Tag: Hulk

Superhero Evolutions: The Incredible Hulk, part one

On By Charlie BrooksIn ComicsLeave a comment

Is he man or monster or…is he both?

Hoo boy…

I’ve been putting this off for a while. Don’t get me wrong; I love the Hulk. He’s my favorite comic book character, and quite possibly my favorite literary character ever. If I ever got the chance, I’d put up with all the bullshit politics, editorial mandates, and fan whining in the comic book industry just to get a shot at writing this character. But actually documenting the number of changes he’s gone through…well, let’s just say that we’re definitely in for a multi-part rant here.

At his core, the Hulk is a simple concept. Inside each of us there dwells a raging fury. When Bruce Banner’s temper boils over, he becomes the embodiment of rage: a 7-foot tall, 1,000-pound force of unfettered fury that can casually knock over a city. Perhaps because the concept is so simple, a lot of different writers have played around with it. The result is something that can best be summed up with what I like to call the Incredible Hulk Drinking Game. The rules are simple: take a shot when, during the Hulk’s history, one of the following happens:

  • The Hulk changes color,
  • The Hulk’s transformation pattern changes,
  • The Hulk changes personality,
  • And take a bonus shot if this change is not given any explanation in the story.

(Warning: do not actually participate in the Incredible Hulk Drinking Game. You will die of alcohol poisoning.)

Ready for a doozy? Here we go…

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Why is the Hulk my Favorite Character?

On By Charlie BrooksIn ComicsLeave a comment

The Incredible Hulk is far and away my favorite comic book character. In fact, I’ve posed the argument before that he is one of the greatest literary characters of all time. I could delve into the many reasons that he is compelling not only as a superhero but as a creature of horror and a modern allegory. But, no matter what sort of merits I think the character has, the fact is that I only discovered most of them after I became a fan. So what got me hooked on the Hulk in the first place?

Well, truth be told, it was mostly because he was in the right place at the right time.

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Avengers

My Favorite Superhero Casting Jobs (so far)

On By Charlie BrooksIn Comics, FilmLeave a comment

Superhero movies vary from extremely faithful adaptations to the realm of, “Why bother calling that giant cloud Galactus in the first place?” Similarly, casting our favorite superheroes has been a grab-bag of terrible choices, ideas that seemed bad originally but turned into pleasant surprises, and actors that so perfectly fit into their roles that it’s hard to imagine anybody else taking their place.

The list below deals with the latter, focusing on my ten favorite casting choices in superhero movies. The actors who made this list not only turned in great performances, but in my opinion helped define the way people think about their iconic characters. That means that I did leave out some great performances, such as Adam West’s Batman or Heath Ledger’s Joker, because those characters have so many different interpretations that it’s hard to embrace just one.

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The MCU’s Incredible Character Arc for the Hulk (That We Never Got to See)

On By Charlie BrooksIn Comics, Film2 Comments

The Marvel Cinematic Universe marks a remarkable cinematic achievement. Despite a few missteps, the movies accomplished some amazingly in-depth storytelling, stringing together almost two dozen films to tell the stories of dozens of different characters. And for the most part, those characters got a reasonably satisfying conclusion by the end of Avengers: Endgame.

Of course, with so many different characters, the films couldn’t present everybody’s story in a satisfying manner. For example, let’s look at the Hulk. He has one of the longest characters arcs of all the Avengers and changes more than anybody…but none of the interesting stuff happens on-screen.

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Hulk Transformation

Crowning Moments of Awesome: The Incredible Hulk

On By Charlie BrooksIn Comics, Crowning Moments of Awesome2 Comments

The Incredible Hulk is not only my favorite comic book character, but he’s also my favorite fictional character in any media, outside of my own creations. He’s got pathos, tragedy, and even humor. Most importantly, he’s got a lot of awesome moments scattered through the decades. So, without further ado, let’s look at what makes the Hulk incredible.    Continue reading “Crowning Moments of Awesome: The Incredible Hulk” →