Hulk: May 2008 Archives

From what I've seen in the previews, Marvel's Incredible Hulk video game won't be a total disaster.  It looks like a lot of dumb fun, going around in the open world to smash buildings and various enemies.  Any video game that has the Bi-Beast as a villain has something going for it!  Rick Jones plays an important role in the game as well.  But what irks me are the exclusive Hulk models that can only be attained on one platform or another.  Gamespot reports that the Joe Fixit grey skinned Hulk is unlockable on the Xbox 360.  The Playstation 3 gets the Planet Hulk model.  And available only at Gamestop, the Red Hulk currently appearing in Jeph Loeb & Ed McGuinness' new series.

This just doesn't seem fair to Hulk fans.  All these Hulk character models should be unlockable across all platforms.  The Gamestop deal is really going to be a boost for that company.  Will the various Hulks be available later in downloadable content?  Nuff said.

Marvel.com has a video interview with Greg Pak.  I'm excited about this series, which is unusual.  I really prefer the classic Marvel characters, but this one could work out well.  There was a lot of rich material in the world that Pak created for Planet Hulk, really cool alien races and cultures.  Plus, I think Marvel has been long overdue in bringing back some of the Conan the Barbarian fun back into their universe.  I've got a lot of faith in Pak, who did very well with World War Hulk, and Ron Garney (the penciller), who is coming off a great Wolverine run.

There's another Pak interview from April 2008 over at Wizard TV.  In this one, the subject of a certain Cimmerian comes up.  Ever since I saw the promo image for Skaar #1...

...I've always thought that Skaar looks like a green gamma-infused Conan to me. 

Fingers crossed for the June 2008 launch!  To keep up with Greg Pak, you can visit his PakBuzz website.  Nuff said.

Sometimes the Marvel Adventures books can be just as good, if not better, than the Marvel Universe line.  Marvel Adventures Hulk #11 had a fun story where Bruce Banner visits the Baxter Building in search of a cure, and wouldn't you just know it, gets a little green and fights Ben Grimm.  I loved the artwork in this issue and one incredible splash page in particular.  Here's a progression from pencils to inks to full color.

Steve Scott has a wonderful frame for capturing the two monster-heroes in combat.  This just seems like a classic Marvel moment to me, channeling the best of Kirby, Buscema, Starlin, etc.  I retrieved this pencil-scan from Comicspace.

The penciller and the inker (Nathan Massengill) are working in perfect harmony here.  The Thing's rocky hide looks Joe Sinnott-y perfect, and the Hulk's visage looks like the old Tales of Suspense Hulk. (This image, by the way, was taken from Marvel Spotlight: Incredible Hulk movie.)

Finally, when the computer color, letters, and sound effects are added, the whole image just pops.  I'd like to buy this page, but I suspect that it has already been sold.  I think we will see a lot more from Steve Scott, check out his web page at DeviantArt.  Nuff said.

The Hulk was one of the major Marvel characters who never received his own Giant-Size book back in the1970s.  Marvel has given old Greenskin his just tribute in this month's Giant-Size Hulk #1.  The cover is by Gary Frank, I like it a lot.  I think he must have done this before his Marvel contract expired?  The lead story is new, written by Roger Stern, who did a lot of terrific Hulk stories in the past.  It's a lot of goofy fun with the dumb Hulk interacting with everyday people.  The Hulk chows down at Burger King!

The second half of the book reprints one of my favorite Hulk stories, from Hulk Annual #7.  Written by Roger Stern, artwork by John Byrne and Bob Layton.  It brings a lot of great X-Men elements into the Hulk's world.  Angel and Iceman are hanging out at the pool with a bunch of babes when Master Mold, the Sentinel Supreme, decides to attack.  The Hulk gets involved and winds up fighting Master Mold.  Really good, classic stuff.  I liked how Layton's inks looked on Byrne's pencils.

We've got even more giant greenskin goodness to look forward to: next week King-Size Hulk #1 arrives in stores.  The title is another tribute to Marvel's past; in the 60s/70s they called their annuals "King Size Spider-Man Annual #1".  This brand new King-Size Hulk will have artwork by Art Adams and Frank Cho, stories by Jeff Loeb.  I'm sold!  Nuff said.

See More The Incredible Hulk Screenshot at IGN.com

After the last gen game "Hulk: Ultimate Destruction", we've got high expectations on the upcoming Incredible Hulk video game.  What puts more pressure on this game is not only the legacy, but other open-world games like Crackdown and GTA IV.  Hulk can rampage throughout a semi-realistic New York City and smash his way through buildings...let's hope it's not a disaster like the Iron Man video game.  The Baxter Building can be found in this game.  Can the Hulk destroy that, too?  Nuff said.