Here we have a savage Hulk in a… savage land. But unlike his time on “Planet Hulk”, this story takes place on Earth, literally in the “Savage Land”(hidden away in Antarctica), home to Ka-Zar and plenty of prehistoric creatures and other odd denizens.
Dale Eaglesham’s dramatic rendering of the green goliath is the title splash of the issue, despite the fact it’s the last page as well.
Remember when all Marvel Comics had a great opening splash page on page one? Me too, and call me old fashioned, but I liked that formula.
And speaking of old fashioned — once again, I think the dark, overly rendered color detracts from the detailed art, instead of enhancing it.
Ultimate End #2, August 2015 and Hulk #15, June 2015
Welcome to the official day one of “12 Days of Hulk.”
Mark Bagley —- with the help of inker Andrew Hennessy — tackles two different Hulk battles in a few short months; Green Hulk vs. Red Hulk and Gray Hulk vs. Green Hulk. Both pages feature Bagley’s dynamic and imaginative storytelling skills.
I’ve seen a ton of Bagley originals during the last 15 years (One reason: he’s definitely prolific) and I have to say Hennessey’s inks are among my favorites, especially on Hulk. His bold strokes and use of blacks definitely add fierceness to the festivities.
And every time I see a page with both Green Hulk and Red Hulk on it, I always want to hum: “Red Hulk, Green Hulk, one, two, three.”
But, I digress.
Back here with day two of our ongoing Hulk tribute on Thursday.
Continuing our ongoing celebration of Marvel’s 80thAnniversary.
Tony Stark is forced to relive The Hulk’s origin — and his own potential culpability in the fateful gamma blast — in Original Sin, a clever 2014 crossover event by Mark Waid that introduces some new retcon elements into the Marvel Universe.
Re-imagining a classic scene is an interesting challenge for an artist, and Mark Bagley delivers on Bruce Banner’s transformation with inventive (and concise) storytelling and solid draftsmanship. Andrew Hennessy’s inking on Bagley’s pencils adds some nice polish.
The basics of Hulk’s origin haven’t changed much in the nearly 60 years of his existence, but the nuances have been modified many times. In the early days of the Silver and Bronze ages, a number of artists did different takes, as evidenced below.
Where did I first see the Hulk’s origin? On TV, of course, in the 1966 Marvel Super-Heroes Cartoons. (Courtesy of Jack Kirby’s art.)
Sing along to the theme song if you will:
(Lyrics by Jacques Urbont)
Doc Bruce Banner, Belted by gamma rays, Turned into the Hulk.
Ain’t he unglamor-ous!
Wreckin’ the town With the power of a bull,
Ain’t no monster clown Who is as lovable.
As ever-lovin’ Hulk! HULK!! HULK!!
The original “long-form” origin (Hulk is gray) by Jack Kirby first appeared in Hulk #1.
In Hulk #3, Kirby redraws the origin (as a flashback) in a succinct three pages — and retcons the Hulk into his green form. (This origin also appears as the lead story in Hulk Special #2.)
Origin revisited: Hulk #102 (1968) by Marie Severin and Rampaging Hulk #1(1977) by Walter Simonson and Alfredo AlcalaAdvertising material for the 1966 Marvel Super-Heroes Cartoon
