She-Hulk's Favorite Superhero

Even superheroes like to have fun. In a recent episode of "Hulk and the Agents of SMASH," the hulks go trick-or-treating. Skaar may not realize that pirates only wear one eyepatch, but at least he's trying. (Hey, in the TV series, he's from another dimension, so give him a break!) Still, he does pretty well with two eyepatches, so maybe he has super-vision in addition to his super-strength. 

You may have noticed that Spider-Man, standing behind Skaar, looks rather well-endowed in the chest area. There's a reason for that.

It's She-Hulk! And Spider-Man, as she proudly tells her comrades Hulk, Red Hulk, and A-Bomb, is her favorite superhero. Think about that. Spider-Man's just a scrawny High School geek. She and the Hulks are already pretty special. Spider-Man is her favorite superhero, really?

Cool. Good choice, Shulkie.

Happy Halloween, everyone.

Dragon Dave

Internalizing Hulk & She-Hulk: Part 2

Yesterday, I spoke about the different ways the Hulk is portrayed in comic books, in TV, and in the movies.  Marvel's new show, "Hulk and the Agents of SMASH," portrays Hulk as a wise man, and a team leader.  It's a refreshing take on the classic character, one that views him as a person, and not a monster.

As we searched through the old comic books, the manager walked through that area of the store twice.  The first time he asked us if we had any questions, we, like the others in the shop, told him “No, we’re fine.”  The second time he asked, I asked him about this dichotomy.  While he had not seen “Hulk and the Agents of SMASH,” he agreed that different writers treat the character differently.  Some make Bruce Banner less intelligent, or less moral than traditionally depicted.  Some glorify in Hulk’s violent capabilities, while others treat him as a thinking, reasoning person.  He mentioned several recent series he had particularly enjoyed, as well as others that he had not.  He also mentioned how characters like Captain America and Iron Man might act in radically different ways, depending on how a particular author approached him. 

So often I hear people speak dismissively of comic books, suggesting that the authors of such stories dumb down characters, situations, and subjects.  Yet most of us look to any form of Fiction as entertainment: we look for content and surface-level enjoyment first.  If we like a particular character or setting, we may invest deeper thought in aspects of the story.  If we don’t immediately enjoy it, most of us discard the story, and move on to another.  After all, there are plenty of stories out there to be discovered.  Why spend time ruminating on aspects of one you didn’t enjoy?

What struck me as the man spoke was how he had weighed the merits of the stories he had read.  He spoke in terms of his philosophy about what the character should be—how Hulk, Captain America or Iron Man should act.  What his responsibility to others should be.  Never once did rank a story in terms of its art, or revel in depictions of action and violence.  Never once did he say, “This is a particular scene I wanted to see played out, and the writer gave it to me, so I’m satisfied.”  He had internalized the stories, thought deeply about them, and judged them in terms of his own morals and worldviews.  In other words, he had mentally and emotionally processed the stories just as literary writers hope their readers will.  He had accompanied those characters on their journeys.  The situations they had faced together, and the choices his heroes had made, had informed his own responses to real-world situations.

While we were there, a man came in with a young boy.  The man told the boy (presumably his son) that he could read any of the comics in a particular area.  Unlike most of the children who have waited in the store while their parents searched through the comic book boxes, this boy didn’t make noise.  He didn’t wander, play with toys, throw things, or beg his father to leave.  Instead, he read the comics his father had recommended to him.  As I finished my conversation with the manager, and my wife and I left the older comics area, I heard the man begin instructing the boy on the proper way to hold a comic book. 

I didn’t glance back to watch, but I wish now that I had.  I wonder what stories the boy will grow to love, who his heroes will be, and how they will shape him into the man he becomes. 

Dragon Dave

Internalizing Hulk & She-Hulk: Part 1

On Sunday, my wife and I went to a used bookstore after lunch.   We enjoyed perusing the shelves, and found three novels that we thought would be fun to read.  We had also brought several books to sell, and the bookstore purchased three of ours.  So we left equal on books, only a dollar poorer, and with three new (to us) books to read.

Our next stop was the comic book store.  We looked for missing issues from the two series that we are primarily collecting at the moment.  For me, that’s “Conan The Barbarian.”  For my wife, it’s “Sensational She-Hulk.”  I’ve written enough about Conan in the past that you know that I love Robert E. Howard’s stories, Roy Thomas’ adaptations of the character for Marvel, and why.  My wife recently discovered She-Hulk, and “Sensational She-Hulk” is a fun series.  

In the story, Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, is a smart, well-dressed, professional woman.  In the issue I read (Issue #2), author John Byrne and company worked hard to keep the tone light.  Every few pages, they placed a sticky notes placed over a panel.  

On these sticky notes, Byrne, artist Bob Wiacek, or other Marvel folks would comment on the story thus far.   

She-Hulk even breaks The Fourth Wall, and speaks to them.  She’s always big and green—in other words, hulkified—yet she’s a thoughtful, reasoning person, not a rage-filled, instinct-driven animal.

I grew up watching Kenneth Johnson’s live action TV show “The Incredible Hulk,” and have seen the two recent Hulk movies, as well as “The Avengers.”  In these stories, we see Bruce Banner 95% of the time.  The Hulk is a creature reluctantly unleashed, with little ability to think or reason.  When he emerges, the destruction he causes may be out of proportion to the threat he faces.  He follows his instincts, is driven by rage, and a monster to be feared.  Yet, as I grow more familiar with comic books and the various Marvel universes, I’m see far more stories that depict the Hulk as a thinking, reasoning creature, and rarely see Bruce Banner on the run from the authorities, trying to repress his anger, and searching for a cure to permanently banish the Hulk from his life. 

In Marvel's new animated TV show “Hulk and the Agents of SMASH,” (shown on Disney XD in the United States), you never see Bruce Banner.  He's 100% Hulk--all the time--and he’s a team leader.  He constantly tries to reign in Red Hulk’s excesses, he’s protective of his young friend Rick, he relies on She-Hulk’s expertise in certain areas, and welcomes Skaar, a Hulk-like sword-wielding barbarian (shades of Conan?) who initially joins the team as a double-agent.  Hulk is smart enough to design and utilize weapons, assess the strengths and weakness of his team members, and formulate strategy.  He recognizes when people say one thing but do another, allows situations to play out before he acts, and even apologizes when he realizes that he’s treated someone poorly, or misjudged a situation.  In other words, the Hulk becomes someone we can all learn from.  While it seems odd to admit this, I take this responsible monster's messages to heart, and hope the children watching the show learn from his wisdom.

Needless to say, I find the dichotomy in the various ways the Hulk is portrayed interesting.  More on that tomorrow.

Dragon Dave

P.S. You knew I'd have to sign my name in green today, didn't you? Don't worry, I'm not angry at you!  (Unless, that is, you're a Toad Man).