The first episode produced does a good job in creating a sense of building jeopardy, with the solar flares first almost causing the Perium-99 to destroy the base, and then later almost turning Banner spontaneously into the Hulk. It's this continual sense of teasing that I really like, forcing the viewer to wonder; when will the Hulk first appear? Doc Ock is a strange and original choice for a Hulk villain, but at least he does represent a real threat. As for the characters so far, Banner himself successfully comes across as a tortured soul at the mercy of the Hulk, and Rick too feels great remorse at inadvertently causing the Hulk's creation. This is pretty moody stuff for an animated network series, and shows just how much Michael Reaves understood the original comics. Also very pleasing is seeing a version of the Hulk that is free from the sentimentality of other interpretations. It's quite surprising how quickly the Hulk turns against Rick when he's trapped in the cave shelter. This was the first of many versions of the Hulk where Betty was a scientist, but in this episode she comes across as fairly unremarkable. General Ross and Talbot come across even worse, simply being ineffectual in their commanding roles. One thing that does stretch credibility is the very easy way in which Doc Ock's men infiltrate the base, simply due to luck. Ock's plan to turn people into creatures is also pretty B-movie stuff, and slightly out of character. Thankfully the final battle between the Hulk and Ock is quite action-packed, and the final scene between Banner and Rick very nicely shows how each feels responsible for the other.


There's some "Saturday morning" stuff here. I think I made a bad decision and watched "Prisoner of the Monster" first, which set my standards pretty high. You said it Jon, Doc Ock is a strange choice, yet I don't mind the choice of villain so much as I mind the way he was used. (Though I did love the foreshadowing of the mechanical arms that Bruce and Betty were using.) Ock's flying "Octopus machine" is precisely what I was referring to when I said "Saturday morning". It can be hard to watch some older cartoons where every villain seems to have all the money in the world and has built an arsenal in their villainous theme. Ock, as presented here, is about as two-dimensional as any villain on The Super Friends. I'll try to keep from mentioning this too often but my big hang up with this series is the selection of villains. My brother had several Hulk comic books when I was a child, all of which lead me to believe that a Hulk story was always about the Hulk battling some other crazy creature, usually created from gamma radiation. The Abomination, The Leader, Rhino, Wendigo, ZZzaz, and so on. So, even though I think it was interesting to use a Spider-Man villain, I think it's a little better to hit all the right notes before you start experimenting. I know all the ranting makes it sound like I didn't like this episode but I did enjoy all of the interaction of the main characters and the advent of the spontaneous changes created some great suspense. The episode rounded out the relationship of Bruce and Rick quite well with Rick commenting that it is his fault Bruce is the Hulk. To a new viewer that left a lot of intrigue, as I remember this being the first episode that aired.