Customer Reviews

Hulk: Gray

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
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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.

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.

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!

Origin stories are beaten to death but this is a pretty good retelling of the Hulk's origin with some new wrinkles and amazing Tim Sale art. The plot is light, as most Hulk plots are (so many panels filled with smashing), but there are some interesting new twists to the classic origin without mauling what Lee & Kirby did before. As I said before, Sale's pencils are so eerie, they're fantastic. The Hulk is bursting out of panels and off pages. Its so good. Loeb and Sale never disappoint. Good stuff.

exciting from beginning to end. gives a better understanding for the hulk and his supporting cast. loeb & sale never fail in bringing comic book gold.

Gray is a well written, well drawn reexamination of the Hulk's origin.

Using a Sopranos psychiatry session narrative device, author Jeph Loeb explores the rise of the Hulk and the complex relationship the gray giant has with Bruce Banner, Betty and General Ross.

Tim Sale's artwork is its usual "brutish beauty", employing Milleresque linework and mood. Matt Hollingsworth's coloring is fantastic and really compliments Sale's minimalist style.

Bruce Banner's end of story epiphany is sobering and kind of depressing. An excellent work and well worth the ticke price.

I haven't been too fond of the Marvel work from long time collaborating partners Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, but Hulk: Gray has gotten a worse rep here than it deserves. Hulk: Gray is better than Spider-Man: Blue and Daredevil: Yellow, and continues the color schemed, emotion laced look at Marvel's iconic heroes. Hulk: Gray finds Bruce Banner recounting what happened after transforming into the Incredible Hulk to Doc Samson as Loeb examines the world set up by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby way back when, as well as just what drives Banner, his love Betty Ross, her father General Ross, and Banner's unlikely ally Rick Jones. What makes Hulk: Gray work so well is the territory that Lee and Kirby paved before that Loeb mines, re-works, and pays homage to while putting his own spin on the events. Tim Sale's artwork is exquisite as well. Pay no attention to the negative reviews panning Sale's work, as his Hulk is more akin to Kirby's original Frankenstein's monster-esque vision of science run amok. All in all, Hulk: Gray is by far the best of the Marvel, color coded works from Loeb and Sale, and is definitely worth picking up for Hulk fans.

I don't claim to be a big fan of the Hulk. I collected a few issues of The Incredible Hulk years ago, but what really brought my attention to Hulk: Gray was the writer and artist behind it. I'm sure by now Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale need no introduction to anyone who's somewhat comics savvy. I began checking out their ground breaking work on Batman a while back and really enjoyed their interpretation of that character so decided I'd see what else these two had to offer.

Hulk: Gray is the second Marvel book I've read by Loeb/Sale, the first being the excellent Daredevil: Yellow. While these books don't really add anything new to their hero's mythology, they are interesting looks into the origins of the characters where they tackle their first enemies, as well as their first loves.

Like Yellow, the story of Gray is told in flashbacks by Bruce Banner, to his psychologist friend. That makes for some interesting narration, but occasionally his friend's comments become a little stale. But what could have been just a routine retelling of the Hulk's origin is saved by Loeb's thoughtful chracterization of the Hulk as a sympathetic creature, as well as Banner, the man behind the monster. He makes you feel for the Hulk, by getting across his confusion at what he is, as well as his feelings for Betty. It reminded me of King Kong at times, wanting to protect his girl from the army while they're trying to protect her from him. However, in this version, the woman is frightened and wants to get as far away from him as possible. At one point, Hulk had a Lenny moment from Of Mice and Men, and it's a great scene.

I've always enjoyed Sale's artwork. The guy is colorblind if you can believe that, but he does all his own inking. He takes advantage of shadows and uses them often which some people don't appreciate, but I like it. I believe his style is either love it or hate it.

Overall, a good quick read. I wouldn't say it's essential Hulk, but for people who don't know anything about the character or that he was ever gray to begin with, this is a good introduction to a classic character that should be around for as long as they're still printing comics.

The comics-writing team of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale have certainly made a splash in the industry, creating some landmark stories for both DC and Marvel in recent years. They have their detractors as well as their rabid fans; I fall somewhere in the middle, enjoying some work while believing other productions to have missed the mark.

That brings us to "Hulk: Gray," a collected miniseries that addresses the beginnings of the Hulk's existence -- before he turned green. This one, I fear, is a flop.

Probably the biggest failing here is the art. Sale's distinctive style doesn't lend itself well to the Hulk, who is supposed to be an awe-inspiring figure of strength and rage. Here, the Hulk has beady little eyes, splayed toes and jagged teeth, all of which makes him more comical in appearance than inspiring. If that's not enough, he looks less muscular, more pudgy. Right, those rock-hard muscles have run to fat, giving us a creature more suited to beer and pizza on the sofa than epic battles with Iron Man.

As for the story -- well, there's no denying Loeb is a talented writer. But Hulk's origins have been explored and revisited countless times in the past, and I can't see how this version adds anything of substance to the tale. Sure, it's all couched as a big, psychological exposition as Hulk's unwilling alter-ego, Bruce Banner, relates the facts of his first 48 hours to psychiatrist pal Doc Samson. But really, we already knew General Ross was obsessive, that Betty Ross had father issues, that Rick Jones had problems with authority, that Banner himself struggles with guilt, that the Hulk is simple and childlike. This isn't new ground.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(n e t) editor

Loeb & Sale have consistently giving us gems with the Batman series Batman: The Long Halloween, Batman: Dark Victory
Batman: Haunted Knight, Superman for All Seasons, Daredevil Yellow, Spiderman Blue.....

From the styled Art work to the amazing story lines these 2 have brought a lot to the table.