Essential Avengers Vol. 3

There's a singular reason to own this book. Sure, if you've got volumes 1-3, you're going to want volume #4. But even if you weren't interested in the material of Essential Avengers Volume 1-3, if you are a fan of the Marvel universe, and you don't mind your reprints in black and white, you will want to own this book because of the Kree-Skrull War!

There have been several cosmic brouhahas in the multitude of pages coming from Marvel Comics. But to truly understand the origin of those conflicts, such as Annihilation, you've got to delve into the adventures of Earth's Mightiest Heroes from 1969-1971. 

Never to be an Avenger Rick Jones finally gets a chance to be a hero. Only because of a strange twist of fate, the one time Hulk sidekick isn't allowed to be his own man. Instead, a pair of cosmically powered bracelets force Rick to become bonded to the Kree warrior Mar-vell. Whenever trouble arrives, Rick activates the bands and he switches places with Earth's newest hero, Captain Marvel- into the Negative Zone!

Jones and Mar-vell's occupation in that inter-dimensional Hell sparks the attention of the Negative Zone's tyrannical leader Annihilus. With the Fantastic Four away, it's up to the Avengers to monitor any disturbances in the Zone. As a result, Jones and Mar-vell's link is severed. Now both can exist on Earth-616 at the same time. This the wheels that will cause an intergalactic war between Kree and Skrull- with Earth in the exact center crosshairs- begin to turn.

Roy Thomas does it yet again! With art by Sal Buscema and Neal Adams, this really is a volume not to be missed. That is if you can find it.. Out of print for over a decade and highly sought after by collectors, the Essential Marvel books are increasing difficult to find. Especially for a good price. But if you happen to come across one in decent shape that's affordable, you should grab it without question! Though you might ask why the editors included an issue of The Incredible Hulk in this volume. While you are supposed to read that issue after a crossover of sorts in the pages of The Avengers, the super team don't even appear in the Hulk book except for a cameo in the recap section of the tale. A good story but really could have been avoided if they just included some sort of blurb that the Avengers didn't have any active role in the Hulk's adventure in a pocket universe in the sub- atomic realm.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Immortal Hulk, Vol 4: Abomination

When I last left the Immortal Hulk, he had just completed a venture through Hades, reunited unsuccessfully with ex Betty Ross Banner, and then went back into therapy with long thought dead Doc Samson. Then both Hulk and Samson went to pay their respects to the late Rick Jones, only to learn that someone had stolen the body. And then... for some reason I let 3 years pass before following up on this amazing series by Al Ewing (Defenders) and Joe Bennett (Checkmate).

I had last read volume 3 in the autumn of 2019. So COVID wasn't just the only reason why I took a break. See, Abomination was the last volume available at the time. I figured I could wait a couple of months and then binge volume 4 and 5 at the same time. And then the pandemic hit, my library closed for almost 2 years and I added several volumes of this series to my 'To Read' list.

Finally, Immortal Hulk came up on my list of things to read and the time was right. After a cursory review of the third volume, I dipped my toe into gamma infested waters and I got swept in the undertow! Not only does the Hulk learn about the whereabouts of Rick Jones body, the Big Green Machine learns the secret of gamma radiation! But the revelation that blew me away was the return of a long forgotten part of Bruce Banner's psyche! 

I really screwed up with my last trip to the library. I only checked out 1 unread volume of Immortal Hulk! Hopefully, I can make a trip without excessive delay in order to get my hands on 5, 6, and maybe more. 

What I didn't screw up on was reading this book. It was violent and bloody and crude and I loved it. I'm not a big fan of how Hell and its denizens are key players in this series. But it's not done gratuitously like some of those 1970s Doctor Strange stories that how goten under my skin recently, so I'm dealing. There's a lot of Dante's Inferno mixed into this story as this is also a very psychological narrative about the Hulk.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #52

Rick Jones and the Incredible Hulk appear in this issue. Just not together. 

Former Hulk sidekick Rick Jones is in the Caribbean taking a much needed break from the rigors of being a touring rock star. When the landlord of his motel is accosted by a gang of brutes wearing animal masks, Jones uses his experience as a former sidekick to Captain America to bring about some vigilante justice.

The Hulk story must be a flashback. In recent issues, he's been going as the gun metal gray Mr. Fixit. Now Hulkster is green again. Maybe Marvel had a special on green ink as the alien race of telepathic pranksters are also green.

The Wolverine/ Wild Child story is actually really good. It's refreshing to see Logan being compassionate and a little vulnerable for a chance. The Comet Man story continues to be trash. I just can't get into this domestic abuse multi-parter.

Once again 3 out of 4 stories are very well executed. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars. 

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 27

Cover to issue #1.

    This month marks the 40th Anniversary of one of my favorite comic books- The Rampaging Hulk. It actually is more like a magazine or tabloid. because it was printed over-sized like a copy of LIFE Magazine. The book was printed in black and white and served 2 purposes A) to be a little more edgy in order to appeal to older readers and B) be used as a promotional tool for the live-action Hulk TV series starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno that debuted a year later.

    This first issue of the Rampaging Hulk recaps Hulk's origin as a gamma bomb transforms Bruce Banner into a big Green Monster. But instead of being a full retelling of the Incredible Hulk comic book, this series takes Hulk and his sidekick, Teenager Rick Jones into the stratosphere. While vacationing in Rome (where all superheroes go after they get their powers for some much needed R&R), Hulk and Rick are kidnapped by alien invaders called the Krylorians. 

    Under the guise of friendship, the Krylorians actually want to use the Hulk as a weapon against those who oppose their harsh rule. Rick helps the Hulk figure this out and the duo escape. While on the run, they meet Bereet, a rebel who uses her techno-artworks as weapons against the Krylorians.
 

Bereet.
Her weapons were kept in her satchel.
It's like the TARDIS: bigger on the inside.

     For the next several months, Hulk, Rick, and Bereet's adventures are chronicled as they seek to overthrow these alien tryants. But then all of a sudden in the middle of 1978, this storyline abruptly stops. Gone is Bereet. The Hulk is back on Earth and who knows where Rick Jones went. That's because the editors lead by Stan Lee decided to shift the focus to being more like the TV show as I mentioned earlier. (Later issues of the Hulk comic would tie-up the loose ends to the Bereet storyline. Turns out it was all part of a series of very popular films that Bereet made on her home planet!)

   In the new Rampaging Hulk format, Bruce's name is changed to David as like on the show. (Rumor has it that CBS execs though the name Bruce was a homosexual name and requested Stan Lee change it on the show. Honest!) Each issue has Banner travelling the US searching to be cured from the Hulk transformations. More often than not, trouble finds Banner and he turns into a giant monster. 

    One thing about this new format that was not like the TV show were guest stars. Characters who also had their own Marvel Magazines such as Moon Knight and the Man-Thing made appearances in Rampaging Hulk. It's the closest fans the show would get to an actual superhero team-up until the Hulk TV-Movies in the 80s that featured Daredevil and Thor.

Cover to Marvel Essential
Rampaging Hulk Vol. 2.

    I never read these books in their original form. I found giant-sized treasury editions called Marvel Essentials that reprinted these stories plus some of the background articles on production of the Hulk series and that issue of the Hulk comic that tied-up Bereet's storyline. I enjoyed both and they are now permanent fixtures of my collection. A little silly, a lot of action and a whole lotta Hulk.

   Worth Consuming!

   Rating: 8.3 out of 10 stars.

Hulk Smash (the) Avengers

  This trade collects the 5-issue miniseries, of the same name, that examines the Hulk's tumultuous history with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. From becoming a founding member of the Avengers and quickly their arch-enemy all the way through to about 2010 when Bruce Banner temporarily lost his gamma powers and a mysterious new RED Hulk come on the scene, just about every major time period of these two colossal icons of the Marvel Universe is contained in this book!

   Along for the journey are some of the original creators behind these classic events. Featuring the writing and artistic talents of Avengers legends such as Tom DeFalco, Roger Stern, Ron Frenz, Michael Avon Oeming and many more, the only notable absences from this collection were Stan 'The Man' Lee and George Perez, who has the distinct of being the only many to draw every Avenger and Justice Leaguer ever! (Another presence sorely missed is the late Jack Kirby, who co-created the Avengers with Lee. If I had it, I'd poor a little ink out in his illustrious honor.)

   The book was a wild ride of different incarnations of the team as well as different versions of the Hulk. Along with the original Green Machine and Avengers line-up, readers of this collection will get a peak at the Gray Hulk, Banner-mind controlled Hulk, plus cousin She-Hulk, best bud Rick Jones,  along with the West Coast Avengers and the New Avengers.

   A must read for any collector of the Hulk or the Avengers (or both!)

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.