Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: American Pie
Written by: Peter David
Penciled by: Gary Frank
Inked by: Cam Smith
Colored by: Glynis Oliver
Lettered by: Joe Rosen
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Peter David (PAD) and the Hulk are almost synonymous for me. I’ve read every single Hulk comic, and hands down PAD wrote the best stories. His remarkable run lasted from issue 331-467 (note: just prior to his run he filled in on issue 328). During that time PAD ran the title character through so many different permutations it’s amazing that Marvel allowed all of the changes to one of their top characters.
Much of the autonomy PAD had on The Incredible Hulk can be traced to his immense clout within the industry at that time. A great example of this is the “Stanny Awardsâ€, which were given out in the Bullpen Bulletins column that appeared in the very issue I’m now reviewing. Marvel’s staff members voted on these awards named after Stan “The Man†Lee, and to say that PAD ran away with them would be an understatement. Peter David comics, or characters as written by PAD, took five of the twenty-five awards. A very clear indication of just how well PAD was doing in 1993.
This particular issue is one of the comics I always go back to when people ask, “What’re some of your favorite individual comicsâ€. This one has action, humor, romance, and a truly touching moment. The majority of Hulk’s regular supporting players play a role, as does Captain America. This is also a nice conclusion to a well thought out subplot.
Marlo Chandler, the girlfriend of Hulk’s longtime buddy Rick Jones, remains catatonic after being killed by a woman claiming to be Rick’s mother. Yes I did say k-i-l-l-e-d. Back in issue 400 the Hulk’s chief enemy, the Leader, was able to bring Marlo back to life, but through a normal comic-chain-of-events, Marlo was comatose. So the situation with Marlo played out over the next few months, with an anguished Rick powerless to help.
The issues really all about Rick’s touching attempts to bring “back†Marlo. Rick’s nerves are shot, and the attempts by Marlo’s brothers to take her to a hospital aren’t helping his frayed condition. Captain America is called in to try and peacefully remove Marlo to her brother’s care. Of course the Hulk gets involved, and a slam-bang fight scene occurs. Trust me, you’ll never see the “Eensy Weensy Spider†song used to such great effect again.
For those who don’t know, this isn’t the Emerald Goliath that most of you know. This period in “Hulkstory†saw the brain and general temperament of Bruce Banner, minus the inadequacies, merged with the size and strength of the Hulk. The “Smart Hulk†is my favorite incarnation of the character as well, the breadth of stories that PAD was able to create with the character were the best of a great run.
Humor is one of the big elements that PAD was able to bring to this title. While the stories were usually pretty serious, PAD was always able to break things up with a laugh. Doc Samson, who eventually intercedes in the Captain America/Hulk fight, gets a great moment just prior. While driving, he stops to help a young boy who’s got his head stuck in an iron fence. After being saved the boy asks his mother if Doc is Elvis, the Mother’s reply “I think it was one of those Superman impostersâ€, gets a nice chuckle every time I read it.
A lot of great artists have worked on The Incredible Hulk through the years. Gary Frank, currently penciling on Marvel’s Supreme Power may be my favorite of the group. He did great work with perspective, and captured the huge cast that PAD includes most issues with tremendous flair.
There are so many reasons why this is one of my favorite comics of all-time. There are a few issues that really define Peter David’s run on the book. This is without a doubt one of them. In terms of comics, not much gets better than PAD’s run on Hulk, and this is the best of a sterling lot.
