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The Infernal Hulk and Merleau-Ponty: Body Schemas and Structuring Absence

Won't the Real Hulk Please Stand Up? The Infernal Hulk comic series grants Bruce Banner his wish of separation from his monster, but the progression of the story reminds us to be careful of what we wish for. One of the most unsettling ideas in The Infernal Hulk is not that Bruce Banner loses the Hulk, but that losing him doesn’t bring relief. Banner is free of the monster, yet he is weaker, disoriented, and haunted by something that refuses to stay gone. The Hulk persists, not as a body, but as an absence that still shapes Banner’s life. This dynamic closely mirrors what philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty describes through the phantom limb. Amputees often continue to feel sensations in limbs that no longer exist. For Merleau-Ponty, this happens because the body is not merely a physical object, but a lived structure, a body schema through which we orient ourselves in the world. When something is removed, the body’s orientation does not immediately adjust. Banner’s condition in The ...
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Dive into the World of Vagabond: The Genius of Takehiko Inoue Unveiled

 Splash-Page Spotlight: Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue


I went ahead and selected  at least four of my favourite splash-pages from the epic manga that is Vagabond. Beautifully delivered in hardcover format, Takehiko Inoue puts his talents on full display with this epic story of swordsmanship and self-discovery. 



Contented

The first image jumped out at me with its tranquil and serene tones, which none the less managed to communicate something far deeper. While the traditional Japanese countryside home remains a bucket list destination, I felt it appropriate to appreciate the sense of balance that the page communicated. The home, a wonderful representation of culture, of values and tradition,  is dwarfed by the larger natural landscape, which further dwarves our contented monk and cat below, thus perfectly illustrating and completing a well-balanced  natural hierarchy.



Scars

For my second choice, I chose the striking image of one of the primary female characters. A young lady orphaned as a girl and raised by a different family. Her steely eyed gaze communicates both a kind of indifference, and yet also a severity that suggests a hardened heart molded in the furnace made manifest as the worst trials offered by the world. I liked the addition of the farmer's hat and walking stick, which further communicated both simplicity, as well as hard work and humility. 



Demons

Even amidst the chaos, the brilliance of black white in manga is demonstrated in its incredible shading, sharpness of line and attention to detail. 



The Future

Our protagonist walking with a raging inferno behind him, struck me as deeply appropriate given Takezo's determination to move forward in life while leaving his past to be cleansed in the flames of acceptance, determination and rage.  

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