Marvel's publishing strategy is often to flood the market; and sometimes that involves spin-off versions of a popular character. That's nothing new, really; that's how you get a Supergirl or Batwoman. But then when the market contracts, usually Marvel has to clear the boards and go back to just the original flavor. Like today's book! From 2014, Hulk #6, "The Omega Hulk, part 2" Written by Gerry Duggan, pencils by Mark Bagley, inks by Andy Hennessy.
I had more than lost track of the Hulk at this point, but there's a helpful recap page: the Hulk's current persona, Doc Green, has decided to rid the world of gamma-powered weapons. Great, except most of those were his close friends and his son: A-Bomb, She-Hulk, Red She-Hulk, and Skaar. (Oh, and Red Hulk, but we know he's a dick.) This issue, he's starting with Rick Jones, the blue A-Bomb.
Doc Green may have a couple points: A-Bomb was created by MODOK, so there's every possibility he left a backdoor into Rick's mind. And who knows what would happen in the future, if A-Bomb mutated or got Alzheimer's or something. It's super-patronizing, actually; but he manages to stick Rick with his untested cure, and it seems to work. Rick isn't thrilled about this, but Doc Green's next stop is give MODOK--and his current employers, S.H.I.E.L.D.--a stern talking-to and beating, to encourage them not to mess with gamma radiation. Meanwhile, "Thunderbolt" Ross, the Red Hulk, isn't going to wait for Doc Green to come at him...!
If you're following Secret Empire, I don't think Doc Green did Rick any favors. But again, Marvel does this sometimes: clear out all the alternate versions or sidekicks or spin-offs, to try to bring focus back to the original. Probably, they do that about the time you've started to accept the Player-2 versions...
Pretty much yeah. And all know since Marvel will own lock stock and barrel, any new creations without giving proper royalties, there's no real incentives for creators to legit create.
ReplyDeleteBruce was defintiely playing as Tony Stark with his own version of "Armor Wars" here, but he did, as you mentioned, have a point. Shouldn't the endgame have logically been to rid himself of the Hulk permanently too?
I think Rick calls him on just that; but Doc Green claims since his cure is made from his Hulk blood, it won't work on him. Or he just knows that trick never works, since no cure has ever stuck for him.
ReplyDeletetrue, or could've just been bullshittiing Rick to get the heat off him....
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