Showing posts with label titles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label titles. Show all posts

Comic Book Reviews for 11/14/12

♦ by Unknown Wednesday, 14 November 2012 Thursday, 8 November 2012 Wednesday, 7 November 2012 Tuesday, 6 November 2012 Monday, 5 November 2012 Thursday, 1 November 2012 Tuesday, 23 October 2012 0 comments

This was enormous week for comics, as it ushered in four new Marvel NOW! titles -- Fantastic Four, All-New X-Men, Thor: God of Thunder and X-Men Legacy -- while also giving us the next chapter of the epic Batman story Death of the Family. Not to mention, the first issue of the last Locke & Key mini-series hit, along with a bunch of hot Image Comics titles -- including the much-beloved Saga.

A little housekeeping before you go forth and ponder our scores: there will be no review round-up next week, due to the Thanksgiving holiday and our bellies being full of turkey and other such deliciousness. There are some big titles releasing next week though, so we'll have a sprinkling of single issue reviews.

DC COMICS

Batgirl #14

Written by Gail Simone | Art by Ed Benes & Daniel Sampere

"The Joker’s return to Gotham City means a lot for the Bat-family, but Batgirl takes the cake. When the Joker paralyzed her in the classic tale The Killing Joke, her life changed forever. With the New 52, Gail Simone has given Batgirl her legs back, but the emotional scarring of the incident has always shown through. Now, all of that pain and fear comes to a head as Batgirl must confront the Joker once again, and the results might surprise you." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.5

Batman #14

Written by Scott Snyder | Art by Greg Capullo

"The Joker made his presence well known with a theatrical slaughtering at the Gotham City Police Department in issue #13, but now he’s out to show the entire Bat-family that he’s back and he’s gunning for them. Batman #14 is another chilling installment of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Death of the Family story arc, and one that builds on its predecessor by amping up the tension to even greater heights. There are sprinklings of great character moments here, but ultimately this issue celebrates dread and atmosphere above all else." -Joey

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

9.3

Batman and Robin #14

Written by Peter Tomasi | Art by Patrick Gleason & Tomas Giorello

"Yeah, so, I’ve never really been very heavy into the zombie genre. I mean, the classics are good: Night of the Living Dead, Shaun of the Dead, and 28 Days Later. After that, it’s kind of background noise for me. That’s a big reason why Batman and Robin #14 failed to grab me." -Poet

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.2

Demon Knights #14

Written by Paul Cornell | Art by Bernard Chang

"Demon Knights #14 showcases all the stuff that makes this series so wonderful. It's funny, epic and intriguing. You'll get to last page and wish the next issue was in your hands already. The only major bummer about this issue is that it is one step closer to Paul Cornell's departure from the series, and that is some seriously depressing news." -Ben

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

9.0

Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland

Written by Bill Willingham | Art by Jim Fern & Craig Hamilton

"The first original graphic novel spinoff in the Fables franchise, 1001 Nights of Snowfall, hit the stands back in 2006. In addition to exploring many new angles in Bill Willingham's colorful universe, it served as an excellent primer for new readers. I'd even go so far as to recommend it as a better starting point than Fables Vol. 1. With that book being such a creative and commercial success, it's a bit surprising that its taken so long for a second Fables OGN to emerge. Werewolves of the Heartland is neither the accessible gateway to the franchise nor as creatively engaging as its predecessor. However, fans of Bigby Wolf's misadventures will be pleasantly entertained." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.0

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #14

Written by Matt Kindt | Art by Alberto Ponticelli

"I’m really going to miss this book when it’s gone. Issue #14 is infused with the same strong balance of emotional gravity and comedic whimsy that Matt Kindt, Alberto Ponticelli, and Jeff Lemire have cultivated since the series’ instantiation. Take a trip with Frank on this bittersweet quest to save the world." -Poet

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.3

Green Lantern Corps #14

Written by Peter Tomasi | Art by Fernando Pasarin

"At what point does willpower become arrogance? Peter J. Tomasi answers that question in Green Lantern Corps #14 when Guy refuses to call for a retreat during a rather gruesome fight between his Lantern team and the Third Army. The Guardians have been setting Guy Gardner up to fail in a big way, and now that their goal nears completion, Guy must deal not only with them but his own ego. While Tomasi has been not-so-gracefully planting clues to the Guardians’ shenanigans throughout his run on this series, he does manage to use them to good effect here." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.2

The Phantom Stranger #2

Written by Dan Didio | Art by Brent Anderson & Philip Tan

"I want to like The Phantom Stranger, but too often it seems as though this series goes out of its way to make me hate it instead. For all the potential it has in showcasing a new, more human version of the character, the book is more interested in cycling through an endless series of cameos than building an ongoing and engaging storyline." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

3.8

Punk Rock Jesus #5

Written by Sean Murphy | Art by Sean Murphy

"Punk Rock Jesus is finally bringing the punk in a big way. Last issue started to let it loose, but it is in full effect here. Chris and The Flak Jackets are keen to bring punk rock's message to the world. They are heading down a path that can't end well. This issue is mainly setting up the final showdown of sorts, so it covers a lot of ground and breezes through things a bit too quickly, but it's still of the same high quality that this book has been since day one." -Ben

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.8

Suicide Squad #14

Written by Adam Glass | Art by Fernando Dagnino

"The tendency with any Batman-related crossover these days is for one writer to tell the actual story and all the other writers to be saddled with pointless, superfluous tie-ins. Death of the Family is proving to be no exception so far. Suicide Squad #14 has more direct connection to the event than the first issues of Batgirl or Catwoman did, but it still does a poor job of either adding something meaningful to Death of the Family or furthering its own plot threads." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

5.8

Team 7 #2

Written by Justin Jordan | Art by Ron Frenz & Julius Gopez

"I don't disagree with the assertion that Team 7 is a pointless series. It's sort of an inherently pointless exercise to showcase a team formed in the early days of the New 52 universe and comprised mainly of characters that have their own solo books set in the present day. We all know where this is leading for most of the players involved. But the most important thing is that I'm enjoying reading the adventures of characters like Black Canary, Deathstroke, and Grifter more in this series than I am in their own books. So yay for Team 7." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.8


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Rayman Slowing Beyond Good & Evil 2 Development

♦ by Unknown Wednesday, 14 November 2012 Thursday, 8 November 2012 Wednesday, 7 November 2012 Tuesday, 6 November 2012 Monday, 5 November 2012 Thursday, 1 November 2012 Tuesday, 23 October 2012 0 comments

The sequel to Beyond Good & Evil is still being made, but being held up by the development of Rayman titles according to Ubisoft's CEO.

Speaking to Polygon, Yves Guillemot explained that the brain behind both Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil, Michael Ancel, was having to devote all his time to completing the upcoming Rayman Legends at the moment.

What's very important is that Michel Ancel is kind of doing too many things at the same time.

"What's very important is that Michel Ancel is kind of doing too many things at the same time," he explained. "He was working on Rayman Origins last year, and he's working a lot on Rayman Legends this year. So, you know, when he does that, he kind of puts too much of his time on the other projects that he has.

"So the fact is, that working on Legends is slowing the process on Beyond Good & Evil 2.

"It's really a game that we've been working, we have worked on, and is a game that we want to do. But there are so many things that have to be done that, you know, this one is going to come in line at one point, but at the moment Michel is really on Rayman Legends."

While we still haven't seen much of the game, we do know that it's being developed for the next generation of consoles and there have been reports that part of the game will take place in a shanty town.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.


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When Nintendo Arrived in Scribblenauts Unlimited

♦ by Unknown Wednesday, 14 November 2012 Thursday, 8 November 2012 Wednesday, 7 November 2012 Tuesday, 6 November 2012 Monday, 5 November 2012 Thursday, 1 November 2012 Tuesday, 23 October 2012 0 comments

A few weeks back, one of Wii U's launch titles got a little boost, courtesy of Nintendo. Scribblenauts Unlimited, a game that allows players to summon any object imaginable, welcomed Mario, Link and their friends into the fold.

All we've had to go on was a simple promotional image featuring Scribblenauts hero Maxwell with some stylized renderings of Mario, Link and a few more characters from their worlds. Today we're able to show you some of them in action, including how they interact with a few familiar objects. As is often the case with Scribblenauts, we're not trying to do anything in particular - just write things into the world and see what happens. Also keep in mind that we're doing that writing and a lot of the object manipulation through the GamePad.

Let's see Hyrule and the Mushroom Kingdom crash the Scribblenauts party!

Stay tuned to IGN for the latest on the Wii launch!

Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com and the leader of IGN's Nintendo team. He also watches over all things WWE, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed and much more. Follow him on Twitter, if you dare!


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Storm Dogs #1 Review

♦ by Unknown Wednesday, 14 November 2012 Thursday, 8 November 2012 Wednesday, 7 November 2012 Tuesday, 6 November 2012 Monday, 5 November 2012 Thursday, 1 November 2012 Tuesday, 23 October 2012 0 comments

Science-fiction is having a good run in comic books lately. There's lots of really great titles out there that range from violent to bizarre to epic. Enter Storm Dogs, a cool book that seems to be setting up some really great stuff. The story revolves around a group CSI agents of sorts, that are investigating a series of murders on a distant planet. Oh, and the rain on said planet will melt your face off. Mix in some cool alien races a few giant monsters and you have the makings of a one very awesome science-fiction comic book.

David Hine and Doug Braithwaite are stretching their creator-owned muscles here, and that is never a bad thing. Storm Dogs does a lot of stuff right in it's first issue, and most of that is because of Hine. The world builds naturally; there is no major information dump that feels forced. Our main characters, the aforementioned CSI team, are visitors to a new world and we get to learn the rules of it along with them. So far, the only thing lacking is some really strong characters, but hopefully that will be corrected in the coming issues.

Braithwaite's art is pretty good, for the most part. The issue could benefit from some solid inking, since most of it looks like the colors were just added to the pencil work. This gives everything a soft look and the effect is not the greatest. It's not bad, but stronger lines could definitely help bring the pages to life. Still, the world looks good. The aliens look great. The universe looks lived in. If you're a fan of science-fiction, check out Storm Dogs.

There is no Benjamin Bailey. Or maybe, we are all Benjamin Bailey. Think about it. Follow Benjamin on Twitter @616Earth, or find him on IGN.


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How Halo 4 is Seeking to Win Multiplayer Wars

♦ by Unknown Wednesday, 14 November 2012 Thursday, 8 November 2012 Wednesday, 7 November 2012 Tuesday, 6 November 2012 Monday, 5 November 2012 Thursday, 1 November 2012 Tuesday, 23 October 2012 0 comments

Multiplayer combat gaming is dominated by titles that enfold players in quasi-realistic modern war-zones. The action and the perks and the zombies-on-the-moon modes may be pure fantasy, but the settings are rooted in the real world of multi-terrain combat boots and SA-58 clips.

The first time you play it, it has to be fair, but also it has to be fair on the hundredth time and the thousandth time.

By contrast, Halo 4 is pure fantasy, a sci-fi dreamscape of weird colors, strange weapons, variable gravity as well as Ghosts, crazed AIs and abandoned deep-space mining vessels. Publisher Microsoft wants its key multi-billion-dollar franchise to sit at the heart of inter-human gaming.

Developer 343 has delivered what is arguably the best Halo ever made, and one key component to this is multiplayer, described by IGN reviewer Ryan McCaffrey as “golden” with “immaculate weapon balancing” and containing “an impressive collection of outstanding battlegrounds.”

343 hired Austin, Texas-based development house Certain Affinity to help out with modes, maps and map-creation tool Forge. Why? The company was founded by Max Hoberman, who spent a decade at Bungie, crafting the Halo series’ multiplayer experience.

I'm dying to see what crazy things people come up with.

Certain Affinity is also responsible for working on MP sections of recent Call of Duty games and on Left 4 Dead. In short, these guys really get multiplayer, and they have a long and intimate relationship with the Halo universe. 85 team-members spent 18 months working on Halo 4’s multiplayer, in close association with 343.

Hoberman says the starting point for refining and evolving Halo 4’s multiplayer modes has been making it available to as many people as possible.

He explains, “That was 343's approach across the board. How do we make this better by letting more people enjoy it? We started by smoothing off some of the rough edges on areas that could be great, but just weren't quite there for accessibility reasons. That can be really difficult, really challenging, especially when you're trying to develop something that has some inherent depth. How you balance depth and accessibility is always a challenge. But that has absolutely permeated all of our decision-making.”

Certain Affinity worked on some of the War Games modes, many based on old favorites that have now been tweaked. For example, Dominion is a team-based mode in which each side attempts to capture and defend a series of bases which, over time, sprout defensive upgrades, culminating in a ‘last stand’ slaughter of the team that’s failed to secure defensive positions.

Oddball is the classic game mode that wins players points for holding onto a ball, with an added twist of being able to throw the ball. When this one feature was first shown, at PAX, it drew enthusiastic whoops from the crowd.

When you're designing for multiplayer, you have to be selfless.

Part of the responsibility facing Certain Affinity, and all developers that specialize in multiplayer, is the intense relationship players have with the modes and maps they play. Unlike single-player games, which are experienced once or perhaps a few times, multiplayer games are experienced again and again. They are lived. They are also very public testing grounds for people who take their skills very, very seriously.

Not only, but also, through map-editors like Forge, players understand the fundamentals of multiplayer level design. Ten years ago, players might have enjoyed a multiplayer map, without stopping to think about the subtleties of sight blocks and cover positions. These days, they intuite sloppy design.

Hoberman says, “We’re very aware of the gravity of our responsibility. We're creating this content that people are going to play time and time again, sometimes thousands of times, for one map or one game mode. It feels like a massive responsibility. We mandate internally that we play this stuff over and over. We have to be fans of our own work and we have to put it to the test day in and day out.

We're creating this content that people are going to play time and time again, sometimes thousands of times.

“We insist that our developers participate in daily playtests. It can be tough. Our artists, for instance, they have a big to-do list, but we make them take an hour out of their day to playtest. We think that's invaluable. Fans are going to pick these things apart. They're passionate about every detail. It's critical that everyone working on these things is also passionate about every detail and understands how these things are going to be experienced by the players.”

He points out that in single-player modes, the story embraces the player as well as the characters in the game, but only the actual player is having a real emotional experience. But in multiplayer, it’s about everyone who is on screen.

“When you're designing campaign levels, you're inherently designing something asymmetrical. You're designing for the player. You don't need to care about how the enemies feel. You don't need to care about how the Covenant feel about their experience. When you're designing multiplayer, you have to care about everybody.

“What you're designing is inherently balanced and symmetric, even if it's physically asymmetric. It has to be balanced. It has to be a fair experience for everyone. The first time you play it, it has to be fair, but also it has to be fair on the hundredth time and the thousandth time. It takes a different mindset to design for multiplayer. I'd say it also takes a different personality sometimes. When you're designing for multiplayer, you have to be selfless. You have to be able to put yourself in someone else's shoes. If you're just concerned about designing a good experience for yourself, then you'll never be a great multiplayer designer.”

One of the massive projects undertaken by Certain Affinity was Forge, which allows players to make their own multiplayer maps. This tool has been around for some years but in Halo 4 has been drastically overhauled.

New features include better looks through dynamic lighting and gorgeous native environments; greater ease-of-use via neat gadgets like item-lock, duping and magnets; and local effects called player-trait zones which give designers all sorts of freedom to play around with their invented worlds.

Hoberman says, “Forge is interesting, any map editor is interesting, because so many people benefit from it whether they actually use it or not. Everyone benefits from the creations that come out of it. The accessibility improvements that we made and some of the feature additions are ultimately just going to mean that new users will find it easier, but because Forge is inherently a pretty sophisticated tool, the creations are going to be that much more inventive and novel.

He adds, “You always do something and you think maybe you’ll see a dozen interesting ways people use it. In reality, over time, you end up seeing hundreds of greats ideas. I'm dying to see what crazy things people come up with.”

Don't forget to make use of IGN's massive Halo 4 wiki.

For daily opinions, debates and interviews on games you can follow Colin Campbell on Twitter or at IGN


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Two Books Join the New 52 in February

♦ by Unknown Wednesday, 14 November 2012 Thursday, 8 November 2012 Wednesday, 7 November 2012 Tuesday, 6 November 2012 Monday, 5 November 2012 Thursday, 1 November 2012 Tuesday, 23 October 2012 0 comments

Last month we reported that DC was canceling four of its lower selling titles in January - Frankenstein, Grifter, Blue Beetle, and Legion Lost. That means the company will need to launch four new books in February to keep the overall number of ongoing DC books at 52.

Geoff Johns and David Finch's Justice League of America has already announced. Today, two more of these new titles were revealed by MTV Geek - Katana and Justice League of America's Vibe.

Katana spins out of Duane Swiercynski's Birds of Prey series and features the assassin who wields a sword she believes houses her late husband's soul. The series will be written by Ann Nocenti (Catwoman) and drawn by Alex Sanchez (JSA Classified).

As the title suggests, Justice League of America's Vibe is tied to Johns' new team book and focuses on the former gang leader-turned-superhero. The series will be written by Andrew Kreisberg (creator of the TV series Arrow) and illustrated by Pete Woods (Legion Lost). Additionally, Johns will serve as co-plotter for the first issue.

"We've done a lot of great things with the 'New 52," co-publisher Dan DiDio told MTV Geek, "and now we're putting the focus back on Justice League, with the launch of Justice League of America. We want to make people realize that this is one of our key franchises, and we plan to build it out not just with the main Justice League titles, but other books that tie into them as well."

Speaking of Arrow, DC also revealed a new creative team for Green Arrow starting with February's issue #17. Jeff Lemire (Justice League Dark) will begin writing the series, while Andrea Sorrentino (I, Vampire) will be the new penciller. Presumably the series will begin incorporating elements from the TV series. No word yet on whether we'll see any issues devoted to a shirtless Ollie Queen doing pull-ups on a salmon ladder.

Those worried what this new assignment means for Lemire's other DC books can rest easy. Lemire tweeted today, "Thanks for all the kind words about Green Arrow. Still writing Animal Man and Justice League Dark for a long haul too!" It was revealed at NYCC last month that Ray Fawkes will be co-writing Justice League Dark with him.

Finally, DC revealed that they'll be publishing 52 variant covers for Justice League of America #1. Each will feature a background flag from a different US state or territory.

There's still (presumably) one new title left to be revealed for February. We'll update you when that news hits, as well as when we have more information on Vibe and Katana.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.


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ShootMania Blog: Making the comeback

♦ by Unknown Wednesday, 14 November 2012 Thursday, 8 November 2012 Wednesday, 7 November 2012 Tuesday, 6 November 2012 Monday, 5 November 2012 Thursday, 1 November 2012 Tuesday, 23 October 2012 0 comments

For those who don't know, I've competed in a multitude of titles in the past. Although my area of expertise came from the world of consoles, I know how it feels to be in an 0-5 situation and have your back against the wall. I have both fought back and defeated in these situations and the feeling is unlike any other. Competitors and viewers alike take for granted how flawless an individual must be in order to make that perfect comeback a reality. Here at IPL, we have witnessed this first hand with Spin Move's amazing run against Epsilon in the North America Qualifier Semi-Final match-up.

I had the chance to catch up with TCM's Luxxiz's and asked him about his fondest comeback memory:

"Making comebacks is always so nice, when you get into the momentum and nothing can stop you. I remember one time in an EU league, we were up against GamersLeague and on their map Archway they were leading 5-0, but we felt it, we really motivated each other on teamspeak and just pumped us up, we turned it around, everyone just stepped up and we won 7-5"

Communication is important in those all-or-nothing situations and Luxxiz couldn't have said it any better. When it's your turn to attack and put the team on your back you get into this groove and feel unstoppable. Granted, it's not always like that and you, sometimes, fall apart but like Luxxiz said it's all about your team continuing to motivate one another, even in defeat.

One of the reasons I find ShootMania to be such an intense game is due to the importance of the attacking rounds and how it can make or break a team and when everything is on the line. The 1v3 situation is a unique take on team based game play that puts the pressure on you out of the gates and I will be as bold to say that no other game has done that in the past.

Follow Alex "GoldenboyFTW" Mendez on twitter!


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Hulk: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

♦ by Unknown Wednesday, 14 November 2012 Thursday, 8 November 2012 Wednesday, 7 November 2012 Tuesday, 6 November 2012 Monday, 5 November 2012 Thursday, 1 November 2012 Tuesday, 23 October 2012 0 comments

In their second Next Big Thing press call of the week, Marvel turned the spotlight on Indestructible Hulk, which landed the #2 spot in the Marvel NOW! titles that we’re most excited for. Joined by writer Mark Waid, artist Leinil Yu, and editor Jon Moisan, the call shed some light on what’s to come for Bruce Banner and his fan-favorite alter ego.

First and foremost, Waid is aiming to take Hulk in a new direction and tie him more directly into the familiar surroundings of the Marvel Universe. “I’m trying to take [him] on the most imaginative Marvel Universe-based ride we can concoct. Like with Daredevil, part of the edict was let’s make sure we strengthen Hulk’s ties to the Marvel Universe in general. As part of that, you get to see the Hulk fighting villains that he’s not necessarily fought before; we get to see him in locales that are familiar to Marvel books,” said the writer. “We want to bring Bruce Banner and the Hulk into the Marvel Universe tapestry a little more tightly. The most immediate way to do that is to – as implausible and strange as this sounds – to make Hulk an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

While Hulk working for S.H.I.E.L.D. certainly sounds like a bizarre idea, Waid is confident that it will showcase Banner himself in a new light. “Banner’s biggest takeaway of Avengers vs. X-Men is that he doesn’t get to be the science hero; he never gets to be the science hero. He’s the guy who smashes stuff,” he explained. “We always speak of him in the same breath that we do Hank Pym and Reed Richards and Tony Stark; we do that as creators and we do that as fans. But in the context of the Marvel Universe, Banner spends almost all of his time in a lab trying to make himself not the Hulk anymore.”

“Hulk is a chronic condition, hence the phrase ‘indestructible Hulk.’ Bruce has come to this post-AvX epiphany that no matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to get rid of the Hulk permanently,” he continued. “It doesn’t mean that he won’t try in the future and it doesn’t mean that he’s given up on it, but it does mean that he’s decided to take a bit of sabbatical from trying to control Hulk. Instead, he’s taken the new philosophy of ‘Hulk destroys, Banner builds.’”

In light of this realization, Banner will strike a deal with S.H.I.E.L.D., though Waid confirmed that it won’t be as simple as Banner asking the organization for a job. Instead, there will be a “web of intrigue” (isn’t there always with S.H.I.E.L.D.?) in regards to their relationship. “Exactly the deal he cut to make that happen is part of the mystery that spills out over the next few issues,” said Waid.

Yu expressed his excitement working with Waid again, saying that the writer has left him a lot of room in the script to add his own flavor to things. “He seems to be able to read my mind. He knows how to make use of my strengths,” said the artist.

Waid returned the compliment, describing how Yu’s work brings “a real sense of power to these characters,” referring to how we often think of Hulk as “a lumbering brute who stomps around Frankenstein-like when he’s angry,” but in reality, “Hulk moves like lightening when he’s angry. He’s not slow by any stretch of the imagination. Leinil does such a beautiful job of capturing that sense of the Hulk as a force of nature.”

Waid referenced the great reception that his work on Daredevil has received and how its success was an obstacle in terms of being able to catch lightning in a bottle twice. “With Hulk, you don’t get to write witty banter. With Hulk, it’s harder to put him in danger. With Hulk, it’s a less human book; it’s a less street-level book. All of the things that were sort of obvious to duplicate from Daredevil were difficult to translate to Hulk,” explained Waid. “I stepped back further and found that the commonality between the two books it that, like we’ve done with Matt Murdock, Bruce Banner has reached a point in his life where he realizes that the things he’s been doing for the recent past have not worked.”

“What Stan and Jack did so beautifully back in the day was they created the world’s first persecuted superhero,” he continued. “The guy who every day and every moment of his life was filled with angst and turmoil and agony about his super powers. Yes, Ben Grimm didn’t like being the Thing either, but he still could laugh every once in a while. Bruce Banner was the atypical morose, tortured superhero. 50 years later, and you can go to a comic shop and pick up a bunch of superhero comics at random and most of those characters are tortured and angst ridden now. That seems to be the big thing, ‘Oh, I have superpowers, my life is terrible!’ So I thought rather than Hulk continue on that same route, let’s try and turn left. Let’s try to make Hulk’s perspective on his life and his powers unique again, as it was back in the day.”

In terms of Hulk’s intelligence and ability to speak, Waid said that it will vary, but there’s a reason for it. “A lot of the Hulk’s level of articulation or his ability to communicate his interest in doing anything other than smashing has a lot to do with how angry he was when he turned into the Hulk. It has a lot to do with the circumstances of the moment.”

Waid continued to explain that S.H.I.E.L.D. “thinks of him as a cannon, not a bomb,” and that it’s their job to simply point him in the right direction once Banner Hulks out. However, fans know that Hulk isn’t exactly the type of character that’s easily controlled. “S.H.I.E.L.D. has what they believe is a fairly tight leash on the Hulk. They are mistaken.” He referenced the armor-like clothing we’ve seen on Hulk in some of the cover images, which has been speculated as a piece of equipment for S.H.I.E.L.D. to keep Hulk in line. Waid said only, “It’s not for Hulk. It’s for Banner.” He later referenced the “floating robot head” on one of the covers and said that it somehow ties into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s plan for controlling the Hulk.

The writer expressed the fun of writing Banner interacting with S.H.I.E.L.D. head honcho Maria Hill, saying, “They both have a different idea of what the Hulk’s role in all this is.” He said later that Banner isn’t above dropping a heavy box on his foot just to make Hill sweat.

As far as the villains of the book go, Waid confirmed a few: Attuma, Frost Giants, and a revamped Quintronic Man, who Yu added was a lot of fun to redesign. “There is a big bad behind the first year,” teased Waid, offering little more insight into the overarching vision for the book.

Though Maria Hill came up quite a bit throughout the call, surprisingly a bulk of the supporting cast for the book won’t be S.H.I.E.L.D. related or even contain the traditional Hulk mainstays. Instead, the supporting cast will consist of lab assistants and interns that are crazy enough “to work alongside Bruce Banner in a closed space all day long.” Expect their debut in issue #3, each with “a hidden self inside them that may or may not need to be explored.”

Finally, Waid said there is “no question” that Hulk and Daredevil would be meeting up under his watch. “I really want to do ‘Blind Justice’ or ‘Blind Rage’ or something with these guys.”

Walt Simonson Variant Cover

Indestructible Hulk #1 hits comic shops and Comixology on November 14.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.


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