Hulk: Gray [Paperback]

Jeph Loeb (Author), Tim Sale (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Incredible Hulk | Publication Date: June 29, 2011

Bruce Banner's life was torn apart by the explosion of the Gamma Bomb. From that moment on, he unleashed the strongest creature on Earth--The Incredible Hulk. No matter how powerful he became, his heart could still be shattered by Betty Ross. The Eisner Award-winning team of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale continue their insightful look into the early days of Marvel's most popular heroes as they unravel the origin of the Hulk.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (June 29, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785113460
• ISBN-13: 978-0785113461
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.2 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #644,822 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loeb & Sale's colorful look back at the genesis of the Hulk., October 11, 2005

By 

J. A. Hazelwood "TheSynapZe" (Frederick, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hulk: Gray (Paperback)

As a long time fan of the nostalgic Marvel Essential series (click on my "See all my reviews" button if you don't believe me), I also made sure to pick up Loeb & Sale's well-regarded "color" books (Spider-Man: Blue, Daredevil: Yellow, and Hulk: Gray). These three series replayed moments in Marvel's past which primarily centered around the heroes' lost loves Gwen Stacy (the Marvel universe's original slain girlfriend), Karen Page and Betty Ross while offering new philosophical or psychological angles about why their loves began and continued under the stress and difficulty of the heroes' secret double lives. In the first two books, the stories were updated or "ret-conned" in order to be relevant for the modern era (Flash Thompson signs on to the Army as opposed to being drafted to fight in `Nam) and some new scenes were added (Mr. Slade, the man who pulled the trigger on Matt Murdock's father, received the death penalty), but generally the proceedings didn't stray too far from the classic tales from which they were based. This is not true for Hulk: Gray, the third book I read. It is more of an original than an adaptation and, despite my craving for nostalgia, it is also my favorite of the three.

Hulk: Gray revolves around the always embattled Bruce Banner meeting with long-time friend Leonard "Doc" Samson for a late-night impromptu therapy session to discuss Bruce's grief over the loss of his first love Betty. Bruce goes back to that fateful day when he saved young Rick Jones life, only to be rewarded with a Gamma-radiated curse, and how he then tried to avoid trouble and express his love for Betty in his confused, clumsy, and supremely powerful Hulk persona. In the final chapter, the aptly named "F is for Father," Bruce comes across a hypothesis as to why the frail and timid Betty learned to accept him as an unpredictable monster. I'm not certain if the idea had ever been discussed before, but if true then it is profoundly tragic, even when compared to all the other moments of profound tragedy which the Hulk is famous for.

As I mentioned before, Jeph Loeb spins a mostly new tale surrounding the Hulk's origin and I maintain that the book is all the better for it. The Hulk was the first "superhero" series begun after the Fantastic Four and it only lasted a meager six issues mainly because Stan Lee, "the Man" that he is, severely mishandled the character. New powers and traits of the Hulk were introduced and dropped within the blink of an eye; for example, the Hulk could originally fly and Banner transformed at dusk and turned back at dawn. He's not a vampire, Stan! Also, I was happy not to see any of the early super-villians show up, like the deformed Russian Gargoyle or the subterranean tyrant Tyrannus (he's like a handsome Mole Man) or the Toad Men from Outer Space or the Metal Master (he's like Magneto except not intimidating in the least). The Hulk just doesn't need much external conflict to make his stories interesting; his worst enemy has always been himself. Lastly, Iron Man is called in to stop the Hulk in a scene that boldly flies in the face of established continuity (in the pages of Avengers #1, Tony Stark himself says, "I've always wondered whether the Hulk really existed"). Regardless, ol' Shell-head's "untold" appearance made for a hard-hitting brawl the likes of which the historical Hulk wouldn't see until he met the Abomination, and so I think you'll be pleased that it's there.

All three of the Loeb/Sale modern retrospective books for Marvel are worth reading, but I'd recommend Hulk: Gray the most. It combines the fascinating emotional layers of the green Hulk of today with the sheer power and mystery of the gray Hulk of yesterday. It's the origin of the most powerful creature on Earth the best way it could be told.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Awesome Color, September 3, 2008

By 

dasn0wman "dasn0wman" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Hulk: Gray (Paperback)

Gray, Yellow, Blue - I can't wait for the next color! Really hoping for a Captain America book. The Hulk book is awesome and if I have to compare, my second favorite, Spider-Man: Blue being the absolute best one - hands down! Whereas in the other two books, the main character is talking to a deceased loved one, here, Banner is talking to his psychiatrist friend and reliving his ordeal of how he became hulk, his battle with the army, his battle with Iron Man, that's right IRON MAN! And lastly, his relationship with Betty. A very deep, emotional book with just stunning artwork. The illustrations are so good, I would not even call it a graphic novel, it's just a work of art! Huge fan of this team and pretty much hooked on whatever they churn out.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loeb and Sale tackle the HULK, August 14, 2007

By 

Brien Master "bengalsfan313" (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hulk: Gray (Paperback)

If you have read any of the other comic character studies by these guys, you know what you're in for. If not, this is a fine place to start. the art is incredible. it has an old school, art deco feel, bu in a modern way. the story is an interesting exploration on the origin of the incredible hulk. highly recommended!