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Marvel Berkley/Byron Preiss Productions Prose Novels
The Incredible Hulk: What Savage Beast
The superhero undergoes an experiment to transform himself permanently back into his human alter-ego, Dr. Robert Banner, in a new full-length, hardcover adventure novel by the author of the monthly Incredible Hulk comic book.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
About the author
Peter David
3,536 books1,318 followersaka David Peters
Peter Allen David (often abbreviated PAD) is an American writer, best known for his work in comic books and Star Trek novels. David often jokingly describes his occupation as "Writer of Stuff". David is noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real world issues with humor and references to popular culture. He also uses metafiction frequently, usually to humorous effect, as in his work on the comic book Young Justice.
Peter Allen David (often abbreviated PAD) is an American writer, best known for his work in comic books and Star Trek novels. David often jokingly describes his occupation as "Writer of Stuff". David is noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real world issues with humor and references to popular culture. He also uses metafiction frequently, usually to humorous effect, as in his work on the comic book Young Justice.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
February 22, 2020
There's more to superheroes' lives than just special powers and fighting enemies. They have many of the same struggles we regular humans have, and even some we don't. Although many movies and novels have shown that, few have done it as effectively as Peter David did in What Savage Beast. Sure, there's plenty of action to go around; however, the core of the story revolves around Dr. Bruce Banner's daily struggles, and how he responds to them. The book isn't perfect; some profanities and mocking of God mess things up a bit, and a sudden turn in the third part of the novel is quite weird. Still, most superhero fans will probably enjoy this, although you might want to have some tissues handy when you read it.
April 16, 2021
Art credit: Mike Pascale
Whoa.
More thoughts later. Maybe.
July 4, 2020
While Hulk was never one of my favorite Marvel characters, Peter David's run on the book was definitely a highlight. This is a prose novel that he wrote that hangs together pretty well with the continuity he established in the magazine. He does a good job of showing a conflicted Banner, a savage beast on the one side and a family man on the other. It's set in a time when there aren't a myriad of rainbow-flavored pretenders scattered across the cosmos, and in a comprehensible Marvel Universe that hasn't suffered a dozen retcon-reboots. David is an excellent writer, and this is one of the best Marvel books of its time.
April 7, 2013
A novel set in the world of Marvel comic's Incredible Hulk. I enjoyed this book and I liked the path this book took the reader on. This book contains Hulk canon that I did not know and if I had this knowledge, I think the book would have been even more enjoyable. The book can be read without this prior knowledge even though I wondered a little bit about some information. If you are looking for a book that is fun and you want to sympathize for the main character, I recommend this book.
November 16, 2021
I recently listened to another Marvel book and was thoroughly unimpressed. This book, though, was marginally better. The plot was still a bit of a mess, but the characterization the author gave to Bruce and Betty Banner along with psychiatrist Doc Samson elevates the story. Throwing in a Doctor Strange cameo is just a touch of whipped cream. A light read or listen, this book is a good palette cleanser after finishing a highly emotional book.
December 9, 2021
An interesting look at Banner's mind set and the hardships he has endured.
July 21, 2018
Picked this up to read on a whim. I think it might be the fifth or sixth time I have read it; I am not sure. I still think it is one of the best super hero prose novels, especially for the Marvel Universe. At the time this was published, there were plenty of stinkers that were written and some that were decent. The author obviously knows his stuff when it comes to the Incredible Hulk, which only make sense when you consider he wrote the comic series for over twelve years. I thought it added depth to the characters of Bruce and Betty Banner, in particular. Doc Samson - not so much; he was definitely a supporting character. The book seems to take place a few weeks or months after the Pantheon-storyline wrapped up in the comics. At first, I thought it tied in with the Ghosts of the Future storyline, as the first few issues reminded me of the book. I was incorrect; while there were some general similarities, the two stories quickly diverged. The overall character development was okay, in the book. The pacing was interesting, as well. While it "moved fast," it seemed like it was more about Bruce's and Betty's life together and how they were trying to cope with "everything" as opposed to an "Incredible Hulk" story. I do not know if that makes any sense, but I still enjoyed the story all the same. Most of the "action scenes" take place in the latter portion of the book.
I still enjoyed the Easter Eggs in the book.
On the one hand, I thought it was a good book in how it described both Betty and Bruce struggled with their marriage, to remain optimistic, and to find ways to live a quiet, unassuming life together. Each of them have had a hard life, and they have both chosen to remain together. This story is very human in the gamut of emotions both parties run in their relationship, as they learn how to navigate through new challenges they are faced with in this book. There is anger, sorrow, grief, hate, love, concern, tenderness, worry, guilty, faithfulness, strength, fear, trust, and determination, amongst other emotions experienced by the two heroes over the course of the novel. It is a bittersweet journey for both of them, by the end of the book.
There was one 'thing' I found interesting in the book.
I did like how this was a type of sequel to the author's Future Imperfect storyline. I had quit reading the Incredible Hulk comic shortly after John Byrne had taken over the writing and artwork [say, issue 324ish]. I started rereading it around the time of the Heroes Reborn storylines [where the Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, and Fantastic Four were all being outsourced, "rebooted" and retold by Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld], so there was quite a bit that I had missed. Needless to say, when I discovered there was a prior storyline that this novel tied in to [and was a sequel-of-sorts, to], I had to find it and read it. So, on the one hand, I would say read that miniseries before reading this book as the miniseries will add some further depth and richness to this story.
I would love to read a sequel by the author in which it is discovered Brett is still alive and both Betty and Bruce have to rescue him [it would even be better if Betty were also the "Red She-Hulk" like she was in the comics for a period of time].
The cover art was not the best; the artwork preceding each chapter was definitely better. It was a fun book to revisit, and it was quite the fast read this time around. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it [again] this time around, and feel it is still one of the best "super hero" novels written to date.
I still enjoyed the Easter Eggs in the book.
On the one hand, I thought it was a good book in how it described both Betty and Bruce struggled with their marriage, to remain optimistic, and to find ways to live a quiet, unassuming life together. Each of them have had a hard life, and they have both chosen to remain together. This story is very human in the gamut of emotions both parties run in their relationship, as they learn how to navigate through new challenges they are faced with in this book. There is anger, sorrow, grief, hate, love, concern, tenderness, worry, guilty, faithfulness, strength, fear, trust, and determination, amongst other emotions experienced by the two heroes over the course of the novel. It is a bittersweet journey for both of them, by the end of the book.
There was one 'thing' I found interesting in the book.
I did like how this was a type of sequel to the author's Future Imperfect storyline. I had quit reading the Incredible Hulk comic shortly after John Byrne had taken over the writing and artwork [say, issue 324ish]. I started rereading it around the time of the Heroes Reborn storylines [where the Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, and Fantastic Four were all being outsourced, "rebooted" and retold by Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld], so there was quite a bit that I had missed. Needless to say, when I discovered there was a prior storyline that this novel tied in to [and was a sequel-of-sorts, to], I had to find it and read it. So, on the one hand, I would say read that miniseries before reading this book as the miniseries will add some further depth and richness to this story.
I would love to read a sequel by the author in which it is discovered Brett is still alive and both Betty and Bruce have to rescue him [it would even be better if Betty were also the "Red She-Hulk" like she was in the comics for a period of time].
The cover art was not the best; the artwork preceding each chapter was definitely better. It was a fun book to revisit, and it was quite the fast read this time around. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it [again] this time around, and feel it is still one of the best "super hero" novels written to date.
March 28, 2021
This was such a cool Hulk story. Aside from tv and movies, I haven't ever followed the Hulk. I only just learned there was a Hulk
/Banner merged form in the Avengers movie. So, to see more on this form and then to add Stephen Strange and time travel and I'm hooked. I loved this story and want to read more Hulk arcs.
/Banner merged form in the Avengers movie. So, to see more on this form and then to add Stephen Strange and time travel and I'm hooked. I loved this story and want to read more Hulk arcs.
November 21, 2015
The Incredible Hulk: What Savage Beast is and entertaining adaptation of the comic book series into a novel. Peter David is a very accomplished writer and has spent the time to convert several comic books into a book while trying to keep the same pace and feel of the original comic book series. At the beginning of each chapter is an illustration by the comic book artist, George Pérez. I'm not sure why, but the cover art is by Bruce Jensen. Why they didn't let George Pérez do it, I don't know. They should have.
I used to read the Incredible Hulk comic books and have at home issues 312 through 469. That run cover October 1985 through October 1998. At the time I started reading this novel, I thought it was going to be a new story about everyone's favorite green, angry monster. About half way through the book, when the name Maestro was mentioned, and that rung a bell in my head. At that point, memories started flooding back of the comic books and I realized that I had read all of this story previously in the comic book format. That caused me to be a little bummed. Sure, it has been about 20 years since I read those comics, but I felt a little ripped off, like someone told me who did it in a murder mystery before I finished reading the book.
As for the story, it is well told. Since I had history with the Hulk, I was able to easily follow along. I felt like someone who might now be familiar with the Marvel Universe might not understand everything that was mentioned in this book. Like, who is Doc Sampson and what is he all about? That is not explained. Who is S.H.I.E.L.D. and what does it stand for? again, not explained. Sure, I know Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is on television right now, but this book was published in 1996.
If you are a Hulk fan, just know this . . . this is the time when Bruce Banner's mind was in the form of the Hulk, and if he got mad, he would turn into his smaller, human version of himself, but with the Hulk's brains. So, when Hulk would smash, nothing much would happen. In Bruce's normal mode as himself, he has the body of the Hulk.
The artwork by George Pérez is fantastic! I just wish the images would have taken up the entire page, rather than just two-thirds of it. At least you get twenty-seven pictures, as that is the number of chapters.
Overall, The Incredible Hulk: What Savage Beast is a good story that I did enjoy reading. Still, having read the Maestro story before, I remembered not liking Maestro and didn't care all that much for the storyline when I first read it in comic book form 20 years ago. I did feel a little disappointed in the how the story was laid out and told. Plus, it is just a repeat of the comic book series, which is the main disappointment I had. Still, Peter David is a writer that I have always enjoyed (he wrote a lot of books in the world of Star Trek) and I greatly admire his work.
I rated this book a 7½ out of 10.
I used to read the Incredible Hulk comic books and have at home issues 312 through 469. That run cover October 1985 through October 1998. At the time I started reading this novel, I thought it was going to be a new story about everyone's favorite green, angry monster. About half way through the book, when the name Maestro was mentioned, and that rung a bell in my head. At that point, memories started flooding back of the comic books and I realized that I had read all of this story previously in the comic book format. That caused me to be a little bummed. Sure, it has been about 20 years since I read those comics, but I felt a little ripped off, like someone told me who did it in a murder mystery before I finished reading the book.
As for the story, it is well told. Since I had history with the Hulk, I was able to easily follow along. I felt like someone who might now be familiar with the Marvel Universe might not understand everything that was mentioned in this book. Like, who is Doc Sampson and what is he all about? That is not explained. Who is S.H.I.E.L.D. and what does it stand for? again, not explained. Sure, I know Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is on television right now, but this book was published in 1996.
If you are a Hulk fan, just know this . . . this is the time when Bruce Banner's mind was in the form of the Hulk, and if he got mad, he would turn into his smaller, human version of himself, but with the Hulk's brains. So, when Hulk would smash, nothing much would happen. In Bruce's normal mode as himself, he has the body of the Hulk.
The artwork by George Pérez is fantastic! I just wish the images would have taken up the entire page, rather than just two-thirds of it. At least you get twenty-seven pictures, as that is the number of chapters.
Overall, The Incredible Hulk: What Savage Beast is a good story that I did enjoy reading. Still, having read the Maestro story before, I remembered not liking Maestro and didn't care all that much for the storyline when I first read it in comic book form 20 years ago. I did feel a little disappointed in the how the story was laid out and told. Plus, it is just a repeat of the comic book series, which is the main disappointment I had. Still, Peter David is a writer that I have always enjoyed (he wrote a lot of books in the world of Star Trek) and I greatly admire his work.
I rated this book a 7½ out of 10.
July 21, 2015
The Incredible Hulk: What Savage Beast by Peter David is one of those rare works that are simultaneously derivative of their source material, while still respecting it's funnybook roots.
Peter David is perhaps best known for his 12 year run on Incredible Hulk, where he transformed the character into a rich, three dimensional being.
This story was allegedly supposed to be the culmination of that run, but was axed by Marvel and turned into a novel. It's easy to see the ties, using characters and concepts from all over David's run and the series as a whole.
Serving as a sort of sequel to Future Imperfect, the story sees the Banners (Bruce and Betty) conceiving a child and the resulting complications. These complications range from normal issues any parent would face to fantastical ones only present in the Marvel U, but all are magnificent and gut-wrenching in their human honesty.
This book goes on my must-read list for anyone, even people not fans of comics. Had Marvel allowed this to be published, I have no doubt it would be considered among the greatest comic stories of all time. As it is it has faded into comic-novel-tiein obscurity, and that is a shame, because it's one of the better novels I have read, full of complex characterization, subtle plotting, theme, wonderful interpersonal dynamic and self-reflection. These characters are jumping off the page.
Read this. 5/5.
Peter David is perhaps best known for his 12 year run on Incredible Hulk, where he transformed the character into a rich, three dimensional being.
This story was allegedly supposed to be the culmination of that run, but was axed by Marvel and turned into a novel. It's easy to see the ties, using characters and concepts from all over David's run and the series as a whole.
Serving as a sort of sequel to Future Imperfect, the story sees the Banners (Bruce and Betty) conceiving a child and the resulting complications. These complications range from normal issues any parent would face to fantastical ones only present in the Marvel U, but all are magnificent and gut-wrenching in their human honesty.
This book goes on my must-read list for anyone, even people not fans of comics. Had Marvel allowed this to be published, I have no doubt it would be considered among the greatest comic stories of all time. As it is it has faded into comic-novel-tiein obscurity, and that is a shame, because it's one of the better novels I have read, full of complex characterization, subtle plotting, theme, wonderful interpersonal dynamic and self-reflection. These characters are jumping off the page.
Read this. 5/5.
March 6, 2014
I have been reading Peter David's acclaimed 1980s-'90s run on the Incredible Hulk comic book on and off the last few years, and he gives the Green (or Grey) Goliath more psychological depth than the casual observer would think possible. This novel deals with the pregnancy of Bruce Banner's wife, Betty, which brings on trouble in the form of the Maestro, a mad, aged version of the hulk from a possible future (seen originally in David's "Future Imperfect" two-part comic from 1992) who wants the offspring for himself. The Hulk travels through the Crossroads (a nexus of realities from writer Bill Mantlo's '80s run on the comic prior to David) to the Maestro's world to fight for his family in a future in which the alternate version of he himself has killed all the other superheroes and runs the dystopia with an iron fist. There are guest appearances by Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, and super-shrink Doc Samson, and each chapter begins with a drawing by the great artist George Perez, which is a fun bonus.
December 1, 2009
Most novels about comic book characters are not worth your time, but this one is a rare exception. Dynamic, thought-provoking and interesting to the last page, this hulking paperback is essential reading to any fan of the not so jolly green giant. Bravo, Mr. David, bravo. Now for the bad news...if you are not at least moderately well versed in your Hulk lore, this novel may not make too much sense as the backstory was developed in hundreds of issues of The Incredible Hulk. I suggest a little research if you happened to miss the last twenty years of the comic before diving into this book, it will be worth it.
February 1, 2011
This is one of my favorite books. Peter David does an excellent job summing up everything that has come before in the Hulk's life and showing the major points such as an attack by the army, the Hulk Busters, the different versions of Hulk, and Doc Samson. Each chapter has a beautiful illustration from George Perez.
The story can be thought of as a sequel to the two part Future Imperfect comic book story. The future version of Hulk from that story returns and is looking for the current David Banner. He takes him into the future where the Hulk learns the fate of so many of his friends. I won't spoil the ending, but I couldn't put this down.
The story can be thought of as a sequel to the two part Future Imperfect comic book story. The future version of Hulk from that story returns and is looking for the current David Banner. He takes him into the future where the Hulk learns the fate of so many of his friends. I won't spoil the ending, but I couldn't put this down.
February 19, 2013
I read this book when I was a teenager and it completely changed my mind about the incredible Hulk. Before this book I kind of felt that the character was dumb and not worth my time. I don't exactly remember why I picked this book up (I imagine it was the only novel based on a comic book character) but I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It still sits on my book shelf 15 years later. I definately recommend this book to any comic book fan who wants to enjoy a good novel.
November 8, 2015
I have always loved Peter David's Star Trek books and was also very pleased with this novel starring the Incredible Hulk. Storyline, characterization, and writing were very good - would have been a five star but there were too many references to the comic book history of the Hulk that David appeared to think the reader would know about so he lost one star.
February 2, 2013
I read this book quite a while back, but I do remember it was the first book I couldn't put down. I breezed through it in 3 days (fast for me!). It also introduced me to Peter David, who is a top tier writer in my opinion.
December 5, 2021
I am always impressed when I read a Hulk story by Peter David. He captures the characters so well! The plot is well done, and the language is descriptive.
This time I listened to the audio book. The narrator is excellent!
This time I listened to the audio book. The narrator is excellent!
November 5, 2010
Amazing Hulk story. This is a really good book.
December 8, 2012
loved it. hulk is one of my favorite comic character especially the banner hulk. nice to see a novel that continues the adventure. if your hulk fan read it.
December 16, 2013
The Hulk written by the Hulk's best writer at the height of his powers (Hulk and David both).
February 26, 2014
That was fun. Definitely the best of any comic book novel i have read so far. And I've never even been a huge hulk fan. It was a nice in-between book before moving on to some others i have lined up.
July 21, 2018
Overall, I still enjoy reading this book. It is by far one of the better superhero novels on the market and was written during a period where Marvel was venturing back into the 'novel market' in the 1990s. Peter David has done an excellent job writing about the Incredible Hulk in a novel-format [which probably carries over from his being the writer on the Incredible Comic for nearly ten years]. The novel moves at a good pace and manages to keep one's interest. I think there is enough backstory in the novel itself so that a person reading the novel with no prior experience to the Incredible Hulk comic book series would be able to read it an enjoy it.
The basic gist of the story is that Bruce Banner's brain controls the Hulk's body/brawn, Bruce is married to Betty Ross, and they are living in secret. Bruce works at home via the internet, helping solve scientific and technical problems as an online specialist. Betty works odd jobs outside the house each time they move to a new city. Bruce also keeps in touch with Leonard Samson via the internet. We find out via some backstory that Leonard was able to merge Bruce's multiple personalities into one with Bruce's personality as the dominant one; a 'happy' by-product of Leonard's work is that Bruce's brain inhabits the Hulk's body. A specialist contacts Leonard and offers a way to help Bruce control his MPD such that he can remain in his human body and he and Betty have the life they have dreamed of [with Bruce working on a college campus as a professor]. Then Betty finds out that not only is she pregnant, but she is pregnant with twins. It is a difficult pregnancy [fraught with nightmares about a hulk-baby smashing its way out of Betty's womb and killing her], but the twins are born conjoined. Doctor Strange arrives after being contacted by Bruce and Leonard to lend his expertise to the unusual situation. After an emergency surgery to separate the twins and save their lives, Ross dies. Brett, however, survives and grows stronger due to Banner using an experimental gamma ray gun to strengthen Brett's body.
Then disaster strikes. Betty recognizes the specialist as being an older Bruce Banner, and the specialist morphs into the Maestro and takes Brett after knocking Bruce out of the county. Doctor Strange uses his timeond to send Bruce into the future via the Crossroads of Infinity; Bruce is given one hour to find Brett and bring him back before Leonard comes after him with additional reinforcements. Bruce meets his savage self on the Crossroads, they fight, and when Bruce wakes up he finds himself in the future. To his dismay, he discovers he is twenty years too late and Brett has grown into a young man. He also discovers this version of the Maestro has been collecting Hulkds throughout time and space to create his own 'Hulkbuster Army' composed of sixty-strong Hulks. With this army, the Maestro plans to lead a conquest of the twentieth century in honor of his son, Brett [but in reality to seek revenge of everybody who had wronged him]. Bruce tries to reason with his son after kidnapping him, but Brett believes not a word of what Bruce said. When the Maestro confirms what Bruce told Brett to be true, Brett's world is turned upside down and he begins to consider the error of his ways.
Bruce escapes Dystopia after two Hulks are injured/killed. He returns to his cave in the New Mexico desert and finds if fully furbished with sufficient advanced technology to work on his plan of building a new gamma gun to return the Hulk army to their puny human state. Alas, his plan does not work. The Hulk army confronts Bruce, the Maestro tricks Bruce and destroys the Gamma Gun, and Bruce reverts to his puny human form upon losing control of his temper. Whilst enroute to the twentieth century, Brett attempts to reason with the man he believed to be his father, but the Maestro goes berserk and nearly kills Brett. However, Bruce regains his sanity [and Hulk-like form] in time to save Brett from the Maestro. Bruce destroys the Maestro's Timeond, causing the Crossroads to go berserk and the Hulk army to be lost in Infinity. Bruce manages to escape, but Brett grapples with the Maestro and drops into the Abyss to keep the Maestro from completing his mad plan of vengeance. Upon Bruce's arrival back to the present, Betty is devastated to learn that her surviving son has died and does not want to talk about it. The book ends with Betty willing to listen to Bruce tell her about how their son saved his life and all of humanity by defying the Maestro. The end.
Even after having read it a fourth time, I find that I still greatly enjoy the book. I also laugh, because I remember the first time I read it, I first thumbed through it before starting to look at the interior artwork. I was so excited when I saw what I thought was the Thing and Deathlok the Terminator inside! I thought for sure they had traveled with Bruce to help him get his son back. Yeah, I called that one wrong! hahaha.
One thing I wish they had done was included more super heroes on the book; maybe had Thor and Hercules travel with Bruce to save Brett. That would have changed the whole tenor of the book, though, so it might not have worked out.
One thing I disliked was the comments about God - they bordered on blasphemous and I found them disturbing. But, given that he is Jewish, that might account for his comments. He has made similar comments before in his other books [especially Q-Squared], so it was not much of a surprise, but I still find them disconcerting. Also, I did not think the language needed to be as strong as it was. It was not horrible, and I know my children have heard far worse at school, but I still felt it was unnecessary.
I liked how the author wove in the history of the comic book series into the novel; there were 'Easter Eggs' scattered throughout the book [such as humor poking fun at how the 70s television show would not use the name 'Bruce' because it was considered too effeminate and not 'manly' enough]. There was also a hilarious scene where a reporter named 'McGee' is confronted by Dr. Strange while trying to infiltrate the hospital to get the inside scoop on the twins inside.
I also liked how Doc Samson and Doctor Strange had cameos [of sorts] in the novel. It was nice to see the story somewhat tie-in to other aspects of the Marvel U. Some of the other stories written around the same time period seemed to ignore the fact there were [are] other super heroes in 'active service' at the same time as when the novels were written. For instance, some of the 'early' X-Men and Spider-Man novels ignored there being other heroes and hero teams living [primarily] in NY state and NYC. Later novels starting trying the different super heroes and groups together, which was a nice touch. It made the novels more interesting.
It was also a great tie-in and 'sequel' to his 'future imperfect' miniseries; I really enjoyed that aspect of it as well. In fact, I had quit reading the Hulk comics for a while and upon learning this was a 'sequel' of sorts made me go and find the mini-series to read it for more 'background' for this novel. Good times!
The basic gist of the story is that Bruce Banner's brain controls the Hulk's body/brawn, Bruce is married to Betty Ross, and they are living in secret. Bruce works at home via the internet, helping solve scientific and technical problems as an online specialist. Betty works odd jobs outside the house each time they move to a new city. Bruce also keeps in touch with Leonard Samson via the internet. We find out via some backstory that Leonard was able to merge Bruce's multiple personalities into one with Bruce's personality as the dominant one; a 'happy' by-product of Leonard's work is that Bruce's brain inhabits the Hulk's body. A specialist contacts Leonard and offers a way to help Bruce control his MPD such that he can remain in his human body and he and Betty have the life they have dreamed of [with Bruce working on a college campus as a professor]. Then Betty finds out that not only is she pregnant, but she is pregnant with twins. It is a difficult pregnancy [fraught with nightmares about a hulk-baby smashing its way out of Betty's womb and killing her], but the twins are born conjoined. Doctor Strange arrives after being contacted by Bruce and Leonard to lend his expertise to the unusual situation. After an emergency surgery to separate the twins and save their lives, Ross dies. Brett, however, survives and grows stronger due to Banner using an experimental gamma ray gun to strengthen Brett's body.
Then disaster strikes. Betty recognizes the specialist as being an older Bruce Banner, and the specialist morphs into the Maestro and takes Brett after knocking Bruce out of the county. Doctor Strange uses his timeond to send Bruce into the future via the Crossroads of Infinity; Bruce is given one hour to find Brett and bring him back before Leonard comes after him with additional reinforcements. Bruce meets his savage self on the Crossroads, they fight, and when Bruce wakes up he finds himself in the future. To his dismay, he discovers he is twenty years too late and Brett has grown into a young man. He also discovers this version of the Maestro has been collecting Hulkds throughout time and space to create his own 'Hulkbuster Army' composed of sixty-strong Hulks. With this army, the Maestro plans to lead a conquest of the twentieth century in honor of his son, Brett [but in reality to seek revenge of everybody who had wronged him]. Bruce tries to reason with his son after kidnapping him, but Brett believes not a word of what Bruce said. When the Maestro confirms what Bruce told Brett to be true, Brett's world is turned upside down and he begins to consider the error of his ways.
Bruce escapes Dystopia after two Hulks are injured/killed. He returns to his cave in the New Mexico desert and finds if fully furbished with sufficient advanced technology to work on his plan of building a new gamma gun to return the Hulk army to their puny human state. Alas, his plan does not work. The Hulk army confronts Bruce, the Maestro tricks Bruce and destroys the Gamma Gun, and Bruce reverts to his puny human form upon losing control of his temper. Whilst enroute to the twentieth century, Brett attempts to reason with the man he believed to be his father, but the Maestro goes berserk and nearly kills Brett. However, Bruce regains his sanity [and Hulk-like form] in time to save Brett from the Maestro. Bruce destroys the Maestro's Timeond, causing the Crossroads to go berserk and the Hulk army to be lost in Infinity. Bruce manages to escape, but Brett grapples with the Maestro and drops into the Abyss to keep the Maestro from completing his mad plan of vengeance. Upon Bruce's arrival back to the present, Betty is devastated to learn that her surviving son has died and does not want to talk about it. The book ends with Betty willing to listen to Bruce tell her about how their son saved his life and all of humanity by defying the Maestro. The end.
Even after having read it a fourth time, I find that I still greatly enjoy the book. I also laugh, because I remember the first time I read it, I first thumbed through it before starting to look at the interior artwork. I was so excited when I saw what I thought was the Thing and Deathlok the Terminator inside! I thought for sure they had traveled with Bruce to help him get his son back. Yeah, I called that one wrong! hahaha.
One thing I wish they had done was included more super heroes on the book; maybe had Thor and Hercules travel with Bruce to save Brett. That would have changed the whole tenor of the book, though, so it might not have worked out.
One thing I disliked was the comments about God - they bordered on blasphemous and I found them disturbing. But, given that he is Jewish, that might account for his comments. He has made similar comments before in his other books [especially Q-Squared], so it was not much of a surprise, but I still find them disconcerting. Also, I did not think the language needed to be as strong as it was. It was not horrible, and I know my children have heard far worse at school, but I still felt it was unnecessary.
I liked how the author wove in the history of the comic book series into the novel; there were 'Easter Eggs' scattered throughout the book [such as humor poking fun at how the 70s television show would not use the name 'Bruce' because it was considered too effeminate and not 'manly' enough]. There was also a hilarious scene where a reporter named 'McGee' is confronted by Dr. Strange while trying to infiltrate the hospital to get the inside scoop on the twins inside.
I also liked how Doc Samson and Doctor Strange had cameos [of sorts] in the novel. It was nice to see the story somewhat tie-in to other aspects of the Marvel U. Some of the other stories written around the same time period seemed to ignore the fact there were [are] other super heroes in 'active service' at the same time as when the novels were written. For instance, some of the 'early' X-Men and Spider-Man novels ignored there being other heroes and hero teams living [primarily] in NY state and NYC. Later novels starting trying the different super heroes and groups together, which was a nice touch. It made the novels more interesting.
It was also a great tie-in and 'sequel' to his 'future imperfect' miniseries; I really enjoyed that aspect of it as well. In fact, I had quit reading the Hulk comics for a while and upon learning this was a 'sequel' of sorts made me go and find the mini-series to read it for more 'background' for this novel. Good times!
July 20, 2022
The hulk written by Peter David. I never knew this story existed, until I was reading about the Marvel Novels and this came up as the Grandfather that started it all. Of course this story is a classic Hulk story but it’s in the timeline of the meshing of the three hulks into “smart Hulk”. This fills the gap between Hulk leaving the Patheon and what happens next. Betty and Smart Hulk are on the run, living in Chicago she’s working he’s doing computer work at home. Until (which is never explained fully) a machine Hulk is set loose onto Chicago smart hulk gets involved, machine hulk is smashed and turn into liquid then Hulkbusters show up. Hulk get so mad he turns into banner. Normal Banner and Betty takes him home they have sex. Of course she is pregnant and then out of the blue a doctor contacts Samson with a cure for Hulk to stay Banner and not smart hulk. This works out perfectly Hulk gets the surgery turns into Banner. Fast forward 8 months they are hidden at Samsons Al ma motte, Banner is a Professor and Betty is home maker. Betty is having False labor but because of the Hulk factor, they are worried about Betty and the “twins” hulking out inside her. So they decide to have a C Section. Babies are born, of course they aren’t healthy, Banner has been working on a “Gamma Gun” (of course) he goes to get it and runs into Talbot. Who shoots Banner, the shot changes Banner into Hulk. Meanwhile the Doctor that did the changing surgery shows up and is creepy. Hulk show up with the “gamma gun” but one twin has died so all the focus is on the other twin and Hulk fires the “gamma gun” the baby lives. Now this is where the story starts!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2019
When Peter David was writing the Hulk comic, I tried out a few issues but never really got into it. I then read this book, which told a complete story and gave me enough interest in the characters that I went back to the monthly comic and eventually got hold of all the back issues.
As long as you're vaguely familiar with the character, that's all you need to know; you don't need to read all the comics first. However, it would be worth reading The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect (where Peter David and George Perez previously collaborated). There are a few "easter eggs" (e.g. references to the 1970s TV show) but it doesn't matter if you miss the references.
I've re-read this book several times, and it holds up well. Some medical terminology has changed, but aside from that it could be set in the present day.
As long as you're vaguely familiar with the character, that's all you need to know; you don't need to read all the comics first. However, it would be worth reading The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect (where Peter David and George Perez previously collaborated). There are a few "easter eggs" (e.g. references to the 1970s TV show) but it doesn't matter if you miss the references.
I've re-read this book several times, and it holds up well. Some medical terminology has changed, but aside from that it could be set in the present day.
September 21, 2021
If you were to read this book contemporaneously with the Peter David run on the Incredible Hulk comic series, I think it'd be a more satisfying and interesting read since it references characters and events that happened in that series quite a bit. Since I'm decades beyond that, still a decent read as I remember enough of the comic run, but for someone not familiar with the comic storyline, I fear that they'd feel they were missing quite a few details about what was going on and who some of the characters were. So. A good book as a companion to the past comic series, maybe not so much as a stand-alone novel.
January 23, 2021
I wanted to love this book because I love peter david. The first half was great and to a moderate hulk fan easy to follow. The second half took a hard left turn into the bizzare that I just didn't care for. I absolutely adore comic books and comic book characters and I've read some crazy stories about alternative universes and time travel and have loved them but I just don't feel like that doesn't suit the hulk. If you're a massive hulk fan and have a deep knowledge of the character then you might love this book but it was just ok for me.
July 3, 2023
while (presumably) noncanon, this book provides an excellent alternative ending to peter david's hulk run, sometime after the fall of the pantheon, serves as a sequel to what might be the best hulk story (future imperfect) and sees banner become a father. the excellent peter david writing and humor is still present, and this book is well worth reading if you're a fan of his hulk run, also available as an audiobook.
November 17, 2021
So, I love the Hulk, but I felt like this novel really required you to know some of the Marvel history and I didn't have that. Overall it was interesting and I wouldn't say a kid novel in any sense. It also dealt with time streams, etc.. which are not my favorite. Not a bad read if you enjoy anything Hulk related, but not highly recommended.
March 7, 2022
for the type of book it is, 4 stars.
I personally feel Peter David is the greatest Hulk writer that ever lived so I was excited to read this. I admit it starts a bit slow but once it starts rolling it doesnt stop. This book is a blast. The fights are detailed and brutal. David really gets into some deep ideas in this story. A must read for any Hulk fan
I personally feel Peter David is the greatest Hulk writer that ever lived so I was excited to read this. I admit it starts a bit slow but once it starts rolling it doesnt stop. This book is a blast. The fights are detailed and brutal. David really gets into some deep ideas in this story. A must read for any Hulk fan
May 9, 2019
A touching story. In a world where spoilers are frowned upon, I can tell you nothing of this book, but this, that unless you read it, there are things about the Incredible Hulk saga that you will never know.
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