@atheistknowledge: I really don't understand what the problem is. Are you thinking that this new Hulk being presented as the same Hulk as the original. It seems that they are going out if their way to show that this in fact a different person and a different Hulk. Banner is presumably still Banner and the original hulk is still very much connected to banner. This hulk doesn't seem to be an alternate personality but more like a She-hulk situation. Are you upset that Banner isn't the Hulk getting the spotlight? Basically this whole thing seems like a non-issue. Everybody knows Banner is the original hulk and that won't change based on one book, about a different character.
The problem is, that the "concept" of the Hulk, or the very foundation of that persona is being thrown out the window. I already had my problems with the Red Hulk and all the other crazy crap they started up way back then, but for a time these new variations grew on me because Ross, Betty and Rick did not demean the position of the one and original. Hulk, was still THE Hulk. Now given that they've compared what's happening to Hulk to what happened to Thor recently, you can understand why many of us fans aren't particularly happy. The great thing about this character is that you don't need to replace him, since you can create a new incarnation and pick it up from there. Or at the very least, try to come up with a way to create a new status for Hulk, something that hasn't been done before. I mean, this is a protagonist who gone from being a Gangster/ leg breaker in Las Vegas to being the warlord/king of an alien planet. Hulk has the luxury to be flexible, something other characters falter in.
But okay, fine, it does bother me that Banner isn't in the spotlight, but f*ck it, I can get behind a new Hulk, as long as it is done right. However, here's the thing. They aren't even approaching the situation correctly. Hulk can blend with many tones but the core concept is that being the Hulk is just as much as a curse as it is a blessing. Bruce Banner knows this and he doesn't joke with it, so even when we have a fun story of Hulk smashing the living shit out of something, it's still takes place under the notion that Hulk is dangerous. He's an engine of destruction, he can be indestructible, incredible, mindless, and so on and on but the fact that Hulk's story is a tragedy never really changes. Don't get me wrong, I know Hulk's a hero, and I'm not under the delusion that he can't have a happy ending once in a while but the fact of the matter is, Bruce knows what it means to be the Hulk. Whether cho, or whoever this new guy is learns this lesson still remains to be seen, but everything I've seen so far shows that they are approaching this title with a completely new direction, which granted isn't bad, but you can change or establish new goals for a character, but not at the expense of what defines this said protagonist. Does a title like The "totally awesome Hulk" indicate anything of a tragic nature? Or at the very least that this new guy will have to face certain responsibilities? No, what it demonstrates is that being the Hulk is "totally awesome", which, as you may have figured out is pure crap.
My point is, us fans can have a fun Hulk story, but the character itself can't have fun being the Hulk, because that's not how this works. Hulks power comes from anger, pain tragedy, etc. So the very notion of what makes Hulk the Hulk is always engulfed in something bad. The title isn't out yet, but I have the right to not feel optimistic about this title, and with good reason. That said, Pak understands Hulks world well, so this may not be that bad. The only positive thing I can say is that this can indeed work for the better, if Bruce acts as a mentor to this new guy, but that itself isn't ideal either, since they could have used skaar as the new protagonist, who is already the son of The Hulk, and who, despite his growth, still needs guidance.
Log in to comment