dead. He’s still very much alive. In fact, the last time I remember seeing him was durring the run before Bruce Jones, where he tricked Banner into kicking the hëll out of the Abomination.
**********spoiler ideas*********
I don’t think it’s Mephisto pulling the strings here. My votes for Nightmare, since he messed with poor ‘ol Bruce way back when and led to the creation of the mindless Hulk.
This issue is one of the best issues of Hulk ever written. Also, the art was surprisingly incredible (pun intended). Plus, there’z Fin Fang Foom – How can you complain.
Could it be the Maestro? He’s big on head games…
Since there’s a Gray Hulk/Green Hulk confrontation in this issue (kinda sorta), I’m reminded of a confrontation the two had in PAD’s previous run on “Hulk.” It’s written from memory, so it’s possible I’ll skip over brief bits of dialogue.
The Gray Hulk has been around exclusively for years, but the Green Hulk had recently returned; and now, in the landscape of Banner’s mind, the Gray Hulk is struggling to shut him up behind a giant metaphorical door once more. The Green Hulk, of course, is fighting to get out and shouting that “puny Hulk” won’t keep the real Hulk locked up.
“Ah, put an egg in your shoe and beat it!”
“Hulk does not wear stupid shoes!”
“Hey, look behind ya! Ain’t that Lou Ferrigno?”
“Huh?”
SLAM!!
Rick
“Ain’t that Lou Ferrigno?!”
Personally, I always felt that line was bit of a groaner. Instead of erupting in laughter, as I’m sure was expected of me, I frowned a little, and moved on. I wonder – was it INTENDED to be a groaner? Kind of like that “Don’t call me Shirley!” line from ‘AIRPLANE!’?
I think only PAD can answer whether it was intended to be a groaner. Same would hold true for a scene from the Hulk’s “Mr. Fixit “days, when a battle prompts a spectator to comment, “oh, Bill Bixby must be in town.”
Actually, the thought occured to me today that “the Incredible Hulk” TV series could very well have existed in the Marvel Universe (and in fact, Marlo is watching a scene from it in yet another issue of PAD’s previous run) since the Hulk’s real identity is at least semi-publically known. Presumably in the Marvel universe version of the show, the various changes were made for legal reasons.
Another is it?/is it not? a groaner of PAD’s I recall comes from a “Star Trek” novel I read back in college. The scene occurs on the Enterprise during Pike’s tenure as captain, and Scotty, who was visiting from another ship, if I recall correctly, had an interchange with the then-chief engineer of the Enterprise. The chief engineer made reference to the “Illudium Pew-36 Explosive Space Modulator.”
“Explosive?” Scotty asked (a bit nervously, if memory serves).
Rick
Very happy to have you back on the Hulk, Peter. Stopped buying it when you left, started now that you’re back.
Oh, and in case no one has done it yet, thank you muchly for the great Rocky Horror reference. 🙂 Part of what I love about your writing.
Hi,
First time poster here. I love what you’ve done to Hulk; it’s the best the title has been since . . . well, since you left it, actually.
Congratulations on the well-deserved extension of your contract to include issues after this arc. Hey, I was thinking: several years ago, when you were writing Aquaman, you had proposed taking him through Dante’s version of Hëll in a several-issue run co-written by Harlan Ellison. May I suggest doing this run here on Hulk instead? The editor may be somewhat more agreeable at Marvel, and I’d love to read this story.
Hope you consider it,
–Eric
Hey PAD.
Liked the issue. Better storytelling than a lot of the comics out there on the market today. A smooth read overall. LOVED the artwork. Lee Weeks surpases much of his past work with this issue. I hope you and Lee have a good and long working relationship together.
Now that I have said that, let me just ask this; Is this covering new HULK ground? I can’t help but feel that this is like a similar story line when you were last penning the green goliath. Lots of inner turmoil and the like. Banners Dad being a heavy, negative influence on his son. Banner and Hulk fighting for mental control of thier shared tortured exsistence. Banner and his pent up rage that helped create the Hulk when he was younger. Any of this seem redundant?
I’m lookin forward to future issues. I’m definately interested in where this particular story line is headed. I just hope to see new ground covered is all.
It is new ground in that Bruce’s teen years is completely unexplored territory. We’re seeing the origin of the Bruce Banner who first showed up in the very first issue of Incredible Hulk.
PAD
Very good, PAD. I look forward to what you have in store for our favorite green giant.
• 
Sheepish new reader raising hand: Can anyone point me to a web site that summarizes relevant Hulk plotlines? I’m enjoying this new run, but am somewhat lost, as I haven’t read Hulk before now.
Have to say: The Hulk playing solitaire while Bruce gets beaten up had me giggling in my chair.
The Incredible Hulk by Peter David Now featuring 100% more Hulk. Finally I’m able to buy the Hulk and read a story about the Hulk. This story is definitly picking up steam with this issue. Great to have you back PAD. Keep up the great work.
Does anybody remember what issues the “Hulk Island” story ran in?
I LOVE the little clues Peter drops in this issue – just enough hints to give a suggestion of what MIGHT be going on, but nothing definite. For instance, it’s pretty probable now that whoever the Hulk’s rival is, it’s clear that he/she/it somehow has direct access to the Hulk’s memories, giving them physical manifestation on the island. WHY he/she/it would go about doing this is another question entirely, and I can’t wait to see how Peter answers it. I’m not going to make any predictions, just to make sure I don’t look like a COMPLETE idiot when the final episode of the story arrives. (For instance, for all we know, the fellow who appeared in the final panel of issue #78 might very well be the real deal. I wouldn’t put it past Peter to screw with our heads like that. In a good way, of course.)
The “Hulk Island” stuff was in #451-453, for those who want to know.
Fanta–I mean, incredible stuff this time out. Will post more comments later. Glad at least to see Lee reference “JUSTICE” on Bruce’s notebook cover…:-)
~Gary
Thank you Peter, Lee & Tom! An enjoyable issue. Always fun to see Hulk wearing tattered shoes! I hope The Incredible Hulk’s incredible creative team stick around after this storyline! Now if only something could be done about that awful HULK logo.
Dig the final splash-page shockers you’ve got working in this series. The shifting story line is working well too. Also liked the King Kong allusion.
Rock On,
Walshy
Just got to say: Welcome home, Pad. You were missed
So Thomas Wolfe was wrong. You can go home again.
Oh… I know! Its Nightmare! From Dr.Strange see… I was close. Who else is going to be able to monitor Banners memories? To paraphrase ” That’s no lady, Thats Nightmare!” hahaha
Or so I am guessing. (
This continues from the first new PAD issue the winning streak.
This is a comic that needs to be read!
I must agree with Tim Robertson. I’ve been a a comic book fan since I was 3, (I’ll be 32 on March 10.) and it’s great to have MY Hulk back after nearly three years of Bruce Jones, Destroyer Of Continuity. Welcome Back, Peter.
JHL
1
WOW! Issue 78 was great PAD. I echo the sentiments made by many others in thanking you for returning the Hulk to these pages as well as keeping the psychological angle of Bruce’s MPD.
I do have a question though.
Bruce began developing his MPD at a young age, due to the traumas in his youth. As we see in this issue (if what we see *actually* happened), Bruce is talking to one of this other personalities–which to others is just an imaginary friend–the Hulk (it seems that Bruce’s mind may have started to fracture). Yet in chronologically-subsequent appearances, neither Bruce nor the Hulk communicated with one another (not until you came along).
So if the flashbacks to the past are accurate, I wonder if maybe the gamma bomb which gave physical form to the Hulk also altered the structure of Bruce’s mind, eliminating their ability to communicate, and effectively providing the “nail in the coffin” for Bruce’s MPD.
In any event, it’s been a long time since I’ve actually *thought* about the Hulk for more than 5 minutes, so thank you.
Tony
Wonderful, wonderful. So glad to have Peter back on the Hulk!
Like many others, I am also glad that PAD has returned to the Hulk. I’m not sure what’s really going on on that mysterious island but I think I like it. It’s certainly better than the never-ending conspiracy that had taken over the series for so long. However, I agree with those other commenters who want to see elements from some of PAD’s earlier Hulk stories.
Also, I noticed something odd about Bruce’s aunt, Miss Banner. In her only previous appearance (as Mrs. Drake in Incredible Hulk #312) she was Bruce’s maternal aunt, the sister of his mother, Rebecca Banner, but in this issue she is now the sister of Bruce’s father, Brian Banner. Unless Bruce is the product of incest, something would appear to be wrong here. Is it just a continuity error? Or is it a foreshadowing that something is off about those “flashbacks” to Bruce’s days at school? Of course, now that I think about it, that meeting between Miss Banner and Principal Guiness couldn’t be one of Bruce’s memories since he wasn’t present. So where did that scene come from?
Ah well, I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what’s really going on.
Don
Peter,
Welcome back, Mr. David! It’s good to have the PAD-man back on the Hulk comic.
As for the story: the details of how Bruce/the Hulk came to be in the ocean, “walking” towards the island is still a mystery. It’s been a long time since I read THE INCREDIBLE HULK, and I really wasn’t a fan of Bruce Jones’ run on this comic. So just to get some of us up to speed on the Hulk’s current continuity, here are a few questions:
1) Are Betty and General Ross both still alive?
2) Will we be seeing some of the old supporting cast such as Rick Jones and Marlo?
3) Just a guess, but is that the Leader sitting “off-camera” in that one scene? And didn’t the leader have robot/drones that could look a bit like the “Mindless Ones” of Dormma…Dormamamal…er….Dormamoomoo…you know who I mean!
1) Are Betty and General Ross both still alive?
Yes
3) Just a guess, but is that the Leader sitting “off-camera” in that one scene? And didn’t the leader have robot/drones that could look a bit like the “Mindless Ones” of Dormma…Dormamamal…er….Dormamoomoo…you know who I mean!
PAD’s confirmed that it’s not, no, after the previous two writers used Leader-brains to deus ex machina their plots away at the end of their runs, yes….
Moments ago, I finished reading the first two parts of Tempest Fugit.
Wow.
Now THAT is the INCREDIBLE HULK that I’ve been longing for.
Lee Weeks is such an underappreciated artist. He’s been in the industry for so long, and yet he’s never really received the wider recognition he deserves. The book looks fantastic, from the pencils to the inks, the colors, the letters, everything.
As for the story, I’m loving it. I’m a big lover of Shakespeare, so I can’t wait to see how this story continues to take it’s cues from the premise of that play. The Incredible Hulk on Monster Island…c’mon, that’s just pure fun.
And that last page of #78 has me grinning from ear to ear. I love it when a comic can do that for me.
Highest possible recommendation!
Peter,
I like your Hulk. The imaginary friend works. I also liked much of the Bruce Jones series, but your script is more Hulk-centered, which pleases me.
I read it this evening and enjoyed it a great deal. I was a Hulk from from his early Tales to Astonish days all the way through to the Al Milgrom issues, when I dropped it. I missed all of PAD’s first run, but I’ve heard great things about it, so I picked up this return, and it has been very rewarding. I’ll be here as long as he is. And you can tell Tom Brevoort that by hiring Peter he has reclaimed a verrrry lapsed reader from a decade and a half ago. Or if that’s not a good thing to tell him, don’t.
–your pal, Hoy
“Are Betty and General Ross both still alive? Yes.”
Er…uhm…that’s kind of up in the air, actually. General Ross is indeed alive and well, but Betty – that’s a little more iffy. There’s been some serious doubt cast on whether the woman who’s been appearing in the last issues of Bruce Jones’s run is REALLY Elizabeth Ross, or just a product of yet ANOTHER jáçkášš trying to screw around with Bruce’s already-seriously-screwed-up head. Frankly, I prefer to believe the latter, as Betty’s “resurrection” was so hideously executed by Jones, and in such an embarrasingly anti-climactic way, that it makes me feel better to think that the real article is still lying entombed in a glass cylinder somewhere. The “Betty” Bruce Jones tossed our way is probably a clone. Or a mirage. Or the Leader in disguise. Or Doc Samson in disguise. Or a rhino in disguise. I DON’T CARE!!
After only two issues, I think it is still to early to comment. I do however, liked the way to explained the extra fluid in hulk lungs………..
Actually, I kinda miss the shark…
When I learned Peter would be returning to writing the Hulk, I decided to subscribe to The Hulk, to make sure I didn’t miss any issues. (I’m gambling that he will continue beyond the 6 issues he is committed to. But I’d rather waste money getting 6 non-PAD issues than waste many hours of my life bemoaning the fact I forgot to order The Hulk one of the months Peter was writing it — which, with my memory, seems a highly likely possibility.)
The first subscription copy arrived in the mail Monday — # 78. AAARGH! Obviously I was too slow in mailing in the subscription order. Now I’ve got to figure out some way to pick up # 77. (It’s 30 miles to the nearest comics store, and I don’t drive.)
Tuesday my monthly box of comics from Westfield arrived, and in it was Hulk # 77. Yay! Apparently I’m not as dumb as I thought — I realized my subscription order wouldn’t arrive in time for # 77 to be included, so remembered to order it from Westfield.
Even reading the 2 issues out of order, I though both were great. I posted a recommendation for PAD’s run over at the JREF forum (a place that some posters here might enjoy visiting) and am very eagerly awaiting the next 4 issues (and, I hope, the ones to follow that…)
(For anyone interested, JREF link = http://www.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=52431 . That’s a link to the post in the entertainment section where I recommend PAD’s new run on Hulk, but there’s also a lively politics area to the forum.)
No worries, Nova. PAD is on Hulk until at least the end of 2005 due to the tremendous outpouring of support he’s received.
Good fun with #78 (I know, I keep saying that), and thanks to one of Lee’s scribblings on Banner’s notebook, now I’m wondering what Bruce’s religious orientation is and if that was something intentional or what (“John 3:16,” for anyone who’s interested).
And yeah, curious point about Mrs. Drake now being on Bruce’s father’s side of the family when she seemed to be on his mom’s side in her last appearance. PAD, anything to say in your defense?:-D
Good stuff all the same.
~Gary
I miss the sharks. Sniff. Sniff.
Bob Jones laments:
I miss the sharks. Sniff. Sniff.
Yes. Although its appearance was brief, the shark truly became a staple of the Hulk comic. Perhaps twenty years from now we’ll find out that General Ross slept with it, resulting in two children that, tragically, can’t swim backwards. The lesson here: Don’t jump the shark.
“The Incredible Hulk on Monster Island…c’mon, that’s just pure fun.”
Can’t shake the image from my mind.
Back when Marvel was advertising the [mostly dreadful] monthly GODZILLA series, one sketch they used was of a LARGE reptilian footpring and, embedded in the ground in the middle of it, a very cheezed-off Hulk who was promising to “… smash lizard-face when Hulk gets up again”.
I guess we’ll have to make do with Fin Fang Foom instead. Ah well …
It always seems difficult to continue to write compelling fiction with superheroes, who by their copyright holders, require a certain status quo for obvious business and marketing reasons.
That being said, some writers manage to squeeze in new history that becomes part of the characters history and not just standard forgettable fare.
For the Hulk, PAD is one of those guys and always delivers.
PAD took the color glitch of the first issue and created another persona.
He created several Hulk personas as well as some future Hulk personas that give a scary peak into a possible Marvel future where HULK RULES ALL.
And last but certainly not least, if I’m correct, I believe it was PAD who came up with Banner’s father killing the mother and hence truly giving a reason for the rage and something the reader could really develope sympathy for.
This has become such an intergral part of Banner’s psyche it was the driving force of the movie. Without PAD’s delving into Banner’s psyche and CREATING and ADDING to the Hulk origin – what movie would they have made?
And now? Well, I can’t pretend to know where PAD is going, but might we be seeing that Banner always had HULK and that HULK was his imaginary friend adn the keepr of the rage?
We already know that Hulk’s personality stems from Banner’s frustration with his father and his his evil deed – but could this be another shade of how messed up Bruce was before that Gamma bomb ever hit?
I think once again, PAD is going to leave a mark on this character that will not just be a great story-arc, but will forever define him.
And even if I’m wrong – it made me think and imagine – which is all we want our writers to do. I did enjoy the begining of the Jones run and the hype they claimed. It becoming a cross between X-Files and the old Hulk TV show with some other twists thrown in COULD have worked – but the final acts never delivered.
I believe PAD is recapturing his and the characters past glory. Pencils ain’t bad either.
Thanks PAD
I had to work late on Wednesday and didn’t get a chance to drop by the comic book store until Thursday when I was told all copies of the issue were sold out. Good news then (unless they under-ordered, which wouldn’t have been wise but stranger things have happened).
Oh, one thing:
“PAD took the color glitch of the first issue and created another persona.”
The “gray” hulk persona was evident in the first few issues of the title. I think PAD was the first to acknowledge it rather than retcon the “Hulk Smash” Hulk as having been there from the start as was the case for a while.
Actually, SER, Joey–
Bill Mantlo first suggested the Hulk really was grey during those first few changes in some flashback scenes in IH #302 and some flashbacks in subsequent stories. John Byrne later cemented the idea in dialogue in IH #317 (I think…maybe #318). Byrne’s original plan the first time around was to make the Hulk green and crafty (restoring the Lee/Kirby paradigm as he is wont to do), much the same as he is now, in fact, but when he left the book, Al Milgrom completed the changes he set in motion and we got the first prolonged exposure to the smarter, crueler, grey behemoth.
Seven issues later, PAD began his regular tenure on the book, and the rest, as they say, is history.
~Gary
this was my 3rd Hulk comic. (I picked up the What If)
When the last issue came out, PAD said new readers could jump right in, as long as they weren’t confused by a guy turning into a green monster and back again. Having watched a few episodes of that old cartoon I was cool with that, but I wasn’t prepared for two Hulks.
But while I am a bit confused, I’m comfortable enough with everything else PAD I’ve read that I’m sure the haze will dissipate as the issues progress, and more is made clear.
Posted this to the wrong thread the first time(colour me RED!)
Peter David stopped writing the Hulk because Marvel wanted him to do ‘fight issues’. So, the first storyline he does when he comes back(which at its core is a head trip down memory lane) three of the five covers look to be ‘fight issues’. D’oh! Very interesting…perhaps even ironic…and why one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
Anyroad, I’m enjoying the Hulk again, enjoying the humour and twists and turns of the plot because I know that eventually it will make some kind of sense. I’m glad that the Hulk is being drawn proportionally, again…kudos to Lee Weeks and his ‘old style’ Grey Hulk rendition.
Looking forward to the rest of the story…dreading the unknown after PAD’s tenure on the Hulk ends…wish it was a TEN-YEAR…
I thought PAD quit because Marvel wanted Hulk crossovers a la Onslaught. Same with DC and Aquaman.
Another stint as Mr. Fixit. The “Las Vegas” adventures remain some of my personal favorites.
If there is a God, Mr. Fixit will return. Love to see what Rick & Marlo are up to.
But, thats far away, right now I’m enjoying more original headscratcher story.
Love the flashbacks, though. Love ’em.
The only request I have for PAD is the return of the Maestro, last seen buried under several tons of rubble. The Hulk’s sinister future self was shoved into the background by PAD’s successors, so I’m eager to see if PAD ever returns to one of his more popular creations one day. Besides – it’s fitting that one of the greater enemies of the Hulk would be the Hulk himself. That’s so twisted. That’s so f***ed up. That’s so…Hulk.
Mr. David,
Thank you so much for coming back to this book. We missed you and many of us were lost in limbo with the previous writer. Please understand I am not saying that Bruce Jones work was horrible, however I did not care for the direction that he took the character. I have been a Hulk for many years dating back to issue #224, one of my favorite childhood memories.
I am like many people and would welcome a trip down memory lane with some of the early incarnations of Hulk that you have written. However, exploring new boundaries will be just as satisfying as long you stick around for at least another 10 year stint.
For those who want to know what has been happening with Rick & Marlo then you should have picked up the Captain Marvel series and if you didn’t, go get it!
QUESTION FOR MR. DAVID: Will the “What Savage Beast” story ever break into comic form? For those of you who have not read this novel, you should be shot immediately. One should not call themselves a Hulk fan if they do not go out and get this book. The story is fantastic! Think of it this way Bruce, Betty, baby and the Maestro, nuff said! Get it! Read it!
******* POSSIBLE SPOILER *******************
I have some thoughts on who might be behind this new story line. I think our mysterious villian may be Mephisto. They are dead and in his domain and he is pulling the strings. Many of the supporting characters are either dead or think they are dead in the current Marvel continuity. Grey Hulk (in a sense the first incarnation is dead and gone), Thadeous Ross, Fin Fang Foom, and the two shipwrecked surviors (think their dead). They say when you die your life flashes before your eyes, thus the flashbacks to Bruce’s teenage years. Hulk needs to fight his way back from death, something he has done in the past so we know he can do it again. Well, it’s just a guess and I will probably be proven wrong, but the story is great keep it up.
Mostly off topic:
Noticed that the May solicitations from DC listed Fallen Angel #20 as the final issue. Sorry it didn’t work out for you.
I’m still confused, but a bit less confused than I was after reading issue #77.
The art was excellent.
Harold… T-Bolt Ross isn’t dead. He’s still very much alive. In fact, the last time I remember seeing him was durring the run before Bruce Jones, where he tricked Banner into kicking the hëll out of the Abomination.
**********spoiler ideas*********
I don’t think it’s Mephisto pulling the strings here. My votes for Nightmare, since he messed with poor ‘ol Bruce way back when and led to the creation of the mindless Hulk.
This issue is one of the best issues of Hulk ever written. Also, the art was surprisingly incredible (pun intended). Plus, there’z Fin Fang Foom – How can you complain.
Could it be the Maestro? He’s big on head games…
Since there’s a Gray Hulk/Green Hulk confrontation in this issue (kinda sorta), I’m reminded of a confrontation the two had in PAD’s previous run on “Hulk.” It’s written from memory, so it’s possible I’ll skip over brief bits of dialogue.
The Gray Hulk has been around exclusively for years, but the Green Hulk had recently returned; and now, in the landscape of Banner’s mind, the Gray Hulk is struggling to shut him up behind a giant metaphorical door once more. The Green Hulk, of course, is fighting to get out and shouting that “puny Hulk” won’t keep the real Hulk locked up.
“Ah, put an egg in your shoe and beat it!”
“Hulk does not wear stupid shoes!”
“Hey, look behind ya! Ain’t that Lou Ferrigno?”
“Huh?”
SLAM!!
Rick
“Ain’t that Lou Ferrigno?!”
Personally, I always felt that line was bit of a groaner. Instead of erupting in laughter, as I’m sure was expected of me, I frowned a little, and moved on. I wonder – was it INTENDED to be a groaner? Kind of like that “Don’t call me Shirley!” line from ‘AIRPLANE!’?
I think only PAD can answer whether it was intended to be a groaner. Same would hold true for a scene from the Hulk’s “Mr. Fixit “days, when a battle prompts a spectator to comment, “oh, Bill Bixby must be in town.”
Actually, the thought occured to me today that “the Incredible Hulk” TV series could very well have existed in the Marvel Universe (and in fact, Marlo is watching a scene from it in yet another issue of PAD’s previous run) since the Hulk’s real identity is at least semi-publically known. Presumably in the Marvel universe version of the show, the various changes were made for legal reasons.
Another is it?/is it not? a groaner of PAD’s I recall comes from a “Star Trek” novel I read back in college. The scene occurs on the Enterprise during Pike’s tenure as captain, and Scotty, who was visiting from another ship, if I recall correctly, had an interchange with the then-chief engineer of the Enterprise. The chief engineer made reference to the “Illudium Pew-36 Explosive Space Modulator.”
“Explosive?” Scotty asked (a bit nervously, if memory serves).
Rick
Very happy to have you back on the Hulk, Peter. Stopped buying it when you left, started now that you’re back.
Oh, and in case no one has done it yet, thank you muchly for the great Rocky Horror reference. 🙂 Part of what I love about your writing.
Hi,
First time poster here. I love what you’ve done to Hulk; it’s the best the title has been since . . . well, since you left it, actually.
Congratulations on the well-deserved extension of your contract to include issues after this arc. Hey, I was thinking: several years ago, when you were writing Aquaman, you had proposed taking him through Dante’s version of Hëll in a several-issue run co-written by Harlan Ellison. May I suggest doing this run here on Hulk instead? The editor may be somewhat more agreeable at Marvel, and I’d love to read this story.
Hope you consider it,
–Eric
Hey PAD.
Liked the issue. Better storytelling than a lot of the comics out there on the market today. A smooth read overall. LOVED the artwork. Lee Weeks surpases much of his past work with this issue. I hope you and Lee have a good and long working relationship together.
Now that I have said that, let me just ask this; Is this covering new HULK ground? I can’t help but feel that this is like a similar story line when you were last penning the green goliath. Lots of inner turmoil and the like. Banners Dad being a heavy, negative influence on his son. Banner and Hulk fighting for mental control of thier shared tortured exsistence. Banner and his pent up rage that helped create the Hulk when he was younger. Any of this seem redundant?
I’m lookin forward to future issues. I’m definately interested in where this particular story line is headed. I just hope to see new ground covered is all.
It is new ground in that Bruce’s teen years is completely unexplored territory. We’re seeing the origin of the Bruce Banner who first showed up in the very first issue of Incredible Hulk.
PAD
Very good, PAD. I look forward to what you have in store for our favorite green giant.