A Pinoy Blog About Nothing

Hulk: Gray
Story by Jeph Loeb
Art by Tim Sale

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale has a formidable body of work. They have managed to offer fresh take on Superman, Batman, Daredevil, Spider-Man and Wolverine. With Hulk: Gray they take on yet another of comics most recognizable character: the Hulk.

While most modern incarnations of Hulk in the comics, TV and the movie is that as a green giant, his first comics outing was gray. According to legend, the green Hulk was a result of a printing error, back in the time when comic books was printed with four-colors. Loeb and Sale, like in Daredevil: Yellow and Spider-Man: Blue, goes back to the character’s early years and try to show what the Hulk was all about. While it may not be as successful as their early outings, Loeb and Sale do come up with an interesting Hulk story.

The bulk of the story takes place as a flashback. Bruce Banner, the Hulk’s human alter ego, visits his friend, Doc Samson. Banner talks about his early days as the Hulk. As a scientist working on the gamma bomb, Banner risks his life by marching out on test site to save a teenager who has wandered in during a live test. Banner finds himself transformed into the gargantuan gray monster, his once brilliant intellect reverting to that of a savage beast attacking everything that threatens him.

Banner reveals to Samson how despite how his monstrous persona’s initial rampage, he was drawn to Banner’s girlfriend, Betty Ross. Betty Ross, daughter of General Thunderbolt Ross, didn’t know what has happened to Banner during the test and was not able to piece together that Banner and the Hulk was one and the same. Meanwhile, General Ross throws the might of the US Army to killing the monster even if it meant putting him or his daughter in danger.

Loeb tries to delve into the mind not so much of Banner but of the Hulk, General Ross and Betty Ross. That’s a tall order even for a gifted writer such as Loeb. The end result isn’t very spectacular but he did manage to approach the Hulk in a different way. Of late, it has been revealed that Banner was abused as a child by his father which may have contributed to the Hulk’s violent nature. Loeb tries to answer, why despite all that violence, did the Hulk not destroy both Rosses when he had the chance? Also, why was Ross hell-bent on finding and killing the Hulk? There has to be more reason than sheer testosterone?

Sale’s art change somewhat in this story. Where before he would have finely detailed panels, he went the opposite direction here. Sure the story takes place mostly in the desert and it doesn’t help that his main subject was huge. I guess he was trying to be more expansive, to convey that feeling of the Hulk being huge. It works in that regard but I like his earlier work best.

Hulk: Gray may not be must-have to collectors out there but it’s definitely worth the read if you can find a copy.