I love ole' Jade Jaws. I think he's a perfect example of how early Marvel was quite revolutionary for it's time for the world of Comic Book Super Heroes. I mean, here was Stan and Jack frankly, hedging their bets, as there was still a fair amount of "Monster" comics around and if the winds of fate had been different, then they could just change gears and keep doing the character/book that way. But Hulk eventually caught on, and enriched the landscape of super heroes with a protagonist that was no mere man of action in tights that puts his hands on his hips and tells kids to drink Ovaltine. Here was a character that had resonance for both the teens who were it's target audience as well as those later in life. Who doesn't feel like the world is out to get them and wants to be left alone, while at the same time also feel contempt for others while telling ourselves it's because we're so innately great? We all have shades of darkness and rage as part of out inner lives. For poor Doctor Banner his inner life comes out... BIG TIME.
I think that the character and it's history has made a most malleable creation that can be fit into many a story yet still hold it's own integrity. That's why so many feel that the Joe Fixit era of the character works, or the Pantheon ear, or the Cross Roads era, and on and on. I will say, for myself, as much as I adored the Pantheon era Hulk books, I think I prefer the basic set up most of all. Banner on the run from villains and the Government, the Hulk as an angry darkside he must keep in check that is but another side of his personality that has contempt for his "weakness."
I don't feel that the last ten years or so have been all that good for the character outside of the highlight of being featured in AVENGERS the movie. In comics the multiple Hulks thing is terrible and insipid. Out side of Jennifer, I don't think anyone else should be called a Hulk and turning Rick Jones into A-Bomb was a terrible disservice to the character, one of Marvel's best creations. In fact the wrongheaded handling of the characters of Hulk and his supporting characters can find it's nadir in the AGENTS OF SMASH toon. It's about everything a Hulk adaptation SHOULD NOT BE. No Banner Hulk dynamic. Rick is just an immature idiot. Hulk portrayed as pretty much a surly, shirtless Superman... Sorry, that's just all wrong to me. Which is also why I don't think Banner being part of the Avengers film franchise is going to last. Whedon himself has stated that the character's MO is closer to a werewolf movie than a straight up super hero story, so think about that when you consider how Banner's going to come out of AoU.
All in all, I've loved most things Hulk and hope that he's around for many more years for kids and young adults to discover.
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