The comics-writing team of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale have certainly made a splash in the industry, creating some landmark stories for both DC and Marvel in recent years. They have their detractors as well as their rabid fans; I fall somewhere in the middle, enjoying some work while believing other productions to have missed the mark.

That brings us to Hulk: Gray, a collected miniseries that addresses the beginnings of the Hulk's existence -- before he turned green. This one, I fear, is a flop.

Probably the biggest failing here is the art. Sale's distinctive style doesn't lend itself well to the Hulk, who is supposed to be an awe-inspiring figure of strength and rage. Here, the Hulk has beady little eyes, splayed toes and jagged teeth, all of which makes him more comical in appearance than inspiring.

If that's not enough, he looks less muscular, more pudgy. Those rock-hard muscles have run to fat, giving us a creature more suited to beer and pizza on the sofa than epic battles with Iron Man.

As for the story -- well, there's no denying Loeb is a talented writer. But Hulk's origins have been explored and revisited countless times in the past, and I can't see how this version adds anything of substance to the tale. Sure, it's all couched as a big, psychological exposition as Hulk's unwilling alter-ego, Bruce Banner, relates the facts of his first 48 hours to psychiatrist pal Doc Samson. But really, we already knew General Ross was obsessive, that Betty Ross had father issues, that Rick Jones had problems with authority, that Banner himself struggles with guilt, that the Hulk is simple and childlike. This isn't new ground.

Besides a flagrant break with continuity -- a battle with Iron Man despite established Marvel history that the two hadn't met at this point -- Hulk: Gray is just a retread of old material, coupled with really ugly art.