Letters to Hulk #1

Great stuff there, Charlie. Definitely better than Iron Man, really enjoyable. I should note Hulk is basically the one Marvel character I've never enjoyed, in any incarnation. I could never relate to him, I never cared about him, or his cast, and I always thought it was ridiculous that magically, no-one died on his rampages. So I didn't have high hopes for this issue- but I was extremely happy with what I read!

As Viktor says, you are fantastic at hinting at the events in the last few years. The mentions of Oklahoma, Betty, Emil etc, all hinted at without ever giving us the details- and it worked brilliantly. It's interesting to see you start with this status quo- Banner already known, no Rick Jones in sight, etc, and you really drive home the image of Banner as a haunted man.

You captured Ross and Samson really well as well- I did get a chuckle out of how the G-Cannon got it's name, and I felt Ross in particular was very well written. The sense of mystery with his hatred of the Hulk and the "one person" who died was also well done. As ever- and it seems redundant saying this because it seems to apply to every single writer on the site- the dialogue was well crafted, and the writing itself was of a high quality.

I'll be honest, most of the way through, I thought this was going to be another 5 star rating, but I felt the last scene was a bit clumsy in it's execution, and even a little rushed, which spoilt things a bit. A nice swerve with having Samson as the Abomination though, and I look forward to seeing the smackdown that will inevitably ensue! This issue also had one of my favourite covers yet on the Marvel2- so simple and subtle, and yet symbolising so much about the Hulk. Another cover to add to the list of excellent ones here on the site.

4 stars, and nearly 5- very well done. Can't wait for #2.

Firstly, absolutely brilliant cover.

I find it interesting that the consensus seems to be that the Hulk is one of everybody's (on this site, anyway) least favorite characters. The Hulk is arguably one of, if not THE, most recognizable Marvel character next to Spider-Man. Personally, I've always LOVED this character, and I still do. One of my very favorites. Goes back to my childhood, when I bought my first Hulk comic. What appealed to me about him?

He was the biggest, he was the strongest, and everybody was afraid of him, for good reason. Or at least men were afraid of him. The Hulk never harmed innocents, women, or children. Hell, his personality was very childlike; he was like a big kid, only when this kid threw a tantrum he could destroy your house. That was the Hulk for me. A big green monster who could hold up a mountain, smash up an army and kick the Thing's ass EVERY TIME they fought. And the Thing is also one of my very faves, so the Hulk had to be REALLY powerful. Maybe it's the younger kids that keep this character popular, I don't know.

Over the years many writers have tried to come up with different takes on the character, when really he was simply conceived as a modern day Jekyll and Hyde. Some of that psycho-multiple personality crap left a bad taste in my mouth. Which brings me finally to this issue.

On the one hand, this is serious stuff, presented at first as no joke. This ain't the Hulk I grew up with. There is a very real sense of dread and menace that creeps in as the issue progresses. Well, all right, but then towards the end we get the action and monster stuff I love in a Hulk book, and for my money it all works very well. Some familiar faces show up (Samson, General Ross) and they are in character as I remember them. And I do hope we get to some serious smashing, because ultimately you gotta have that in a Hulk book. I can feel it coming, with the Abomination here.

If I need to spell it out for you, I think this book rocks. In my opinion this title plays to Charlie's strengths as a writer: a somewhat creepy atmosphere with good action scenes and strong characters. It is a pleasure to edit this title, and I urge everyone to try this book, even if you're not a Hulk fan. I can tell you this, it's gonna be a fun, bumpy ride.

Hey there!

I liked this. This is good stuff.

I liked the G-Cannon. Will that little gadget make a return in future stories?

I thought it was an interesting twist with Doc Samson being the Abomination. What next, Emil being the one with the green hair and super-strength?

I can hardly wait to see who you guys bring in next? The Leader? Madman? The Harpy? Rick Jones?

This was a good issue. A lot of the pathos and emotion that goes with Banner was very present throughout the story, and the way you hinted at the previous two years of activity was well done. There's lots of dread, and lots of concern among the characters for what's happened, and better still, this is conveyed to the readers as a result. The dread for what might have happened to Betty, what Emil might have done (and how he is in this continuity) the dread for what's happened to Samson at hte end of this issue, all well done (I love Doc Samson, one of my favorite b-list characters, so I'll be watching what happens to him closely).

Ross, Banner, Samson, all were just about pitch-perfect. I had trouble seeeing Ross say "primordial" but eh...the rest of him was just fine.

Solid opening issue, Good work.

Don

Nice.

Solid, with a good beat. I could dance to it.

Everything in the issue rang right for me. I liked the hint of mystery shrouding Betty and Emil and the irony of having one of the most calming men in the Marvel Universe turn out to become the abomination was brilliant.

Througly enjoyed the issue. Excellent work!

As for the cover...I Honesty can say that this is one of the best ideas for a Hulk cover ever. It's amazing no one ever thought of it before. Just great stuff.

Having been through New Mexico many many many times... I can tell you there's stretches of highway without anything in sight for 20, 30... some times 40 miles not even a gas station.. (I went for a stretch from Farmersville to Albuquerque here it was nearly a 100 miles from gas station to gas station...) so that struck me as funny. Not sure you meant it though. Not much in the way of tumble weeds though... Cacti down south for sure, but not really sure tumbleweeds fits here, I guess it depends on where you are in New Mexico. Northern New Mexico is all mountains. Some of the most beautiful country in the entire world is there.

I wasn't satisfied with the characterizations there, I thought the voice was off for the character of Bruce Banner. He didn't seem like the man seeking a desperate cure. I did like Ross though I think you did a good job with him, but to me he's more of a cypher than anything else. I'll need to catch up on the series, but the first issue wasn't really what I was hoping for.

The cover on the other hand is a perfect depiction of what Hulk is to me. I think Craig captured it brilliantly. Bravo to the cover art.

I'm going on to #2 soon...

*** from me for the writing.

***** for the art.