WHERE HULK BEGIN SMASH?

December 21, 2012 4:50 AM

I want to start reading The Hulk. What's a good issue to start reading from, given that I don't want to go back years to get myself caught up, but I also don't want to start reading halfway through a storyline?
posted by zoo to media & arts (8 answers total)

Marvel seems to be in the middle of some sort of re-set right now, so you might be able to find a good jumping on point pretty easily. I'm sure if you ask at the local comic shop, they'll be able to help you.

You can also look for an issue with a ".01" after the issue number. Those are designed to be starting points as I understand it. I don't read Hulk myself, so I'm not familiar with any of the recent story arcs or anything. I don't know what's been going on with that guy.
posted by Shohn at 5:34 AM on December 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

I really liked the start of the run that writer Bruce Jones did on the title, although I seem to remember the consensus being that it did not close out very well. Here is a link to a hardcover collection of the start of his run.

I guess if you want more current or universally popular stuff I would go with Planet Hulk. The Hulk gets shot into space and winds up a gladiator on another planet. Then he comes back in World War Hulk to get revenge on the jerks who shot him into space.
posted by joelhunt at 5:48 AM on December 21, 2012

Planet Hulk is the best Conan comic to have come out in years.
posted by griphus at 7:01 AM on December 21, 2012

Comic books are complicated. It's not like I can just start reading the Hulk. It seems as though there's a red hulk, a hulk, a she hulk, a red she hulk, an incredible hulk. Also there's loads of different volumes. Volume 3 is different to Volume 2 & Volume 2 hasn't finished even though Hulk Vol. three has.

Plus individual storylines seems to cross over into different series.

I'm torn between starting with Incredible Hulk Volume 1 and Hulk Volume 2. Planet Hulk and World War Hulk are too far back to start on.
posted by zoo at 8:02 AM on December 21, 2012

Well, then I guess the new Hulk series that just started and stars the classic Bruce Banner Hulk would be what you are looking for.

And if something comes up and you don't understand it, just hit up wikipedia.
posted by joelhunt at 8:20 AM on December 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

Yeah, the current Mark Waid "Indestructible Hulk" is pretty good.

This was immediately preceded by Incredible Hulk, written by Jason Aaron. This series ran for 15 issues. It's actually pretty good, although a reasonably standalone and non-standard Hulk comic (starting off with Hulk and Banner being separated by Doctor Doom).

Other than that, yeah, ignore the Red Hulk stuff. Read the ongoing. Read Planet Hulk in collection but stop reading after World War Hulk. Do not read World War Hulks. If you can find any of the old Peter David collections, they're worth reading (probably; haven't read them for years; may not stand up now...).

The Hulk moves around and changes a lot, so it's fine to read, say, the current on-going, and then read Planet Hulk afterwards. It's not one big coherent whole, particularly.
posted by Hartster at 8:41 AM on December 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

I'm a big fan of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's collaborative work. I think Superman for All Seasons is the best pure, simple example of the comic-book form that I have ever read. The duo tackled a few different heroes in their "colors" series and one of those projects was Hulk: Gray. It was at least partly intended, from the outset, to be marketed to people like me who were on the Loeb-Sale bandwagon and therefore not specifically to fans who were familiar with Hulk continuity. As someone who didn't read Hulk comics (and hasn't since), I enjoyed the book.
posted by cribcage at 8:58 AM on December 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

She-Hulk is awesome. John Byrne and Dan Slott are your go-to guys.
posted by Pallas Athena at 9:47 AM on December 21, 2012