The Incredible Hulk is one of the
most popular and recognizable comic book characters of all-time. Along with Superman,
Batman, and Spider-Man, you’d have a hard time finding someone anywhere in the
world of any age group and background who wouldn’t know who the green behemoth is
if you showed them a drawing or an image of him. Back in 1998, as part of their
ongoing prose book series, Marvel published an anthology of short tales by some
of the industry’s most well-known authors. As part of Audible’s continued
effort to release those vintage books in audiobook format for the very first
time, The Ultimate Hulk made its debut
on April 19th, 2022 and is narrated by Jeffrey Kafer. Here is the book’s
official synopsis: “This stunning
collection of more than a dozen never-before-published original tales stars one
of Marvel Comics' most enduring characters: The Incredible Hulk. The stories
included within this anthology span the entire career of the green goliath,
from his early days as an inarticulate savage to his more intelligent
incarnation to an unprecedented glimpse at his future as he faces the end of
the world.”
The collection of 16 short
stories features a who’s who of Marvel talent and established fiction authors,
past and present. The last tale is penned by famous Hulk writer Peter David who
wrote the comic book series for twelve years and redefined the character in the
1990s. The tales showcase the green goliath throughout his long publishing
history, from the feral green Hulk to the smarter and more articulate grey Hulk,
against and fighting alongside a plethora of comic book characters such as Magneto,
Rhino, The Leader, The Avengers, The Thing, and many more. The Hulk’s alter
ego, Bruce Banner, also gets plenty of time to shine in stories focussing on
him rather than the monster lurking inside. The Hulk’s regular title cast also
get some yarns dedicated to them including Rick Jones, Betty Ross, General Thaddeus
Ross, and Doc Samson. Some of the stories even pay homage to the beloved 1970s
TV show that starred Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. You can find the Table of Contents
below:
Introduction by Stan Lee
Retroduction by Peter David
“Sidekick” by Dennis Brabham
“In the Line of Banner” by Danny Fingeroth
“Transformations” by Will Murray
“Assault on Avengers Mansion” by Richard C. White and Steven
A. Roman
“Pitfall” by Pierce Askegren
“Out of the Darkness” by Glenn Greenberg
“Truck Stop” by Jo Duffy
“Hiding” by Nancy Holder and Christopher Golden
“Here There Be Dragons” by Sholly Fisch
“A Quiet, Normal Life” by Thomas Deja
“A Green Snake in Paradise” by Steve Lyons
“The Beast with Nine Bands” by James A. Wolf
“Leveling Las Vegas” by Stan Timmons
“The Samson Journals” by Ken Grobe
“Playing It Safe” by Keith R.A. DeCandido
“The Last Titan” by Peter David
As with all short story collections,
there are of course some hits and misses, but for the most part, this book
leans more towards very good to excellent. Out of the sixteen tales, there were
only three or four that I didn’t care for and I found more than half of them
were captivating and quite enjoyable. The stand-out stories for me were “Sidekick”,
“Truck Stop”, and “Hiding.” Jeffrey Kafer who’s no stranger to Marvel prose books
when it comes to narrating does a stellar job with pronunciation, pacing, and voice-acting
as he portrays a slew of different heroes and villains. I believe most of these
stories would translate well into comic books if they were to be adapted. If
you’re a fan of the jade giant, comic books or fantasy short stories in general,
I think you’ll have a blast with The
Ultimate Hulk.
Rating: Four stars out of five
Get your copy on Audible
Other Marvel Audiobook Reviews:
No comments:
Post a Comment