Blog Archives
Hulk Trades ‘Incredible’ for ‘Indestructible’
I guess there’s going to be a difference?
Even though “The Indestructible Hulk” doesn’t have the same ring to it, the Marvel NOW! relaunch of the Jade Giant is going to be written by Mark Waid and drawn by Leinil Yu. He’s also going to be wearing armor from now on, for reasons that will apparently be explained in the comic.
This one I think I’m actually going to pick up. Just like with Iron Man and Thor the past two days, Waid gave an interview with Marvel.com that you can read here. I like the ideas he has for the character because they fit what my ideal Hulk is about: a focus on Bruce Banner. I like my Hulk a certain way, and if it doesn’t match those criteria, I simply won’t buy the Hulk. It’s been that way for awhile now in the comics, and I haven’t bought Hulk regularly in years.
My ideal Hulk is the one we’re seeing in the movies. There’s a focus on Bruce Banner and his burden of the Hulk, and everyone appreciates his power. I simply like Banner more than I like Hulk. And for the longest time, Hulk was the main character in the comics. Then there were several years when there were a dozen or more Hulks, including the Red Hulk, She-Hulk, Red She-Hulk, several different She-Hulks, several different Sons of Hulk; it was ridiculous. I prefer it when Bruce Banner is the only Hulk (with an exception for She-Hulk). It dilutes his brand and his power if there’s a whole bunch of Hulks running around. And then the current Hulk series by Jason Aaron switches the dynamic, and has Banner as the evil monster with a normal Hulk who is trying to stay angry and not turn into Banner. No thanks, not for me.
So I like Waid’s approach of putting the focus back on Banner. And I like what he has in mind for Banner:
Different than we’ve seen in a long time, maybe ever. Again, we don’t want to give away too much, but our Bruce Banner is…evolved. Enlightened. He’s had an epiphany about his condition, and it affects everything. All I can say is that once upon a time, The Hulk was unique in comics because he viewed his condition as a curse, not a blessing; but now, 50 years later, a lot of super heroes feel that way. When I was most recently at DC that was the whole philosophy handed down editorially: that heroes should carry a great burden. Now, personally, I feel like if you can fly, then I don’t want to hear you whine about your problems, but I get it—that’s the “New Mindset.” So with Marvel’s permission, we’re taking The Hulk down a road that’s as unique for him as his persecution complex was in 1962.
The series is also going to star Maria Hill, because Banner is going to start working with SHIELD. That sounds pretty cool. I’m definitely looking forward to Mark Waid’s Hulk!
Mark Ruffalo is King of the World this Week
I don’t normally like to post videos of Hollywood actor interviews, simply because I personally don’t care about that kind of thing. But today is a slow pop culture news day, and Mark Ruffalo is the coolest thing in the world right now. Here he is talking about playing the Hulk, if you’re curious.
Review: The Avengers
The Avengers was phenomenal. It was amazing. It was deliriously wicked. It was the perfect blend of mind-blowing action and heart-tugging giddiness. I could wear out the Thesaurus with the ways in which The Avengers movie lived up to everything I had hoped, and shined in ways I could not have imagined. We comic book geeks have been waiting for this movie our entire lives (and more specifically, since 2008), and Marvel Comics and director Joss Whedon have delivered a superhero extravaganza!
The new kings and queen of Hollywood
The Avengers is not only now the definitive superhero movie, it has raised the bar for all Hollywood blockbusters that will ever be made from this day forth.
Rating: 5/5: Great!
With The Avengers, this grand, long-gestating experiment by the Marvel movie people has come to glorious fruition. I always had faith that they could pull it off. Iron Man in 2008 was a brilliant film, and when Samuel L. Jackson appeared at the very end and teased ‘The Avengers Initiative’, I knew there was hope. Then The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, all came along over the past few years, each one exciting and highly entertaining. I’m a fan of all of these films. But could Marvel really pull off The Avengers? Could they not only bring all of these major characters together into one film, but have it make sense and live up to the overwhelming hype?
I should be ashamed for even including those questions in my review. The answer is so incredibly ‘HELLS YES!!’ that I’m almost afraid of having my Internet License revoked.
Every Avenger gets a moment (or more) to shine. The humor is legitimately funny and delightful. The fights and action scenes are clear and exciting, with no blurring or over-editing. The Avengers are people first, action stars second; with a lot of character-based drama. Loki as the villain is far better here than he was in Thor, and easily carries the antagonist role. The climax was sufficiently chilling and climactic.
And the Hulk absolutely steals the show, smashing his way into our hearts. I could not be more pleased with this movie.
Some **SPOILERS** to follow.
More Hulk Movies? Yes, Please!
Despite what the world at large may think, I actually really enjoyed both Incredible Hulk movies so far. I liked Ang Lee’s Hulk in 2003, and then Louis Leterrier’s The Incredible Hulk in 2008. Only the latter is officially part of The Avengers franchise. Still, they were both good movies, in my opinion.
Well word has it that Mark Ruffalo as the Incredible Hulk absolutely steals the show in The Avengers! Which has prompted one of the Marvel execs to tell Forbes magazine that a new Hulk movie may be in the works if his popularity takes off.
An oddly contemplative Hulk
The exec is Paul Gitter, who is in charge of merchandising, which is a pretty big gig. Though personally, I haven’t bought a single Avengers toy or action figure. They’re all kind of lame. Plus there haven’t been any good Hulk toys. Most toy companies have done away with the standard action figures. Now all superhero action figures are the size of the old G.I.Joes, which just doesn’t interest me. I want me a badass Incredible Hulk action figure, dammit!
Anyway, here’s what Gitter had to say about the Hulk:
Marvel executives have been “pleasantly surprised by the phenomenal response” to this green superhero, and expect this fan affinity to further strengthen once the movie opens. “His sales are up in a major way. We repositioned him from where he was always misunderstood to now depicting him in a more heroic and aspirational manner,” says Gitter. If Hulk’s successful turnaround continues, Gitter says Marvel “will spin him off to a stand-alone program next year,” supported by a big budget franchise movie in 2015.
The stand-alone program he mentions is the TV show being produced for ABC by Guilermo del Toro, which could be awesome. Having a TV show fit into The Avengers movie universe would be incredibly badass. But a new Hulk movie in 2015 would also be good. Mark Ruffalo has also said that he’s sign to a 6-picture deal with Marvel. That’s a lot of movies.
As excited as I am for The Avengers this Friday, I’m especially excited to see the Hulk in action. He’s the character I’m looking forward to most.
This is How You Sell The Avengers Movie
We’ve already had two Incredible Hulk movies (and I liked them both), but only with The Avengers do we finally get a scene like what happens in this TV commercial. My God, it makes my insides quiver with nerdy excitement. Every single The Avengers commercial I have seen has so far been awesome. But this one takes the freakin’ cake!
Henchman-4-Hire 