“He’s one Joker you can’t find in the classified ads.” – Hank Pym
Nostalgia time! Here’s a collection of some of Marvel’s best as the jolly green giant locks horns with his former teammates! Going all the way back to 1963 and the first time The Hulk came to blows with the mighty Avengers! Let’s jump to 1985 and a classic from John Byrne: The Incredible Hulk # 316. This opens with a ticked off She-Hulk demanding to see Bruce Banner in the hospital. Then we jump to Ironman # 305 and the first page features shell head on the receiving end of a giant emerald fist. The Impressive World War Hulk # 1 is next which, of course, features just about every major character in the Marvel universe. We conclude this above average collection with Immortal Hulk # 7 which opens with a young boy named Julian playing with his marvel dolls…er…action figures.
The Creative Team:
Some of Marvel’s best writers are collected here to bring us The Hulk evolving from super strong brute to near invincible, immovable object. This collection is classic stuff and should be on the shelf of any Hulk fan, Avengers fan, ah hell, anyone who loves the Marvel universe should add this one to their collection. Everyone involved puts forth their best effort to give us the Hulk stories we clamor for and show us why he is the unstoppable menace to the Marvel universe, no Kryptonite can take him down, only the brains of some of the Marvel universes brightest. It’ll take the intellects of Richards, Stark, Xavier and all the big brains that one can get into a single room to come up with ways to tackle the green behemoth. Great stuff includes the Sub-Mariner and Hulk teaming up long before the Defenders were formed and seeing Bruce Banner able to live a normal life apart from the raging monster within, if only briefly.
Kirby, Byrne, Romita Jr., Williams, Hopgood, Bennett, Mitchell, What more is there to say? It’s the best you’re going to get. I think my only criticism would be the inking on Avengers #3, I wish Joe Sinnott, my favorite Kirby inker, could have done this masterpiece. Reinman isn’t bad, I just don’t think he appreciates Kirby’s thick pencils as much as he should have and his work looks slightly rushed, but otherwise it doesn’t get much better than this. Issues like this had me MAKE MINE MARVEL from 1968 on. Highlights include the Hulk battling the Avengers on top of a train and the splash of Ironman in his Hulk busting armor giving it to the Hulk.
In Conclusion:
I’ve read all of these stories before, but it was a real treat to see them all gathered together in this edition. I had so much fun reliving my youth that I had to read these stories again and then re-read them. If you haven’t followed FOOM (Friends of ‘ol Marvel) from the beginning then get on the bandwagon and enjoy the original greatness that revolutionized the comic book industry and continues to do so til this day! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again MAKE MINE MARVEL! ****1/2 (9.4 rating)
Writer – Stan Lee, John Byrne, Len Kaminski, Greg Pak, Al Ewing
Art – Jack Kirby, P. Reinman, John Byrne, Keith Williams, Kev Hopgood, Steve Mitchell, John Romita Jr., Joe Bennett, Ruy Jose
Colors – Andy Yanchus, Ariane, Klaus Janson, Christina Strain, Paul Mounts
Letters – S. Rosen, Rick Parker, Phil Felix, Pat Brosseau, Chris Eliopoulos, VC’s Corey Petit
Publisher – Marvel
Author Profile
- Kevin Given has studied with “ Longridge Writers Group †and “ Writer’s Boot Camp †a speech/communications major from the University of Maine Presque-Isle/Orono sites. He has created the “ Karl Vincent Vampire Hunter †franchise which includes novels and comic books. They can be found on amazon, Indyplanet and Kindle. For a limited time you can get digital copies of “ Karl Vincent: Vampire hunter †# 1 and “ Files of Karl Vincent †# 1 for free on Indyplanet. Kevin is producing the third novel in the series “ Dracula Rising †(working title) and developing “ Foul Blood †into comic book form. Don't forget to check out the YouTube show " Comics: Let's Talk " hosted by Kevin Given
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