punchout part 2

drive-by readings

Hulk #24 (Marvel) "The Strongest There Is" Jeph Loeb Ed McGuinness Mark Farmer Morry Hollowell Richard Starkings/Comicraft McGuiness/Farmer/Frank D'Armata (cover) Dale Keown (variant cover)

what we learned: the final battle (yeah, right) between the original Hulk and Rulk (hey, they could be like Shake n Bake in Talladega Nights). Banner's masterplan unfolds and knowing he could beat Ross in a fight (laying waste to DC memorials in the process), backs him into a corner of defeat and humiliation. that is of course, until they need him again. that's a mistake that might blow up in their faces.
oh shit moment: great in-your-face artwork from Ed McGuinness. this is how it should end.
what's next: anybody still wondering why Red Hulk would be in Secret Avengers?


Honest Abe: "and what the hell are you two gonna do about this mess you made??"

snaps: Hulk #23

... where everything about the Red Hulk and General Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross is revealed. so do you feel like a chump after Jeph Loeb just put you on that rollercoaster ride the last couple of years? do ya??


uhhhh ... that Rolling Stone guy just published your drunken comments, sir.



i guess we know which Friend he didn't like.


seriously?? everyone can just revive everyone now? why is this not being mass-marketed? this spells the death of insurance and big pharma!!!


and here i thought ignorance was bliss.



streaks on his face? i don't even wanna go there.



the Redeemer Armor: because Mysterio and Bob the Uranian just wasn't enough.


Gen. Stanley McChrystal was surprised at the reaction of the Obama Administration.

Red Hulk is a redneck!

oh-HO-HO, Jeph Loeb, you did not!!!



so i was partly right. it was a red herring. i had my money on Glenn Talbot somehow.

-----
Hulk #22

snaps: Ultimate - New Ultimates #1

... where we find Jeph Loeb continuing his massacre of the Ultimate Universe in the attempt to out-Millar Mark Millar, and possibly even @Not_Mark_Millar. by the time this ends, i won't be surprised if there were no Ultimates left. tell you what: if you keep Frank Cho on the book till its inevitable critically-panned conclusion, i'll keep reading it.

"and we created fake Twitter accounts too!"


"Linda"? "asian"? is it Linda Park??


and after this conversation, you're still a coward.


you think this happens in the 616? maaaaaaaybe.


is it that time of the year? yeah, spring is in the air!

let's see how this plays out - Hela gets a son, but she also secretly empowered and sent the Defenders to grab Thor's hammer. in the end, Thor would be useless to her as her child would now be the Thunder/Death God. but how does Loki figure into this joke again?

he ain't Daken

well, the claws were a dead giveaway.

so this is Jimmy Hudson, son of the late (Ultimate) Wolverine. for now, he's got his dead dad's healing factor, and the bone claws. as an added bonus, he can coat the claws with liquid steel. next issue, he's gonna sprout feathery wings, show a modicum of telekinetic ability, turn into a snowcone machine, and shoot laser beams out of his left eye.


so ... X-Man or Mimic?

/Ultimatum sucks, and they're perpetuating it. thanks a lot, Jeph Loeb.

R.I.P. Thunderbolt Ross

wait, what rest in peace? serves you right, you selfish egoistic prick. i hope that hurt more than hell.

who goes topless to the shrink?

of course, it wouldn't be Tony Soprano!

it's just the last decent Hulk character taking the step over to the dark side.

so this was the whole "WTF is a Red Hulk" thing leading to. Dr. Leonard Samson, psychologist to the superstars, has battling his own demons and has finally snapped. thank you, Jeph Loeb. we are so friggin' enlightened.

-----
Hulk #18

acting like a maniac

the Daily POP is questioning the choice of Whiplash (or Blacklash) as a potential villain for Iron Man 2. i agree. he is one of the classic villains dating back to the ol' days. one of the first Iron Man storylines i remember reading was one involving Jasper Sitwell, the Maggia (heh), a low-batt Shellhead, and a betrayal by Tony Stark's cousin whatsisface - - - Morgan! reminds me, where the hell is that jerk?

so Mickey "Bloatface" Rourke is ostensibly playing Whiplash - is this because of his career resurrection or they are in awe of his rediscovered acting skills? i like Rourke, but that was pre-'90s before he flushed his career down the toilet (hey, sounds like Stark, circa alcoholic problems). maybe i should watch The Wrestler, and be awed again (Sin City was an ensemble).

considering how really easy it is to beat Whiplash (poor choice of codename, since you can easily make the case for "Whipping Boy"; that's probably why he went by "Blacklash" for a time), maybe they should have looked around more. Controller? Ghost? Spymaster? Madame Masque? i draw the line at the Red Ghost and his Super Apes.

poor Mark Scarlotti
bitch-slapped by sentient armor
into spaghetti


just in case this Whiplash thing doesn't work out, here's an idea for Iron Man 2



Bruce Lee = Mandarin analogue!

or ...

Bruce Lee = Dragon = Fin Fang Foom!

no?


/ducks tomatoes thrown