Transcript: The Hulk

Bif Bam Pow Wow
Episode “The Hulk”

Tom: He is one of the most recognizable Marvel creations, yet he has gone through many incarnations in his 40 plus years including another big-screen remake. Today we take a look at everyone's favorite raging monstrosity.
Welcome Hulka-maniacs to another exciting installment of Bif Bam Pow Wow. I am Tom your incredible host and I know what you’re thinking. Am I a man or a monster, or both? Well we will get to that later, but first I want to bring you up to speed on the Hulk.
The Hulk was a classic Stan Lee and Jack Kirby creation. It first appeared in Marvel comics, the incredible Hulk #1, 1962. His story begins when Bruce Banner, nuclear physicist, suffers that old super hero fate of accidental exposure to gamma radiation. Now it is all Rick Jones fault, he came under the test field, and Banner had to go running out there, get down and boom, stupid Rick Jones, why if I would punch him I could.
And it doesn’t kill Banner; it just seriously messes with his genes. Well at first Banner would be normal by day, and turn into a big green rageaholic at night. At that point most of us would probably swear off drinking. Not me of course, I just need it too bad. But Banner learns to control his powers to some degree and he uses his powers for good.
Over the years the Hulk has been a member of the Avengers and the Defenders. Ooh and an interesting historical note when the Hulk appeared in issue number one he was actually grey. Because coloring technology at the time couldn’t consistently reproduce grey, they just changed Hulk to green for his subsequent issues, very interesting huh?
Now when most of us see things go from grey to green just give it a sniff and throw it away, which is probably why that first issue is so valuable. I will discuss more of that in my pick and pans.
Alright my dear friends, the first thing I would like to recommend to all the Hulk a files out there is Hulk the End. A wonderful one shot by Peter David. It is just fantastic, a little depressing at the end. But I would say it is probably my favorite Hulk read ever. Definitely try to find it. The one shot has only been reprinted once, but it is totally worth it if you can dig it up, really good stuff.
Now the other one I would like to recommend is the more recent World War Hulk, the miniseries by Marvel. Oh man, this is alike a huge slug fest between Hulk and all the other super heroes in the marvel universe. It is just awesome, he is just kicking everybody’s butt, it is fantastic and oh I really like to see Black Bolt screaming in the Hulks face, so cool.
Ok for fans of the awesome seventies Bill Bigsby and Lou Foregno TV show The Incredible Hulk, I have go to warn you about the DVD that came out a few years ago, The Incredible Hulk, the television series, ultimate collection. Well guess what people; there is nothing ultimate about this. It contains eighteen “select” episodes, and was obviously a rush job to capitalize on the Ang Lee film. But Universal has redeemed itself, by now releasing a far superior season by season collection. Season 2 is out now, and is totally where the series hits its stride. Ultimately all five seasons and all 83 episodes will be available, get it.
My next item I am going to have to classify as both, a pick and a pan. I can do that alright, it is my show, alright shut it. It is the Incredible Hulk, the complete comic collection on CD rom. It spans 43 years and includes all 535 complete issues of the Hulk comic book, even the original ads.
Now some of the scans of the earlier issues are a little soft, you can see the torn pages and things like that. But really you get every single Hulk comic for like forty bucks. I mean that is better than spending like a million bucks to get every issue. But I do have to say I am a purist. I got to say people, who wants to read a comic from a computer? Huh? I want to lay down on the couch, have it up here, and feel the paper. Come on. Let’s do that, alright, alright, getting out of whack here.
Getting back to issue number one of the Incredible Hulk, from Marvel comics, nineteen sixty two. If you have the original whew, you better bag and board that thing. Put it in a cool dry place because I have seen that book go for anywhere from ten to twenty grand. Eww, daddy I wish I had me one of those. Anyway, as many of you know there is a new Hulk flick in the works, and I have brought back one of my favorite customers and a huge Hulk fan, Davey Soul. To deliver an open letter to director Louis Leterreir, of what fans expect out of this latest Hulk incarnation. Davey take it away, just try to stay calm, don’t make yourself angry.
Thank you Tommy. Dear Louis Leterrier. I have heard a rumor that you are directing a revamped, or reboot, or reimagining of the Hulk franchise, which Ang Lee kicked off in 2003, I just have a few little hints to maybe improve upon what’s already going on here. First of all, actually maybe I am a minority here, I really liked the Ang lee Hulk movie. I thought it was very character driven. A lot of people complained that there wasn’t enough action, not enough, Hulk smash.
Personally I actually thought maybe there was a little too much Hulk smash when it came to the end, the big conclusion between Nick Noltes character and the Hulk, when it got down to that, it was a little incomprehensible. The movie it seemed to actually have a satisfying wrap-up at the end, before we had to have some sort of arch nemesis. Next up I have got this topic here of the multiple Hulks from the comic books, I would steer away from that. I know that we have got the gray Hulk, Mr. fix it, we got the professor, we just want the classic Hulk for right now, big, mean, green, Hulk smash.
Finally you were probably hired on as the action director known best for your transporter series here in the states; I think maybe you have already done the perfect Hulk movie, Danny the Dog, a.k.a. Unleashed. I am saying that maybe we will just take a copy of that on DVD, do some Ted Turner kind of color washing.
We will take Jet Li, color him green. He will be the Hulk, he has this very childlike innocence to him but he is a very violent character none of the last. We will get Bob Hochkins in their too, we'll paint him green and he can either be the leader or the abomination. And the two of them will sort of just duke it out but in their own very character driven, nonspecial effects, big bombastic BS like that.
So please hear all these things out, stay on task, you're probably doing a great job. I remain, a friend of the fans, Davey Soul. Well I'm ready to drop this in the mail, now I just need an envelope.
Tom: Good job Davey, you really kept your anger in check, nicely done. Well we are running a little long here folks and you know the suits back at corporate are the last people that I want to make angry so I'm just going to leave you with these parting words; madder Tom get, stronger Tom become, Tom is strongest one there is.