Hulk #1
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Ed McGuinness
Company: Marvel Comics
Red Hulk? You’re kidding me. You’ve got to be kidding. Wait a minute, you’re not kidding? Oh, come on! Are they seriously doing this?
That was my basic, gut reaction to the news of this series, and the short answer is yes, they are in fact doing this. As to why they’re doing this or why it is they felt something like this was needed…Well, that’s something that even I can’t make heads or tails of. Maybe if there were an actual “magic” 8-Ball in which to peer into, the answer would be something more than a, “Reply hazy, try again,” or a “Concentrate and ask again.” It seems a bit silly to capitalize on the success of what has been a year and a half of good, if not great, Hulk stories with something as cheesy sounding as a Red Hulk. But that was the initial reaction, something that was based on nothing more than a concept and a couple of images. Now, after reading the issue, was the outcome one that drove the notion of the Marvel Universe needing a Red Hulk home? Was it good or at the very least, something that was worth reading? The answer to both of those questions can be summed up in two words: Jeph Loeb.
He doesn’t exactly fit into the you either love ‘em or you hate ‘em category of writers, but it’s certainly a close call. He can write though, no question about it, and when he’s on his game, like with Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blue and for some, Batman Long Halloween, boy is he on his game. And yet, there are things like the giant composite robot of Superman and Batman fiasco from the pages of Superman/Batman and more recent things like Ultimates 3 and Onslaught Reborn, which were not so stellar. I guess what I’m saying is that, like any author of any genre, Loeb has got a few writer’s tics that are less than thrilling that keep popping up.
The biggest and most common of those tics is the sporadic, action for the sake of having action, need that seems to be so prevalent in much of his work lately. I wish that I could say that such a thing was delightfully absent from the first issue of Hulk, but it’s there, glaringly obvious to boot. Still, at least the setup for this story is one of his better ones, as it’s an interesting, almost CSI-esque murder mystery that involves the investigation of the death of a super-villain at the hands of someone who appears to be the Hulk. That’s an easy thing to sell honestly, and on the surface it’s a storyline that could be quite interesting to read. But when it’s paired with Loeb’s somewhat off characterizations (especially his Doc Samson) and his quip-filled, but not really funny, bits of dialogue, things start to derail a bit.
What saves things from careening right over the side of a cliff though is Ed McGuinness’ artwork. He’s also one of those guys who’s work you either love or hate. Lumpy, too overblown or overdone, or too video game or almost caricature-like, are just some of the things that have been said about McGuiness’ artistic style, but it’s his style none-the-less, and for Hulk, it’s just about perfect. Really though, with this one McGuinness stepped up to the plate and swung for the fence. His characters, while still a little bulked up, have a real sense of being and vividness that his others in the past haven’t, his backgrounds are lush and don’t feel static, and the overall energy of the work is kinetic and grin-inducing. In other words, it’s probably his best work to date.
All in all, the end result is a bit of a mixed bag. There are fun things here, cool character appearances, some neat action and great art, but there are quite a few things that are off-putting and annoying. If you’re a fan of the majority of Loeb’s work or just a fan of the Hulk Smash, then it’s safe to say that this is a book for you. Those of you on the fence, or those looking for a book that has a little more to offer but still has a Hulk-like feel, Incredible Hulk may be more up your alley.
This is an advance review. Hulk #1 hits shelves 1/9/08.
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Do you think he pitched it as “Hulk: Red” and someone at Marvel got a little too excited?
08 Jan 2008 at 1:46 pm
Quote“Red Hulk” made a deal with Mephisto as well.
Greg Pak wrote the best Hulk stories since Peter David, so as a reward he gets to write the Incredible Hercules.
What is Marvel doing? Will the future of comics be based on their ability to transition to other media? Iron Man, Punisher, Spider-Man, & Hulk all have movies coming soon and all have had their characters have MAJOR changes.
08 Jan 2008 at 2:08 pm
Quote“Look Red Hulk has wings!”
08 Jan 2008 at 2:15 pm
QuoteSomething I don’t understand. (And I’m implicating myself here as well)
Why is the idea of a red Hulk completely ridiculous but not a green Hulk?
08 Jan 2008 at 3:17 pm
QuoteI really hope that isn’t the case HipHopHead. I’ve not really been impressed with any of the Marvel movies really.
X-Men never nailed the characters for me, FF was just dumb summer movie schlock, Spidey had it for awhile before the 3rd movie killed it, Punisher hasn’t improved since Dolph was involved, the Iron Man movie looks good but I’ll hold judgement, and Ang Lee’s Hulk was garbage.
None of the Marvel output in movie terms has been as good as Batman Begins, Hellboy or Sin City.
I don’t know if it’s just me but I feel comics just have a fundamental translation issue with being turned into movies. Comics are about delayed gratification, you have to wait months or years to reach the end of a particular story, and you can read about specific heroes and their lives for decades.
That said like a mug I still see almost all of them. Even bloody LXG.
08 Jan 2008 at 3:22 pm
QuoteI don’t think the concept of a red Hulk is inherently bad. If there’s some good storytelling backing it up, then great.
But if you’re just changing colors as a gimmick (which was my initial inclination), then you might have a Superman Red/Blue on your hands.
Oh, and . . . Jeph. Loeb.
08 Jan 2008 at 3:44 pm
QuoteI agree that Red Hulk can be justified if they have good writing, but since Loeb has come back to Marvel, I haven’t liked anything he has written. Up until his stint on the book, Ultimate Power was OK, nothing great, but a pleasant read. When he took over on #8 or something like that, it just got terrible. He has Wolverine and the Thing saying “I’m the best there is at what I do, bub” and “It’s clobberin’ time!” respectively in the same issue. Let’s see how many cliches we can use in 22 pages. Give me a break.
Like Nick said, his writing swings back and forth between great and ‘I am out of toilet paper but I have this nifty issue of Ultimates 3 next to the toilet.’ It’s a violent pendulum for the guy who wrote something as great as Daredevil: Yellow.
08 Jan 2008 at 4:32 pm
QuoteBob,
I see your point. Still, while I haven’t read Planet Hulk or World War Hulk yet (trade waiting), I think the issue with Red Hulk is that it’s a bit too “on the nose.” I mean, the Hulk is great for exploring man/monster stories as is –it doesn’t matter if he’s green, gray, or purple. Deliberately making him red (as a symbol of rage) seems trite. It’s like they think we don’t get it or something. I hate to say it, but this literal, shorthand sort of logic seems prevelant in Loeb’s stories these days.
Still, I liked Long Halloween, Superman for All Seasons, and others. Guess I’ll see for myself when the trade hits.
08 Jan 2008 at 11:26 pm
Quote“Like Nick said, his writing swings back and forth between great and ‘I am out of toilet paper but I have this nifty issue of Ultimates 3 next to the toilet.’ It’s a violent pendulum for the guy who wrote something as great as Daredevil: Yellow.”
Why does everyone consider Daredevil: Yellow to be a great piece of work? I guess the art is just so drop-dead gorgeous that people tend to oversee the but-serviceable story and dialogue. I read it 3 years ago after having bought it due to the good word-of-mouth it had been receiving and have never revisited the story once. Granted, it’s far superior to other works by Loeb, but that isn’t saying much.
And it’s impossible to judge a book by two pages of preview art alone, but Jen’s lines are awful and reinforce my opinion that Loeb is incapable of giving the characters he writes an interesting voice.
09 Jan 2008 at 12:08 pm
QuoteWith Wolverine #50 - #55, Jeph “Destroyer of Worlds” Loeb pissed away the remaining goodwill I had for him. I’ll be skipping this (probable) trainwreck.
09 Jan 2008 at 1:16 pm
QuoteI thought the issue was O.K. It’s not a “must read” by any stretch and can be skipped if you’re only a casual Hulk/Loeb/McGuinness fan.
Basically, I fully agree with Nick’s review.
09 Jan 2008 at 1:48 pm
QuoteWow.
I mean really… Al Milgrom?
09 Jan 2008 at 4:34 pm
QuoteIt seems almost all of Loeb’s good stories are retro stories. Spider-Man : Blue, Superman For All Seasons, etc. It seems that when he does something in current continuity is when it gets noticeably bad. Or maybe it’s Tim Sale who makes the difference?
I’ll give it to him though. He always seems to get paired with some of the best artists. Wolverine 50 - 55 may have been one of the stupidest Wolverine stories I’ve read in years and years, but man was it pretty.
Also I’m a fan of Joe Mad but Ultimates 3 #1 was just a bad comic. It was the lamest overblown 30-second read crapfest since Todd McFarlane’s Spider-Man #1. Did we really need that many huge panels? What was there, like 10 panels total in that book? It’s like it was 1993 all-over again except it was 4 bucks instead of a buck or so. I’m sorry, but if I’m going to pay $4 for a comic it better damn well take me more than 1 minute to read it. And I better feel like I’ve read something. In the case of Ultimates 3 #1 the only thing I felt was a sore asshole.
Needless to say I won’t be paying for 2-5. Also I have to admit I was interested (conceptually anyway) by the red Hulk. I also like Ed McGuinesses art. But after Ultimates 3 and this lukewarm review, I’m gonna avoid it like the clap.
09 Jan 2008 at 5:42 pm
QuoteThen you should definitely stay away from this issue, because it reads as quick as a back-up.
09 Jan 2008 at 6:32 pm
QuoteWell, I read it. I’ve been steering clear of books that are big but I don’t care about (New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, etc.) but I decided this week to check out Hulk #1 and Amazing Spider-Man #546, since they’re basically the harbingers of Marvel 2008.
Yikes.
It’s a Jeph Loeb book. Everyone’s out of character, there are tons of big ideas, most of which don’t make a whole lot of sense with a few minutes of thought and there are big, stupid, fun ideas that, again, wind up just seeming big and stupid when you give them a little thought.
C.S.I. Doc Samson and She-Hulk? Good idea. In fact, the first five pages, with the re-enactment of the crime scene, was kind of fun, although She-Hulk’s quips were lame, not funny and out of character.
Not as out of character as Leonard Samson blowing his top later on and starting a brawl because Loeb wanted an action scene… but out of character. Then I got to pages six, and seven, and I find…
Show ▼
It’s all downhill from there. Loeb has wasted a perfectly good Hulk adversary Show ▼
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The art is pretty, but giant splashes and three panel pages makes for a 5-minute read, and weak banter, bad characterization and a first issue that sets up for a last page “reveal” that everyone had guessed by page eight or nine at the latest, makes it a thoroughly unsatisfying read.
I don’t think I’ll be reading Hulk #2.
09 Jan 2008 at 10:29 pm
QuotePlus, he’s swiping a crucial plot point from Al Milgrom’s run on the title from 1986, just like he stole from Len Wein’s original origin from Wolverine for “Evolution” (yet childishly snarked on him in the backup).
Because we all remember that Milgrom run, right?
Oh wait, we don’t. It sold so badly Bob Harras had to go and try a writer who was unpopular with general editorial, Peter David, to save the book.
09 Jan 2008 at 11:55 pm
QuoteSee it is all about a prophecy that when Hulk turns Red, then Yellow, Orange, Blue, Indigo, and Violet, Marvel might actually get me as a consumer again. Seriously though, I do not care.
But, I am reminded of an interview from the first Hulk movie about a “suit” wanting the hulk to be Red and the remark was suppose to be that it would then be Hellboy and not the Hulk. Funny that now Hulk is Red.
10 Jan 2008 at 6:07 pm
QuoteSo, you’re saying it reads like, oh, I dunno, someone who wrote YOUNGBLOOD was writing it?
11 Jan 2008 at 11:39 am
QuoteBINGO!
Who else saw saw that Rob Liefeld Variant Cover of Youngblood #1 on the shelves this week??? Check out “Shaft’s”…*pffffftttt*BWAHAHAHA… CODPIECE!!!
Check OUT that HAIR!!!
Jumpin’ Jesus on a pogostick??!! Is it 2008 or 1992?
I damn near bought that thing just so I could take it home and laugh at it some more. He even had the balls to show one of his classic “everyone’s running behind a giant boulder/no feet” shots of the old Youngblood series. Gotta love love ‘ol Rob. Regardless of what you think of Rob. He couldn’t possibly give a f@$k what YOU think if he tried really really hard. He just does “his thing”. And you gotta respect that.
12 Jan 2008 at 1:00 am
QuoteGreen Hulk / Red Hulk teaming will make a nice Christmas story!
23 Jan 2008 at 1:36 pm
Quote