The not so incredible Hulk
581037
Is this another fun entry into a growing pantheon of fascinating Hulk stories?  No.  No way, not even close.  Writer Jason Aaron may think that hes clever in telling us a tale of how the Hulk (with help) separated himself from Bruce Banner.  And youd figure that powerhouse artists Marc Silvestri and Whilce Portacio could bring a big style to ol jade jaws.  But no, youd be wrong.  Aaron basically writes a lame Island of Dr. Moreau rehash and throws in disposable, even unlikable characters like horny mad scientist hunter Amanda von Doom and her hunchbacked assistant, Igor.  You really went deep into the well for those angles, didn't you, Mr. Aaron?  What makes this worse, though, is both Silvestri and Portacios art.  The dudes can draw muscles but they make a mess of this Hulk, slimming him down (especially in the face) to where he looks like hes been on the grapefruit diet for about 9 months too long.  And whats up with these guys?  They cant draw a clean face?  The inkers feel like they need to cover every line, twice?  Poor Hulk and puny Banner.  They can smash and out think anything except bad writing/ scripting and scrawled, chicken scratch art.  2.5 stars for those poor, dumb warthogs.
4371806
The Ultimates have disbanded in the wake of Civil War II, only to immediately get back together. There's a new big bad that is trying to destroy the multiverse and the hierarchy of cosmic beings gets shaken to its core. Plus we get the Marvel U analogues of a bunch of characters from the New Universe in the Troubleshooters.

The Good: The book had a Warren Ellis penned The Authority vibe to it. This was surprisingly really good (and coherent) which is hard to do when dealing with cosmic characters. The Troubleshooters were really cool and I like how Spectrum's powers are evolving.

The Bad: It's still a little hard for me to care about any of Marvel's cosmic characters. I've always thought they were kind of pointless.

The Ugly: Some of the coloring had a 90's CGI vibe to it that looked really fake and kind of airbrushy. I hated it. The cover of the book is a good example.
3161167
I would have given this five stars if not for the art. Romita does landscapes decently well, but I really dislike his human characters, particularly the faces.
Once you get past the arts this is a good story, and a fine sequential the excellent planet hulk. So hulk and insufficient followers from planet hulk arrive on earth to reap revenge for the whole exile and exploding ship deal. The rest of the book is just a series of interesting fights, as each hero team and illuminati members  line up to take their shot at the worldbreaker. It was interesting seeing hulk and friends wallow in their rage and almost become like the red king they fought so hard to overthrow, and even at his angriest hulk strives to save the innocent. All in all, a must read for hulk fans, but you do need to know planet hulk in my opinion.
3495085
In Gotham City, Dr. Robert Bruce Banner is working as a janitor at Wayne Tech Enterprises as he needs to settle down for a while and earn money while the lab has created a unique Gemma-power reducer which maybe the key in curing Banner's condition. Meanwhile The Shaper Of Worlds has just arrived in the docks near Gotham where he uses The Joker and his gang for a bargain that if he can bring back the machine from Wayne Tech so he can earn enough power to set other people's dreams out of reality and that Joker can have power. While Joker and his goons stir up trouble, Banner turns into The Incredible Hulk as he becomes to become aggressive as Joker decides to convince him that Batman is his enemy, thus when the caped crusader comes into action he battles the green monster but uses his brains with something to take him down. But later after a second fight, Hulk decides to join forces with Batman to take down Shaper of Worlds and Joker before Joker uses his power to take over Gotham including everyone's dreams.

A very bizarre idea for a crossover but surprisingly good i should say. This came out in 1981 during the same year that Marvel and DC's second crossover comic known as "Superman vs. Spider-Man" came which had the man of steel battling the green goliath in a few pages as DC & Marvel writer Len Wein (known for doing some Superman, Batman, Wonder WOman, Justice League, Thor, Spider-Man and more but also being the co-creator of Swamp Thing) decided to combine his 2 favorite heroes from both companies together. This in the fall of 1981, DC and Marvel released a 64 page tabloid sized comic entitled "Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk" which became as successful as the last 2 crossover comics. However i laughed at this idea when i first read about it in the DC/Marvel Crossover Classics trade-paperback when i was a kid when i bought this and when it said what stories it has as it stated "Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk" i laughed as i thought it would be a dumb idea. I laughed no more as it turned out to be a pleasant surprise no doubt. I gotta say it's well written from Wein and nicely drawn by artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez who is always good at doing art of Hulk as it's one of the most fun crossover comics ever.
85184
Ever since I got the playstation 3 I have not bought a DVD if I could help it. Why collect the old format if a new one is available. Of course Blu-Ray does not always live up to expectations. The presentation of Iron Man 2 is good, and the package has all your could ask for: Deleted Scenes, extra content, background info on the characters, and the movie looks and sounds great. The set also features a DVD copy for use when a Blu-Ray is not available.

As for the movie, it's good but it's not great. I am a fan of superheroes, especially Marvel's characters. I'm not sure these movies are doing them justice. For examlee there's an annoying habit they have of taking the characters out of costume. Iron Man, needs to have his armor on to be Iron Man. If he is in armor he should not be constatnly opening his visor. The action is good but there is not as much as one would hope. And must all Superhero movies include an origin of some sort (the villian Whiplash in this case)?

On the plus side the actors do a great job. Sometimes Tony Stark is a bit too smarmy to be likeable but that's the scripts fault. The actors are good and they do a great job of humanizing their characters, which is the most importatnt part in movie of this type: we have to empathize with the people to believe anything that is going on.

I liked it. But I didn't love it.
2501056
"Planet Hulk" was directed by Sam Liu based on the comic book by Greg Pak. In this story, the Hulk has been deported by Iron Man from Planet Earth via a space shuttle and crash lands on another planet. Once there he is captured, enslaved, and forced to compete in gladiator games.

This story feels like a complete rip-off of the movie "Gladiator" directed by Ridley Scott in 2000. The Hulk is forced into combat in a series of fights, first with other slaves, then with big monsters and robots, then a very scary opponent in golden armor, before finally facing the Red King. When the Hulk starts gaining fame from the fans that he doesn't even want, the Red King hesitates to end his life fearing the reaction and by prolonging it, Hulk grows more popular and the people begin to regard him as their savior from legend.

The Red King's main bodyguard is Caiera, found by him after her village was attacked by little spiders that make people into really spiky zombies. She is almost invincible and indestructible with a gift for battle but slowly has her doubts about the Red King's decisions, much like the Emperor's sister in "Gladiator."

Beyond the obvious similarities, the character development remains very shallow for Hulk. He focuses on being angry, stubborn, and destructive throughout the story and we are given little insight into his motives. He just likes to smash things and is out for himself, not much of a team player. In a round table discussion with the other slaves that Hulk isn't a part of, two of them reveal a bit of their back stories since they are relevant to foreshadowing future events, but the other two do not.

The movie feels like it has a really slow beginning and it took a while to really get into it. The battle sequences are excellent complete with green blood squirting out of the Hulk whenever someone manages to land a punch on him. Once his green blood makes contact with this planet's soil, little green plants grow making his comrades a little more tolerant of his behavior and less skeptical about claims of his savior-ness. By the last thirty minutes of the film, it grew more exciting and though it was very predictable, it had some satisfying moments nonetheless.

This could be a good watch for your kids and the story will free fresh to them if they haven't seen "Gladiator." If you were only mildly interested in this movie, you can skip it. The story is very much the same with Marvel characters replacing them on an alien planet. However the ending might be different....
3807744
One guy beating up 4 or 5 is very realistic to me.  However the story line is good and I enjoyed the read.  Unfortunately I think of Tom Cruise as the image of Jack Reacher and he doesnt fill the bill as a big hulk......little hulk maybe.  Three stars is the best I can do.
4703914
Not bad if continuity mavens (I'm one of them) can just relax and not worry about where this fits in the overall timeline of the Hulk character, and just enjoy the story.  Think of it as two guys (Azzarello and Corben's) personal take on what the Hulk is all about and you'll be fine.  That approach will also help some of the more stranger aspects of the story- such as Doc Samson's sudden callousness about life- go down easier.

I also liked the lean verbiage and strong emphasis on visuals; too many comic book stories kill you with tons of dense word balloons, forgetting that they're supposed to be comics, a visual medium.  I'm all for reading a nice dense novel... when I'm in the mood for a nice dense novel.  Generally (there are exceptions), I like my comics to get the job done with nice art and lean-and-mean prose.  And that's what "Startling Stories: Banner" does with all cylinders firing.

Oh, and the actual story?  Mr. Azzarello and Mr. Corben envision a truly savage, out-of-control Hulk who routinely leaves death and devastation in his wake, with General Ross, Doc Samson, and the army having the horrible, tiring task of cleaning up after him.  But their hands aren't totally clean, either.  And the whole mess only makes Bruce Banner, who is completely ineffective in halting the madness, all the more tragic.
3213930
I was too young for Man-Thing when he began appearing in Fear and in his first run from Steve Gerber, so I missed out the first time around, only seeing the swamp beast as a special guest in various other Marvel titles. Now I know what the hype's about!

Gerber's original run on the character (easily accounting for three-quarters of the book) is some of the finest writing from Marvel - ever. Man-Thing can't talk, and any written inner monologue is only a potential suggestion for the actions of the character, and yet Gerber makes us care. The pathos of a brilliant person trapped not just in a grotesque form, but in an unlife - doomed to wander and forever react to the emotions of others. I think at least one of the compelling features of the character is that we all feel at sometimes that we are reacting to others, only partially in control of our life. In some stories the Man-Thing becomes more of a backdrop or common narrative thread for stories about social commentary from Gerber. His writing presaged by a decade the kind of deconstructionist, critical yarns of Alan Moore, and it's a shame Gerber doesn't have the same kind of name recognition as a pioneer of complex comic storytelling.

My overall review of the book would be 4 1/2 stars. The Gerber material easily rates a five, but the second, late-70s launch of the title is included and is really weak. The issues from Hulk, Marvel 2-in-1 and Team Up are all pretty good and reflective of the quality of those titles at the time. The one glaring omission from the collection is Marvel 2-in-1 number 1, which featured Man-Thing as the first guest star with the Thing. It's still somewhat expensive to buy and I can only imagine that it wasn't included because they'll be launching that title as a hardcover soon. Still, it was an obvious pick for this omnibus and it's a shame it was left out.
822280
It isn't a bad comic, but it's not an ideal jumping on point for either property, and it isn't the best Ellis has done.  It's engaging, but too dependent on having read A LOT of other comics beforehand, which was a fairly common problem for both companies, especially in the '90s.  Fun, but convoluted.  But it will make you want to pick up Ultraforce Infinity, which began Ellis's brief run on the regular Ultraforce comic after the Marvel buyout of Malibu.
4567464
Here's yet another movie from Marvel Studios--Thor: The Dark World. The trailers looked like typical blockbuster adventure trailers, but they did promise a big fantasy in worlds far from our own. I tempered my expectations, though, after being disappointed with Iron Man 3. I must admit that I'm somewhat of a sucker for big fantasy adventures. I was hoping that this would indeed be better than Iron Man 3.

If you're expecting spectacular imagery and intense action, you'll find it here. If you're expecting plenty of funny gags, you'll find those here too. Tom Hiddleston steals his scenes as Loki, but all the other actors are effective too. The whole thing is a pretty wild science fiction high fantasy mash-up, especially with the somewhat convoluted, but still fairly coherent, plot. I really don't have much else to say, as what you see is what you get and the movie is indeed typical.
3318451
"World War Hulk" is the only logical outcome to follow "Planet Hulk" but when all is said and done it doesn't satisfy the way "Planet Hulk" did.  Now don't get me wrong, it is a great story and John Romitas Jr's art is exceptional it's just that the second chapter isn't as captivating as the first.  But like any story both chapters must be read in order to get the whole story.  There is little here that could come as a surprise to any Hulk fan as Hulk stays true to his MO (Hulk Smash!)  But lets face it that is one of the reasons that we began to read Hulk when were in single digits.

In the end I can only say if you read the one you have to read "Planet Hulk" you have to read "World War Hulk" in order to complete the story.  Prepare yourself for the ultimate "Hulk Smash!!!!"
3189807
I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is a good, fun, and entertaining movie that sticks fairly closely with the characters from the comics.

The animation is high quality, in my opinion.  The people look like people.  While I also greatly enjoy the Justice League, I find that their animation quality isn't as good as here in the Avengers.  Batman and Superman seem to have concrete blocks for faces.  In the Avengers, everyone looks distinct and realistic.

The Avengers are much like DC's Justice League; an assembly of heroes to fight against global problems.  And while overall, the Avengers may not be quite as powerful as the Justice League, they are formidable in their own right.

This first film deals with the origin of the Avengers.  It brings in heroes such as Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man, Wasp, Hulk, and still others in Nick Fury (who puts the team together) and Black Widow.  I collected comics for nearly 15 years, and the Avengers was always one of my favorite, mostly because my favorite character was in it: Iron Man.

The film is a parallel to the comic.  Some reviewers have stated that there isn't much character development.  This is true.  However, this is a movie and not an episodic series like the Justice League.  Also, in the comic, you're expected to know these characters already from their individual books.  And for good or bad, this film seems to expect that as well.  And in the limited 70 or so minutes, there just isn't much time for character development.  Most people should already be familiar with Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor.  The ones that people may be less familiar with are Giant Man and Wasp.

The Avengers are asked to defend against an extraterrestrial invasion that began back during World War II.  After 60 years, these aliens have resurfaced by knocking out one of America's satellites/detecting systems.

The team is shakey the first time out.  They don't listen to Captain America.

You might think that the climax is a battle between "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" and these Aliens.  But it's not.  It is actually between the Avengers and the Hulk.  Bruce Banner injects himself with Captain America's Super-Soldier Serum with the hopes of controling the rage of the Hulk.  It back-fires, and a huge all-out fight ensues.  You get an idea of just how powerful the Hulk is (arguably the comic industry's strongest character).

They make Thor a little over-the-top cheesy, but it is a small glitch that is easliy overlooked as he's barely in this film.  Captain America and Iron Man are nearly perfectly done.

Be sure to catch "Avengers Assemble" in the special features page if you're interested in the history of the comic book from some of the top writers and artists.

This was a fun film.  I'm looking forward to the next one.
4378722
BRUCE ISN'T IN IT MUCH...GOOD, BUT NOT WONDERFUL.  THESE "OPINIONS" ARE SO LIMITING; I MAY NOT DO IT JUSTICE.
4227040
The art is great I find a strange similarity to the old jack Kirby hulk in some issues any fan of the hulk should get this collection.
2911336
I have been a HULK fan for decades.  Although I do not buy HULK comics at the comic store, I often buy HULK trade paperbacks and Graphic Novels with HULK in it.

Highly recommended are HULK and Thing: The Big Change.  Planet Hulk.  Various Peter David HULK runs.  HULK: The End.  HULK: Future Imperfect.

This is supposed to be a no-brainer recommendation,but I cannot recommend it for casual comic fans.  I think HULK fans will tolerate this limited series, but it can easily be forgettable.  First off, the art is not that great.  I'm not a fan of John Romita Jr. and I acknowledge he's a living legend, but his drawing style is hit or miss.  I'm opting for pass on his art here.  The writing should be superb, as it is written by HULK savior Pak.  but I cannot see his genius nor can I feel the intensity of HULK's smashing in this series.

World War HULK has a lot of Marvel Universe heroes, but the smashing is at times boring and all too generic.  Heroes weren't born and villains weren't terrifying. Hulk smashed but so what?  Where was the major characterization or the major significance that resulted or arose?  This needed to be major and for 19.99, it didn't deliver.

I do not recommend this book for casual fans and for those who want to try out HULK, try the recommended books above.  Don't bother with this one.  Marvel comics puts out books much better than this and so spend your money elsewhere.
3325308
"Hulk Vs." consists of two films featuring "Hulk vs. Thor" and "Hulk vs. Wolverine."  As you can imagine, these two confrontations strike very different tones.

The action begins with "Hulk vs. Thor" and it sets the bar quite high. Odin goes into hibernation every winter to regain his strength for a week, during which time Asgard's enemies attack. Thor (Matthew Wolf, reprising his role from "Thor: Tales of Asgard") along with the Einherjar rally to defend Asgard each year.  For accomplished fighters like the Asgardian warriors, they consider the seasonal raids to be a fun exercise, making a mockery of their enemy's efforts.

Loki (Graham McTavish) is not happy about this state of affairs and crafts a plan: Using the Enchantress' (Kari Wahlgren) sorcery, he captures Bruce Banner (Bryce Johnson), turns him into the Hulk (Fred Tatasciore), and then extracts Banner's soul.  Without the calming influence of Banner, the Enchantress turns the Hulk into Loki's puppet, making him the ultimate killing machine.  Ignoring Banner's pleas, Loki sends the remote-controlled Hulk into Asgard.

The Hulk makes short work of just about everybody, including Thor. When Thor manages to wrest control of the Hulk away from Loki, the Hulk goes berserk and nearly beats Thor to death. He is saved from death's door by the Enchantress, who has a crush on Thor and betrays Loki by explaining his plot.  When Thor confronts Loki about his nefarious plans, he discovers Banner dead, murdered by Loki in a fit of pique. Banner's death in Asgard condemns his soul to Hel, one the nine Asgardian realms.

Thor convinces Loki that if they don't reunite Banner's soul with the Hulk he will destroy all of Asgard.  Loki commits his forces to delay the Hulk while he and Thor descend to Hel to retrieve Banner's soul.  But the Queen of Hel, Hela (Janyse Jaud) is in no mood to release any souls from her embrace.

This is where "Hulk vs. Thor" really does an excellent job of fleshing out Bruce Banner, who is normally just an irritating side character whining about getting angry.  Unlike the other souls tortured in Hell, Banner has finally found peace, living a fantasy life with Betty Ross (Nicole Oliver) and even raising a child. In short, Banner doesn't want to be reunited with the Hulk and it's hard to blame him.

Conversely, "Hulk vs. Wolverine" is just a bunch of Weapon X characters slicing each other up, with the Hulk occasionally in the middle. There's cigar-chomping, "bub"-spouting Wolverine (Steven Blum), grim Russian Omega Red (Colni Murdock), the angry Lady Deathstrike (Janyse Jaud), the prickly Sabretooth (Mark Acheson), and joke-machine Deadpool (Nolan North).  Wolverine's out to catch the Hulk and the Weapon X team is out to catch Wolverine at the behest of mad professor Thornton (Tom Kane).

Unlike "Hulk vs. Thor," "Hulk vs. Wolverine" features a wimpy Banner whom everyone looks down on, including Wolverine.  His only purpose is to be goaded into turning into the Hulk, which ignores a major facet of the Hulk persona.

Throughout "Hulk vs. Wolverine" are intermittent flashbacks to Wolverine's origin, which is peculiar because it shifts the focus away from the Hulk.  On the plus side, the film lets Wolverine really let loose with his claws, slicing off limbs and stabbing people in great gouts of bloody gore.  Still, the attacks are meaningless - the X factor healing ability of the entire Weapon X team means such wounds are temporary at most. Deadpool is the sole standout if only because he makes light of the absurdity of a top secret facility populated with nobody but killer mutants.

As the titular character, only "Hulk vs. Thor" gives the big green guy his due.  The first installment is basically "Wolverine vs. Hulk," which is fine if you're a Wolverine fan but if you're a Hulk fan, not so much.  It's enough to make Hulk fans angry...and you wouldn't like them when they're angry.