The Incredible Hulk is one of our top three superheroes. It’s the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tale, but with radiation and a couple of Avengers for good measure. All The Hulk Feels is an illustrated book. It’s an illustrated book that, through its paneled presentation, has the feel of a comic book. A comic book story a little sillier than one that you’d find on New Comic Book Day, but is equally, if not more entertaining.
Some illustrated books are merely vessels for a message. There are also illustrated books that live in the silly. All The Hulk Feels is an illustrated book that lives in both worlds. Its message is very soft and never overtly stated. It’s so soft that some youth will read the book and never even realize that All The Hulk Feels is showing them best practices of human behavior. Elementary aged kids will not describe it that way. Most adults wouldn’t describe the book like that, but at its core are examples of ways to conduct yourself when life’s minutia doesn’t go the way you wanted it to.
This is the perfect story for Bruce Banner and the Hulk to tell. Anger brings out the Hulk and every day people are faced with frustrating things. If Bruce Banner were having a particularly problematic day then the Hulk would appear multiple times during that 24-hour period. Unfortunately for society, Bruce hears a song on the radio that he hates. It’s morning rush hour and this song comes on, which causes Bruce to get angry, Hulk out and jump to a burger place on the other side of town.
Hulk’s hamburger has pickles on it, which he knows Bruce doesn’t like. He assumes this is what made him so angry. A kid in the restaurant suggests that Hulk color something, because that’s what calms him down. Sure enough, this does the trick and Bruce comes back into the picture and reads a note from the Hulk. The two alter-egos share ‘helpful’ comments back and forth until they eventually come to an agreement.
Hulk makes Banner aware of the fact that he has feelings, too. Ironically, it’s when Banner gets angry and reaches a certain point that Hulk appears. In theory, if Banner always kept his anger in check, Hulk would never appear except in times of serious danger. All The Hulk Feels alludes to that by showing Hulk eating that hamburger and driving a car. Road rage or getting stuck in traffic is certainly something that people can relate to.
When the two get close to agreeing with one another Banner intentionally gets angry so Hulk can show up and read his message. Now, because I’m an adult I’m focusing a lot on the feelings or the lesson in the book. That’s only because author/illustrator so adeptly weaves the action between the two, all the while showing the chaos and humor happening in the background. A quartet of bad guys has escaped from prison and are up to no good. Normally this would be bread and butter for a superhero like Hulk, but he’s too busy arguing with Banner to notice them.
It’s only when Banner and Hulk stop bickering that our green superhero can get back to smashing. All The Hulk Feels is a funny book that works on illustrations and humor alone. It’s also a very soft message book that illustrates to young ages that crashing out over small, insignificant things is just silly. Of course, being an illustrated book with a cool superhero, it’s never too silly, that would be going full-on Muppet Babies. All The Hulk Feels maintains that age-appropriate Hulk rage, but channels it in a way that will show kids how entertaining it is, instead of encouraging them to emulate his behavior. It’s silly fun that works on two levels, one of which you might not even realize (or care).
All The Hulk Feels is by Dan Santat and is available on Abrams Fanfare, an imprint of Abrams Books.
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