Hulk: Grand Design (The Marvel Collectors)

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Cover image for 75960609966500141 HULK: GRAND DESIGN – MONSTER 1 MARTIN VARIANT, by Jim Rugg, in stores Wednesday, March 30, 2022 from marvel

Cover image for 75960609966500231 HULK: GRAND DESIGN – MADNESS 1 MCGUINNESS VARIANT, by Jim Rugg, in stores Wednesday, April 27, 2022 from marvelI think Rugg’s Grand Design suffers, frankly, from its proximity to the conclusion of Ewing’ Immortal Hulk. Such an impassioned, empathetic, harrowing run - both an era-defining book and a resoundingly personal statement from the writer. A series that really tears your guts out. Ewing and Rugg were both essentially going at the same problem from different angles: how to make sense out of seven decades of history for a character who’s been in and out of the hands of hundreds of disparate creators. How to create one more story, and one with real meaning, out of so many strands? So many great minds chafing against the same odd bit since the Kennedy Administration. In Rugg’s hands it's difficult not to see the Hulk’s life as a series of one damn thing after the other. Did Rugg read Ewing? If he hasn’t, he really should give it a shot. It’s good comics - even if, yes, it does fall apart a little in the home stretch. Literally everything about the Hulk falls apart in the third act, even this essay. At this point people would feel disappointed if it didn’t. Death Faked for You: Thor tells Tony that the Hulk was destroyed in the explosion that returned him to normal. When Sif questions Thor if it's wise to cover for Hulk, Thor replies that Bruce doesn't deserve to hunted for a crime he wasn't resposible for and should have the chance to find healing. Just so the record is clear in the matter: the Hulk sold when Peter David was writing it, because he was writing it. Of course it sold when Todd McFarlane drew it. It still sold when a guy named Jeff Purves was drawing - he finished literally a handful of comics before leaving the industry forever, for Hollywood. An inestimable loss, just based on the growth and potential of his brief run. Then it was Dale Keown. Gary Frank. Liam Sharp. Mike Deodato. Adam Kubert. The Incredible Hulk sold with all of these great artists. It never stopped selling because an artist left. It didn't sell X-Men numbers—don't get me wrong!—but on a slow month it could poke its head into the Top 10. That it was even in the conversation was more than Marvel had bargained for. Cover image for 75960609966500131 HULK: GRAND DESIGN – MONSTER 1 MOMOKO VARIANT, by Jim Rugg, in stores Wednesday, March 30, 2022 from marvel Self-Imposed Exile: After El Paso is leveled by Titan and Banner realizes that only the Hulk is truly immortal, Banner chooses to throw himself into interdimensional space, hoping to protect everyone he knows from the worst yet to come.

The second half of Hulk history just isn't as interesting to me as his early days. Though, the Immortal Hulk has recaptured my interest. Some people might like a psychologically damaged Hulk. I prefer a Bruce Banner who is haunted by the antics of his dark side much like Jekyll & Hyde. It just seems criminal to put poor Bruce Banner through the wringer like that year after year. Death of Personality: Banner fears this. He realizes that while the Incredible Hulk is indeed immortal, Dr. Bruce Banner is not, and every time he dies a bit more of him slips away. This obviously wasn't a serious problem until he started abusing Hulk's immortality in the previous run, killing himself over and over again, and now he doesn't know how much time he has left until the Hulk takes over for good.Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Titan takes elements of both Knull (his appearance and open, direct hostility) and the One Below All (a force trying to commandeer the Hulk). Unfinished, Untested, Used Anyway: Turns out Tony has a mysterious project going on called "Project A.R.K.", which uses Celestial energies as a gateway to evacuate the Earth in case of another Knull-level incident. Banner uses it to leave the Earth, but Tony warns him that they haven't tested it at all and he could end up anywhere. Banner's cool with it. New Powers as the Plot Demands: The Hulk's rage is being more pent up than usual; trapped in the Engine Room. When it gets channeled, it can be release in new different ways, such as optic vision or explosions. Earth-112 Bruce Banner gets subjected to this personally by President Ross, in futile attempt to get info on Starship Hulk.