BG Roundtable: Best & Worst of 2008

by Doug Smith

So, the gang at the Bad Genious was recently sitting around our secret headquarters, eating tater chips and drinking soda pops, when we realized we hadn’t done a roundtable in quite some time. Heck, the last time we did a roundtable, George W. Bush was President!


We quickly decided we should do a “Best & Worst of 2008” round-up. The decision was quick. The putting-together of random thoughts from a bunch of fanboys buzzing on caffeine and junk food? Well, that took a little longer. So, without further ado, I give you…the Best & Worst Comics of 2008!!!

Let’s start with Rory, still riding high from watching his own personal god (small “g”) perform at the Super Bowl…

Rory: Hm. Probably the best was Doctor 13 (although half was in 2007). Worst was Batman RIP.

Doug: That Doctor 13 series was an overlooked gem; I'll wager most people don't even know it exists. It didn't help that it was the back-up feature (in Tales of the Unexpected) to a mediocre Spectre lead story. But there's a trade out there for Doctor 13 and I would highly recommend it.

Brandon: My vote for best comic this year: Punisher #'s 55-60 (“Valley Forge, Valley Forge”).

This was one hell of a swansong for Garth Ennis on the Punisher MAX title. The framing device of using a new Punisher book about his time in Vietnam perfectly framed the story of how a group of military generals is trying to cover up their dirty past. It's a pity Garth Ennis has left this book, but I'm immensely pleased with this story. It's too bad because I feel as if this last arc was overshadowed by the glut of crossovers Marvel has been vomiting up all year.

Doug: I’m definitely suffering from crossover burnout. For the first time in years, I’m looking at some of these crossovers from the Big Two and skipping them. My days as a whore are behind me.

Speaking of whores, here’s our resident X-whore…

The General: I've pretty much just been buying X-titles and trades of things that came out four years ago. And, the X-titles rarely have high moments. They are generally either "decent" or "shitty."

Chris: I thought “Messiah Complex” was really good. Did that come out in 2008?

The General: It ended in January, so really the X-stuff I'd have to consider would all be the stuff that was released after “Messiah Complex”... and that's been a definite mixed bag.

Chris: Okay then and yes, I agree with your assessment. Gonna have to come up with some other stuff then.

While we wait for Chris to put down the chicken wings and come up with some answers, let's check in with our old friend Jon...

Jon Quixote: The Incredible Hulk #165-167 was fantastic.

Editor’s note: Jon is Canadian. This proves my theory that Canada is 35 years behind us in terms of pop culture. He’s also been raving about this “great” new band called Grand Funk Railroad, and he won’t shut up about how much he’s looking forward to Mel Brooks’ next movie, Blazing Saddles.

While we’re on the subject of people that are out of touch, let’s check in with our resident grumpy old man…

Doug: My vote for the best comic of the year goes not to one title, but a whole group of them: I think Marvel has done a great job with their C-list characters in the past year or two.
Immortal Iron Fist may just have been my favorite comic series of 2008, with Nova not too far behind. Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Britain and MI-13, and The Incredible Hercules are also excellent books. Moon Knight got much better as new writer Mike Benson found his way flying solo. Ms. Marvel continues to be a solid book three years into its run, as does X-Factor. The Inhumans, while not having their own title, continue to play big roles in major Marvel events. Eternals is a strong new series. I wasn't as keen on Ghost Rider, Black Panther, or the just-canceled She-Hulk, but they've all had respectable runs of 30+ issues. Who would have thought, a few years ago, that Marvel would have success with these characters?

On the other hand...2008 was the first year I didn't buy a monthly Avengers series in over 20 years. (I don't count Avengers: The Initiative...it's a good book but it's not really the Avengers.) When I did get sucked into buying New Avengers and Mighty Avengers as part of the Secret Invasion cross-over, it just made me even more upset about the status of my once-favorite series. Those crossovers were a boring waste of time and money, and for the most part, didn't even feature the Avengers! Ah well....Dan Slott arrived on Mighty Avengers this month, so that book is back on my pull list.

The General: I think that Doug's comment about the second tier books being better than the main books is pretty interesting and accurate in many regards.

Editor’s note: I love it when people agree with me. Mostly because it happens so rarely.

The General: I do feel that the main titles have ranged from watered down, to unfocused to just plain boring or bad while many second string characters have had really solid books in the last year or so.

And, I think that holds true for the X-line as well. Uncanny X-Men has had potential, but not found its sea legs. Astonishing X-Men is pretty much irrelevant and uninteresting (the first was to be expected, but the second was the surprise with Ellis writing). The only main X-book that has been any good is X-Men: Legacy... but that's been by effectively turning itself into a second string book focusing on Professor Xavier.

Meanwhile books like X-Force, Cable and Young X-Men, in my opinion, have been more interesting and focused than any of the main titles. And, while they all have their short comings, I find myself reading them often before the main titles.

I would disagree with Doug’s assertion that X-Factor has been strong. In my opinion, all momentum on the title has been undermined by it trying to be tied into every event that comes down the line, which has really caused it to lose focus. The rotating cast of characters and artists has only made matters seem worse. It's pretty close to the chopping block for me.

Mr. Orange: : I'm going to agree with Doug…

Editor’s note: Somebody else agreeing with me? Maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket tonight! Let’s hear that again…

Mr. Orange: I'm going to agree with Doug and Tyler here, the smaller titles have been the best this year; they have been given a lot more leeway and allowed to shine. Books that have spun out of the major events have been really solid, surprisingly so.

I've never read a Deadpool book till Secret Invasion and really enjoyed it, especially as prior to this I’ve not been a fan of Daniel Way's light style of writing. Then there was X-Force, a book I was not expecting to enjoy, but picked up on a whim. It is dark, gritty, and very true to its mandate. So far it has stuck to its guns, and brought along not only action packed stories, but intelligently written ones too.

Though Guardians of the Galaxy hasn't been as great as Nova (which is a hard act to follow), the great scripting of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning has really brought to life some very obscure characters, especially Rocket Raccoon.





Wow….high praise for a book that features Rocket Raccoon. That seems like as good a spot as any to wrap up our 2008 Best & Worst Roundtable!

Please join us for our next roundtable, which, if Jon Quixote has his way, will have something to do with his declaration that Gordon Lightfoot is the new Dylan.



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From Top to Bottom #19: The End?

by Matt

Welcome to the return (or is it the end?) of the long running and Tony award winning "From Top to Bottom" column! Every column, I will look at something within the comics industry and give you my opinion on what I think is the best and what I think ranks amongst the bottom-feeders.

I was in the middle of writing my new Shout Outs! and Scream Ats! column and I was looking at my set of Premiere hardcovers and I noticed that I have two of Marvel's The End series in that format. I was thinking of some of the other ones that Marvel published and thought about making a new Top/Bottom column based on Marvel's The End series. Especially since Iron Man: The End should be hitting shelves next month and we still have Daredevil: End of Days on the horizon. Hopefully these new End series will be more like my Top 3 picks than the Bottom 3.


3) Fantastic Four: The End
There are a couple of reasons why I really liked this series. The biggest reason was the art by my favorite artist, Alan Davis. The second reason why I liked this series was because it actually had a happy ending. The third reason is that this felt like the Fantastic Four, this is what I would imagine them doing in the future. It begins with the FF battling Dr. Doom which results in the death of Franklin Richards and Valeria Richards. The FF 'disband', Reed loses himself in his work, Susan leaves for an archaeological expedition underwater and eventually runs into Namor. Johnny, is leader of the Avengers, who now police much of the universe and Ben lives with his wife Alicia on Mars with their three children. The Fantastic Four, Reed in particular has helped Earth become a force in the Universe and has invented many things to improve life on Earth especially after the "Mutant Wars". Eventually they reunite when Sue contacts the team and they battle Dr. Doom again and we find out that Franklin and Valeria are alive and they are reunited with their family. A lot more happens than this. The only thing I didn't like was the last page, where basically it tells us that this wasn't really the end but just the beginning. The premise of these types of series was that this was the "End" or final story of the Fantastic Four. I don't mind the happy ending at all but it should just have ended there.



2) Hulk: The End
This is the first 'The End' that Marvel published and I feel that it was one of the best ones. Peter David and Dale Keown crafted a tale where hundreds of years later, the Hulk and Bruce Banner are still fighting for control. The world has ended with a nuclear war and the Hulk is the only survivor. Banner is devastated and tries to end his life but the Hulk manages to keep him alive. Finally, the Hulk and Banner reach a conclusion that results in both getting what they want. Not the happiest of endings but one that did end happy.



1) Punisher: The End
When I first read this I hated it. But each time I read it, I started to really like it and I think it is the strongest "End". Nuclear war (must be a trend here) has ended all life and the Punisher is in prison. A year later, Frank and another survivor trek to New York City to find a bomb shelter, which is hidden deep beneath the former site of the World Trade Centers. There he finds other survivors but deems that these survivors are ones that he would not run the world. So he kills them and then he kills the other guy that came with him because he was a criminal. Then he gets out and walks towards Central Park where we all know is where his family was killed and where the Punisher was born. Then he is consumed by fire. Garth Ennis really nails the Punisher here in this MAX End.


Not all "The End" series were great. Some of them could have been good but either were too long, not creative, or felt familiar.


3) Marvel Universe: The End
This really was not a terrible series but it felt like I had read it before somewhere. There were a couple of things that I did like. I enjoyed Thanos retelling how the Marvel Universe ended and I also liked how heroes kept being resurrected to keep evil in check. And they all the heroes were resurrected during the course of the story as well. What I didn't like was that it felt like the Infinity Gauntlet all over again, or was that Infinity War? It might have been Infinity Crusade, which is my point. I had read this before, the heroes get slaughtered until the strongest ones are left and then they do battle. Can you name them all? Hulk? Check. Warlock? Check. Dr. Strange, Silver Surfer, Dr. Doom? Check. Out of all the Bottom Ends (pun totally intended) this was the most enjoyable and most accessible.



2) X-Men: The End
You would think that the Father of the X-Men would have been the best one to end that franchise but I was wrong. First, this series lasted WAY too long. Three 6-issue series was way too much for me. Claremont had some neat moments in the series but they were few and far between. The majority of the comics just pandered to Claremont's favorites (WarSkulls, Slavers, Brood, Vargas, etc). If you didn't enjoy Chris's second and third run on the X-Men I would stay far away from this series. Most of the X-Men were featured which was nice but this didn't really feel like an X-Men story. I was expecting something along the lines of God Loves, Man Kills but I got something more like New Excalibur.



1) Wolverine: The End
At least this one didn't go beyond 6 issues. This was supposed to tie into Origin but I had a hard time following what was going on. Why did this series take #1? Wolverine (whom was an old fart by this time) was being stalked by the White Ghost who claimed that he could have killed him 200 years ago. Then why he just didn't kill him then? The White Ghost turns out to be John Howlett III, his brother from Origin. The White Ghost has this grand plan to put mutants on top and Wolverine and him wrestle and they fall out of a window and the White Ghost is killed when he is impaled on Logan's claws. Then the White Ghost whispers that he is sorry. That makes little sense to me. Why would he apologize when he said he could have killed him anytime? This horrible story was not helped by the cluttered artwork as well. I expected something like Wolverine's first miniseries but I got something completely opposite. Ugh.

This concludes another "Top/Bottom" column. Is this the "End" of these columns as well? I might have another one in me, I did just recently re-read Secret Wars II (in anticipation of the Omnibus) and I could post my Top/Bottom moments if you readers would like more. Read more!

THE INCREDIBLE HULK: The Movie: The Review

by Jon Quixote

Like most reviews of The Incredible Hulk you will read, I will start mine off by paraphrasing Gore Vidal. Vidal noted that writers who try to be great instead of good usually are neither. To many moviegoers, comic fans, and Marvel Studios executives, Ang Lee's vilified Hulk, with its kinetic comic-book visuals and focus on dissecting Banner's mental state, illustrates this principal.

In theatres today, The Incredible Hulk takes the lessons of the last movie to heart, and has only the modest ambition of making an entertaining movie with lots of collateral damage. Banner is chased until he turns into the Hulk, at which point he smashes. Repeat twice. Add romantic subplot. The end.

It delivers as promised. The chase scenes are fast-paced. The fight scenes are heavy on the smashing, and chock-full of both creative pounding and iconic imagery. The quieter moments are nicely quiet, which is probably the biggest one-up this one has on the 2003 version (that and the fact that the climax is comprehensible).

Edward Norton has reportedly refused to do publicity for the movie after the studio rejected his preferred cut. Apparently, he's a big fan of the comic and thought it would be truer to form if the scenes with Betty were out-and-out pornography. While I appreciate his fidelity, I don't know if there's a cut out there that would make me really happy with this movie.

Norton Smash Word of Mouth For Movie!

My big issue is that the Hulk doesn't really feel like the Hulk in the comics. I don't think this is a case of fanboy whining about how it's not like I read it when I was 10 (or, in my case, two weeks ago). I don't really care about fidelity to the source. I care that Hulk is largely devoid of personality and charm. Sure he roars when he smashes, and he looks soulful when he's alone with Betty, and he's way more heroic and cautious in his destruction than anybody gives him credit for. But that's about it for The Movie Hulk. You might remember him from King Kong. And I don't really care about him too much.

For example, the villain's (paper-thin) backstory is that he's an action-junkie who wants to get stronger so he can keep fighting. He changes and goes on a rampage because, well, he can. So when he fights the Hulk, it's a battle between the cocky Abomination and a mute-Hulk who simply wants to stop the bad guy. But, really, wouldn't it be more interesting if we got a hero who was a little pissed that somebody thought he was stronger and smarter than Hulk? One who screams "Hulk is strongest one there is" when turning the tables on his foe. I think so. I think the movie Hulk is a pretty good character, but missing some of his essence, some of his soul.

That soullessness is evident throughout the flick. Thunderbolt is simply a gung-ho douchebag, though William Hurt has as much fun with him as possible. Tim Roth is probably miscast as the ultimate warrior, Emil Blonsky (why is the one movie where he's supposed to be an action hero the first movie where I realized just how freakin' tiny Tim Roth actually is. Did they get him from K'ai?). Tim Blake Nelson's Samuel Sterns is pretty awesome, but by making him an unscrupulous scientist instead of a dummy-turned-genius, again I think they're missing a minor but significant element of the character.

In a scene from the upcoming sequel, Hulk stares down the Mole Man.

I think when the Marvel movies have been great - like Iron Man or X2 - they've kept things simple, but also connected with the things that make the characters great (which is mostly their personalities). Here, they had the right swing, but I think they only got a piece of the ball.

But I'm dwelling on the negative (bad dork with a blogger account, bad!). This is a good action movie and a good comic book movie. We wanted to see Hulk smash. We wanted to see Bruce run. We wanted a script completely devoid of discussion about nanites. And that's what we got. It's action-packed, with a good sense of humor, a strong sense of emotion, a few comic book easter eggs, and cameos by Stan The Man, Lou Ferrigno, and even Bill Bixby. It's just not great.

Of course, it doesn't have to be great. It just has to be entertaining. It is.

And provided they make Edward Norton happy again ($$$), there will be no need to reboot a second time. I'm looking forward to the next entry in the franchise. Especially because there's nothing stopping them from having a little more fun with the character of The Hulk next time. And that might be incredible.


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Hulk's Video Hat-Trick

by Patrick

The original plan for this week's Hat Trick was an in depth look at the three battles that old green-jeans had with the flagship character of the "other big comic company," Superman. But now it's Friday and I've barely started the article. Maybe someday I'll finish it, but for this week, I share with you three fun Hulk videos that maybe you haven't seen before. If you are ready to see Jack Kirby, Guillermo, and some old school cartoons, make with the clicky on the link and I'll show them to you.

VIDEO #1: JACK KIRBY ON THE INCREDIBLE HULK: Stan Lee may get all the love from Marvel with his many movie cameoes, but The King did an appearance as a sketch artist on the old Hulk TV show. See if you can guess who he is drawing!



VIDEO #2: GUILLERMO AS THE HULK VS. ED NORTON: The other night on Jimmy Kimmel's NBA pregame show, they did a pretty funny bit based around today's big movie release. It's really pretty funny (and I think it may be the only bit of promotion that Norton has done for the film):



"Did you see Fight Club? American History X? Do you want you face on the curb?"

VIDEO #3: HULK CLASSIC CARTOON: I was going to post the cartoon recapping the origin of the Hulk, but our esteemed guest editor, The Leader, demanded I include a cartoon featuring him. So watch The Leader send Hulk to another planet, where he meets The Watcher. And dig that groovy theme song! Come on, sing it with me! "Dr. Bruce Banner, Belted by Gamma Rays....."



That closes out the Hat Trick for tonight. Next week things will be back to normal, reviewing books. Until then, don't make me angry. You won't like me when I am angry.

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Midnight Mass - Watching The Incredible Hulk

by Brandon

I don't do this often, honest. The plan was so deliciously perfect. My friend and co-worker Scott and I catch all sorts of shitty movies together that my significant other won't see with me. Scott's my rock 'n roll friend, but with a fanboy twist. The last two weeks of school were agonizing, but his plan to catch a midnight showing of Hulk in celebration was too tantalizing. The plan was set, the tracks laid. Now all we could do was wait and simmer in geekiness. Preparations must be made.

Here is the truth; I am not a huge fan of the Hulk. Nor would I even consider my knowledge of the Hulk to be anywhere near encyclopedic. if anything, my knowledge of the Hulk would probably more resemble Wikipedia after your twelve year old cousin went through and blindly edited several pages to include crude jokes about Hulk's penis size. I enjoy the Ultimate version far more than the Marvel version. My only real, extended exposure to the anti-hero in Green was with the Bruce Jones run, which apparently a large swath of Hulk fans pretty much hated. Planet Hulk? I skipped it. World War Hulk? Meh. This Red Hulk business? Check, please.

You see, I like Bruce Banner oriented-Hulk books more than just Hulk Smash books. Why? Because with Bruce there seems to be a lot more character development, more that I can relate to. With Hulk, you pretty much get what you expect; Hulk smashes shit. While this can be entertaining, it's generally not enough for me to keep reading.

I, like many fans, have been very skeptical about this possibly-too-soon remake of the franchise. This honest dose of skepticism is well deserved. The 2003 Ang Lee film brings up a Spinal Tap moment for a two word review; shit sandwich. I'm happy that he was able to follow it up with a masterpiece like Brokeback Mountain. Not many directors could rebound from such an incredible flub like Hulk (pun intended).

Our plan to see Hulk at midnight needed some rigid preparations that we would slavishly adhered to. It was like preparing for the Geek Olympics. We wanted a Medal for seeing it at midnight. The preparations for our midnight excursion were thus;

1) Go to bed late on Wednesday night. This is not an easy thing for two teachers accustomed to rising early and going to bed even earlier.
2) Wake up late on Thursday morning.
3) At 9 PM Thursday, drink a pot of coffee. Caffeinated, please.
4) Mentally prepare yourself by reading comic books.
5) Arrive at theater around 11:30 PM to bask in the geekiness and talk shop.

We each followed our merry plan to completion. I read some comics that had absolutely nothing to do with Hulk so I could go in fresh; Punisher War Journal, Star Wars: Legacy, and Conan were my brews of choice. I got in my car and made it to the theater. My people were there. There was every variety of fanboy and fangirl present, as if Noah had parked the Ark outside of the local comic shop and took us fans two-by-two into his warm embrace. There were lots of young folks too. Nothing ages you more than a gaggle of teens and college students.

The theater was abuzz with anticipation. As Scott and I found our seats, we heard snippets of at least twelve conversations we could have easily contributed to along the way. Someone was talking about how the Cap scene was taken out. Another was discussing the new War Zone trailer on the net. Yet another was talking about he was done with these "bullshit events." My people. Chance are since you're reading this, your people too.

The theater manager entered to warm up the crowd. He let us know about all the other midnight shows coming up. Once he huddled off, the previews began and the film opened up. The bright, catchy introduction began to play that we have come to expect from Marvel films, sufficiently covering the origin of our hero in green. What happened next took us all by surprise.

It was a great Hulk film.

Maybe our expectations were too low, but everyone in the theater applauded at the end. I hadn't seen that happen in a long time. I won't spoil anything for you, kind reader, but I will say that you are in for a treat when you hit the theater. It is not a perfect film, but it probably ranks just below Iron Man in terms of quality. There's a little humor. There's a little romance. There's a lot of action. You definitely leave the theater wanting more, which is always a good thing. The future looks bright for Hulk.

The rest of my day just looks plain sleepy. Read more!

Two In One: Hulk & Iron Man game reviews

by Jon Quixote
Contrary to what The General (commander of the army of Wrong) may claim, the Hulk does not kill. I know this. Not one hour ago, I saw The Hulk pick up a New York pedestrian, pound him in the head three times, and then throw him into a city bus with enough velocity to cause an explosion. And in doing so, the Hulk took enough care to ensure that the man was able to get up, dust himself off, and run far far away.

Thus endeth the lesson. The Incredible Hulk, at least the one that stars in Sega's new video game, does not kill. No matter how hard I try to make him. He can't. I blame puny Banner.

But when it comes to property damage, however, Hulk makes Niko Bellic look like Rudy Giuliani. If you like to smash things - buildings, tanks, billboards, army men in high-tech exoskeletons - is this ever the game for you. And if you don't like that at all... well, I guess you shouldn't be spending your time playing video games anyway. You're busy figuring out what the hell is wrong with you.

In small doses, running a half-ton gamma-powered Godzilla through what looks to be decently rendered Manhattan is a lot of fun. The Incredible Hulk: The Game follows the GTA-inspired pattern established by the Spider-Man games: you have the run of the city, vertically and horizontally, with missions, challenges, and easter-eggs sprinkled throughout. And much like Ultimate Destruction, if you decide you want to leave Rick Jones to the Enclave and just start smashing the heck out of the city, you can do that too.

The nice thing about The Incredible Hulk is that there are lots of small coolnesses. From being able to unlock and play as the different Hulks, like Mr. Fixit, to a very active progression system, so far there's always been something to keep me playing. There are challenges within challenges like trying to maneuver the U-Foes to take each other out. There are comic book references, like DAMAGE CONTROL vans putting around the city (and irony, when you throw one hard enough to bring down the Chrysler building. That was awesome. But I'm a Ford guy, so maybe it's just me.).

I also really felt like The Hulk. Not just in regards to the raw power in the avatar, but also in more subtle ways. Do enough damage, and the army comes after you. But the mere act of moving around the city as the Hulk causes that damage, and if you land on one too many taxicabs while hopping to the next mission, you can find yourself being hunted mercilessly by armored vehicles and soldiers with sonic cannons no matter how benevolently you're playing. At one point, just trying to get to the next checkpoint and running into a battalion of army dudes, I actually exclaimed "$#@%!, leave me alone!" and then had to pause for a moment to reflect on what happened.


The major criticism I can make about this game is that there's not much in the way of large coolnesses. Much like the aforementioned Spider-Man games, I start to wear down. I'm not the best video game reviewer because I get bored very easily (the only game I've played through to the end in the last five years is CoD4). I'm surprised that a week later I'm still happy to give an hour or two to this game here and there, but I'm starting to fade. The storyline isn't engaging in the slightest, and the game never really rises above button-push fighting.

Did I mention Bi-Beast was in this game? I guess Woodgod was tied up i some sort of licensing snafu. Still, someone actually thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if Hulk fought Bi-Beast?" I would like to buy that person a beer.

Still, it's the best comic book game I've played since Ultimate Alliance. It's basically a next-gen tweak of Ultimate Destruction, but the developers went out of their way not only to make it look gorgeous, but to make it a lot more fun. I think they're hampered by the parameters of what they're doing - there's nothing innovative going on behind this very basic, almost old-school game. But they did a pretty good job making something to satisfy both my twitchy ADD gamer self and my comic book geek side.

Verdict: B. Definitely rentable. Maybe even worth a purchase.

Iron Man, on the other hand, was a downright miserable experience. A herky-jerky aerial combat game that bordered on the unplayable.

Now, I'll cop to some personal bias here. I like video games. However, I suck at them. I'm a 30 year old who's more like 40 on the tech-curve. There's a type of game that seems to be gaining popularity as engines progress, and that's the type of game that's super-speedy and incredibly chaotic. Iron Man is in that style. A 3-D aerial combat version of Smash TV.

Maybe there's an art to these games that I just don't get, but that is incredibly enjoyable and satisfying to a certain demographic. But this is my experience with Iron Man: I'd fly over a hill and into a swarm of bad guys. I'd fly far away, I'd lock in on one, I'd fly through the swarm while firing on my target, and the target would blow up. I'd fly away again, heal if necessary (rarely necessary), and then repeat. Wheeeeee? I'd rather play that stupid horse riding game I saw in Untraceable. You know, the one that gives tech-savvy psychopaths access to all the data in my hard drive.

I also struggled with the controls and the camera mechanics. There's a part of the game where Tony is supposed to grab onto a US fighter jet and take it down that way (rather than shooting them down and being a bad citizen). Well, good effing luck that I could find the things most of the time, and great effing luck trying to line myself up with them so that I could try and precision-time the grab. Three planes need the treatment and that was an hour of my life that was spent having ever so much fun.

Terrorists try to smuggle some fun into this game, but Iron Man puts a stop to their plot.

The capper on this game for me came when I got to fight Blacklash! Yay, right? A kitschy villain who I was excited to run into in video-game form, who I'm never going to get to fight outside of a dedicated Iron Man game. Except that I never ran into him, and killed him from afar without ever even seeing his character design or figuring out how he was hurting me. (It was either a whip or a helicopter, I'm pretty sure) How lame is that? That's Teen Tony Lame.

So my apologies to the people who worked on this game. I'm sure you all worked very hard. But you all suck.

There was one good thing about playing Iron Man. And that's the fact that having save-game data on my XBOX unlocked the Iron Man Hulkbuster armor as a playable 'skin' on my Hulk game. Sweet. I just turned Incredible Hulk: The Game into Armor Wars: Iron Man vs. Tanks.

Verdict: D-. If you're a dedicated comic-book video gamer, and have nothing going on right now, maybe you might squeeze a couple hours of enjoyment out of this one. But that's about it.


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Comics For Kids: Marvel Age Hulk

by Betsy

Did you hear? There’s a new comic book movie coming out this week – The Incredible Hulk. Since the movie is PG-13, I won’t be taking my three-year-old to see it.

The Incredible Hulk might not be for kids, but Marvel certainly has an interest in introducing kids to the Hulk himself. In Entertainment Weekly Marvel's president of production Kevin Feige pointed out, next to Spider-Man, the Hulk is probably Marvel’s most universally known character. "It's Spidey and Hulk standing atop Mount Marvel." Younger kids can get their Hulk fix with toys (like the Hulk Hands modeled here by Jack) or by reading the Marvel Age Hulk comics. Are these comics a good introduction to the big green guy?

Jack and I read Marvel Age Hulk #1: Cowboys and Robots, by Mike Raicht and Patrick Scherberger. The story begins with Bruce Banner wandering through the Southwest, trying to escape his own inner Hulky demons, as he has done so many times before. He runs into an old high-school classmate and her son, whose car has broken down. The kid thinks that he and his mom are looking for his father, who ran out on them, but we quickly learn that actually, the mom is running away from him. It turns out that he has been involved in some kind of experiment that has bonded him to a killer robot, and the guy is intent on continuing his experiment on his family – including his little boy. Naturally, the killer robot dad and his killer robot buddies track them down, Banner Hulks out, and after the fight is over, the killer robot dad sees the error of his ways and begins to reunite with his family.

How on earth is this story appropriate for kids? I will grant that my son is younger than what the target demographic might be. However, a story in which a kid is hunted by his psychotic father who intends to conduct dangerous experiments on him is the stuff nightmares are made of. If you are writing a book that is intended to be for all ages, I think it’s a reasonable expectation that the story be free of murderous parents.

If you read the story as an adult, with no need to shield an impressionable young mind, it is no better. Raicht relies too heavily on coincidence – Banner just happens to run into someone he knows. The kid conveniently falls asleep – in the middle of the day – to allow his mom to explain the situation to Banner. And of course, the father is able to find them in the first place. The resolution is unrealistic; that mother is awfully forgiving considering the danger he was willing to put her child in.

The weak story was not even improved by a good old fashioned bout of HULK SMASH action. It was unclear what was happening in the fight scenes, and the match between the killer robot guys and the Hulk was uneven from the beginning. I reviewed another Marvel all-ages book with art by Scherberger here and found he did a much better job with the action scenes. The fact that things are so muddy in this book makes me wonder if he had poorer script direction.

If Marvel Age Hulk #1 represents Marvel’s best attempt to turn young kids into Hulk fans, then Abomination is the least of Hulk’s troubles. This book rates an F: Freakin’ Crap in a Hat. Read more!

Breaking News! The Hulk Kills!

by the General

One of the most hotly debated topics around the Bad Genious campfire is "Does the Hulk kill?" Some maintain that he is a savage brute with little to no regard for human life as he ravages his way across the American Southwest. Others claim that--deep down--he is actually a noble spirit. And that while his battles with the Abomination may keep Damage Control busy, at the end of the day he strives to avoid killing innocents or even the villains with whom he exchanges blows.

Well, dear readers, after doing some research on the matter, I would like to present a piece of evidence that I feel will finally bring an end to this debate. I now present to you Hulk's epic battle against...

the Roller Disco Devils!! (Click to enlarge)


Now, look carefully at panels number four and five. Just look!


Unless you can find evidence that the Roller Disco Devils possess a level of invulnerability that I am unaware of (I challenge you!), I think that we can all maintain that the act of being rolled up in a strip of asphalt and then sat upon by the Hulk is enough to kill the average man. Even if the majority of them have somehow survived, I think that it's obvious that the Devil with the yellow pirate shirt is easily having his spine broken a dozen times over.

So yes, the Hulk does kill. He kills to keep the streets safe. He kills because he hates disco. And, most importantly, he kills so that the children can get all the fruit pies they want.

And now, in memory of the deceased Roller Disco Devils, I will sing their favorite song:

Yeah, yeah!
Baby!
Wo, wo!
Rock! Roll!
Yeah, yeah!

RIP.

And now, on to the next debate: "Does the Hulk want to eat humans like they are Hostess Fruit Pies?"

Discuss!
Read more!

From Top to Bottom: HULK SMASH ARTISTS!

by Matt

Welcome to the 7th edition of the weekly "From Top to Bottom" column! Every week I will look at something within the comics industry and give you my opinion on what I think is the best and what I think ranks amongst the bottom-feeders.

Last week I took a look at the Top and Bottom of Comic Crossovers that I want to see published. This week, in eager anticipation for the new Hulk film, I will be taking a look at my Top 3 Hulk artists along with some that I didn't think did the Green Goliath justice.

To me, the Hulk should be a monster, more mean looking than nice and should be more bulky than ripped like a weight lifter. The Hulk gets his strength from the Gamma radiation not really from his muscles. He shouldn't have muscles on muscles for muscles sake, which then are all intertwined with thousands and thousands of veins. He should be large and intimidating, not like a human on roids.

3) John Byrne
Byrne only drew the Hulk for a short time. (A trend that Byrne seems to have on most of his books.) But he drew a powerful and savage Hulk.









2) Herb Trimpe
When I think of the Hulk, I think of this classic look drawn perfectly by Herb Trimpe. Trimpe had an amazing run on the Hulk that lasted about seven years. He drew a very simple Hulk, his Hulk was not overly muscular or full of veins. The one thing that I like that Trimpe did was that he managed to make the Hulk look like a monster but he still possessed an innocence behind the monster. Very much like Frankenstein.


1) John Romita Jr.
Romita's Hulk is exactly what I think the Hulk should be. His Hulk is not saddled with tons of muscles and veins, his Hulk is large and more importantly displays a ticking time-bomb that just smolders beneath the surface. Even when the Hulk is not angry, the look on his face and his body languages tells a different story. He is ALWAYS angry.


The bottom choices that I made are not due to the artist themselves. All of the artists that I have listed here, regardless if they were in the top or here in the bottom, they are insanely talented and I highly respect them. I just don't think that they were correct artists to portray what I think the Hulk should be.


3) Mike Deodato Jr.
Deodato can certainly draw a large, menacing, and very scary Hulk but the Hulk looked unnatural and I was turned off because he was so full of veins. Like I mentioned before, the Hulk is bulky and strong but not so ripped and 'veiny'.







2) Gary Frank
Frank got the bulkiness correct and he drew a good looking Hulk but that was part of the problem, his Hulk was too good looking. This was due because of the Hulk's character at the time, (the Hulk was merged into the smart Hulk) but he was a little too normal looking. If this piece was done in black and white would we have known it was the Hulk? Or just Superman on roids and without the cape?



1) Jeff Purves
He got the monster part right but his Hulk was too simple. His Hulk was not intimidating enough and large enough. While his art was clear and you can see what was happening, it didn't have any zest/anger to it. He did draw one of my favorite Hulk story lines in Countdown.






There has been a lot of fantastic artists that have drawn the Hulk during his series that I am sure most of you will point out to me. What about Keown? Kubert? Perez? Buscema? Well, I have 2 words for you: HULK SMASH!

See ya next week when I bring my Father's Day edition! (I know, I know, I will be a few days late!)

Read more!

Mighty Marvel Marathon: The Incredible Hulk Finale

by Jon Quixote
It's HULK WEEK here at the Bad Genious. We've got a new name, in honor of our new leader... The, uh, Leader! And we're starting things off with a conclusion, the final lap of my Incredible Hulk Marathon.

That's right. Over 535 Hulk comics are behind me as I type this. Clearly, I'm now the world's preeminent expert on the Jade Giant. What better way to serve our brilliant new overlord than to to study up on his greatest foe?

I LOVE THE LEADER!

The Incredible Hulk 027
I’m kind of a sucker for fill-in issues, because they're the ones most likely to feel like a short story. I think Larry Hama is one of the best Daredevil writers and so far, my favorite Hulk scribe is probably Archie Goodwin. Sean McKeever gives Paul Jenkins a breather here.
This is a nice classic-Hulk issue, with good observational narrative. Questions are more interesting than answers, and a single line like “maybe Bruce Banner is in there, trying to run the show like an ant steering the Titanic” is worth more than a thousand issues of Bruce wagging his finger at Grey Hulks in his mindscape. I’ve shared a beer or two with McKeever before, but I kinda forgot that he had a Hulk credit. I hope he’s proud of this issue, though I think we’re going to have to have a talk about Hulk and killing.

The Incredible Hulk 029
Another fill-in issue. This one by Fabian Nicieza (and Hotz and Powell, who also did the last), and it deals with the Hate-Monger. I like it less than the last one, because it has lots of hallucinations and mind-fighting crap, but since Jenkins’ last two-parter was basically a Hulk version of the Alan Moore Superman story, “For The Man Who Has Anything,” with Bruce, once again grappling with his mind-Hulks, I drink Nicieza’s milkshake here. I drink it up.

The Incredible Hulk 032
The Banner has ALS storyline wraps up as a public-service announcement, and Banner gets cured using his evil father’s DNA or something. I’m mostly happy it’s over though, so I don’t care. I was hoping it would resolve the whole multiple-Hulks thing at the same time. I guess I can’t have anything.


The Incredible Hulk 033
The fill-in issues are saving this book. This one is a lightweight story about the Hulk in Wakanda by Christopher Priest. I say “lightweight” but I mean it as a compliment. This issue, it’s sensational.
I wonder if these fill-in writers look at their shot at the Hulk and think “okay, if I’m only ever going to write one issue of the Hulk, I want it to be…” and they don’t get caught up in whatever convoluted mumbo-jumbo is going on in the main storyline and instead they just write Hulk.

The Incredible Hulk 034
The first issue of the Bruce Jones run. One of the best Hulk issues of all-time.
Oh but it just doesn’t last, does it?
Still, even now I can feel the promise of the run still alive in the air. Maybe it turns out differently this time?
I like that they’ve just forgotten what was going on with Intelligent Hulks and Devil Hulks and Grey Hulks. Just back to Hulk, as though one day Banner woke up and thought “this is pretty stupid and I’m not doing it anymore.” Good for you, Banner.

The Incredible Hulk 035
The Nuff Said silent issue. We’ve come a long way from the days of “I’m using my heat-vision to melt the bullets!”

The Incredible Hulk 038
Ever see that SNL Digital Short “Dear Sister”? The one where the roommates keep shooting each other, coming back to life, shooting each other again, to the tune of “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap?

I heard they were making fun of the OC or something with it. But apparently, it’s a riff on this Hulk arc.

The Incredible Hulk 043
This is the issue where everybody won’t stop talking about “The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.” It’s just like my house on Friday nights since I got Jan out of her useless Wordsworth phase. We’re all ever so smarth. Jones is pretty smarth too. He’d have to be, what to write a story where the characters all discuss and flawlessly quote Coleridge while engaged in a car chase. The best part is how seamlessly Romantic poetry dissertations are integrated into the storyline. Also great: my penchant for sarcasm.

The Incredible Hulk 044
In encrypted communication, Samson confirms his identity to Banner by describing Betty’s intimate birthmarks. This is awesome for two reasons:
Reason One: Clearly, the only thing he’s confirming is that he’s either met Betty Banner or been to a gas station bathroom in New Mexico.
Reason Two: “Bruce, you must meet with me. It’s important. Also, I totally banged your dead wife, dude.”

This is a good issue. Add Bruce Jones to the list of writers who show Doc Samson a lot of respect.

The Incredible Hulk 046
Cool cover alert. So cool.
(It’s way more positive than me saying “shitty issue alert.” At times like these, it pays to think positive.)

The Incredible Hulk 051
I still believe whole “withhold the Hulk, focus on Bruce Banner” approach is a really good idea.

However, integral to that idea is to have an idea of something to do with Banner. Something more than having him drugged (like an idiot) while generic black-ops agents engage in a carousal of shooting each other that’s so repetitive it’s hilarious.
Ah, the Jemas era.

The Incredible Hulk 052
No, really. I love it when characters who just showed up carry out all of the action while the main character continues to sleep. I’m pretty sick of Bruce Banner by now anyway. Thank you, Bruce Jones, for introducing me to the adventures of, uh, that guy. Y’know, the one with the gun. He rocks.


The Incredible Hulk 053
It opens with some more of the mysterious agents explaining the events of the last few issues to The Abomination, and telling him what they want to do. Of course, they could have just opened with this issue, right, since a huge portion of the last three was pretty much devoted to exactly what they accomplish in the first two pages here.

Mike Deodato Jr. draws an awesome Abomination though.

The Incredible Hulk 055
Oh no! They killed that guy! How could they?

The Incredible Hulk 058
It’s the Absorbing Man arc. Y’know, the one where the Absorbing Man has new powers, a new personality, and even goes by a semi-new name.

At least he’s still bald.

The Incredible Hulk 062
The ‘Split Decisions’ arc. This is part 3 of 5. It’s a zillion times better than the last one though, even though it’s a little plodding.

One of the agents who has been trailing/helping Bruce now claims to be Betty Ross.
She gets naked. And I think she’s starting to lay the foundation for a three-way between her, the Abomination’s wife, and Bruce.

If she ain’t Betty, she’s done her homework.

The Incredible Hulk 064
“Split Decisions”. Part 5 of 6. Hey! Now, I’ll fully admit I’m no mathematician, but…

Anyway. To play MacGuyver, Doc Samson needs a shirt. He asks Nadia for hers. When she hesitates, Betty steps up.
Welcome back, Mrs. Banner.

It’s also important to note that Doc Samson is himself wearing a shirt at this point. And while he claims that it’s ill suited to the juryrigging he’s doing, he doesn’t offer a trade.

Doc Samson: History's Greatest Hero.

The Incredible Hulk 066
Betty tries to rape Samson. Centuries from now, advanced alien races will find this marathon, one of the last remaining artifacts of human culture, study it and come to the inevitable scientific conclusion that Jon Quixote was clearly full of shit. But I swear that I am not.

The Incredible Hulk 069
Evil Clone Spider-Banner Hulk, the product of an evil cabal of unlimited resources that has also invented immortal operatives (that continue to run around the countryside assassinating each other), as well as resurrected Betty aka Mr. Blue, albeit with a reconstructed face, super-strength and ovarian cancer, says to Regular Hulk, “The plot’s all so much more complicated than you can possibly know.”

I love it when there's a character who represents the audience.

The Incredible Hulk 076
That “plot so much more complicated than you can possibly know” thing?
Leader wanted the Hulk's body. So he (see above).

Thanks for the “ride,” Mr. Jones. It wasn’t all bad, but I think it would have been better if you had not confused “plot” and “mystery” with “dicking around.”


The Incredible Hulk 077
Welcome back, Peter David. But not really.

The Incredible Hulk 081
That was pretty… dumb. 5 issues of “maybe it was all just a dream?” I’m glad I didn’t pay for that. Well, I kinda did but you know what I mean.

The Incredible Hulk 082
A murdered sorceress seeks out the Hulk (who can see astral forms, remember!) to help her find her killer before she dissipates or whatever. Another short story issue, and a damned fine one at that, with moody art by Jae Lee.

The Incredible Hulk 088
After the “House of M” storyline (which was fine, if irrelevant), Daniel Way takes over the writing duties. But more importantly, Keu Cha and Jason Keith take over art and coloring duties. This book is gorgeous!

Hulk fights salmon and back-woods date rapists. *Spoilers* He wins.

The Incredible Hulk 092
“Planet Hulk!” It’s off to a jam-packed start. It reminds me of an amalgamation of the “Crossroads” storyline and the “Heart of the Atom” issues. I’m inclined to like it already. And like it so far I do.

The Incredible Hulk 093
There’s a cool moment/surprise in this issue that actually made me exclaim “Nice!”
I don’t really like the way the Hulk is being written – sort of like Grey Hulk in Savage Hulk’s body. This story would be much cooler with innocent, stupid Hulk rather than asshole Hulk.

But for the most part, it’s fun.

The Incredible Hulk 099
And the disc ends. But “Planet Hulk” continues. Dammit!
But “Planet Hulk” is awesome. So tomorrow, it’s off to the local to buy the trade. That's right: I can't stop reading Hulk comics.


Still, the marathon ends here. I’d like to thank my agent, my mother, and you, all of you. You’re the real heroes.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go play The Incredible Hulk video game that just came out.


Read more!