Hulk

I remember watching the Incredible Hulk and the other Marvel Superheroes every day on tv after school when I was a little boy. I thought that it was pretty cool, watching my favorite comic book heroes on tv. Looking at them again brings back fond memories.

Watching these old cartoons, it is quite apparent that they wanted to get these shows out of the studio and on the air as quickly as possible!

In the Marvel Superheroes Series, although the color was vibrant, the animators simply used the drawings of Jack Kirby straight out of the comic book, and animated one or two parts of the character (or in some cases, simply moved a static picture of the character across the background to simulate walking), which I imagine saved a lot of time and money. This gave the cartoon a very stiff and cheap look compared to it's counterparts of the day.

Today, with the aid of computer technology, animation is much sharper and makes cartoons like the old Marvel Superheroes look very primitive in comparison.

One thing that is noteworthy is that the story lines in the Marvel Superhero cartoons (compared to story lines in today's cartoons) were always well written. Each story was faithfully recreated from the comic books on which they were based on. Todays cartoons have to rely on their sharp look to keep their viewers watching, with very little attention to the plot - that's why very few of them last more than a season.

The voice acting in this series is excellent! Whenever I think of The Hulk, I always hear the gravely voice of Max Ferguson from the cartoon series in my head..."NO ONE CAN STOP THE HUUUUUUULK"!

So, if you're looking for cutting edge animation, rent Titan A.E. or Princess Mononoke. But if you're looking for great story telling, good clean fun and action, as well as a unique way to enjoy some great comic book art work from a legend, I would definitely recommend The Incredible Hulk and the rest of the Marvel Superheroes Series!

Before the review, a brief plot summary: Dr. Bruce Banner, possibly America's most renowned scientist and leading expert on gamma rays, is about to test a bomb on a supposedly abandoned site when neglected teenager Rick Jones wanders out into it. Banner runs out to get Jones to safety, but his Russian assistant, Igor, sets it off anyway hoping to kill Banner and steal his formula for his superiors. Somehow, Banner survives, and Jones becomes his apprentice. He soon learns that at a certain point of day (and later when he gets angry) he will transform into a huge, brainless green giant who strikes fear into the heart's of the army. General Ross is desperate to destroy this incredible hulk, but his daughter Betty secretly knows he's really her lover, Bruce.

BAD, BAD, BAD. Unlike most Marvel cartoons at that period, it wasn't even in the "so-bad-it's-good" category. It's just boring. Let's start with the theme song. Most people know "Spider-Man"s theme, and it's wasn't a fraction as good. Anyone whose seen "Captain America" will also be accquainted with a cheezy but catchy little tune. The Hulk's theme was UNBELIEVABLY poor, and had this little squeak who sounded like Bat-Mite spouting inane lines like "so he ain't glamorous" in an attempt to make rhyme with "stricken by gamma rays". Usually the best animation on the show would be in the theme, but this is WORSE.

On to the stories. Before "Spider-Man", as most know, cartoons were mostly just comic-book cut-outs were mouths and sometimes a limb would move, sometimes not even that, the fastest animation (besides the theme) being in scenes were the hero would pull down a mask or something to that extent. Somehow, with the flow of the plots, you could still tell what's going on. Here, the poor drawings (they look like rough drafts with colour) pop up, showing scenes from all different, often irrelevent, angles that make it impossible to tell what's going on, and the narration is a drab equivalent of a Power Ranger overstating the obvious, only not nearly as addictively corny. The dialouge sounds like it was aimed at particularly dumb children, and the voices always sound SOOO bored, so unconvincing. Of what little you could make out of the plot, you could tell it stunk like Baldrick's family heirlooms. I simply never cared about Bruce Banner, he was so poorly characterised, and what characteriztion he got was cliched and sterotypical.

Stan Lee and everyone down at Marvel must cringe when they look back at this. Watch just about any other Marvel cartoon from the era, but pass this one over.

Over the years Marvel has made many good cartoons. However, as much as I'd like to I can't include this show with them.

The animation was not very good. I know that technology was not as advanced back in the 60's but other 60's cartoons had good animation. In this show, Banner looked a total wimp and the Hulk had one of the worst haircuts in all of TV.

The theme tune also made me cringe and some of the stories were not very good.

I don't like being negative but sometimes you have no choice. If anyone is a fan of the Hulk I recommend they look out for the excellent 1981 cartoon Hulk series. But I wouldn't recommend this show to anyone.

Yes, this is one for the waste-paper bin. This cartoon, possibly among the worst animated features of all time, reeks of cut-corners, rock-bottom production values, and sheer laziness. I have a good vision of Steve Ditko and Stan Lee throwing their hands in the air by the second or third episode and leaving the production company to carry the entire, failed project themselves. No thinking person could ever claim, let alone want to claim, responsibility for this embarrassment. The theme song is, as stated by other users, about as pleasant as a five-inch hornet lodged in your eardrum, and the "style" of animation they used makes us long for the professional, superior quality of shows like "Kevin Spencer" or "South Park". Possibly the worst part about all of this is that this trite, sub-amateurish show now plays on the Cartoon Network (Canada), and that classic programs such as Rocket Robin Hood, Spiderman and Hercules still aren't getting the running time they deserve.

I've reviewed the stylistic elements of the Marvel Superheroes cartoons (which are all pretty interchangeable between the various series)under the blanket title and won't rehash those here. I will say that this show has some of the strangest theme songs you'll ever hear, very bright and sunny for a show about a rampaging monster. And while the Thing may be ever loving, that description doesn't quite fit the Hulk so well.