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Hulk: Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Is What It Is
I dunno. This cartoon is not for me. Maybe it’s for you, and maybe people will enjoy it. But for whatever reason, I find myself mostly skipping all these Disney-funded Marvel superhero cartoons.
Is it possible that I’ve finally outgrown childish cartoons? I didn’t respond all that strongly Beware the Batman. And I haven’t seen a single episode of Ultimate Spider-Man. Have I really reached the point in my life where I don’t care about superhero cartoons?
Heavy.
At Least DC Animation Has Some Artistic Integrity
Marvel Comics is getting back into the animated DVD movie game. But whereas DC Comics are actually producing adaptations of classic and popular comic book stories, Marvel is just going to slap a few superhero names together and expect the lingering popularity of The Avengers to help coast them into a few bucks.
Next year, we will be treated to Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United. Because why bother coming up with a clever name when the ‘&’ symbol exists.
Look kids, it’s your two favorite Avengers!
Based on that article in Entertainment Weekly, there doesn’t appear to be any creativity whatsoever in this project. It’s as if Marvel saw that DC’s DVD movies were still selling, so they quickly pooped out the most basic story imaginable, then decided to link to into a vague resemblance of the hugely popular The Avengers movie. DC Comics made an adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns, arguably the greatest Batman story ever told. Marvel is going to just randomly stick Iron Man and the Hulk in a room together.
Remember when Hulk stole the show in The Avengers? We sure do!
And the most hilarious thing is that everyone is quick to point out that this isn’t an official, in-canon sequel to The Avengers. It’s just made to look that way, and the fans are more than welcome to think of it that way, even though it’s not.
To quote Marvel TV head honcho Jeph Loeb:
“We welcome people to interpret any way they like,” says Loeb. “In tone and character, we want to follow our best leader.”
Can you say ‘cash grab’?
The story is going to be about Iron Man and Hulk teaming up to fight the Zzzax, which is a classic Hulk villain that is basically just a living electricity monster. Loeb says that Hulk and Iron Man are going to, at first, think that each other is to blame. So it sounds even more like we’re going to get he most basic superhero story ever: heroes meet, they fight, then they team up to fight the villain.
Wow, really creative there Marvel.
He’s not Robert Downey Jr. this time, but still, Iron Man, right?
DC Comics destroyed Marvel in the animated DVD movie business years ago. Whereas DC was putting out real adaptations of their classic comics, as well as quality solo hero movies, Marvel was flailing in the wind with loose adaptations and original stories that tried desperately to appeal to kids. Like Avengers: Next. But at least that had some modicum of creativity. This new project is as basic and pathetic as you could get.
But that’s just my opinion. Don’t mind my angry rate. I just hate it when one of my favorite entertainment companies in the world revels in creative bankruptcy.
The DVD will come out April 23.
To Hulk or Not To Hulk
Ever wonder why legendary actor Harry Dean Stanton had a brief, uncredited scene in The Avengers alongside Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner? Well it turns out that scene was supposed to be longer! The full deleted scene will be available on the DVD release on Sept. 25. Or you can just watch it now. Fun scene of Hulk-like introspection. If only we all had a Harry Dean Stanton in our lives to help us answer the tough questions.
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.
Henchman-4-Hire 