In the spirit of my JMS Spider-Man thread, and as per the poll in this thread, I have started reading the Bruce Jones run on the Incredible Hulk, in part to finish the story (I started reading it several years ago, dropped it after the second trade), and in part to get up to speed for my read of Planet Hulk (which will be another thread).

So yeah. Wrote a song about it. Here it go.

Vol. 1 – Return Of The Monster

(NOTE: This and Vol. 2 are second readings for me. The rest will be new to me.)

Overall, a very low key start to a very different take on the Hulk.

Was it slow? Sure it was slow. Throughout this entire six-issue volume, we get but fleeting glimpses of the Hulk, with a sparse few “wow” shots to punctuate long, long stretches of tension building.

And, ummm, I kind of liked that approach, really.

Now, that had to throw many longtime readers off a bit. Heck, I’ve read the Hulk since I was a kid, so it isn’t as if I haven’t seen him smash stuff before, making the “wow” moments kind of anti-climactic. But I still liked it. For first-time Hulk readers, I bet it worked well – and for the purposes of the story Jones appears to be telling here, I found it very effective.

It goes without saying that John Romita Jr.’s artwork is stellar. The man has a great line, and can just flat-out tell a story like no one’s business.

As for the story Jones begins to build here, it’s certainly a different approach to the Hulk. Conspiracy stuff, government hunting him (or is it?), that’s been done before, but usually in a BIG and LOUD way. Here we get Bruce Banner freakin’ hitchhiking for 100 pages or so. Yoga and laptops? What!? Yet I think Jones is setting up the puzzle pieces pretty well. Lots of little hints, quite a few really great moments (at the bridge, with the kid, and the cop, and the assassins. Yeah!), and an X-Files vibe Nice.

Well, except for the whole “lack of climax” thing. I’m all for a slow build, but some payoff would be nice. This volume sure could have used some payoff.

Not a bad way to begin, though. It didn’t feel like the paradigm shift that the first JMS arc was, but I did appreciate the focus on the “monster” part of the Hulk mythos. This was closer to Jekyll and Hyde than it was to Raging Monster. Curious to see where it is going. Don’t know if 40-some issues of this is a good idea, but it’s a fine start.

Doc Bruce Banner,

Belted by gamma rays,

Turned into the Hulk.

Ain't he unglamou-rays!

Wreckin' the town

With the power of a bull,

Ain't no monster clown

Who is that lovable?

It's ever lovin' Hulk! HULK!! HULK!!"

Vol. 2 – Boiling Point

Two arcs in one night?

Yeah, the text here is about as thin as a Warren Ellis tome. The pages just fly by.

Still, I really liked this story. Hostage situations have been done to death in movies and on TV, but how many times have they involved a guy trying not to turn into a GIANT RAGING MONSTER? And hooray! A payoff! Two, in fact. Good supporting characters, too. The dude who heads up the shadowy folks looking to nab the Hulk was decent, and the female hostage negotiator was a really well realized character. I liked her a lot. Hope she pops up again in this run.

This volume was more focused, telling a single story rather than a series of interconnected vignettes. For me, that made it a better read. Also, we got a bunch more information on the conspiracy hunting down the Hulk. Yay for information!

A word on Lee Weeks’ art: Excellent! He managed to follow JRJR’s lead in the overall look and feel, while retaining his own style. Very effective work.

Overall a little thin – only four issues here – and it doesn’t do much to push forward the overall narrative Jones’ began in Vol. 1, but a solid little story nonetheless. Enough to make me keep reading rather than skipping right to Planet Hulk.

Hopefully it’s leading to some HULK SMASH, though. ‘Cause it ain’t the Hulk if there is no SMASH.

Vol. 3 - Transfer of Power

Eh.

The handful of new teases regarding the shadowy organization hunting down the Hulk did not continue pulling me in; quite the opposite. Rather, I felt as if things were being drawn out. Having that feeling in just the third volume of this lengthy run does not fill me with great hope. Here’s to hoping that trend does not continue.

The whole “dead people who don’t actually die” thing has already gotten old with me. Instead of liking the return of the bad dude from Vol. 2, well, I didn’t. Dunno, it’s just not clicking.

And the “help me find my son!” thing just isn’t doing it for me. I know I’m supposed to care … but I don’t.

Oh, yeah, and five straight issues with no Hulk at all? Come on! I’m the last person who complains when there are no slugfests – I like talky comics – but for a while here I was wondering if I was reading the wrong title, and if the name “Bruce Banner” was just a coincidence.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate it. I just wanted a change of pace from the very enjoyable, somewhat cerebral tone of the previous two volumes, is all. Stuart Immonen's is really nice; dark and moody. There were some great ideas (the porn theater/secret videos/glasses thing, the way the “murder” mystery unfolded, etc.). Jones’ writing is pretty crisp.

But the Hulk better damn well throw down with the Abomination next arc!

I read quite a bit of this run, and that was my biggest problem with it.

The Bruce Jones "Hulk" run is best described as "The Bruce Jones Bruce Banner run."

I'm looking forward to JRjr's next run on the title because now he will actually be able to draw the Hulk. Some people have criticized the "Planet Hulk" storyline for lacking Banner. I say it's a nice way to make up for the lack of Hulk in the Jones run. It has been mentioned that Banner would return at the climax of the "Planet Hulk" story.

Bruce Jones Hulk was interesting at first but wore thin. and it got frustrating to finally see the Hulk-but for a page or 2 and get the aftermath of the battle IIRC.

I was definitely ready for him to go, even though I liked the intrigue at first

Vol. 4 - Abominable

Now this is more like it. Good tension, gripping drama, several great plot twists (though finding out Mr. Blue’s identity was anticlimactic), stellar art (Deodato’s turning me into a fan), deliberate yet strong pacing, and a real payoff at the end. If you want a slow-burn, conspiracy-driven Hulk, that’s fine. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ll check it out. Just be sure you do it like this.

I did have some niggles. First and foremost, wow, the sex and violence was pretty amped up for a Hulk comic. Very suggestive stuff, full rear nudity (in shadow), and some grim gunshot stuff. I’ve no gripes with stuff like this – I’m a heavy Vertigo reader, after all – but the Hulk seems like a sketchy place for it.

But bigger than that for me was that the end was … sudden. Hulk throws the Abomination through a chopper, turn the page and we’re in a talky scene with some other characters. Story over. Was I missing some pages? That battle had no closure. No, “It’s over” shot. I REALLY think I missed a page.

All in all, though, I really liked this one. Best trade since the first of this run. If Bruce Jones can sustain the drama and maintain suspense in his future arcs, I’ll follow through with reading this whole run for sure.

Vol. 5 - Hide In Plain Sight

Not bad, but riddled with flaws. The Absorbing Man's new power came out of left field and without explanation. That felt rather contrived. Heck, the whole plot felt pretty contrived. The arc itself was also too long by half. I often like slower, deliberate pacing, but it didn't entirely work for me here.

I liked the art, though, and for a little while, at least, I was curious about how Absorbing Man was jumping around between minds. (No, it is never explained. It's just some random new power. Bleh!) The climactic battle wasn't structured very well, but it was pretty.

Three more arcs to go. I'll see this one through 'till the end, I guess.

That drove me nuts! But… Absorbing Man was in the movie. Maybe it was felt that an appearance in the comic was compulsory. Marvel is the keeper of the mythos; the proprietor of the licenses. It’s not unheard of.

Vol. 6 - Split Decisions

Ahhh, much better. Deodato draws a great Hulk. Some good drama. More "reveals" in the conspiracy plotline. If you're going to drag out a long, mysterious plotline, you need to give the reader regular doses of new information. 'Bout time that happened.

Though I do have to wonder if I'm supposed to be having a hard time keeping the two brunnettes (Sandra & "Mr. Blue") straight. Who did what in previous arcs? I don't know! They look so much alike, I can't always keep them straight. As much as I'm intruiged by this whole conspiracy thing, much of it is a jumbled mess to me. Whether that's me or the writing, I do not know ... but I'm pretty sure it's me.

Overall, a decent read.

Vol. 7 - Dead Like Me

Crap.

Succinct

Like JMS on Spider-Man, the run goes straight to hell as soon as John Romita Jr. leaves. I'm starting to think that maybe JR Jr. has the mutant ability to make shit smell like roses.

Sorry.

The Absorbing Man was not in the movie. The character of "David Banner" was referred to as "Partaking Man" in the script (once he gained his powers). His powers were similar to Crusher Creel's but just because a movie features a black-haired flying strongman with a cape, that doesn't mean we call him "Superman." I get tired of people calling the villain in Ang Lee's movie "the Absorbing Man." Sorry. Two different characters... only superficially alike.

Vol. 8 - Big Things

Eh.

After a very promising start, this run fizzles out in the end with what felt like a totally rushed, "I'd better wrap this up" finish that just plain does not work. The Leader's involvement I actually guessed very early on, so that worked for me, but the nature of the whole conspiracy Jones set up? No. No, it just didn't work. "Oh, yeah those 40 issues of Hulk on the run? It was just so I could lure you here and jump into your mind."

Screw off.

(The Tony Stark story in this same volume was also crap. You figure Hulk fighting Iron Man should be a slam dunk. Far from it.)

Quite the opposite of my experience with the JMS Spider-Man run - I thought it was great and think, Sins Past aside, the critics miss the mark - the critics of this run are right on target. Promising start, terrible wrap-up. Lots of really great ideas totally wasted.

Thank god it's over.

I so enjoy these.

Thanks Eric!

Well, the filmakers and marvel themselves often referred to him that way when talking to the fan press.

Which was a mistake on their part, IMO. Fact remains that while the David Banner character in the movie had powers which were similar to Crusher Creel's, he was never called "the Absorbing Man" in either the movie or the script and was instead referred to as something else. Only one tie to the Creel character... not enough to justify calling him the Absorbing Man.

It was a mistake to have his father in the movie, period, a far lesser mistake would have been to have the real absorbing man in there.