Posted: 28 February 2007 at 7:50pm | IP Logged | 10
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I don't grok the "elemental force" thing with the Hulk. He's specifically a being with a personality, a persona, a mind, not a hurricane causing mindless destruction. That's Godzilla. And even Godzilla is given a modicrum of motivation, depending on the situation.
I've never liked the "dumb" Hulk or the Savage Hulk or whatever you call him. I prefer a Hulk that is essentially Bruce Banner's ego turned all the way to 10, a brutish version of a man's base desires, the tight-ass Banner's passions unrestricted. In one sense it refers to sex, but in most ways, Banner is the Hulk, not the other way around. Every time Banner wanted to lash out, he did not; Banner as the Hulk however, has no such qualms.
The Hulk should not kill in a mainstream comic book, nor should any iconic superhero figure kill. As a rule.
Read Roger Stern's Hulk, both in the 70s and in INCREDIBLE HULK VS SUPERMAN. Stern's Hulk fits what I think of the character in a lot of ways, as a being following base needs like hunger, love, revenge; in IHVSS, the Hulk is the early Kirby version, articulate and dismissive. He wants what he wants and wants it now. Banner as Banner wants what he cannot bring himself to have. The Hulk carries through. The Hulk kidnaps Betty Ross to fulfill Banner's desires EDIT in the very first issue of the original Hulk comic.
Banner IS the Hulk, I reiterate. Writers have forgotten that, in the worst way. The Hulk is NOT a seperate entity, nor is he a faceless elemental force.
I will agree with Joe that I think the Hulk comic, like a lot of superhero comics, could stand some excellently rendered secondary characters to detract from the Hulk "formula". JB's Doc Samson for instance. You can invest the Hulk comic with cool characters, like in Stern's run with Gold Bug or Machine Man, Trish Starr, Doc Samson...which intensifies the Hulk action since you're actually afraid the Hulk will smash someone you like, instead of a stream of villains and guest stars.
Edited by Chad Carter on 28 February 2007 at 7:51pm
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