The Incredible Hulk #276 (October 1982)

The Incredible Hulk. Ol' Jade Jaws. The Not-So-Jolly Green Giant. Marvel's Mightiest Mortal. Born of rage and gamma radiation, the Incredible Hulk has for the past fifty years, smashed anyone who stands against him. He's been seen as a hero, an outcast, and a monster. He's been green and gray. Through it all, he's become one of Marvel's greatest characters.

Among the many threats he's faced over the years are a group called the U-Foes. First appearing in The Incredible Hulk #254 (December 1980), they were headed by a power-hungry rich businessman named Simon Utrecht, the U-Foes duplicated the spaceflight that empowered the Fantastic Four, giving them twisted versions of the Fantastic Four's powers. In-universe, they got their name as a nod to Utrecht, but in real life, it was a nod to the 1979 Graham Parker song "Waiting For The UFOs".

Funny enough, I don't think they ever fought the Fantastic Four. It's such an obvious face-off there. Anyway, let's take a look at one of Hulk's encounters with this fearsome foursome: Incredible Hulk #276 from October 1982.

The cover is pretty cool. The Hulk is under siege from the U-Foes! This twisted wannabe Fantastic Four is giving ol' Jade Jaws quite a fight, using their numbers to their advantage. It's a very well-drawn cover.

"The Return of the U-Foes!"
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Penciller: Sal Buscema
Inker: Joe Sinnott
Letterer: Jim Novak
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Al Milgrom
Editor-In-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with Rick Jones lying on a slab, the gamma radiation in his system slowly killing him.

In a previous issue, Rick Jones had exposed himself to massive doses of gamma radiation in an attempt to give himself the power to aid the Hulk against a group of aliens. However, reality decides to ensue for poor Rick. Instead of turning into a powerful green monster, Rick Jones ends up with the mother of all instances of radiation poisoning.

The apparatus over him belongs to Bereet, an alien filmmaker who uses advanced technology to film her art films. The Hulk is a favorite subject of hers. Her Life-Support Spider is able to stabilize Rick, but it's unable to heal him. That's where Dr. Bruce Banner came in. Banner attempts to use a gamma ray projector to draw the excess gamma power out of Rick.

Banner turns the machine to reverse, saying that he tried using this method to cure himself of the Hulk, but it didn't work due to his system have so much gamma radiation in it. The process does work on Rick, but something is wrong. The machine won't shut off, much to Betty Ross and Bereet's horror. Banner realizes that the machine won't stop siphoning energy out of Rick, including his "life energies". Okay. Science in the Marvel Universe is weird.

Banner then changes into the Hulk willingly. As Hulk, he's easily able to destroy the machine, saving Rick. Bereet applauds, while Betty is shocked. Betty demands to know how this happened. Bruce theorizes that essentially he had been exposed to gamma radiation during his various recent adventures (which included the debut of Rocket Raccoon), including his attempts to cure himself, altered his system allowing him to not only change into the Hulk willingly, but also retain his mind.

I love this sequence. It gives a sense of motion to the action. My mind's eye can picture Bruce changing to Hulk and back with the dialogue. I love it.

Rick and Bereet are overjoyed to hear this, as it means that Bruce has finally found a way to live with the Hulk. Betty, though...is not quite as enthused. She's angry at Bruce because he wanted to be cured of the Hulk, but now seemingly doesn't mind this new status quo. Well, to be fair, maybe Bruce is trying to make the best of things. Think about it. Every attempt Bruce has made to cure himself has failed miserably. But now, thanks to all the recent adventures he's had, Bruce has actual control over the Hulk now. He can still be Bruce, and access the Hulk's power. In essence, if he can't get rid of the Hulk, he has the next best thing.

Bereet, though, tells Bruce she is overjoyed for this new turn in his life, and then he realizes for some reason that not only is she there, she's an alien. Bruce, you mean you never noticed the alien woman with the Red Sonja goes sci-fi outfit and bag of tricks with you this whole time? Bruce then decides he'll table the issue of Bereet filming him later, as he wants to talk to Betty.

Betty and Bruce then converse over this new status quo. Betty dislikes it basically because basically...she wants to have a normal life with Bruce. She wants to be a regular housewife, with a kid while Bruce does a regular job, not turning into a green rage monster who goes around getting into brawls with monsters and supervillains alike.

There is one good point that Betty raises. I'm not quite sure at the time if Bruce's identity as the Hulk was public, but if it did end up public, supervillains would attack him at his home, endangering his loved ones. There certainly were supervillains ruthless enough to do so, even back in those days. Bruce counters that he would only use the power of the Hulk when it was absolutely needed, to stop natural disasters and the like. He promises her he'll never change into the Hulk unless Betty wants him to. However, he may have to break that promise.

Yup! The U-Foes are back, and they are fighting mad! Betty is unfamiliar with them, and Bruce basically explains that they are a twisted version of the Fantastic Four, created when Simon Utrecht (Vector), re-created the shuttle flight that gave them their powers. They did this out a desire to gain power so people would give them respect and adulation. Using their powers, they attack Banner, and give him a beating. Bruce then decides that if they want the Hulk, they'll get the Hulk.

Ironclad figures that Bruce's brain in control of the Hulk won't save him from his steel-like fists. He thought wrong. He easily sends Ironclad flying with one punch, and then disperses Vapor with a thunderclap. Vector and Hulk get into a fight involving them tossing debris at each other. Bereet uses a special sphere to protect herself, Rick, and Betty from the fight.

X-Ray flies in, realizing the U-Foes need a plan and to work as a team to fight Hulk. He blasts the Green Goliath with "Negative Gamma rays", causing him to change back into Bruce Banner. Ironclad returns and downs the scientist with one punch. To ensure he gets knocked out, Vapor flies in and turns her gaseous form into an anesthetic, taking Banner on a trip to Dreamland.

Vector decides to give the Hulk a public execution, saying it will give the U-Foes the fame and adulation they desire. Not to mention, if they could kill the Hulk, then no one might dare take them on. Yeah, about that...the Hulk is a former Avenger. Somehow, Vector, I don't think Earth's Mightiest Heroes would take too kindly to you killing one of their own, even if his relationship with the team could be rocky at times.

One of Bereet's toys witnesses this, and alerts her to it. Rick Jones is shocked, as he believed nobody could beat the Hulk. Bereet states they must save Bruce Banner from the U-Foes. Betty furiously refuses. Bereet takes it well.

A furious Bereet reminds Betty that she aided them when Rick was dying, and that she has a duty as a human to help someone in danger. Betty reminds her that she was helping Hulk while Bereet was back in her homeworld making movies. She agrees to help, but it will be the last time. Rick states they'll need a plan. Bereet has a simple one. Her spatial distorter is a literal bag of tricks, you see. It contains more than just her equipment she uses to film her movies. She also creates techno-art that can be used for more utilitarian purposes, like...personal defense. As she shows with her Defendroids.

The plan is a simple one. The Defendroids will engage the U-Foes, and Bereet, Rick, and Betty will take advantage of their distraction to find and free Banner.

I am not exactly sure what to say about this comic, to be honest. It's not a bad comic, not a bad comic at all. I have to say it's a rather enjoyable comic. It feels like a bit of a breather in a way. But that's not a bad thing, considering the epic adventures Hulk had previously. The fight with the U-Foes was good. It's neat to see a team of villains working as a team. I do think Betty's portrayal is a bit iffy, though. Can't quite put my finger on it. Sal Buscema turns in some good art, and Joe Sinnott's inking makes it look very clean. I got the scans from the Incredible Hulk trade paperback The Incredible Hulk: Pardoned, and I highly recommend it. Bill Mantlo was a rather underrated writer in my opinion, especially on Hulk.

Next time, we'll take a look at a daring adventure of Supergirl...

Guardians Inferno Music Video

James Gunn is insane. Seriously. The man is insane...and brilliant. Check this out.

Directed by David Yarovesky, this video is gloriously insane. It feels like somebody took Solid Gold and put it through a 1970s filter. It captures the look of the era very well, thanks to it being filmed with actual 1970s tube cameras.

It's gotten millions of views, and it is easy to see why. The song is funky, and it's awesome to see the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 all embracing the disco look. And of course, David Hasselhoff. Everything is better with the Hoff.

This video is awesome. It's just brilliant.

Amazing Spider-Man #2 (May 1963)

1963. Spider-Man was just starting out, not just as a superhero, but on his journey to becoming one of Marvel's most popular and beloved characters. This issue depicts his first battle with a supervillain, and in honor of Peter Parker's MCU solo debut, which I reviewed here, I thought it would be nice to review his first battle...with the Vulture.

The Vulture is not only the first of a Rogues Gallery that would rival Batman's in fame, he was one of the very first supervillains that Spider-Man ever fought. And since he was the main villain in Homecoming, I thought it would be cool to take a look at his first appearance: Amazing Spider-Man Number #2!

...I know that I said I'd review a comic focusing on the Incredible Hulk, but I saw Spider-Man: Homecoming, and it inspired me to do this comic instead. I apologize for that, readers. But don't you worry. Ol' Jade Jaws will get his time in the sun in this blog. I promise you that. Anyway, on to Amazing Spider-Man #2!

The cover is...a rather busy one. There's the masthead, the image of Spider-Man tussling with the Vulture, the big blurb, and the side panel of Spidey getting zapped by the Tinkerer. It's a lot to take in. It was kind of the style of covers of the time, though. As such it would not be completely fair to judge it by modern standards. It is a well-drawn cover, and I'm sure at the time, it got people hyped to see what was in it.

"Duel to the Death with the Vulture!"
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Letterer: John Duffy

The story begins with Spider-Man and Vulture duking it out in the sky over New York City.

However, this is just a spread. The real story begins with a man walking down the street in the city, an odd-shaped shadow looming over him. Then, the Vulture strikes!

With speed like the wind, the villain swoops down and snatches the man's briefcase. The man screams for help, saying that the suitcase contained a fortune in bonds. No one is able to help him, as the flying man moved to fact to be caught.

J. Jonah Jameson hears about this and demands pictures of the Vulture. He's got a magazine to print, and he wants it dedicated to the strange new supervillain. Yes, JJ published a magazine alongside the Daily Bugle. However, his employees tell him that no one has been able to get any good photos of the Vulture. At a high school, kids are talking about the Vulture. Peter overhears this and figures that his spider-powers may allow him to get said photos. After all, magazines do pay good money for hard-to-get photos...and Peter could use some extra cash.

Luckily, Aunt May had a miniature camera that belonged to Uncle Ben. She lets him have it, and he figures out a way to incorporate the camera into his costume. Meanwhile, in his lair, the Vulture is reading the news.

I am going to kick my iPad's scanner.

He learns that the Park Avenue's jewelry exchange is moving lots of diamonds to their new offices across town. He figures that since he's become more of a public figure, the authorities may be expecting him. Vulture's look here really shows why I love the MCU's take on his costume a lot. In the MCU, the wings aren't attached to his arms, which frees them to use weapons and tools. He also wears a helmet which helps him out twofold. It gives his head protection from the rigors of flight...and it also allows him to conceal his identity. Anyway, he figures out how he can get the diamonds unimpeded, and flies off.

He flies into the city, and Spider-Man spots him. During his flight, he sends some taunting messages to Jameson, the radio network (This was 1963), and the chief of police. He basically just tosses some rocks with notes wrapped around them through the window. Your MCU counterpart laughs at you, Adrian. He spots Spider-Man following him, and takes him out.

Evidently, Peter's Spider-Sense was on a coffee break. Vulture then takes the dazed Spidey and puts him in a water tank. Spider-Man tries to web out, but his web-shooters run dry. He can't climb out, as the walls are too slick. So, he makes a mighty leap and he manages to escape. He retrieves his camera and heads home. He develops his pictures, figuring he'd get a kick out of making the Spidey-hating Jameson pay money for his pictures of him. He also modifies his Spider-Man costume, adding a belt to carry extra cartridges of web fluid, and then modifies the buckle so it can carry his miniature camera. He also gets to work building another gadget, having a theory as to how the Vulture's flight harness works. The next day, Peter sells his photos to Jameson, on the condition that Jameson never asks how he got them. JJ is so happy to get the photos he agrees.

The day of the jewelry transfer arrives. Peter and his schoolmates go to watch it...were teenagers in the 1960s really into watching stuff like this? I think they're hoping the Vulture will show up. Anyway, Peter slips away so he can watch out for the Vulture as Spider-Man. The cops escort the holder of the jewels...until they reach a manhole cover.

Yup, Vulture was hiding in the sewers. He must smell awful. The flying criminal escapes through the sewers...which somehow allows him to fly into the subway system? Weird. Anyway, Spidey manages to catch up to Vulture, and the two tussle in the air for a while. Spider-Man then activates his special gadget. The gadget does its job, shorting out Vulture's wings. The two plummet, and Spidey is able to save himself thanks to his webs, Vulture gliding to the ground. A police helicopter spots the downed Vulture.

Spidey secretly gets his photos and sells them to Jameson. The story ends with him bringing his money home to a delighted Aunt May, and the Vulture plotting revenge in jail. They let him wear the Vulture costume in jail. That's silly.

This comic also comes with a second story, so let's take a look at that one, shall we? A nice little bonus.

"The Uncanny Threat of the Terrible Tinkerer!"
Writer: Stan Lee
Penciller: Steve Ditko
Letterer: Art Simek

The story begins with Peter Parker working in the science lab at school, and he gets introduced to a man.

The man is Professor Cobbwell, a prominent electronics expert. He has some research he wants to do over the weekend, and he is looking for an assistant. He has heard about Peter's knack for science from his teacher, and wants his help on some experiments. Peter is honored, and happily agrees. He also asks if he can pick up a radio for him from the repair shop.

The next day, Peter goes off on the errand, and meets the radio's repairman: Phineas Mason, aka the Tinkerer.

Kinda funny he doesn't try to hide that he has a supervillain nom-de-guerre. Although to be fair, the general public at the time could play it off as a harmless nickname. Peter's Spider-Sense picks up danger, but he figures that Tinkerer isn't really dangerous, just his equipment making his danger-detecting power go bananas. Tinkerer goes downstairs and gets handed the repaired radio.

Yup, the Tinkerer is working with what appears to be a group of aliens. The aliens have further modified the radio for an unknown purpose, but it is likely not a good one. And they've been doing this with other people's radios, too. Tinkerer hands back the radio, and states it only cost a dime. Peter is shocked at the price, but Tinkerer explains that bargains bring in customers. Peter brings the radio to Cobbwell, who explains the cheap price and good work is why he brought the radio to the Tinkerer in the first place. Peter is suspicious of this, as there's no way Tinkerer could be making a profit repairing radios at such a low price.

He decides to table the issue and concentrate on his work for Cobbwell. His Spider-Sense goes off, picking up the same electronic disturbance at Tinkerer's lab. But the radio is shut off. Cobbwell then leaves to do some errands, and Peter examines the radio. He finds some unusual components in it, and decides to investigate the Tinkerer's shop. He discovers a secret passage and finds...

Yup! The Tinkerer's radios contain special listening devices that allow then to learn about Earth's weaknesses. Wait, what? More on this later. Spider-Man spies on the aliens as they listen in on a colonel, but gets spotted. Spidey tries to fight his way out, but the Tinkerer manages to blast him with an energy beam and send him to the land of unconsciousness.

When Spidey wakes up, he finds himself trapped in a transparent dome. The Tinkerer and his alien allies then start to drain the air out of it, ensuring he will suffocate, and their plans will go unimpeded...or do they? Spidey finds some holes in the dome. He carefully lines up his webshooter with the hole and fires, webbing the button and freeing himself. He punches two of the aliens into the control panel, destroying it. The aliens flee, and abandon Tinkerer. The place is burning down. Spidey tries to save the elderly evil tech whiz, but he's trying to fight off the webhead. Spidey is ultimately forced to flee the building.

The aliens flee in their spaceship, remotely destroying the modified radios, and vowing never to return to Earth, as they fear humanity will be ready for them next time. Peter makes it back to the lab and changes back into his civvies by the time Cobbwell returns. When Cobbwell returns, he claims that he saw a spaceship, but shakes it off. Peter is left thinking about this adventure while holding a mask, hinting the Tinkerer was an alien in disguise.

Yeah, this would be retconned as the aliens actually being a bunch of human criminals in disguise.

This issue is...rather mixed to me. Honestly, I think the Vulture story is the stronger of the two tales in this book. It's a basic "Villain steal stuff, hero stop them" story, which can be done well in a short comic story using half the pages. The Tinkerer story, though? I do feel that it would have needed more pages to breathe. And quite a bit of it made me scratch my head. If Tinkerer's radios were used to spy on Earth's defenses...why was one done for Cobbwell? The story didn't establish that he was doing any important work for the government (If he was, he would not have been able to grab some high school kid to help him with it), so why did they modify his radio, too? Honestly, if this story was given its own separate issue with the full page count, it would be a lot better. Steve Ditko turns in some fine art in this issue.

Do I recommend getting this comic? Well, if you are a Spider-Man fan, get it. It's been reprinted in a couple trades, like Amazing Spider-Man Masterworks, Vol. 1, and Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection Vol. 1: Great Power. You know, I just realized something. Both Vulture and Tinkerer debuted in this comic. And they both were in Homecoming. Yeah, Tinkerer was in Homecoming. Was this comic the inspiration for the movie? It's unlikely, but...that is a neat bit of cosmic serendipity.

Next time, as I promised, we'll take a look at an adventure of the Incredible Hulk...

Justice League SDCC Trailer, My Thoughts

Thor: Ragnarok was not the only film whose trailer has gotten people talking. Marvel's Distinguished Competition had released another trailer for their upcoming superhero epic: Justice League. And here it is.

The trailer begins with a group of men walking into a building, and they have trouble on their minds. They're taking hostages, and Wonder Woman just busts right on in, and she's all like, "Yeah, this ain't cool. I'm gonna have to end this thing right here." And she proceeds to go Amazon Warrior on them...while indulging Snyder's massive thing for slow motion. Seriously, why does Snyder love slo-mo so much? Too much makes it lousy.

Heh heh, Wonder Woman has no plans for the weekend. She really plans to beat up some bad guys.

There's a radio broadcast saying the world is mourning Superman after his death. And they were saying that there was no hope without him...uh, wasn't everyone afraid of him? Didn't Batman want to kill him?

That bit where they called Superman a beacon of hope made me laugh. Keep in mind, the DCEU had been showing that everyone was AFRAID of Superman.

Diana says she never thought the age of heroes would never return. What is she talking about? As far as we know, there was her in WWI, and she stopped being Wonder Woman for some reason (I imagine WWII had something to do with it). As far as I know, the DCEU had no Justice Society, so...what age of heroes is she talking about?
It's kind of a shame the DCEU has no JSA. They could've been the forebearers of the modern superhero age, and it would not be hard to explain why they were no longer around...they got old. And you could draw from the comics and history by saying they were forced to retire in the 1950s by the HUAC. There.

The Amazons are gonna get jobbed, aren't they?

Hi, Arthur Curry! Enjoy your swim?

Hi, Cyborg! Why aren't you with the Titans again? Oh yeah, the DCEU probably has no Titans.

Wow. Steppenwolf really...wrecked that ground.

Exploding wind-up penguins? I wanna see that!

I'm honestly hoping Wonder Woman ends up leading this League. She's got more experience heroing than anyone else.

Lots of fighting, superpowers being used. Cyborg taking over the Batmobile...Batplane...Bat-Overcompensating vehicle was pretty funny.

"Superman was a beacon to the world." ...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I was expecting a laugh track. And that was coming from the man who tried to kill him because he was afraid of him.

Oh God, I hope the Amazons don't get jobbed.

I like Aquaman. Aquaman's fun.

Heh heh, poor Flash. Everyone left without him. And he got stuck with that rather...crazy suit. Seriously, the one on the TV show looks really good.

"He said you'd come. Let's hope you're not too late." ...Alfred's talking to Superman, isn't he?

Well, I have to say, this trailer was an enjoyable one to watch. I'm hoping this film is actually good. Wonder Woman was good, so I hope that streak continues. And I also kind of hope the Amazons don't get jobbed. The Amazons are cool, they don't deserve to be jobbed.

Spider-Man: Homecoming Review

The Mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe marches on! It's sixteenth film, a co-production with Sony, focuses on a certain wild and wooly wall-crawler. That's right, Spider-Man made his big homecoming, and I got to see it!

First of all, I think the title is actually pretty clever. Not only is Spider-Man "coming home" to Marvel as it were, but Peter Parker's Homecoming dance does play a role in the film. It's a minor spoiler, I assure you.

Basically, young Peter Parker, after the events of Captain America: Civil War, struggled to prove himself worthy of being an Avenger in the eyes of Tony Stark, while dealing with the threat of the criminal scavenger known as the Vulture.

First of all, I have to say, I love the fact that the Vulture is the villain here. It is tempting for a Spider-Man film to use the Green Goblin as the villain, as the Goblin is considered Spidey's greatest nemesis, like Red Skull for Captain America, Joker for Batman, or Lex Luthor for Superman. But this film chooses to use the first supervillain Spider-Man fought as its villain. Nice nod to the comics there. I also like the nods to the various nod to the Spidey canon in the film. I'll leave you to find them all.

The film had a lighter tone, with many funny moments, which was rather appropriate for a Spider-Man film. The cast is also very strong. Tom Holland shows a range of emotions as Peter Parker, Michael Keaton turns in a great performance as Adrian Toomes/The Vulture, Marisa Tomei gave us a wonderful take on Aunt May, Jacob Batalon is a joy to watch as Ned Leeds, and Zendaya does well as Michelle, a loner student. It's a great cast, and they are fun to watch.

I also liked the film's take on the Vulture, especially his armor. My only complaints are they should have tried to make the faceplate look more like a beak, and tried to slap more green on it. Otherwise that, I loved the armor. There was another twist with this version of the Vulture that shocked me, but again, no spoilers.

I do have one complaint about the film, though. There does seem to be some confusion about the timeline of the MCU in this movie. It didn't bother me when I was watching it, but looking back, yeah, they should have cleared that up. I also like that another trope that happens in the MCU was averted here.

I loved this movie, and I highly recommended it. Especially if you love Spider-Man. He's one of my favorite heroes, and the MCU did him justice. On to Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War!
 

Inhumans SDCC Trailer, My Thoughts

The Inhumans TV series got itself a new trailer that premiered at the San Diego Comic-Con! And here it is for all of you to enjoy!

The trailer begins with Triton meeting an Inhuman with yellow eyes. He tells her that there is a place for her and fellow Inhumans. Based on this and what we have seen in the previous trailer, Triton must be trying to rescue this young lady.

The Inhuman city of Attilan and Inhumans running around on Earth makes for an interesting concept. What if you suddenly found yourself with strange powers and abilities? What if those abilities caused you to be looked at with fear and suspicion? And what if there was a place where there were other people like you? But unlike the X-Men, who only have a pseudo-university...it was a city? An ancient city that holds a thriving civilization?! That's the interesting thing about the Inhumans in the MCU. They have a refuge and don't even know it.

We do get a brief scene of Maximus about to preach to a group of Inhumans that most likely did not get Terrigenesis. We also see a Moon Rover on the Moon.

Maximus does raise a good point. Attilan will be discovered at one point. If human technology keeps advancing, they may spot it on the moon at some point. Whether it's on a telescope or with a manned flight, it will be found.

Gorgon collects rovers. NASA is going to be so mad at you, man.

Triton does raise another good point. We've seen how humanity reacts to Inhumans in Agents of SHIELD. Could you imagine how they'd react to the idea of a city full of them? A city full of superhuman beings. And if such a population could easily become an army...that's some scary stuff.

We do next see Maximus talking about how the Inhumans need to get to Earth now, talking of "striking first". It seems Maximus may have darker plans for the Inhumans' return to Earth. Medusa points out it would lead to war. She could be right about that.

I'm getting the idea that Maximus is starting an armed insurrection, a coup against his family. Maybe this could lead to his going crazy. After all, Maximus is called "The Mad" in the comics. I haven't seen any hint of using his mind-control powers from the comics. Maybe he never underwent Terrigenesis yet.

I don't get why people are so angry about the CGI Medusa's hair. It looks fine to me. Oh wait, Medusa's an Inhuman. I did like her seeing using it on Maximus.

I also really liked the choice of song for the trailer, "Human" by Rag 'n' Bone Man. I do like the symbolism of it. The Inhuman Royal Family have the powers of gods, but are still only human, warts and all.

I enjoyed this trailer. It was action-packed, we got to see more of the Inhumans, and it was exciting. Can't wait to see this show!

Thor Ragnarok Trailer #2, My Thoughts

Thor's newest MCU adventure has a new trailer to go with it! Let's give it a looksee, shall we?

First of all, I have to say, sorry for the lack of posting on this blog. I had just spent the last couple days on Lake George, and I only got back yesterday.

The trailer begins with Thor recounting how he ended up on Sakaar...okay, he exaggerated some things about his journey, which is punctuated by footage from the last trailer. The trailer also includes some awesome retro new wave tune. I found out it was called "In the Face of Evil" by Magic Sword. Give it a listen. It's an awesome tune. The trailer does use a darker remix of it, and I hope that version gets a release in the future.

I can't imagine this film would not explain how Bruce Banner ended up on Sakaar. After all, he was last seen flying off in Age of Ultron, so some explanation of how he ended up there would be nice. Maybe the Grandmaster spotted him somewhere and had him picked up. It does appear Hulk has spent some time there, and according to what I have heard, Hulk kind of likes it there.

I'm getting the feeling that Cate Blanchett is just having tons of fun in the role of Hela, based on how she delivers her lines. That scene with Hela fighting the Valkyries is AWESOME. Seriously, look at it. It's utterly amazing.

I got a good chuckle out of Thor telling Bruce Banner he easily beat Hulk.

Heh heh, Valkyrie got a little bit of a pro  wrestling-style entrance there.

I can't help but wonder if Banner remembers that Hulk smashed Loki to paste in the first Avengers movie. And that bit with Thor and Loki greeting some mooks before blasting them was great. For Thor, it must have been nostalgic. I imagine as boys, he and Loki went on adventures together.

I loved the brief flash of seeing Skurge dual-wielding the M-16s. And this trailer gives us a better look at Karl Urban as Skurge. He looks like a badass. That is fantastic. I'm betting Taika Waititi must've been reading some Simonson-era Thor when he was working on this movie.

Hulk fighting Fenrir (the giant wolf) looks like that will be epic.

Hela really should not have asked what Thor was the god of again. He will go Raiden on you, as seen in the trailer.

That scene with Thor and Hulk talking was great. It's fantastic to finally see Hulk talk. I'm hoping there will be lots of banter in this movie with them.

OH MY GOD, THAT IS SURTUR. THE FREAKIN' FIRE DEMON, THE KING OF MUSPELHEIM. AND HULK WANTS TO FIGHT HIM. HULK IS INSANE:
Hulk: Hulk smash that.
Me: Hulk, you can't smash that.
Hulk: Hulk gonna smash that. Hulk can smash anything!
Me: YOU CAN'T SMASH THAT!

I am excited for this movie! I can't wait for this movie! Bring on November! Yahoo!