The good news is that The Incredible Hulk is more enjoyable than 2003's The (Irrationally Dull) Hulk.

The bad news is that for the first time in my life, I missed my all-time favorite band in concert to find out.

I have flown to California, driven across the South and hit every concert Steely Dan ever played around Tampa Bay. Ten shows by my count. Tonight they're playing about a half-mile from my home. Probably doing their encores right now. When I think about missing the show, my pulse races toward 200, my skin turns emerald green with unsightly veins popping out and I want to smash something.

Which brings us to The Incredible Hulk.

Honestly, it is a better take on the Marvel Comics superhero than Ang Lee inflicted upon moviegoers, as if we actually demanded a Hulk with Freudian subtext and not many opportunities to rage, played by a monotonous actor (Eric Bana) with the bloodless blankness of someone who apparently never read a comic book.

It certainly couldn't be any worse.

The new, improved Hulk ditches the psychobabble, hires more interesting actors -- especially Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, and with the glaring exception of Liv Tyler --  and more importantly allows the green guy to go off on somebody every 20 minutes or so. Director Louis Letterier (Transporter 2) and screenwriter Zak Penn (plus Norton, but the Writers Guild of America didn't allow him screen credit) still take the Marvel myth a bit too seriously yet know when to lighten up a little.

The Incredible Hulk still falls short of being as exhilarating as Iron Man, which may remain the movie superhero standard for years to come. At least until the project that has Marvel fans panting since Iron Man's end credits -- the very end that many viewers, myself included, needed to catch on YouTube because we left fast to beat traffic.

Marvel is smarter this time, adding the cool coda after Hulk/Banner's predicament is settled, and before hundreds of names meaningful only to their family and friends scroll by.

I won't spoil it for you, but with Marvel now controlling its movie destiny rather than being led by the nose by meddling studios (i.e. the first Hulk), that Avengers adaptation is looking more possible by the minute.

[AP Photo/Universal Studios]