By Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale & various (MARVEL)
ISBN: 978-0-7851-1314-0 (HB) 978-0-7851-1346-1 (TPB/Digital edition)
Once upon a time, military scientist Bruce Banner was caught in a Gamma Bomb blast of his own devising. As a result, stress and sundry other triggers regularly caused him to mutate into a gigantic green monster of impossible strength and fury. Alternately – often simultaneously – cast as both mindless monster and unlikely hero, he rampaged across the fictional landscape for decades, becoming one of Marvel’s most successful comic book features and one of its earliest multi-media megastars.
An incredibly popular character in global pop culture, the Hulk has periodically undergone radical changes in scope and format to keep his stories fresh and his exploits explosively compelling…
After Daredevil: Yellow and Spider-Man: Blue, Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale set their colour-coded retrofitters’ sights squarely on The Incredible Hulk‘s genesis and natal formation, primarily focussing on the at-this-time-still-nocturnally manifesting monster and rapidly evolving relationships with obsessive monster-hunter General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt†Ross and his conflicted daughter Betty.
Primarily set during The Incredible Hulk #1 and before the second issue saw him adopt traditional green hues, this in-filling saga offers an examination of classic themes “loving the monster†and “who is the real monster?â€, by digging deeper into key relationships: Betty and Bruce; Betty and her dad; Bruce and her dad; Rick Jones and Bruce; Rick Jones and the Hulk; Betty and the Hulk …but not yet Bruce and the Hulk…
Originally a 6-issue miniseries, this collection offers a delightful Introduction from Marie Severin (detailing the debt this tale owes to her comedic creation the Inedible Bulk) before segueing to the office of super-psychiatrist Dr. Leonard Samson where an agitated Bruce Banner is sharing a moment from his earliest post-transformation days…
The saga unfolds in carefully curated limited colour segments and reveals how the bellicose General swiftly descends into obsessional paranoia as Banner and new comrade Rick try to understand the sundown transformations that bring forth an innocent with the power of a battleship…
The unleashed beast consistently targets Betty, and Rick finds himself torn between helping the scientist who saved his life and shielding the lethal innocent he nightly becomes. The former juvenile delinquent is increasingly aware that they might be two different people, not one who is periodically damaged and wounded…
The emotional turmoil boils over when Rick is arrested and brutalised by General Ross, resulting in a savage rescue by the grey goliath, Betty Ross’ abduction and an – unrecorded – first clash between The Hulk and Tony Stark. The military consultant quickly learns he will need to build back better if his new invention Iron Man is going to have any hope of surviving the world of Marvels developing around him…
Sadly, although spectacularly evocative and cathartic for old souls like me, there’s no real tension in this saga because even the freshest newcomers already know the inevitable romantic outcomes, but if you just fancy a memory-lane ramble with modern adornments, this is a slight but pleasantly rewarding diversion. Loeb & Sale have a strong track record with retrofitting, rationalising and re-examining pivotal moments of comic book icons: especially distilling turning point for iconic characters into material palatable to modern readers, but here it’s simply a waste of their time and talent.
The original tales are simply still better than the rehashing here. By no means their best efforts, it comes perilously close to being maudlin but at least offers plenty of cathartic chills and bombastic thrills while offering observations about the nature of monsters and who truly qualifies for the title…
Although Sale’s art is always a joy to behold, and Loeb’s gift for dialogue is undiminished Hulk: Gray falls short of their best. A solid, casual affair but not a patch on the real thing, but at least if you’re eager to learn more about the creative process, there’s a copious ‘Sketch Book’ section which includes detailed commentary from all concerned in the saga…
© 2002, 2003, 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved.