Batman/Deadpool #1: Harley Quinn & Incredible Hulk Preview

 

He's the Incredible Hulk. He's been a member of the Defenders, the Avengers, and the leader of the Agents of SMASH. The Hulk is so incredible he's got a planet named after him. Harley Quinn may not be supercharged with gamma rays, but when she's not baking pies, getting abducted, hanging out with Poison Ivy, or fighting for life as we know it in DC K.O., she's throwing the biggest party ever with Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. (See Dynamite Entertainment for that crazy crossover!)

What will Hulk and Harley get up to when they meet? And who will emerge the victor? Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

DC/Marvel: Batman/Deadpool #1

Writers: Grant Morrison, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, Tom Taylor, Mariko Tamaki & G Willow Wilson

Artist: Dan Mora, Hayden Sherman, Bruno Redondo, Amanda Conner & Denys Cowan

Cover Artists: Dan Mora, Lee Bermejo, Mark Brooks, Jim Cheung, Amanda Conner, Nick Dragotta, Jenny Frison, Andy Kubert, Jae Lee, Jim Lee, Alexander Lozano, Sean Murphy, Frank Quitely, Bruno Redondo, Hayden Sherman, Bill Sienkiewicz, Ryan Sook, Sozomaika & Blank sketch variant cover

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 64 Pages 

Price: $7.99/$8.99 Card Stock

Release Date: November 19, 2025

 

The moment you’ve been waiting for!

 

The Dark Knight and the Merc with a Mouth team up for an adventure so mind-bending you’ll think you’re in a dream! Brought to you by legendary creators Grant Morrison and Dan Mora! And be sure not to miss these incredible extra stories: 

 

Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and Joshua Williamson team up with Hayden Sherman for a magical Constantine/Doctor Strange tale! Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo bring you an epic Nightwing/Dick Grayson and Laura Kinney/Wolverine story! Mariko Tamaki and Amanda Conner smash Harley Quinn and the Hulk together! G Willow Wilson and Denys Cowan tell an electrifying Static and Ms Marvel yarn!

 

Now, let's take a look inside this smashing story:

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

Comic Book Holiday Shopping for Dragons

Last December, my wife and I enjoyed a wonderful vacation in Florida. In addition to touring Universal Studios and Gatorland, we visited a number of comic book shops. We had some great conversations with people in those shops, and found a number of bargains. But mostly, we just loved exploring the discount boxes, and finding old comics we might not find in the shops back home.

Those visits even inspired me to immortalize them in my sketch book. 

It's not as if we don't have enough great comics already. But there are always gaps in any collection. If you're more concerned with the pleasure of reading than the condition and resale value, thumbing through the discount boxes is a great way to fill out a series. We've also discovered new series that have become favorites in those boxes. If you don't have to worry about the price per issue, you can experiment a little more, and find writers, artists, and stories that really grow on you.

This year, several comic book stores in my area are offering Black Friday sales. Some special offers will extend throughout the holiday weekend. A couple hundred shops in the United States have also signed up for Local Comic Shop Day, a new event for this year. These comic book retailers will be handing out free comics specially printed for this event. So if you can pull yourself away from the Thanksgiving leftovers, and spare time out of the biggest shopping weekend of the year, you might find it worthwhile to cruise by your local comic book shop and have a look around. 

You might discover an old or new series that you really enjoy. Who knows? You might even find me there!

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links
Local Comic Shop Day

Trusting In The Indestructible Hulk Part 2

In Mark Waid's comic book series "The Indestructible Hulk," Dr. Bruce Banner's new motto is "Hulk destroys, Banner Builds." He claims that he can better control the beast within him, and urges SHIELD Director Maria Hill to think of him as a cannon rather than a bomb. As much as Maria Hill would like to believe that Banner can control his transformations, and retain some conscious control over the Hulk, history is not on his side. Still, he's offered to take the Mad Thinker down for her. So, when he's not looking, she grabs a piece of wood, and takes the direct method of activating the Hulk.

Like SHIELD, Dr. Bruce Banner learned of the Mad Thinker's secret WMD manufacturing plant. Once he transforms, the Hulk charges off toward the facility. There he finds the Mad Thinker manning one of the large battle suits he developed based on Ultron's technology.

The Mad Thinker believes he has the measure of Hulk. Like so many before him, he learns it's all too easy to underestimate the Hulk's ability to absorb punishment.

With all the weapons and manpower operating at the facility, awaiting the "secret" SHIELD raid the Mad Thinker anticipated, Maria Hill is glad the Hulk was with her on this mission. 

After the raid, Maria Hill decides to grant Dr. Bruce Banner a trial period, begins hiring assistants for his laboratory, and sends him out on a few more operations. Given his new methods of controlling himself, she begins to see their relationship as doable. Still, knowing how volatile and dangerous the Hulk can be, she puts a few checks in place to make sure he's really keeping up his end of the bargain.

One is ROB, otherwise known as a Recording Observation Bot. ROB will hover around Banner, keeping him (and the Hulk) under constant scrutiny. Maybe Banner can change. Maybe he can gain control over his transformations. Maybe the Hulk can even learn to take instruction, and stay focused during missions, instead of just letting go and smashing everything in sight.

Dr. Banner may understand the logic behind Maria Hill's decision. That doesn't mean that he likes the constant surveillance.

Cheers, ROB.

Dragon Dave



For more on Dr. Bruce Banner's attempts to be a force for good while working under Director Maria Hill, read The Indestructible Hulk Volume 1: Agent of SHIELD by Mark Waid. Prepare yourself for a confrontation with Iron Man, a mission into an active volcano, an undersea battle between two aquatic nations, and, oh yeah, the return of ROB. 

(Way to hang in there, ROB!)

Trusting In the Indestructible Hulk Part 1

It's amazing to think now, but despite the Hulk's incredible popularity, he was originally something of a flop. Unlike the Fantastic Four, Thor, and Spider-Man, readers of Marvel Comics didn't embrace Stan Lee's latest creation. It wasn't until the Hulk started teaming up with other superheroes that his popularity began to rise. But that makes perfect sense, because while we all admire the intelligence of Doctor Bruce Banner, and the incredible strength of his alter-ego, once he hulks out, he's just an uncontrollable beast of destruction. 

Well, isn't he?

In Mark Waid's series Indestructible Hulk, Dr. Banner seems to have found a way to get a handle on his emotions. While on the run from his pursuers, he sits down to assess his life, and decides it's time he changed his approach.

In the first pages of Indestructible Hulk Vol 1: Agent of SHIELD, Director Maria Hill is sitting in a small town diner, studying news reports on her tablet computer, and messaging with her subordinate Phil Coulson. She's there to capture the Mad Thinker, who is developing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in a local factory. The minutes are ticking down until the planned raid. But while she waits to initiate the operation, her mind is really on something else. Or should I say Someone Else, someone she views as a far greater threat. 

The Hulk.

Despite her constant vigilance, and his continual rages, SHIELD has been unable to capture the Hulk. She feels guilty for leaving headquarters, and worries that a report on his location will arise and her subordinates won't be able to successfully follow it up. She wonders what damage the Hulk might be causing. Will she learn that news agencies' initial reports of earthquakes or hurricanes turn out to be destruction wrought by the Hulk? After all, SHIELD isn't the only group of people looking for the Hulk. Some want to capture him for nefarious purposes, such as analyzing his blood to create armies of super soldiers. In this modern world, with so many individuals and groups capable of manipulating information, what reports can she believe? And then there's the question of other groups, such as HYDRA, who might have subverted SHIELD with sleeper agents.

Imagine her surprise when Dr. Banner takes another chair at her table and hands her an experimental filtration device he's invented. He claims that, with a little development, it could help eliminate all water-born viruses. Then he tells her that he's tired of running. He's willing to accept that the Hulk, like Diabetes, is a disease he cannot cure. So rather than fighting it, he wants to embrace it, and use his Hulk-capabilities for SHIELD. 

Here's his pitch: if SHIELD will furnish him with a modern laboratory, and a capable team, he'll devote his brain to developing other inventions for the betterment of mankind. Additionally, when a dangerous situation develops that calls for his unique physical capabilities, he'll use his braun to damage, destroy, or (if you prefer) SMASH! the target.

Maria Hill is skeptical, but just as Bruce is tired of running from the authorities, she is tired of constantly coordinating efforts to find him. She can sympathize with Dr. Banner, who would prefer working in a laboratory to running. But just because Banner has had this epiphany doesn't mean that he'll be able to restrain himself from hulking out in a more controlled environment. Imagine living with someone emotionally unstable like that, who one moment can be perfectly rational, trustworthy, even loving, but then the next minute grows anxious, irritated, or downright angry, seemingly with no provocation from you. Some folks choose to live like that, to accept the good half of such a person along with the bad. But Maria Hill can't make decisions solely based on optimism. If Banner hulks out at the wrong moment, or proves uncontrollable during field work, missions could be compromised, and the collateral damage terrible. 

If you were Maria Hill, would you make a deal with someone like Dr. Bruce Banner, someone incredibly intelligent and capable, who seems rational right now, yet who has repeatedly lost control and inflicted incalculable harm upon yourself and others? Someone who's capable of turning into something like this?

Or would you lock him up, and throw away the key?

Dragon Dave

Thor Vs. a Dragon, a Robot, and Rock Men from Saturn

In Marvel Comics' "Journey Into Mystery" Issue 83, published in August 1962, handicapped American physician Donald Blake picks up a gnarled wood walking stick, and transforms into the Norse god Thor. After learning to wield his new weapon, the mighty hammer Mjolnir, he acknowledges his responsibility to his fellow humans by launching himself into battle against an invasion force of Rock Men from Saturn.

The Rock Men transform their mothership into a dragon. This scares Earth's normally brave fighter pilots, who eject from their jet planes.

On the ground, Thor sees that the dragon is mere illusion, and so he takes on the Rock Men from Saturn in hammer-to-hand fighting. Earth's lesser gravity increases the strength of the Rock Men, but when Thor proves a more fearsome adversary than anticipated, they activate the weapon they've held in reserve.

Several times the height of a human, the fighter-robot advances.

Thor stands in his path, looks up at his giant opponent, and swings his mighty hammer.

Thor is the first human the Rock Men have directly battled. They can't help but wonder if more humans are like him. 

In reacting to their first impressions, the Rock Men emulate the NATO fighter pilots, and make a mad scramble for their ship. Thus, when the military arrives...

It's easy to see how the mighty Thor could defeat a Dragon, a Giant Robot, and the Rock Men from Saturn. It's equally easy to understand how NATO soldiers might not envision a crippled man like Donald Blake as Earth's greatest warrior. Appearances can be deceiving, and first impressions often flat-out wrong.

The story also begs a question. Could Jane Foster, suffering from cancer, sneak away from her sick bed occasionally to grasp the hammer Mjolnir, transform into Lady Thor, and battle the Dark Elf Malekith, Frost Giants, and Dario Agger, the sometimes-minotaur CEO of Roxxon Energy Corporation? Odinson's quest to discover the identity of Lady Thor continues today, when THOR Issue 7 hits the stands. To prove your worth, make picking up your copy of this top ten reader-rated Marvel comic a priority. But please, first demonstrate your responsibility to your fellow humans by finishing and filing your income taxes. 

Dragon Dave

For more classic Thor action, check out The Mighty Thor: The God of Thunder, volume 1 in Marvel's Epic Collection series on the mighty Norse god.

Adventures in Cake and Comics

Last weekend, my wife decided that she wanted an adventure. Not a sail-around-the-world-in-a-weekend type of adventure, just a fun outing that was totally unplanned, and could therefore reap unexpected delights. As we had slept in on our day off, we naturally took time for a leisurely breakfast before deciding exactly what to do with our day. Then, we set off for our adventure!

First event of the day: carting our empty cans and bottles the recycling yard. This was a place forty-five minutes away. We've gone other places, but like this one the best. It's next to a tool shop we used to frequent, back before a series of events forced my grandmother into the hospital, then to be watched over by family, then sent into a nursing home, and then, gradually, to drift away from us until...well, you know. Like any war, the fighting and unwillingness to compromise in my family altered or killed numerous aspects of our lives. One of those was our woodworking. Still, even if some parts of our lives are irretrievably destroyed, we're hoping to resurrect the woodworking. Although we entered with no plans to buy anything, we left the store with a wood-and-brass mortise gauge. A cool tool in my hot little hands, courtesy of the wad of cash burning a hole in my pockets. Either the stupidest decision of my life, or an investment in my future. Hopefully the latter.

Of all the culinary delights in life, one my wife and I enjoy are our visits to Panera Bread. I'm talking our local one--we'd never visited another. But we found another by the tool shop, and it proved superior, in every way, to our local. And the coffee cake, our favorite treat: a big hunk to share and to savor, before we resumed/continued our adventure. (Sorry, no cake photo).

Over lunch, we decided to visit two comic book shops up in Temecula and Murrieta. So even though it was early afternoon, we headed up that way. 

On a recent trip to a local store, I picked up several old Classics Illustrated issues. One was an adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds. I brought this with us, and as my wife drove, I read the comic aloud. Printed in the 1970s, the artwork is crude by modern standards, but the story made pleasant reading, and my wife was able to glance at the occasional drawing. It made a pleasant interlude before we arrived at the first comic book shop.

Mostly we were just curious what these two stores had in their old, discounted stacks, but we were also hoping to pick up the variant cover for Rocket Raccoon Issue 8, drawn by Marvel colorist Justin Ponsor. Although we didn't find it, we found several missing issues in series we collect, and completed the four-part story "Hulk Vs. Iron Man," part of Marvel's major Original Sin event.

In "Hulk Vs. Iron Man," the Watcher's eye reveals many secrets and past events our heroes would rather not have faced. One of those involve the intertwined past of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. I've read through Issue 2 now, and as it's a complex story, I won't attempt to summarize it in this post. It's co-written by Mark Waid, who writes the current Indestructible Hulk series, and Kieron Gillen, who writes the current Iron Man series. I've really enjoyed Waid's intelligent take on the Bruce Banner/Hulk situation, and what I've read so far leaves me intrigued about Gillen's take on Tony Stark/Iron Man. I'm glad I found the missing issues, so I can finish this four-issue story.

For dinner, we decided to be equally indulgent, and stopped for dinner at Weinerschnitzel. We shared a healthy dinner of chili cheese hot dog, chili cheese burger, chili cheese fries, and for dessert, soft serve ice cream cones. (Hey, we can always eat our vegetables later, right?) Then it was time to head back to San Diego, our adventure completed.

Or at least, so we thought. As we drove down the I-15, we decided to stop in North County Fair mall, and see if we could find that variant cover issue for Rocket Raccoon #8. Sadly, just like every other store, they didn't have it in stock, so we decided to give in and purchase the issue with the regular cover, along with Issue #9, which had just arrived in stores.

This cover is fun, as you can see, and offers an accurate reflection of the series. My wife and I don't collect many ongoing series, but Skottie Young's irreverent and low-key writing have won us over. I especially enjoyed the first four issues, which formed a nice homage to the stories Bill Mantlo wrote about Rocket back in the 1980s. Since then, the artists have changed, and the stories have been less epic, but they've all been fun. The issues never sit around long before they get picked up and read. When the next issue comes out, we read the electronic version on our computers, to refresh our minds on the story, then go out to buy and read about Rocket's latest adventures. 

That night, for whatever reason, we didn't sleep all that well, so we got up early in the morning and went to the gym for a workout. Then we came home and went back to sleep for a few hours. When I woke up I found myself alone in bed, and a pleasant aroma permeating the house. I headed into the kitchen, where I found a coffee cake baking in the oven. (Sorry, no cake photo). Sometimes an adventure can reap unexpected rewards, and this usually proves the case of scrounging through discount comic boxes. In this case, I also had a cool-looking and potentially useful tool, some new stories to read, pleasant memories, cash left over, and best of all, homemade coffee cake to savor. Can you think of a more pleasant way to cap off an Adventure in Cake and Comics?

Dragon Dave

Inflated Values for Spider-Man and Hulk Comics?

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been reading the series "Skaar, Son of Hulk" lately. It's a highly visual story that takes place on the planet Sakaar, after Hulk departs for Earth at the end of the Planet Hulk storyline. Hulk thought his son had died along with his wife in the nuclear explosion that devastated Sakaar, or he would never have left. But Skaar grows up alone, raised by a priest, and defending villagers from the armies that battle for control of the ravaged planet. He feels rage at his abandonment, and at the injustice of the millions of peaceful inhabitants who die while a few warlords battle for supremacy. So when the Silver Surfer arrives, and announces that Galactus will soon come to feed on Sakaar, Skaar fights him instead of organizing an escape for everyone. It's up to the shade of his mother Caiera, sustained by the planet's Oldpower, to hurl Skaar into the nearby wormhole, so she can order soldiers to put down their arms, load up the spaceships, and escape the planet before Galactus arrives.

When Skaar exits the wormhole, he finds himself on Earth. Enraged at the destruction of his home planet, he seeks out the father who abandoned him and his world. In his rage at his father, he attacks, and such aggressiveness causes the Hulk to respond in kind. As they pound away at each, cracks form in the ground beneath them. As the cracks widen, and the ground shakes, Skaar realizes that the battle with his father has significantly damaged a nearby nuclear power plant. He could not save his beloved Sakaar, but he can undo the damage he has caused, if he is willing to vanquish the rage that has fueled his life up to this point, and focus the Oldpower he inherited from his mother to strengthen the walls, foundation, and underlying bedrock of the nuclear power plant.

Through this sacrificial act, in trading-in his rage and desire for revenge, he saves Earth, the planet his father ultimately loved more than Sakaar. Doing the right thing costs Skaar, and brings him little in satisfaction or acclaim. But then, the lot of the common people, and his desire to save them from the injustices inflicted upon them by the warlords of Sakaar, are who Skaar is, and what makes him a hero.

I've enjoyed learning about Skaar's origins, and Greg Pak's world building skills are impressive for the comics medium. So I was willing to seek out the final issue I couldn't find at my usual comic store, and pay the extravagant price of $4.25 to complete the series. I couldn't wait in the hopes that it would turn up in the $1 section any time soon: I had to read it now!

So imagine my surprise when I saw two well-dressed ladies plunk down $3000 in crisp, unblemished $100 bills for an old Spider-Man comic. Although I couldn't tell for sure, I believe it was a copy of Amazing Fantasy 15, which contains Spider-Man's origin story. The comic was stored in a hard plastic (or glass?) case, which the owner had to screw to open in order to take out the comic to show the ladies. Presumably, this case forms a hermitic seal, and keeps the comic from aging. Then, when they want to read it (if they want to read it), the ladies will carefully extract it from its case, and using gloved hands (and specially designed tools?), turn the pages.

People collect books, and my collection probably rivals many readers when it comes to quantity. As for quality, I've never worried overmuch about condition: what mattered was that I had the story, as a reminder that I had read it, or so I could read it (or reread it) when I wanted. Comic books have grades, upon which their value is placed. But, as in all other aspects of the free market, demand dictates the selling price, not an item's purchasing price or its intrinsic value. Given the ups and downs of the stock market, and the way house prices can rise and fall unexpectedly, I suppose that paying $3000 for an old, rare comic, that lots of people will always want to own makes a certain amount of sense. Still, I'm satisfied with my own high-priced issue of Skaar, and my reprint of Amazing Fantasy 15 that was included in the San Diego Union Tribune back in 2006. I have no plans to sell either any time soon. I can take either out of its plastic case, handle it without gloves, and enjoy the story again and again 

Still, nobody else had better try to handle my comics without my approval, or do so in a reckless fashion. Otherwise, they're apt to see my muscles swell and turn green. You wouldn't want to see me when I'm filled with rage, would you?

Dragon Dave

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

A Day Devoted to Comic Books

Yesterday, I had a day devoted to comic books. See, I've been reading a series lately, "Skaar Son of Hulk," and I needed a particular issue. I knew a store that had it, but it was a good drive away. My wife and I had originally planned other things, but she's seen I've been enjoying it, so she suggested that we drive to the store and buy it. So now I'm the proud owner of Skaar #8, and look forward to reading the entire four-issue story arc involving Skaar and the Silver Surfer on the wonderful world of Sakaar (the planet in which the mammoth "Planet Hulk" is set).

While there, the gentleman behind the counter noticed that I had picked up a couple older issues, and mentioned that they had a greater collection at another store. He said that it was located just a few blocks away. I had no idea that this company had another store, and so I thanked him, and we drove over there. You know how the guys in "The Big Bang Theory" are always perusing the $1 comic books whenever they visit a comic book shop? Well, this shop had lots of older $1 comics, and as I had brought my list with me (I keep a list of all the comics I have and need in all the series I collect), my wife and I had fun perusing the boxes. We were delighted to find several comics that finished off series we had been collecting, such as "The Micronauts," "Outcasts," and "Vision and the Scarlet Witch," as well as some other titles we wanted or were curious about. All in all, a fun day was had, and now we look forward to the many fun evenings of reading that lay ahead.

While we did our searching, I overheard a lady behind the counter talking with another customer. They were talking about several TV series they both enjoyed, and their mutual passion was obvious as they enthused about the various story arcs and characters--the things that worked for them, as well as those that didn't. While I haven't seen the shows they were discussing, it was nice to hear their passion and affection for these programs. It inspired me to carry on with my own writing, in the hopes that someday some readers might feel the same way about my work. I suppose, in a way, that's the reason I'm collecting comics now. Some of these issues I may never get around to reading (although I hope to), but they intrigue me. Some I collect because I like the overall series, or the characters involved, even if the individual issues or some of the story arcs aren't everything I wish they were. And then there are some series that really sneak up on you and surprise you, such as  "Skaar Son of Hulk." It's complicated, it's visual, and it challenges me. Yes, really: a comic book that challenges me. There's a lot there that I'm sure I'm not getting, but I look forward to rereading Greg Pak's stories, and know I'll probably get more out of them then than I'm getting on my first read-through. (The artwork is also impressive). 

Anyway, I had a great day, in which my passion for one story led me to others, and I got to hear some folks enthusing about the stories that got inside them, and became part of their lives. What a great way to spend a Saturday!

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).