Ratchet's Hulk Collection

The Incredible Hulk Pop-Up Book (2008)

This was a last minute Christmas release! I remember last year seeing the Spiderman and X-Men pop-up books and scoured the rack for a Hulk one. Nothing. But a great Hulk-brother of mine, 5150, posted this up on Hulk Space a week or so ago and I ran to Borders right away. Funny enough, no Hulk pop-up book. I had to special order this – and it came in last Friday.

A nice little Hulk refrence this has a quick Hulk history bringing people up to speed on not only the Hulk but also the supporting characters like Rick Jones, Betty, the Abomination (there’s a great page with him on it), there are little tabs on almost each page that gives you some great backround info. Careful now, just because it’s a pop-up book and the kids will love it – it’s still very delicate! Don’t let the toddlers alone with it!

Incredible Hulk #102 Page #14

: Incredible Hulk #102 Page #14

This page – the second page I ever purchased, and in New York – is also from Planet Hulk. I would like to own different art from different artists – but this page was just too much! The scene is where the Hulk, who just came out of the liquid magma in the planet’s core where he was busy stopping the earthquake that would rip the planet apart, has Korg’s help to be flung right at the Red King to land a devestating blow and end his reign. The obvious, best shots on this page is where the Hulk is flying through the air – but a close second is the shot of the Red King, showing the fear in his face of what he’s up against. I do like having pieces that show each of the characters from the story. This page has Caiera, Korg, The Red King. This story was so great I love owning pieces of it. I bought it from this seller who still has Planet Hulk pages available. If you’re interested you should act now! Truly, take my advice, owing original pieces of Hulk art is far better than having any statue or action figure lining your walls. Like many told me, owning the original art brings your collection to whole new level.

hulk-stuff-again-032

Hulk Toothbrushes (2008)

Remember when I posted all of those back packs? How about all of those notebooks? Well, here’s a few toothbrushes. Yes, toothbrushes. What is more important than dental hygiene? That’s right! Nothing! And the Hulk knows that! That’s why there are quite a few choices to choose from here. The first up is the Kid’s Crest Spinbrush. Hulk sits on a pile of rubble and it looks like he’s holding the neck of the toothbrush – almost like he’s helping you brush you teeth himself. I also like the little Hulk head that is the switch to turn the toothbrush on and off.

Next up is the regular toothbrush with little Hulk Head travel case! How cute is that? You can stick your toothbrush in Hulk’s little decapitated head! Y’Know, so it won’t get dirty! Makes you want to barf and brush at the same time! There is another little Hulk at the top of this brush as well – he looks as though he’s pinching his nipples – so maybe not the best pose – but hey! This is the Hulk!

Lastly, this is a little Hulk toothbrush set that comes with 2 small toothbrushes and a rinsing cup that is marked with the “Radioactive” sign. Cause that’s what you want to teach the kids – teach them to drink the liquids found in a container marked “Radioactive”. I do like to see that they have put the “Incredible” back into the Hulk title. How aggravating when things just said “Hulk” How are people supposed to know just how incredible he is if it’s not in the title?

Marvel Select Red Hulk Figure (2008)

Yes, it came in! And yes! The head is a bit too small… The figure itself is pretty great – even the head mold is really decent – just not proportionally accurate. The body sculpt still works well with this figure. It’s still huge and towers over almost every figure they put out. The color is spot on – a slightly darker, less cherry red than the ML BAF Rulk. Man, that title feels like I’m texting…

The few things the BAF Red Hulk figure has over this one is that #1) The Red Hulk is supposed to be a little bigger than the green and the BAF is bigger than all of the ML Hulk figures. The Marvel Select figure is the same exact size as the green. #2) The BAF nails the McGuiness art really well. It nails the art in a way that very few toys do. The only other toy that surpasses this figure in accuracy is the ML Face-Off Hulk. The Marvel Select figure is just a little bit off in getting the look of McGuiness’ art. And since there haven’t been more than 3 artists that have drawn a published Red Hulk so far – and this figure doesn’t hit any of them – that’s a strike against it.

Green vs. Red! Green will beat you down!

The packaging is huge and has the Red Hulk image from Hulk #1’s cover. This was only available on the BBTS website. These are available on ebay for about $35.00. Or you could buy a case for $25.00 each which translate to roughly $150.00. But then you’re stuck with 5 extra figures… but it’s up to you – all I can do is try to steer you in the right direction – it’s up to you to make the choice. You guys grow up so fast… *weeping* Sorry, let’s get back on track here. 3000 of these figures are made. That’s a pretty small run so that will probably help it’s collectibility factor. Over all, I say pick this figure up if you can. even though it’s the less superior figure I still feel like it will be sought after. The BAF Rulk figure has already started to drop in price with a lot of them going for $60-$50 and a few are actually going for even lower than $50.

Legendary Scale Bust – Grey Version (2008)

So, I know I said I was going to post something else yesterday but after my shower I fell alseep, and today was so busy… but hey! You come here for free so I don’t want to hear any complaints! So – on to today’s treasure! I told you that when I got the green LSB that I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it really was. The pictures never did it justice. Well, what got me reconsidering the bust in the first place is this grey variant. A slightly smaller run on these bad boys – 300, and mine is # 194 – makes it a little more harder to get, but not much. The teeth gave these bad boys a bad wrap but all in all it’s one of the nicer Hulk busts.

Turned to the side he resembles a young Johnny Depp...

One of the members of Hulkspace needed to sell this guy off and he let the forum know. I was the lucky high bidder for it and thanks to the member for giving me a heads up. Some of the unique attributes of this statue include the green eyes, the paint job is done so well, the yellow ring around the pupil makes the eyes pop – Like they are really staring you down. Why do they always give the grey Hulk green eyes but the green Hulk doesn’t have grey eyes. Also they streaked the black hair with blue highlights. I can’t say it enough… if you haven’t gotten at least one of these then you should. But don’t pay SS prices.

Hulk vs. Aquon Sketch (2008)

I really wanted some Hulk vs. pieces. This was the first I purchased in N.Y. from Antonio M. Matias. I gave him the comic and he did his magic. The Hulk is bad-ass and I love the way that Hulk has Aquon bleeding! Of course, because the Hulk is to rough to handle! Why don’t villains learn that? This is truly one of Hulk’s best foes and I’m hoping to one day get Herb Trimpe to do a sketch for me – but for now I have this. Antonio draws Megaloid and the Battle Gaurd for Blurb Comics – check it out at blurbcomics.com.

Also, I thought it would be nice – since Christmas is coming – I will be posting a few times each day this week since I probably won’t be able to post next week too much. So I will post something later – but I need to rake a shower right now – so check in later. Yeah, later.

Sideshow Collectibles Abomination PF

This is a sneak of the new Abomination Premium Format Statue coming out. 2009 is going to make mt wallet cry. Yes, that’s right, an inanimate object will actually shed a tear.

Bowen Sneak Peek!

So, here it is – a peek at upcoming Hulk statues – in the pic is the Red Hulk (which I will not be purchasing) and the Maestro (which I will get right away!) But some news I just found out will be killing my wallet this upcoming year!

Wendigo Bust (2007)

I have this theory about statues and busts that sometimes, just sometimes, a base makes a piece. This is one of those statues. Don’t get me wrong – the sculpt on this bad boy is outstanding – but the sculptor, Tim Bruckner, really hit it home with the base! My word – Wendigo is sitting on top of a mound of human skulls! The best bases help tell the story of the character – and that’s exactly what this does – Wendigo, whose first appearance in Incredible Hulk #162 launched a popular new Hulk foe, but his most defining story and reality of his depressing origin is in the trilogy of #180-#182, also known for the first appearance of Wolverine.

This run is still pretty available on ebay and other sites and prices vary – but I was lucky enough to snag this through a great friend – but you should snag this when you can because it has a small run of 1000 (my bust is #462). Maybe 1000 isn’t too small – and actually might be too big because he is a pretty obscure villain. Thanks to Loeb the great history of Wendigo has now been altered and thrown away – because now there is Wendigo hybrids!

I think I knew one of those guys on the right...

So, all in all, this is one of those busts that made me smile when I opened it. If you don’t know the origin of this great character do yourself a favor and pick up the back story. They have collected it in enough trades by now it’s easy to find. I don’t want to give away how Wendigos are created but let’s just say it’s a curse – and a Canadian curse at that – so it’s doubly scary!

Hulk Book #2 (1979)

I found this book on ebay for mere pennies. I think these were a great idea for anyone who didn’t want to carry around a bunch of comics – these were perfect to fit right into your pocket – although not as easy to read as a comic. The pictures had to be condensed and smaller – thus the words smaller and harder to read. But that’s alright, it’s still a pretty great little book. Even better is the fact that they are in color – a notch in their column that the Essential Hulk series does not. I like the Essential Hulk volumes but it’s lack of color does sometimes hinder the storytelling.

Selling a few things… if you’re interested!

I have a few items on ebay including a great copy of Incredible Hulk #181!

Click on the links below to get to my auctions – please bid if you need any of these items – these are mostly my doubles and thought I could raise a little money with them!

Hulk 181
Hulk Comic Lot
Spider-Hulk Figure

Turner Variants (2006/2008)

Incredible Hulk #100 - Green Hulk Turner Variant

I’m not usually into getting variants. These variant comic covers are from the late, great Michael Turner though – and not to mention I found them at a covention where the guy sold them all to me for a pretty cheap price – so… here they are. The Incredible Hulk #100 also has a grey variant that I have never seen in person though.

The Hulk #6 cover has a great picture of the Red Hulk – but colored green would be a perfect rendition of the jade brute. Not sure what the incentive numbers were on these – how many each store had to buy to get them – but not too many places I visited had them in.

The Hulk #7 cover is a little more… well, let’s face it – it’s not the best Hulk I’ve seen. He’s way too skinny. And the hair? It’s a little too Leonardo DiCaprio from Titanic for me. It remeinds me of the Famous Covers Hulk figure from ’98. It still looks amazing though – Turner was a huge talent and he is sorely missed.

Hulk & Betty Mini Mates (2008)

Here’s the last 2-pack of this set. Of course it’s Betty and Hulk – and am I wrong in thinking that Betty looks kind of hot? Even without a nose? Anyways – Hulk’s hair looks a mess! You’d think that with Betty they would make the Hulk look all suave and stuff – combed hair, maybe put a tiny toy rose between his clenched teeth. I really like this line – except for the Hulk’s arms. They look too skinny. Like a body builder who pumps up his chest only and still has tiny little spaghetti arms. But this isn’t just regular old Hulk – this is battle damaged Hulk! See the lines on him? That’s the damage from the battle.

New Hulk Custom on Ebay!

Granted, it’s not the amazing custom that was up months ago – but this one still isn’t too bad! Click on the image.

Best Cover Ever… #6

Jim Steranko has delivered some of the best comic covers ever! This is most famous – based off of how many times the cover has been covered and with so many different characters. Check out what I’m talking about here. Or just click on the image. I love the covers of comics that have the characters messing with the title. Like the cover to Incredible Hulk #345 – or Uncanny X-Men 135 anyways, I hope you enjoy the eye candy!