Things are converging – all of the threats against Red are zeroing in. Black Fog makes the first move – and plays a mean game of hide and seek! He’s dangerous! Not only does he kill people who aren’t really people – but he also bests Red and cuts him deep! Zero/One is proud of her assassin, until Red drops a plane on him.
Variant ARed ready to take on Black Fog
Fortean is tracking Red but his path crosses with Black Fog’s departure and his plane is damaged by Zero/One’s craft. Red can’t sleep – but he needs it badly! Let’s not forget the Omegex’s is on the way as well. The machine of destruction is almost to Earth – and even a set of beings called the Norraks – creatures who have now devoted their lives to destroy the Omegex (for destroying and killing their planet and people).
Black Fog splitting hairs...
But, let’s just say – they are not successful. Red does get some sleep in the end – but not after losing most of his team mates with him. I really like Parker’s writing – he is telling some entertaining stuff – I just wish that Red had a better introduction to the MU. I find that I am still not a fan of Red – and yes, I agree with most o the posters on here when they say it’s borderline insulting that there will be one Hulk title in September – and the Hulk doesn’t even star in it. “Hulk” – like someone stated – is not a title, it’s a name. Red is not Hulk. Grade: B+
It’s pretty much downright boring out there on the toy shelves right now for Hulk fans. The latest wave of MU figures does have a first appearance Wolverine – and yes, I picked it up – because I am that awesome and dedicated! And I had a coupon. Coupons are the key!
I might be in the minority – but I think Wolvie should use this costume more – let’s bring it back! Maybe he could defeat his opponents by making them laugh to death! This outfit would do it!
I'm the best at what I do - and what I do is dress like a lemon kitty in blue underwear
Wow – I just wrote out an entire review – was really happy with how funny and insightful it was and then – WordPress just kicked me off and it didn’t save… holy hell I am pissed right now. I don’t feel like writing the whole damn thing over – so I will just go through some of the finer points:
Hey! The Knights of Rome look like a purple Voldem... I mean "He who must not be named"
I liked the issue overall – but it was lacking in a few places – such as Tyrannus knocking out the Knights of Rome by hitting them in the purple misty heads with the Urn? Really? And Betty and Bruce’s gay Odd Couple rhetoric is getting a little… old. They love each other – they hate each other – they need each other – they can’t get along! Ugh…
Hulk was later heard saying "Yeah it angers me when you spit too"
I am looking forward to see is Pak is going to let Tyrannus be the arch nemesis he was created to be – and Pak seemed to try and make up for the embarrassing loss to Zeus a few issues ago with the Hulk facing a pink, misty bird with the power os Zeus. But yeah – I don’t think this will silence the fan boys. I liked the “Get me mad” moment – but over all, Grade: C+
Hulk doesn't get to slip the tongue often... let him have his moment...
I have collected way too many TPBs. At one point I had close to 500 trades – and we’re talking the soft cover books – which were great to shove in your bag on a road trip and take off. Sometimes it doesn’t turn into anything, like when I took off to Paris in 2003 I went to my LCS and bought a trade of Spy Boy… which was a mistake. But other times it’s magic – In 2004, when I took a trip to London, I snagged a trade called The Walking Dead and have been a monthly buyer ever since.
Daredevil - never bought an actual comic - but I did buy these!
Recent purchases have more been swayed toward Harcover books. Even replacing the old soft cover books I had… Infinity Gauntlet trade? Yes, you served me well on the yearly readings I took – usually one day in the hottest week of July. But you have been replaced by the Marvel Premiere Classic Hardcover version. And even better? Hardcovers rejuvenated the collected edition market – and Marvel is releasing more and more stories – like the trip to The Infinity Gauntlet collected in Silver Surfer: Rebirth of Thanos.
I can't recommend this one enough!
I do have some very serious reservations about some of these collected issues. The book has to be worth the price – meaning this, the books must collect issues that are difficult to track down or at the very least common books that cost a pretty penny. For example, a few years ago Marvel released the Heroes: Reborn collections – in paperback no less – and asked for $29.99 for them. Most, if not ALL, of the 12 issues can be found in dollar bins around the state where I live. Why would I pay $30 for something when I can get the single issues for less than $12?
Avengers Paperback - $30? Not worth it.
I will discuss some of the different Marvel offerings in the upcoming days – but before I end the rant today I would just like to point out – patience is a HUGE virtue. A lot of the Hardcover books end up on the sale racks – with a retail of $30 or more I have picked up most in my collection for less than $10. And that’s not even off of the bay or Amazon – that’s from comic shops.
Harcovers
So, here is the question I pose to you – what do my blog readers out there prefer? Do you like the Hardcover collections? Stick with the slightly less expensive Softcovers? Or do you not even bother with collected editions and like the single issues only?
So – it’s official – Pak is off the book in August. And TIHs is done. I hope this mean that we get just a great Hulk book back – but I want to know who they have waiting in the wings to be the new Hulk scribe!
Alright – If I don’t throw a review up here soon then I will just fall further and further behind – so just to catch up I will give you my thoughts on the latest issues in the Hulk universe.
Hulk #32
Hulk #32: Jacob Feinman is following Zero/One to seek out someone able to destroy Red. Jacob is both frightened and amazed at Zero/One – who is seeking a character named “Black Fog” – and… wait, really? Black Fog? Watch out people! Black Fog is coming! “Oh no! Not Black Fog! He makes visibility virtually impossible!” Seriously Jeff, I love your writing – but first Zero/One and then Black Fog? Are villain names really that hard to come up with? How about Black Goblin? (What? They created a new Hulk and named him the same thing with his color in the front! Why can’t I do that? And Black Goblin is WAY better than Black Fog!) The better team up so far is Red and Fortean. Fortean is a man on a mission – and he will destroy Red no matter what good deeds he seems to be doing now! Even if they are feats that the regular Hulk should be doing instead – stopping a tornado with a thunder clap? Awesome! Red doing instead of Hulk? Not so – Grade: B+
TIHs #627 - Variant Thor Cover
The Incredible Hulks (Still?!?!): Betty has helped Tyrannus steal Pandora’s Urn/Box. Bruce still loves her – but she’s kind of a big jerk. So, Bruce is still on the trail of Betty, now with the help of Dr. Sofia Cosimo – who happens to be an expert on the Urn/Box (although she has no idea what is in it or what will happen if it’s opened). This issue has it all – it has the Hulk beating up on monsters – more Betty/Bruce tension and Knights in Shining Armor! That’s right! Knights! Who steal the urn/box… and now Bruce and Betty have to work together again… and we know how that goes. I like the 007 theme but – maybe it’s because I know the next storyline coming – or maybe it’s because I really am NOT a fan of this whole “Red Hulk” thing – but I am ready for this storyline to finish up and be done. Grade: C+
Skaar #2
Skaar: King of the Savage Land: Awww… hell – Shanna is possessed with ancient evil. The designer of the Savage Land – and she is seeking purity of her land. No one is safe. Especially Ka-Zar, whose chick is now only calling herself “The Designer” but also not interested in getting busy with him as she is in casting out his sorry ass. Skaar and Devil Dinosaur take care of the humongous robot – but that’s about all they do – other than getting stuck looking after Shanna’s son Matthew. What can I say about the art other than – at times it looks fabulous – and at other times I found myself thinking “What happened here?” Grade: C+
I got quite the irate email yesterday from a “fan” of this blog asking where the reviews for the latest comics are. I will not bother quoting the exact email – I will just say that they were quite mad that I have not posted the reviews yet. The title of this post was also the title of the email they sent. So, let me explain.
The reviews are coming – but here’s the thing – I tried something new and a lot of people weren’t fans of it. That’s okay, I liked the new format – but whatever. I am looking to review the stories in a new way – because I have to be honest, I hate writing out the reviews the way I wa doing them before. It’s such monotonous work recapping the issue – when all I really want to do is tell you my thoughts. I was thinking of reviewing the issues on a point system and giving it a number out of 10 at the end – but I haven’t really thought about it too much.
Usually when lightning strikes and a great idea hits me I go at it full force – but the point system idea isn’t my strongest, or favorite, and to be honest – with such strong negative reactions from the way I reviewed the last time – I haven’t really been in a rush to try out a new format. But I will – they are coming… this week. I promise.
Holy hell – it’s almost embarrasing to go from the Boston Con posts to showing off a Hulk Squinkie. I even hate writing Squinkie. But that’s what they are. Little soft pieces of plastic that are somewhat resembling Marvel characters. This Hulk one has a HUMONGOUS nose! And a terrible paint job! But what else would you expect? The set – that my friend (David, you might remember him) bought me, thank you, came with some of the classic Marvel characters. Silver Surfer, Spidey, Green Goblin, Doom, Thing
I did get a few extra pieces that I’ll share – just a couple of small things – and the last piece of art I never showed off. I will start with the Hulk mini-plush. In the entire con I could only find one Hulk – they had a ton of the other characters – but only one Hulk. I picked it up – and then picked up another for Lex.
Hulk Pins
I also saw this guy selling a few magnets and pins – I chose a few Hulk magnets 🙂
MM - Avengers 11-20
I did pick up a few very affordable Marvel Masterworks. They both feature the Hulk in at least one issue:
MM - Amazing Spiderman 11-20
Last but not least – the Matt Fletcher Hulk bust I had done. This was the last piece that I picked up – and I have to say, Uminga PH was a close second, but this Hulk bust takes the cake! Next year I will make sure I have the funds to get a full body piece from both Chris and Matt. Actually, I have an idea – one that I will not disclose here just yet – both Chris and Matt were on board with trying out. Hoo-Boy – you guys will be in for a treat! All in all – this year was one of the best Con years ever!
So here we are – I was off to Dexter Vines table looking to see if he was able to add to the jam piece. I have been having such a blast at the con this year talking to the artists that I don’t think this day could let me down. Vines was drawing on a cover – Old Man Logan – and he was finishing up. I began to flip through the pages he had with him and asked him if when blacking out space (the Hulk pages are heavy in shadows) did he just color in with a marker. He smiled and said “No, man – I use a Q-Tip. A Q-Tip can hold a whole lot of ink.” The artists on either side of him perked up. “Did you just say you used a Q-Tip?”
He went on to explain that he has been figuring out all sorts of little tricks to make the inking process faster. That’s why he is one of the fastest (and best, IMO) in the business. I turned to another page and asked how he did the stars. He went on to tell me that he used to block off the images and then do the toothbrush trick – so he came up with a new one. Before he inked anything he would splatter a somewhat “liquid rubber” onto the page – then he would ink the page and take a Q-Tip to the sky. Once it was dry he rubbed his fingers over the black – and everywhere the liquid rubber was would just peel right off. Vines was a fascinating, talented artist – my only regret is not having more time to just chat with him.
Wow - Page almost full!
He added his piece to the page and I went to see Norman Lee. I asked Norman if he would add to it as well – he asked what charity it was for… this was quite the surprise as no one asked me this before – not to mention – it was not for a charity! I let him know it was just for a huge fan, myself, and he seemed a little less enthusiastic about adding to it – but he said give him a little while and he will do his thing.
So I took off again, without my jam piece this time, just wandering the con. I saw an artist, Randy “Rantz” Kintz – but whose stlye I was fantastic and I asked about getting something. I did not have much funds left – but he was running a “bust” special – so I asked for the Hulk – and this is what he delivered:
Rantz Hulk bust
So yeah – really riding high now! With the con day coming closer to an end I went back to Lee’s table and he was deep in conversation with another patron. He spied me walking up and grabbed the pad, handed it back to me and said “I didn’t have time to ink it up, I hope that’s alright.” I graciously took the jam piece back and – while I would have preferred a more uniform look with inks – I could not complain about Lee’s addition:
Norman Lee Hulk
So, with about 30 minutes left of the whole con I went back to Uminga/Fletcher’s table. Fletcher was doing the other Hulk commission I asked for, my last one – and while he was still working on it I decided to strike up a conversation with Uminga. I saw the prints he brought and as I flipped through there was one print I could not help but get – for my daughter – it was of the Hulk of course – and it’s perfect for her room:
Uminga Hulk Print
After I got that I showed Uminga the jam piece. Since there wasn’t much room left on the page I doubted anyone could fit anything on the remaining open space – but Uminga was up to the challenge and said “I’ll throw something on there” Sure enough, a few minutes later he handed the pad back and the jam piece was complete:
YES! Uminga Hulk is the last to be on the jam!
I can’t thank each artist enough for generously adding what they did to it – I was ecstatic to watch this page from the very first to the last!
The full Hulk Jam Piece! Yes - it's in the process of being framed!
Now we’re getting down to the wire here – the jam piece is almost done and the stakes are getting higher! Last post I told you I went to go see Cho – Frank Cho. A long shot I know – but I just had to try. Well, I got to his table and saw he had a small line forming as he just showed up (it was 12:45 by the way). I joined the line and starting building up the confidence to ask for him to contribute to the jam piece. The guy at the front of the line pulled out some Liberty Meadows books. He asked if Cho would consider doing a small ske-
That’s as far as he got because Cho interrupted with “I am not drawing today.” Not even “I’m not sketching” – no, it was a flat out “I am not drawing today.” So that was that. I slunk out of line and turned to see Ryan Ottley right behind me. Ottley – for anyone who isn’t aware – is the very talented artist who pencils Invincible. I walked up and introduced myself. We talked a bit and I asked about the jam piece. He was interested! He, like Vines needed some time to get settled, as he just arrived as well, and told me to come back in a few hours. No problem! I needed to kill time – and that’s when the loudspeaker announced that the Sale panel was about to start. Perfect!
Sale Panel
Let me just say – I have never been to a panel before and I wouldn’t have gone to one here either, but the combination of it being Sale and the fact that I was seeking out something to do – I checked it out. Man, am I glad I did! Sale, who turned 55 on Sunday (they brought out a cake toward the end – it was pretty great) was suffering from a bit from a loss of voice. He didn’t let it stop him though as he answered all the questions asked. He informed the crowd that, yes, Captain America: White is coming out. That’s all he could say about that. He also said he’d like to stray away from doing Superheroes for a while and do more of a visually prominent noir story. It was a fantastic hour and I am really glad I went. I left the panel and swung by the Fletcher/Uminga table. Uminga had my Planet Hulk piece ready. I was floored when he handed it to me:
Uminga Planet Hulk
After getting that I went back to Ottley. He was more than ready to throw something into the mix. I decided to bring up the Burning Man incident to which he laughed about. “Writers do it all the time – it’s a cathartic thing – but none of them were dumb enough to post it on the web.” Anyways, we laughed about it and he presented me with this:
Ottley Hulk
The jam piece was coming together nicely – now I was worried about getting a Hulk sketch on the page that I didn’t like. I was so worried, in fact, that I almost decided to call it quits right there – but then I remembered that Dexter Vines agreed to add something on as well – and I really like that guy – so off to his table I went. Alright, come on back tomorrow to hear about what happened. Everything will be revealed tomorrow – including the finished jam piece – let me know what you think so far!
So, where were we? Oh yes, Greg Capullo – wicked nice guy! Now, onto the next nice guy I met – a legend in the business – one Mr. Joe Kubert. His table, along with J. Scott Cambell and Art Adams were on the outside of where all of the other artist/vendors were. When I walked out there I saw that Cambell’s table was mobbed. Unfortunatley, I did not see Adams table either but I did see Kubert who was talking to a young boy dressed up as Spiderman. He smiled, shook the boys hand, and signed his comics. When he walked away Joe looked up to me and smiled. His smile is enormous – the kind that is infectious and you can’t help yourself but smile back. We discussed his work for a bit – I mentioned his son’s run on the Hulk and he shook his head to acknowledge that he remembered and we talked a bit more about his contributation to some of his son’s issues – most notabley this one. He smiled again and nodded. I pulled out the drawing pad and mentioned the jam piece. He quickly said “I’m not sketching today.” And you know what? He was a gentleman about it and it was still a pleasure to sit and talk to him for a bit. He offered to sign the page but I didn’t think it would fit with the motiff – just a random signature would not look right. I thanked him again and told him that that was okay. He said “Alright, are you sure?” he held the pen up and smiled huge again – which made me laugh.
Kubert - what a great guy
Even though Kubert was a delight to talk to I did walk away from the table with a bit of disappointment. I mean, how could you not? That would have been a HUGE score – the jam piece would have reached legendary status! But, it was time to get over it and move on! I walked to see if Dexter Vines arrived… but he had not. It was now 12:00 and quite a few artists were still not at their tables. I checked Norman Lee’s table – same results, not there. I immediately went to check if Frank Cho made it to his table yet…
Oh yeah - here's the lines for Adams and Cambell...
And I got quite the surprise – Khoi Pham was next to where Frank Cho was supposed to be – but wasn’t yet! I walked up and began to discuss the Chaos War and Herc and moved onto his style and method. I brought out the jam piece and he said “Yeah – I can add to that, let me see it.” He began to work and we began joking around – I asked him if he always wanted to be an artist – he said he grew up in a very traditional Asian family and he was supposed to be a lawyer. In fact, he continued, he actually WAS a lawyer a before he worked for Marvel. A fact I was not aware of and probably wouldn’t have known if Frank Cho was not late. See, I know that Frank Cho is a long shot as far as getting any kind of sketch from. He has a reputation at cons for not sketching – so I didn’t have high hopes anyway – but I was going to try. If I had tried and Cho said no there would be no way O would just turn to the artist next to him and say, “Alright, then how about you?” I don’t think that would come off well – so you see, it was lucky Cho was not there – because I got this:
Pham's Edition!
Pham delivered the best Hulk yet! I was suddenly re-energized! Now it was time to go check out the 2 commissions I had set up before the show. Chris Uminga and Matt Fletcher were both going to do a Hulk bust for me. These two guys have such distinct styles and are both incredibly nice to chat with. I couldn’t wait to see what they came up with. But I needed to move on as the pieces were not done yet…
The page is really coming along!
Dexter Vines was just reaching his table! I walked over and struck up a conversation. This guy is a talented inker – one of the best and FAST too! But when he first arrived and I brought up the jam piece he said he was interested in adding to it – but to come back. His exact words were “Let me throw some breakfast in my face first!” I needed to move on. Let me just take some time to comment that the new space was pretty spectacular. Last year the space was a bit confined – but this year there was a ton of space to move around and be comfortable.
Roger Andrew's addition
With some time to kill before Vines was going to add onto the jam piece I walked over to Roger Andrews table. For anyone not in the know about Roger Andrews – not only is he a fantastic artist with a unique cartoony style – but he is one of the few artist who remember my face each time I see him. When I start walking over to his table he looks up and a grin appears while he stands up and greets me “Hey man, how’ve you been?” We had an excellent conversation about inking pieces and the value that differing the thickness of the lines really brings. I asked about the jam piece and he immediately went to work.
Woo Hoo! Half way filled!
With the jam piece really rolling now – it was time to see if Frank Cho ever showed up… was he there this time? Come on back tomorrow to find out!
Hey guys – I haven’t forgot about you! I know I have reviews to post and I still have Hulk items I have never posted – but I thought I would tell you what a blast I had at the comic con this year. For a little while it was touch and go if I was going to make the trip, as some of you guys know from reading the last post, due to some major repairs, money is a little tight in the Ratchet household. So, how do you go to the BCC and not spend a small fortune – but still enjoy yourself and come home with goodies? Well, it’s a bit easier than you think! Let me tell you all about it!
The people ahead of me...
I scrounged up a small amount of money to take to the con – and in order to save more of the money for the con I drove the streets of Boston in the wee early morn and found street parking where I could stay for the day. Amazingly, I freakin’ did it – and it didn’t take very long to find. I made it to the Hynes Convention Center at about 7:45 – and even though doors didn’t open until 10:00 – I wasn’t the first in line. Granted – I was 5th – and that is still really good – but I was amazed that the first guy said he’d been in line since 5:00.
And... the MANY people behind me!More and more people...
By the time the doors opened I managed to become the fourth in line. It’s a long story. Actually, that’s not true – it’s just not all that interesting of a story. Unfortunately, there was no way around paying to get into the con but once the doors opened I followed the few in front of me right through the doors and into the con. First thing I noticed is that a lot of the artists I wanted to see (J. Scott Cambell, Joe Kubert, Norman Lee, Dexter Vines, Frank Cho) were not there yet. One reliable and talented artist was there at open – and remains to be one of the nicest, open and gracious artists I have talked to in all these cons. That man being Tim Sale.
Remember this commission? Yeah, awesome, I know!
I have a whole lot to talk about with Tim Sale but part now and then more later. First, I brought my Hulk: Gray deluxe HC for Tim to sign. Also, I brought an idea. I am about to tangent here for a moment so bear with me and try to follow along. I was on SF yesterday (Statue Forum) and saw that one of the attendees asked some of the artists to do a quick head shot – something very quick – and collected them all on one page. Sort of a collection of small sketches sometimes called a “jam piece”. So, in addition to the sig, I asked Tim if he wouldn’t mind doing a small sketch of the Hulk to start a jam piece. Without hesitation he agreed and drew a small, classic Sale Hulk in the corner of my pad. I also reminded him of the Hulk commission he did for me 2 years ago that, to this day, is one of the best commissions I have had done. Sale and his crew not only remembered the piece but also commented that they all agreed it was the best fast pass of that whole convention. Wow! What an honor!
Sale begins the "Jam Piece"
Alright, so let me give you an idea of what I am talking about with the jam piece. It starts with a blank page and all it takes is one generous artist willing to give a minute of their time to doodle something anywhere on said page. In this instance, as I just shared, it was Tim Sale:
The Jam Piece begins...
Now, the trick is trying to find another artist to do the next one. For me, the next artist I wanted to talk to was Greg Capullo. I really enjoyed taking the time talking to the artists this year – but Capullo stood out as one of the most genuine nice guys. He looked everyone that came to his table in the eye, shook their hand and asked their name. He would then start a dialog and after he signed whatever he signed he stood up, shook your hand again and said goodbye, using your name! It was an impressive thing, it really was. So, here’s the thing. When I asked Sale to start the jam piece I was a bit nervous, mainly because if he said no I probably wouldn’t have the nerve to ask another artist, but because Sale was so agreeable to starting the jam piece I had a bit of confidence riding on over to Capullo. Like I said, he was a real nice guy – and even if he had said no to adding to the jam piece – he’d still be a real nice guy. Luckily, he didn’t say no. He admitted it would be something real quick, which was more than fine to me! Because here’s the thing about a jam piece – and keep this in mind if you decide to try one out – not only do the artists you ask NOT have to do anything – but if they agree – out of their own generosity – be happy with whatever they give you!
Greg Capullo Addition
Greg added to the piece and I was off to seek out another artist to add his personal touch to the piece! I was so excited and riding high I figured it was all up hill from here… and I was wrong. Not to leave you on a dramatic note – but come on back tomorrow to find out what happened at the BCC ’11.
Not my favorite post in the world – BUT – I am having a little sale of things from the collection. My friend and fellow Hulk collector is posting some things up on ebay to try to fund some very in need house repairs. Some of my favorite things like my Hulk PF and some original art as well as some figures will be going up. If you want to bid on anything – look here:
Keep in mind there will be more things being posted for the next few days – if you’d like to make an offer for anything you see feel free to email me at greyfixit@live.com – I will consider all reasonable offers.
I hate doing it – but really, the family and my house come first. I love my Hulk – but I love my daughter and providing the best possible place for her takes first place. Thanks for all your support guys!
Hulk Window Cling #1 - for the record, this one is on my driver's side back window
Alright, the new format doesn’t work for EVERYTHING so I will just let you know about these stickers. I actually have a set of these already on my car – in fact, the way I met someone off the Statue Forum at my LCS because they saw the Hulk on my side windows. THESE Hulks! I love being able to display my love for the Hulk to every stranger in a non-intrusive, totally apparent way.
Picked them up at Harrison’s Comic Shop in Salem, MA last year some time. Larry Harrison is there most of the time and it’s fun to bring up a pile of stuff to the register and try to haggle the prices with him – only for him to shoot every offer down and just shake his head “no”. Man, I can’t wait to do that again!
Hulk Window Cling #2 - this one is on... well, seriously you figure it out
Ratchet's Hulk Collection 