Friday, August 25, 2017

TO RULK OR NOT TO RULK? A LOOK AT MARVEL'S RED HULK

For Chris

(a forewarning: this is a major nerd rant and at times may seem like a stream of consciousness)

If you're a current reader of Marvel Comics and have been reading them for the last two to three years or so you're likely familiar with Marvel's recent propensity for getting rid of their classic roster of characters but giving their monikers such as Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Nova, Ghost Rider, Quasar, Captain Marvel, (...gosh there's a lot) and others to a new more diverse range of characters. To sum it up, Thor and Iron Man are still book titles but they aren't about Thor Odinson or Tony Stark.

It's nothing new actually. Marvel's has replaced classic characters in the past many times with new characters donning the old hero name. But what is new is the scale at which Marvel has implemented these changes in such a short time span. Sadly, I have read Marvel comic books for long enough to have experienced changes like this to my favorite characters already and more than once.

This article is about my particular feelings toward one such character change Marvel made to my all-time favorite comic book character. Coincidentally this year marks the tenth anniversary of this character swap. Come with me on this possibly crazy, possibly nerd rage, possible unexpectedly positive retrospective, won't you?

editor's note: for the record I support equal representation and diversity i.e. the current trend at Marvel Comics. I just don't like the characters is all.



HULK-I-PLICITY

So, around the closing months of 2007 Marvel relaunched their long running comic book series, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, in the wake of Hulk's arguably most prosperous era. The events were PLANET HULK and WORLD WAR HULK. World War Hulk had ended and the Hulk (Bruce Banner) was seemingly defeated and locked away where nobody could find him.

The Incredible Hulk comic continued but without him, the new star of the book being HERCULES. They kept the same numbering too so The Incredible Hercules' first issue was issue #113. Greg Pak, the man responsible for the aforementioned Hulk era of greatness was still writing the book too. Same issue numbers. Same writer. Looking at the evidence I had wrongfully assumed that Bruce Banner/Hulk would eventually return to the book so I kept buying it even though I had no interest in Hercules whatsoever. This was to be the first of many mistakes that would ultimately burn me bad.

The next mistake that would ultimately burn me again was due to my innate collector. A completest collector in truth. Hulk is my all-time favorite comic book character. I had a pretty massive unbroken run of Hulk from 1978 to the present (only one issue missing to give me a complete run from 1968 to the present). At the time I wasn't about to break that run. Hell no. So that led me to buying a book called SKAAR: SON OF HULK. Mistake number two as Skaar really didn't amount to anything I enjoyed or really any significance in the Marvel universe. So much wasted money... although there were a few issues featuring Silver Surfer and Galactus with artwork by Ron Lim, my absolute favorite Silver Surfer artist. That was definitely a plus within a massive negative.
THE COMING OF THE RED HULK
At the same time Marvel launched a new book simply titled HULK and on the cover was an image of a red complected Hulk. My first question was, "Why red?" I have no problems with the color red. The more red the better in horror movies, I always say. One of my best friends goes by Red. I have no problem with the color red. But for some reason to me, it just didn't look good on Hulk. If this was supposed to be fallout from WWH there were no indications of this (at least none that I foresaw).

Written by Jeff Loeb (writer of my all-time favorite Batman story: HUSH) and penciled by Ed McGuinness, issue one opens with my all-time favorite Hulk enemy, the Abomination, dead. Killed by some mysterious character (Red Hulk). (So, you're going to introduce me to a new character by killing one of my favorite characters? On top of that you already replaced my all-time favorite character with this A$$#013?) Issue one felt as if I had lost my two favorite Hulk characters. And to think that I was Marvel's demographic for whom this comic was intended. I should've quit then and there. But because I am a completest... I kept buying!

Editor's note: All these mistakes that burned me? They're all my fault for continually buying this $#1t. In short, I AM WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE WORLD TODAY!! And I hate myself for it.

Anyway, the first few issues revolved around solving the mystery of "WHO IS RED HULK?" After killing the Abomination (beating him severely and then killing him with a gun no less), this mysterious character (who still hasn't been designated a name) appears on a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, takes out She-Hulk like she's nothing, beats up General Ross and kills Clay Quartermain (a classic SHIELD agent and longtime Hulk supporting cast member).

Today it is well known that General "Thunderbolt" Ross is the Red-Hulk. But while these issues were coming out we readers were trying to figure out just "who" this Red-Hulk was. Our first few clues came in issue one. He killed Abomination and used a gun despite being powerful enough to do it by hand. General Ross does have a grudge against Abomination for killing Ross' daughter and Hulk's one time wife, Betty Ross. And General Ross has always used guns and weapons to fight either Hulk or Abomination in the past. But General Ross was there investigating who this mysterious Hulk might be. Then Rick Jones shows up at the end in tattered clothes leading us to believe it is Rick (who had transformed into a Hulk-like creature in the past).

Issue two comes out and Red Hulk attacks the helicarrier and erases all of the evidence on the mysterious Red Hulk. What really screws with the readers in this issue is that Red Hulk attacks and beats up General Ross in this issue. Wait what? Red Hulk makes a chump out of Iron Man and beats She-Hulk to a pulp (even threatening to kill her) before finally attempting to murder Rick Jones, who we find out has also been "hulkified" into the new Abomination code named A-BOMB.

Having Rick become the new Abomination really cemented the whole thought that the original Abomination was dead dead dead and not coming back anytime soon (for the record it took seven bloody years for them to officially bring Abomination back from the dead ((and it was Betty Ross of all people who resurrected him!))). Anyway, I've always liked Rick Jones as a supporting cast member but the fact that they had him replace Abomination really cheesed me off. I still love Rick Jones but I hate A-Bomb. He contributed nothing to the story or narrative whatsoever.

So, I'm reading this crap and I am irritated after issue one and these Red Hulk hemorrhoids just seem to get worse as time goes on... initially (time has soothed my rage over this Red Hulk, but more on that later). Waiting a month for issue after issue to come out was horrendous for me. I just wanted this crap to finish and for things to get back to the way they were. But wouldn't you know it, the comic book was DELAYED, not just once, but again and again and again. It took a year to get 8 crap-tastic issues (just to clarify, I liked the artwork but I HATED the story. All my rage is focused on the story not the art). Starting with issue three the book was being released every other month it seemed.

When we were actually getting the comics there were a ton of guest stars like Iron Man, Thor, the Watcher, the Sub-Mariner, the Thing, and others. And Red Hulk makes chumps out of them all. Because, you know, that's the way to get readers to like your new character, by trashing every other super hero. Red Hulk even punches out Uatu, the Watcher. What the heck is the Watcher doing there anyway? Historically the Watcher reveals himself at Marvel's most significant events. Does this mean that Marvel considers the coming of Red Hulk significant? Seems awfully presumptuous of Marvel and obnoxiously telling us readers of how great Red Hulk is. Uggg... It's like Marvel is telling us how great they think Red Hulk is.

On a side note there is an episode of the show HEROES in which actor Seth Green is selling comic books and says dismally, "We have plenty of Red Hulk." Coincidentally Seth Green would go on to voice A-Bomb in a show titled Hulk and the Agents of Smash, a show that featured Red Hulk as a main character. More on that later.

When the REAL Hulk finally shows up, guess what, Red Hulk beats the tar out of him too. Strangely, Jeff Loeb's green Hulk has no continuity at all with the previous green Hulk we saw in World War Hulk. Green Hulk is dumb again and nowhere similar to how the previous writer, Greg Pak, wrote him. No explanation for this change either (this is the second time Jeff Loeb has completely disregarded Hulk's continuity, the first being in his mini series HULK: GREY ((which is a good story but doesn't fit at all in continuity))).

In issue six we get a rematch between Red Hulk and Green Hulk in which Green finally wins over Red. We learn a bit more about one of the mysteries hinted at in issue one about Red Hulk: the madder he gets the "hotter" he gets. I can't tell you how useful that power would've been in high school and college "wink" haha. Okay, that was stupid. Red Hulk's power isn't attractiveness but temperature. His body heat gets higher and higher the madder he gets. I still to this day have no idea what the purpose of such a power is. So, he doesn't have to wear a jacket in the winter? He can cook his own hotdogs? I think it's to parallel him to a nuclear reactor. Maybe if there was some threat of explosion, meltdown, and massive collateral damage it would be interesting. But no. That was never a factor. It was then and still is now, kinda ridiculous.

At the end of issue six we see Red Hulk laying unconscious on the ground with General Ross standing over him! How the heck are we readers supposed to guess that Rulk is Ross with crap like this going on more than once?! So, with General Ross firmly ruled out as a possibility that leaves only someone who mirrors General Ross' connections, tactics, and motivations. Glenn Talbot is the perfect candidate and makes perfect sense with everything they've presented us so far.

But no, it turns out to be General Ross all along. WHAT?! How does that work?! They were in the same room together... twice! We're told later that those times we saw General Ross that it was an L.M.D., you know, because L.M.D.s were so prevalent in Hulk comics of the past (they weren't). For those of you unfamiliar with Nick Fury, L.M.D.s or Life Model Decoys are robots identical to human beings. They are a fairly common story element with Nick Fury stories. Never before have they turned up in a Hulk comic, one in which Nick Fury has no part of. Had the presence of L.M.D.s been established in the story then it would've been a feasible option for readers to guess at. What I'm saying is that the L.M.D. thing was a cheap device in a poorly constructed mystery. Just another lame aspect of a story you could tell Jeff Loeb was phoning in every issue.

The next story arc was split in each issue, one half of the issue being a solo green Hulk story and the other half being a solo red Hulk story. The green Hulk story was illustrated by Arthur Adams, a wonderful artist, and the story had him facing off against Wendigos. The less said about this story the better. Again, Loeb doesn't adhere to the continuity or the rules established for the Wendigo. And grey Hulk shows up for what looks like a new plot development with Banner but is never fully explored, developed, or resolved. It just kinda happens and is dropped from then on. And when Hulk is transformed into a Wendigo he calls himself Wendy-Hulk. "spits" C'mon, Loeb! Say it out loud! Are you hearing how that sounds? And besides, when the Wendigo curse is transferred to a person it's still Wendigo, not Wendy-Cody or Wendy-Jeff or Wendy-Rebecca. Those all just sound dumb. "sigh" At least Art Adams artwork looks great.

The Red Hulk half of those issues centered around She-Hulk calling in all her fellow female heroes and getting some Lady Vengeance on Rulk's butt. This story is merely a footnote in the overall narrative as it doesn't add to the plot whatsoever. It really only serves to showcase Frank Cho's skill at drawing women, which is excellent. This was back in the day when it was okay to have attractive women in comic books (thank you, current budding female readership, for letting us males know how wrong we were for liking to look at sexy women. Thank you for inserting yourselves into this once all boys club and making us take down all our hot chick posters from the walls of our tree house).
ridiculous, no?

editor's note: societal progress is hard when you have @$$#0!355 like me around clamoring for attractive women. God, I really am what's wrong with this world!! For the record, I wholly support equal rights for women and equality for all.

Then there's a story arc with the Grandmaster and the Collector, plucking Hulk, Red Hulk, Silver Surfer, Doctor Strange, Namor, Tiger Shark, Terrax, and Baron Mordo from different points in time and pitting the heroes against the villains, Red Hulk is on the side of the villains (which he really has been this whole time. But General Ross isn't a villain?). It's the classic line-up for the Defenders Vs... wait for it... the OFFENDERS! "groan" Ughh (I can't decide what the tone of this book is supposed to be, much like the tone of this article). This story amounts to nothing as eventually the characters are all put back in their own timelines with nothing changed or altered at all. This story arc does nothing to move the narrative forward.

Then there's the special INCREDIBLE HULK #600! This issue finally comes out and says that Red Hulk is General Ross (where does his mustache go?! Another vital plotpoint that is never really resolved). Red Hulk calls Banner a "Milksop" at the end, which if you recall from forty years ago, is what General Ross called Banner in the very first issue of Incredible Hulk. Wow, Loeb actually got some continuity right for a change... huh.

And the crapfest of this book continues with the next story arc entitled: CODE RED (side note: I really enjoy Code Red Mountain Dew soft drinks). (Seriously, look at the names here: Red Hulk, A-Bomb, Offenders, Code Red... Who at Marvel approved these?!) This story has the 2008 X-Force team (one of the raddest X-Men groups ever!) going up against Red Hulk and his team of... red costumed anti-heroes? Really, that's it. They all wear red. Brilliant! Deadpool, Crimson Dynamo, Elektra, Thundra, and Punisher (okay, he's not red, but he's an anti-hero, whatever... shut-up, Mitch). This story had me excited for one thing: the artwork of Ian Churchill. His artwork is incredibly amazing and he drew a mean Hulk way back in the day for an issue of Cable in the 90's.
Ian Churchill at his best.

Churchill's art should've been the highlight but NOPE! He decides to not employ his usual style (which I love and which he used for the cover of issue #14 in what ultimately amounts to a vicious tease) opting instead for a muddier cartoony style that is less than satisfying. He revealed in an interview that he had begun penciling the issue in his usual style but then started over trying something different, to which he said was more in keeping with the tone of the book. A bad choice in my opinion (it's like being known for serving the best vanilla ice cream you've ever tasted but then, when you go to buy said vanilla they serve you a new chocolate flavor they're testing and it tastes chalky, kinda sour, and leaves a bad aftertaste that you soon try to forget altogether).

Speaking of tone, what the heck kind of tone is this book supposed to have anyway? Do Loeb and McGuinness even know? At first it seems serious, people are dying, and it's even scary at moments when Rulk attacks the helicarrier. But then it goes completely comical with Iron Man screaming "Oh, the humanity!" as the helicarrier is going down. I get the reference, but that doesn't make it less goofy. Red Hulk's persona is virtually humorless, beating up women, threatening to kill people, killing people, and then they have him punch out the Watcher?! Another completely hilarious moment that doesn't at all fit tonally with what they have going on. But then artist Ian Churchill changes his realistic, intense art style for something puffy and cartoony because "it's more in keeping with the tone." Ed McGuinness' art style is also puffy and cartoony, which may have worked had Jeff Loeb's writing tone remained consistent but moments like Rulk punching the Watcher just stick out in your mind because McGuinness is so good at cartoony images like that. Make up your mind, Loeb! Pick a tone!

The Ian Churchill art we actually got. Can you see the difference?
The topping on this Crap-cream sundae is the introduction of a new character! RED SHE-HULK! So, you thought Red Hulk wasn't enough so Red She-Hulk sounded like a good idea? REALLY?! And on top of the mystery of Red Hulk they add the mystery of Red She-Hulk, you know, because the mystery of Red Hulk was done so well. And once again the brilliance of Marvel's marketing department farted out the inspired character name of... Red She-Hulk. Do you think that was the result of one or two whole days work at the office? How do I get a job there? I can easily crap in a box and sell it to completest collectors like myself!

Then they kill off Doc Samson, who apparently was in on the whole Ross/Red Hulk thing, because why not? He's only a classic supporting cast member of the Hulk's. Nobody will miss him. Then we finally build to Jeff Loeb's Red Hulk magnum opus, a massive event titled FALL OF THE HULKS. We discover that M.O.D.O.K., the Leader, Dr. Doom, the Red Ghost, and the Mad Thinker were all responsible for creating Red Hulk, Red She-Hulk, A-Bomb, and soon to come Hulked-out Deadpool, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and more! The title of the event changes to WORLD WAR HULKS and it builds to Red Hulk taking over the White House and an army of Red Hulks marching on Washington DC. And finally, in the second to last issue of this event, we are told the origin of Red Hulk.

The connection between General Ross and M.O.D.O.K. goes way back in Hulk continuity and that's cool that someone drew upon it for inspiration. It's actually a great throwback to us old-timer Hulk fans. But that doesn't mean it makes any more sense. It makes less sense actually. General Ross was at an all-time low when he allied himself with M.O.D.O.K. and it cost him his job, pride, the respect of his daughter, and then there's the famous cover with General Ross holding a gun to his head. He was THIS close to killing himself after realizing what he had become by allying with M.O.D.O.K. Those Hulk issues are Incredible Hulk #288, 289, and 291. Why would he ever go back to M.O.D.O.K after what it cost him the first time?

Issue #24 comes to a head with green Hulk facing off against Red Hulk and General Ross getting thoroughly beaten. The badguys plans are foiled and the goodguys win the day. Yay! The only good thing to come from this issue is the goodbye and good riddance to Jeff Loeb's tenure on Red Hulk.

Issue 25 starts with a new creative team and for the first time ever the book starts becoming enjoyable. Jeff Parker takes over writing and Gabriel Hardman takes the duty of art. Issue 25 shows Iron Man getting his revenge on Red Hulk and beating the snot out of Red Hulk. Issue 26 show Thor getting his revenge by beating the crap out of Red Hulk. And issue 27 shows Namor: the Sub-Mariner getting his revenge by beating the hell out of Red Hulk. Watching three heroes I like beating the living piss out of a character I truly hate three issues back to back was amazing. Those three issues mark my favorite section of the Red Hulk comic book, issue 27 my favorite single issue.

Overall the book becomes enjoyable with Jeff Parker taking the helm. But it never got great. Due to no fault of Jeff Parker or any of the amazing artists he collaborated with in the 27 issue run of his that I read (that's right! Jeff Parker had a longer streak on the book than Jeff Loeb) but I could never get past my hatred for the character. Loeb did such a good job of making Red Hulk a villain, and making me loathe said villain, that when he was cast as the hero in issue 25 I never got to the point where I liked him. At best he became tolerable.

I finally quit buying the damn book at issue #52... 52!!!! That's 51 issues I knew I wasn't going to like! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!?!

editor's note: There are many answers to the above question. Overall I think it's that I am just a terrible human being.

The book changed titles and central character just five issues later. With issue #58 the book became... wait for it... RED SHE-HULK! (because that's what this book needed) I didn't read any of this but Jeff Parker kept writing up until the cancellation ten issues later with #67. The crazy thing is, this ten issue section from #58-#67 boasts perhaps the best artists the book had ever had. A masochistic part of me wants to go back and buy issues #53-#67, complete the collection (because I am, once again, a total freakin' idiot who needs to be shocked back to reality with a swift kick to the gonads and slap to the face), and see if that section is as good as the artists (meaning to see if it is actually the best part of the whole fricken thing... which it very well could be for the simple fact that I don't hate Red She-Hulk half as much as I hated Red Hulk).

At this point I vowed no more Red Hulk! I was done with him.

But Red Hulk wasn't done with me...

editor's note: Geeze! Isn't he done yet?!

Years went by and I successfully avoided Red Hulk for quite some time. After his book was cancelled he reappeared in a team book for the MARVEL NOW rebranding relaunch thing. He was with a team that was essentially his Code Red crew only now they were the THUNDERBOLTS. I am actually a big Thunderbolts fan and have nearly every issue of theirs! Do I have any issues containing Red Hulk? HELL NO! (three years sober and counting).

editor's note: Hey everybody! I'm on the road to becoming a better person! Eeeeiiiiii (little girl giggle)

That Thunderbolts volume with good ol' Rulk was eventually cancelled and Red Hulk actually vanished for a while. In the meantime the extraneous Hulk titles were cancelled one by one and merged into one book, the core Hulk title by Greg Pak, the Incredible Hulks. Despite having all those characters like A-Bomb, Skaar, She-Hulk, and Red She-Hulk, the book was actually pretty good. I really enjoyed it (and you guessed it, Red Hulk did not show up). The Marvel Now Hulk volume that followed by Jason Aaron didn't do anything for me except give me something new to complain about (I should've stopped getting that book once Marc Silvestri left art duties about half way through issue #2).

editor's note: And now we're back to supporting stuff we hate and have become a horrible person again.

Mark Waid did the next volume which was "ho hum." He also started the following volume, finally resurrected the original Abomination, and then handed off the writing duties to Gerry Duggan with Mark Bagley on art. Gerry Duggan began an arc in the story in which Hulk, now calling himself Doc Green, goes about curing Skaar, A-Bomb, and Red She-Hulk of their "hulkitus." Duggan dehulked all those hulks I hated including... RED HULK!! Yes, I bought new issues with Red Hulk in them but those issues were cathartic for me. I was finally witnessing someone doing what I had longed to do all those years ago: GET RID OF RED HULK. General Ross was now just General Ross again. No more Red Hulk... or so I thought.

After my son was born I started watching this Disney XD cartoon show called HULK AND THE AGENTS OF S.M.A.S.H. Red Hulk, Skaar, and A-Bomb were a part of the main cast in that show. But the show was for kids and a comedy so it didn't bother me as much. Red Hulk was voiced by the great Clancy Brown and was your basic annoying hard-headed jerk. You weren't supposed to like him which was perfect.

A side note: After Gerry Duggan finished cleaning up the Hulk-verse they cancelled that volume and relaunched the book for their ALL-NEW ALL-DIFFERENT rebranding as TOTALLY AWESOME HULK. And wouldn't you know it, Marvel is doing the exact same freakin thing as they did with the first issue of Red Hulk. They've replaced Banner/Hulk with a new Hulk that's a different character but calling himself Hulk anyway (like Hulk is a title and not a name). I read one flippin' issue and said NOT AGAIN! NO THANK YOU! I haven't bought a Hulk book in nearly two years.

editor's note: Yay! I'm almost a decent human being! There's hope!

During the last year sadly I have seen a return of Red Hulk in the pages of U.S.Avengers (and he finally has his mustache in Hulk form!). I have learned... kinda... from my mistakes and have not touched that book at all, not even to flip through it or get it out of my way. So I have no idea how or why General Ross (if it even is still General Ross) has returned to being Red Hulk after being cured by Banner. It's a mystery I don't care to solve and probably never will unless someone tells me randomly. I will admit to feeling greatly disappointed at seeing Rulk on the cover of U.S.Avengers but that cover also had Squirrel Girl on it so... looks like a winner to me!

editor's note: I think I am well on the road to being a somewhat decent human being. Oh, and I fully support those who love Squirrel Girl and your basic right to love Squirrel Girl. I actually have her first appearance!

It used to kill me when I'd hear people say that they liked Red Hulk. Now I just feel like spitting when someone says they like Red Hulk. When General Ross reappeared in the movie CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR there were a ton of people speculating whether Red Hulk would make his film debut or not. All I gotta say is THANK GOD he did not.

Now that I've had time away from Red Hulk I now have some perspective. When I was bitching about Red Hulk as it was coming out, one of my friends who worked at the comic shop I was frequenting voiced that it was no different than when Peter David introduced the grey Hulk into comics. My friend, John, admitted to hating that direction for the character, especially the Joe Fixit persona. He sited how this Red Hulk stuff was basically a repeat of that.

Him saying that made me take a step back and check my self-awareness. You see, as a young impressionable reader of Hulk, I really loved the grey Hulk section of Hulk's history. Maybe, when that grey Hulk stuff was coming out, older Hulk fans were feeling the same hatred for grey Hulk that I was feeling for Red Hulk. Maybe, the young and impressionable readers of Red Hulk, thought that Red Hulk was the greatest thing to happen to Hulk just like I thought about the grey Hulk stuff. Do I have a right to go on about how terrible Red Hulk is when someone older than me can go on about how terrible grey Hulk is? Is it horrible of me to write a terribly long blog post about how much I hate Red Hulk?

Maybe.

Truth is, I never cared much for General Ross to begin with. But I never hated him. I guess it's really Jeff Loeb's writing of Red Hulk that I hate. Maybe I just didn't get it. Maybe I am too old and set in my ways. And why red of all colors? It's so garish. Maybe readers thought the same of the green color switch in Hulk's second issue way back in the sixties. I still don't like Red Hulk and it seems most of the current readers aren't clamoring for his return too intensely. So that's good.

editor's note: I bought all of this crap with my hard earned money. I worked so I could support Red Hulk... How does society permit a person like me to continue living?! Such a mismanaged use of money. It was a hard lesson to learn but today I have given up my completest collector ways and have become a somewhat better person.

I guess if Red Hulk taught me anything it's that being a completest means taking the good and the bad. It taught me that being a completest collector can be a very bad thing and a major waste of money. My dollars went in support of something I hated. I can't believe how foolish I was. But it also taught me that just because I dislike something doesn't mean others do and doesn't mean you're at fault for liking something I don't. And I have no right to tell you what to like and what to hate. That's just wrong. So go ahead, voice your love for the Rulkster "snicker"... oh c'mon, people! Rulk?! Seriously?!

I'm sorry. I broke for a moment. Anyway, if you have, by some miracle, finished this insane yammering of a post then what is wrong with you? I hope you enjoyed it at least for you just had a brief glimpse into the twisted mind of me.

And for the record, if you've read as much Incredible Hulk as I have you will have it in your head that General Ross' hatred for the Hulk runs so deep that he'd never ever consider becoming the very thing he hates most in all the world! NEVER! At least that's how I felt about the character and still do.

But maybe now I can finally get over it and move on.

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Thursday, August 24, 2017

TOP TEN CINEMA SAMURAI

TOP TEN CINEMA SAMURAI

One of my favorite film genres is CHANBARA. Chanbara or "chambara" is a Japanese word which refers to period piece films heavy on swordplay. Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, the Hidden Fortress, these seminal films by Akira Kurosawa all fall into this genre of movies. The films of Akira Kurosawa were my gateway drugs into this wonderful genre. Now, since then I have seen many other Chanbara films by many different directors.

I really do love these kinds of movies and especially the characters in them. They're essentially action films set in Japan's past and I do love me some great action films.

Two elements make these films: the characters and the action. Like any American action film from the 1970's, 80's, and so on, a great hero and wicked awesome action go a long way. John Rambo, John McClane, Conan, Harry Callahan, and more are among some of cinema's greatest and most recognizable heroes. Diving into Japan's golden age of cinema I discovered a great many heroic characters worthy of cinema icon status.

Now this list is of my personal favorite heroes from Chanbara films. The list title says "SAMURAI" but let me be clear that Ronin, Yakuza, and Shinobi are all included on this list. So if you are a samurai purest I am sorry if I misled you. But there was no way I could not include a ninja like Hattori Hanzo or a yakuza like Zatoichi.

However, I have decided to exclude anime heroes from the list. They're in a category of their own and worthy of a top ten list just for them.

As I grow older I find that I just cannot get enough of these characters and these kinds of films.

So without further pontification...

Here's my list! Enjoy!



THE BONUS




11
KENSHIN HIMURA

Film Series: Rurouni Kenshin (1996-1998 spanning three seasons and 95 episodes, 4 films, and 3 OVA's)

Actor: Mayo Suzukaze (anime), Takeru Sato (live action films)

This list is not about anime characters. That'll be for another list at another time. But I couldn't talk about cinematic samurai without talking about Kenshin (and he actually has three live action movies now so technically it fits within this list's parameters).

Based on a long running manga series by Nobuhiro Watsuki, Kenshin was trained by an insanely good sensei in the art of Hiten-Mitsurugi-ryu (Flying Heaven Govern Sword-style). He fought in the Meiji Revolution (1868) as the assassin Hitokiri Battosai on the side of the revolutionaries. After the victory over the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Battosai disappeared for eleven years. Then he returned as a wandering ronin going by the name Kenshin Himura.

Going on many adventures, stopping several plots to overthrow the Meiji era, Kenshin is one of the characters that really demonstrated to me how cool samurai characters can be. I got into anime before really getting into chanbara cinema and in a way it was a gateway for me to Japan's golden era of cinema. Speaking of the three live action films, the action is incredible and actor Takeru Sato couldn't be better as Kenshin. Those three films are among the best anime/manga adaptations I've ever seen.





THE TOP TEN





10
MUSASHI MIYAMOTO

Film Series: The Samurai Trilogy 1954, 1955, and 1956 (Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto, Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple, and Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island)

The Actor: Toshiro Mifune

One of the most influential historical samurai figures of all time, Musashi Miyamoto has made appearances in novels, manga, anime, video games, and of course movies. The novelization of Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa from 1935 is perhaps the piece most responsible for Musashi's popularity and presence in Japanese pop culture. The image of Musashi associated with the character for the last sixty plus years however was due to director Hiroshi Inagaki's immortal film trilogy starring the legendary Toshiro Mifune.

The films cover Musashi's life from rural peasant to the renown samurai of history. Toshiro Mifune has played many great chanbara heroes throughout his career (and another of them is further ahead on this list). His portrayal of Musashi in one of his most layered performances of his career (due in part to having portrayed the character over the course of a trilogy chronicling a wide swath of the character's life). Toshiro Mifune's image will probably forever be associated with the character and historical figure.







9
YAGYU JUBEI

Film Series: The Shogun's Samurai (film 1978), The Yagyu Conspiracy (television series 1978-79), Samurai Reincarnation (film 1981)

The Actor: Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba

Based on an actual historical figure from the Sengoku period, Yagyu Jubei is very similar to Musashi in that both figures have become greatly romanticized over time and both have become iconic figures in Japanese pop culture. And just like Toshiro Mifune's image is permanently associated with the character, Sonny Chiba's rendition of Yagyu Jubei has become the image one thinks of first when hearing the name Yagyu Jubei.

Sonny Chiba is one of those incredible actors who defined Japanese action films and heroic characters for a generation. His interpretation of Jubei is incredibly cool and badass. It's the basis and inspiration for many animes including one of my all time favorites, NINJA SCROLL. And it is the basis for one of the best video game series ever, SAMURAI SHODOWN. The hair, the eye-patch, the swords, all of it are so cool and hands down he's one of the best chanbara heroes ever.







8
KAGE NO GUNDAN ~ HATTORI HANZO

Film Series: Kage No Gundan ~ Shadow Warriors (1980-1985 spanning 5 seasons and 119 episodes)

Actor: Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba

I love me some ninjas. I think I love ninjas (the romanticized versions) more than I love samurai, ronin, or any other kind of Japanese cultural warriors. And if there were a "Musashi Miyamoto" of the ninja world it would be Hattori Hanzo. Like Musashi and Yagyu Jubei, Hattori Hanzo was a real life historical figure and perhaps the most prevalent ninja figure in Japanese pop culture.

Sonny Chiba's portrayal of Hattori Hanzo in the television series KAGE NO GUNDAN is my favorite interpretation of the character and one of the best ninja movies/shows I've ever seen. Hattori Hanzo is the leader of the IGA ninja clan and is the secret defender of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Hanzo and his ninja go up against all sorts of assassins, samurai, and evil plots to overthrow the government. It's like an action movie in every episode and displays mostly realistic views of ninjas and their incredible skills.








7
KAMBEI SHIMADA ~ LEADER OF THE SEVEN SAMURAI

Film: Seven Samurai (1954)

Actor: Takashi Shimura

One of Japan's greatest actors of all time is none other than Takashi Shimura. The man could play any role and earn an academy award at each. He was one of Akira Kurosawa's regular actors and also one of Ishiro Honda's regulars as well, a diverse spectrum of roles for sure. While we all may fall in love with Toshiro Mifune's character Kikuchiyo in Seven Samurai, the one character that remains the linchpin of the group if not the movie is the character Kambei Shimada.

Kambei is one of the coolest samurai in cinema history, and I mean that literally. The dude is so calm and collected whether it involves a child's life or when faced with overwhelming forces. The other samurai look to him as their foundation and leader. They see his composure and resolve and believe that anything is possible. He is without a doubt the anchor of the movie. There have been many interpretations of Kanbei, most recently by Denzel Washington. But for me Takashi Shimura is both the first and final say on how great the character is and there is no other cinema samurai like him.








6
SHINOBI NO MONO ~ ISHIKAWA GOEMON

Film Series: Shinobi No Mono (1962-1966 spanning 8 films)

Actor: Raizo Ichikawa

When it comes to ninjas in cinema, and for that matter ninjas even existing in pop culture at all, we look to one film series in particular, SHINOBI NO MONO (A BAND OF ASSASSINS). Raizo Ichikawa plays the central ninja in all eight films. The first three films form a single story, a trilogy focusing on the Iga shinobi, Ishikawa Goemon. Starting with film four Raizo Ichikawa plays a new hero in every subsequent movie. So for this list we're zooming in on the original hero of the Shinobi No Mono series.

Set during the Sengoku period, Goemon is one of the Iga ninja warriors in training. We see him go from being a naive young shinobi to a grizzled confident master ninja. He is given the impossible task of assassinating Oda Nobunaga. Set during one of Japan's most tumultuous eras, we get to see real historical battles play out through the eyes of this ninja. His character grows extensively throughout the three films, and the ninja tactics and abilities are portrayed realistically. Seeing Goemon finally kill Nobunaga is epic!







5
LADY SNOWBLOOD ~ YUKI KASHIMA

Film Series: Lady Snowblood (1973-1974 spanning 2 films)

Actress: Meiko Kaji

The lone female on this list, Yuki Kashima is one of the deadliest characters in all of cinema with one brutal backstory. Her father and brother were horribly murdered by four criminals and her mother was raped by three of them. She managed to kill the fourth criminal and was sentenced to life in prison for murder. Determined to kill the other three criminals, Yuki's mother seduces a guard in prison, conceives a child, and dies during childbirth. Her final wish is to have her newborn daughter, Yuki, raised as her instrument of vengeance. Yuki is taken from the prison, raised and trained by a martial arts master, and when she's an adult she starts on a quest of bloodsoaked revenge.

Based on a manga series by Kazuo Koike and Kazuo Kamimura, Lady Snowblood came about in the 1970's when the Japanese film industry was tanking due to the advent of television. To offer something viewers couldn't get for free at home, films were becoming more and more explicit and exploitative. Lady Snowblood is brutal, bloody, and very graphic. There really is nothing quite like Lady Snowblood, either the character or the film. The character of Setsuka from Soul Calibur also seems to be based off of her.







4
LONE WOLF & CUB ~ OGAMI ITTO

Film Series: Lone Wolf and Cub (1972-1980 spanning 7 films)

Actor: Tomisaburo Wakayama

Also based off of a manga by Kazuo Koike, this manga illustrated by Goseki Kojima, Lone Wolf and Cub is perhaps the pinnacle of violent, bloody, graphic cinema. In the story the central character, Ogami Itto, was the chief executioner employed by the Shogun. The position came with the honor and prestige of being declared the deadliest sword in all of Japan. The private Oniwabanshu, the Yagyu ninja clan, greatly coveted the position of chief executioner. So much so that the Yagyu deliberately framed Ogami Itto as a conspirator against the Shogun. Itto's wife was murdered by the Yagyu and an attempt was also made Itto's life as well as his infant son, Daigoro.

Itto had no choice but to flee with his son, always on the run from Yagyu assassins and hired ronin. To get by, Itto offers his services as an assassin known as Lone Wolf and Cub. Arguably the most skilled of all the characters on this list, Ogami Itto literally kills several hundred enemies throughout his series. He may have the highest body count of any film character, good or bad. Having to constantly look after his son renders this sword-wielding badass vulnerable and adds a whole other level of what the character has to go through in order for both he and his son to survive. Itto nearly fills an entire lake with the blood of his pursuers, and we viewers get to see it all!

Insanely violent and incredibly awesome to behold, no other character on this list comes close to the bloody spectacle of watching Ogami Itto in action!







3
MAGOBEI WAKIZAKA

Film: Goyokin (1969)

Actor: Tatsuya Nakadai

The actor Tatsuya Nakadai is one of those rare actors who could and did play any role. I first noticed him as the gun toting henchman in Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo. He plays the fatalistic protagonist in Hara-Kiri and the kill crazy villain in Sword of Doom. He also play the lead in Kurosawa's RAN. Perhaps the most enjoyable role of his, in my opinion is the heroic Genta in Kihachi Okamoto's KILL! Oddly enough though, the character of Nakadai's that really spoke to me, and the one samurai character of his that really blew me away was Magobei Wakizaka in the film Goyokin.

Magobei is a retainer to a clan being bled dry by the lords. If they are to survive they're going to need to come up with a lot of money out of nowhere. Magobei rides up on a small village, the residents having witnessed Magobei's clan stealing gold directly from their lord's transport. To silence the village from speaking of what they had seen, Magobei's fellow retainers slaughter the entire village. Magobei doesn't engage in the killing but neither does he stop it. Instead he excommunicates himself but vows to keep silent about the affair. Years later Magobei is attacked by his old clansmen. Before he kills them all one of them confesses that another atrocity like the one years ago is about to happen again. Magobei's guilt has been eating him alive all these years. He cannot sit idly by while his clan commits another great sin. He leaves his self-imposed exile on a mission to return to his clan and stop his fellow retainers from killing again, one way or another.

The story. The characters. The Setting. Nakadai plays the role with incredible emotion and intensity. This isn't usually the film that people talk about when they speak of Tatsuya Nakadai's work. But for me personally I feel it is his best samurai character, both as a hero and employing his usual conflicted character details.







2
YOJIMBO ~ SANJURO
Film Series: Yojimbo (1961-1970 spanning 4 films)

Actor: Toshiro Mifune

Toshiro Mifune returns to the list for a second time, this time in the role that would define him and change the genre forever. Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo is one of those legendary pieces of cinema. Imitated and remade time and time again, Yojimbo took a new look at samurai culture, a decidedly bent and cynical view. Mifune's Sanjuro (Yojimbo's alias) is dirty, grungy looking, and duplicitous yet still maintaining a sense of honor and justice. Now such a character is old hat but when this film came out it was a striking portrayal of the samurai.

Toshiro Mifune brings his tough guy swagger, his supreme skill with a sword, but makes you wonder half of the time whether he's a hero or a villain. But what we find out is that he's the classic lone hero all along, coming into lawless towns, and setting right the wrongs that have overrun the area. It's the traditional hero archetype in a new package. When Clint Eastwood donned the role in A Fistful of Dollars it did the same thing for western heroes as Mifune did for the samurai.

The character of Sanjuro is featured in four films total. The second film, also by Akira Kurosawa titled SANJURO, is probably my favorite depiction of the character. The film isn't as familiar of a plot as Yojimbo has become thanks to all the remakes over the years and it's more exciting and action oriented showing off Mifune's amazing swordsmanship. But it's Sanjuro's fourth film that pits him, my second favorite cinema samurai, against my all-time favorite cinema samurai and the number one character on the list...







1
ZATOICHI

Film Series: Zatoichi (1962-2010 spanning 29 films plus 100 episodes of the television series)

Actor: Shintaro Katsu

A blind masseur, former yakuza seeking atonement, unparalleled swordsmanship, and ultimate badass. Zatoichi, the blind swordsman is one of the most storied and popular chanbara characters in Japan. And he's an incredibly unique character too thanks to the amazing performances of actor Shintaro Katsu. Katsu played Zatoichi for 26 full length feature films and 100 forty minute long episodes of a television series. That's a huge body of work about a single character played by a single actor. It's kind of astounding actually. There were three other films made after Katsu's death with different actors portraying Zatoichi each time, none of them really encapsulating what made the character so great.

Zatoichi is an unassuming figure in that he's kind of burly, a masseur, kind of goofy, and of course blind. It is usually this persona that he assumes and everyone around him save the most perceptive drop their guard, especially the villains. Then he unleashes a flurry of sword slashes so fast that once the badguys realize what's happening they've all been cut to pieces. There are hints of a haunted past, the sins of his youth, that motivate the character's quest for absolution.

Over the course of the saga Zatoichi racks up a massive body count of slain yakuza and would-be assassins and saves countless lives in the process. The uniqueness of character which makes Zatoichi so endearing is equaled by his swordsmanship and the filming of the swordplay. It is some of the best swordplay I've ever seen in a film.

The action is a big part of what makes these characters appealing but what it ultimately comes down to is all the amazing actors bringing these characters to life, not to mention the writers and filmmakers that make these characters look so awesome. And Zatoichi embodies all these aspects.


Well, there you have it! My top ten cinema samurai!

What do you all think? Am I right? Wrong? Did I miss another great cinema samurai?

Let me know and leave a comment below!

Check out my Chanbara film reviews below!

KAGE NO GUNDAN ~ SHADOWS WARRIORS SEASON ONE





 
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Tuesday, August 22, 2017

COMICS IN REVIEW: IRON FIST #6

Hello everyone! As some of you may know, I am writing for the website COMICONVERSE. I have been covering the current comic books from Marvel Comics and BOOM! Studios such as Doctor Strange and Kong of Skull Island.

For myself and anyone else interested I am documenting each of my articles here at Blood Work.

If you haven't checked out this latest article here you go!
 
 
 
 
 
 I am abso-fricken-lutely loving this new volume of Iron Fist! And what's crazier, when I reviewed issue #1,  I requested Shang Chi make an appearance. At the start of the second story arc guess who shows up? Fricken SHANG CHI, THE MASTER OF KUNG FU!!! This is unbelievably awesome and what's more is that the comic is actually really good. 
 
Yeah, I'm a nerd for freaking out about Shang Chi showing up. But you knew that already, right? Anyway, if you haven't read the article and would like to support me click on the link above to read it. Thanks for your support as always. You guys are all awesome.
 
Check out my other articles for ComiConverse linked below!
 
 
 
 
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Monday, August 21, 2017

BLOODY GOOD TELEVISION: NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES ~ THE DEFENDERS SEASON 1 (2017)


DAREDEVIL, JESSICA JONES, LUKE CAGE, and IRON FIST! When our forces combine we are THE HEROES FOR HIRE-- no, wait... THE DEFENDERS! Marvel's street level heroes (minus Spider-Man) come together to save New York City from a threat that the Avengers don't even know exists! Netflix has fully delivered on its promise and now we can binge all of the shows again, see the overall narrative come together, and come to a spectacular conclusion!

Wow, it's finally here. It's just incredible to think about. I can't recall the exact date when Marvel and Netflix revealed their ultimate goal, that of releasing four shows about four different heroes that would eventually collide in a show called THE DEFENDERS, somewhere around 2014. Now three years later we've finally seen all the shows come together and what can be with television and a super hero tv show universe. Now that we've seen The Defenders can we really go back to the solo shows? Or will the same pitfalls that plagued Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe plague Netflix?

We're getting way ahead of ourselves (I haven't had a chance to talk to anyone about Defenders yet, in case that wasn't apparent)! Let's just revel in the fact that...

The Defenders are here!

THE PLOT

K'un Lun has disappeared. Elektra's body has been stolen. Luke Cage is in jail. And Jessica Jones is a jerk. The Hand's sinister plans are reaching their culmination and New York City is gravely imperiled. The only possible opposition to their machinations are four disillusioned heroes who don't work well with others. Can these men and women set aside their pride and differences to save the greatest city in the world? Or will they fall just as the Hand has planned?

WHAT I LIKED

Let's just freakout about the fact that we actually even have this show at all!

A Well Woven Web. The first few episodes weave all four television shows together into one cohesive narrative. They act as a continuation of each show and continue the plotlines where they had left off. That's a lot of legwork to get squared away and on top of that they continue the styles of each show, the look and feel and rhythm. It's not just smushing them all together. It's a merging and blending of styles and esthetics. And in my opinion the filmmakers did a really good job of honoring the previous shows, doing those plotlines and characters justice, and moving the story forward.

Raising the Stakes. This show is the equivalent of a comic book event and as such the level of story is elevated beyond the individual comics. Of the five seasons building up to the Defenders, three of them dealt with the threat of the Hand. Things got pretty dire in Daredevil Season 2 (the high point of these shows in my opinion) and those events spin directly into the Defenders. The fight scenes are bigger here. The threat to New York City and the characters is far more grave (there's even a death or two of some major character or two).

The Macro View. One of the greatest feats of these shows and the Defenders in particular is they've worked within the overall framework of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Avengers and Earth's other heroes are completely oblivious to the threat of the Hand. It's not a plothole where you wonder, "Well where the heck are the Avengers?" It's a carefully crafted story to where the Avengers wouldn't be aware of this threat. That's kind of how things work in the comic books too. Iron Man has no idea what Ghost Rider is dealing with most of the time and Captain America has no idea what the Silver Surfer is dealing with. These five shows do a good job of playing within the "Street Level" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

And finally I feel Iron Fist came away from this show a better character than when he went in. I feel of all the characters he showed the most character growth and boasted the best fight scenes as well. The big fight scene where the Defenders come together for the first time was great, Iron Fist standing out the most. And every time Danny fires off a shot of a full powered Iron Fist it's incredible. There's a reason they started Danny Rand at this particular point. If he was fully centered and ready for the real world he'd easily clean-up this whole mess by himself. Interpret this how you will being that I am a huge Iron Fist fan and I understood what they were trying to do with the Iron Fist show. Iron Fist had to be approached very carefully in the context of these shows because otherwise he'd be the most powerful character of them all.

One last thing: The Balancing Act. Big ensemble pieces like Avengers, Justice League, and so forth are tough to get the balance between all the characters just right. A big kudos to Netflix for striking an incredibly well balanced show. No one character soaks up the spotlight nor does anyone get left behind. The balance between all the characters is satisfying and everyone gets treated very well. I don't know why I saved this for last because this is a huge factor for a show like this. 

NITPICKS

Over too quickly. That's the problem with binging, right? It's over all too soon. The first five seasons of these shows consisted of thirteen episodes each, varying from 40 to 60 minutes per episode. If you work hard you can bang it out in a day but usually it takes a little longer than that, say two days to a week or more. The Defenders consists of eight episodes varying from 45 to 60 minutes each. That's five episodes short of what we're used to for these shows making it four to five hours shorter. That's a lot of time chopped off of this show. I could understand a shorter season if the production budget per episode was bigger but I didn't notice much of a boost in production value save for maybe the set used for the last episode. If anything it kinda felt like Netflix spent less on this show than either Daredevil seasons, Jessica Jones, or Luke Cage.

I know they're doing three shows this year as opposed to their usual two (Punisher is coming later this year). Maybe they were forced to make all three shows this year with the same budget it had cost them for two shows in previous years? That's the only thing that makes sense at this point. Even still, The Defenders was pretty awesome and we are so lucky to have a show like this that we can binge over and over again.

If I could suggest anything to Netflix it would be this: Slow down. Take your time with these shows. We can handle two shows per year. We don't necessarily need three at lower production values. And for a culmination point like Defenders, have it be the only Marvel show for that year and give us something with GAME OF THRONES production value. If the product is that freakin good then we viewers will be willing to wait.

THE VERDICT

The Defenders boasts an Avengers-esque culmination of all of Netflix's Marvel properties. Iron Fist, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones come together to take down the Hand and save all of New York City. The fight scenes are better. Each character's specific storylines are continued and done justice to. And each show's specific style is represented. No one character hogs the camera and each of them is given equal and wonderful representation. Bravo, Netflix! You did good and fulfilled a three year long promise. It's just a little short is all. I cannot wait for the next individual seasons of all four heroes, Punisher, and most especially Defenders Season Two!

Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10

For more of the Marvel Netflix series and the Marvel Cinematic Universe check out these posts below!

And for more Marvel, DC, and comic book related movies check these out too!
 
 
 
 
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