Hunger #4 – Review

by Joshua Hale Fialkov (Writer), Leonard Kirk (Artist), Jesus Aburtov (Colorist)

The Story: Rick Jones is ready to finally fulfill his destiny as he brings the fight to Galactus.

The Review: With the rumored death of the Ultimate universe looming around, not many expected this mini-series to close with Galactus being defeated. The announcement of Cataclysm: Last stand of the Ultimates cementing that fact, many could potentially wonder what exactly was the point of this mini-series in the larger context of the Ultimate universe. With mini-series having the necessity to be quicker at getting to the point, this issue had the need to show readers how things would end with Rick Jones and his destiny.

As it turns out, it’s a pretty disappointing read, as Joshua Hale Fialkov rushes to his climax and to the conclusion too quickly. There are some nice moments here and there in the confrontation, yet it seems that the final result of this whole story is hand-waved as many of the more interesting elements aren’t even focused upon.

Hunger #3 – Review

by Joshua Hale Fialkov (Writer), Leonard Kirk (Artist), Jesus Aburtov (Colorist)

The Story: Mahr-Vell arrives on the scene as Rick Jones doubts himself even more. Meanwhile, Galactus hungers.

The Review: It has been a while since we have seen the latest issue of this series, has it not? With the fate of the cosmic side of the Ultimate universe in the balance, the latest issue tried to show the threat that the merging of Gah Lak Tus with the regular one as Rick Jones generally whines about his role in the story. While there were some weaker aspects to the story, it was still a generally enjoyable one nonetheless. Does this issue continue this trend or does it shows a better handle on some of its elements?

It’s a strange thing to say, but it maintains the very same strengths and weaknesses, albeit what’s good get better, yet the disappointing aspects also get worse. The elements that actually worked through the story were the cosmic ones, as the presence of Galactus actually felt like a catastrophe in space. The way the Kree acts and the explanation for what Gah Lak Tus actually is do make the comic a bit more heavy on the drama and the action as a result, which does help in selling the actual point of this mini-series.

What also worked is the general approach toward the catastrophe and how it affects some of the key players, like the Silver Surfer and Mahr-Vell, who comes off as rather good point-of-view characters in this issue, bringing in some interesting questions, exposition and action for the readers to enjoy.

Hunger #2 – Review

Joshua Hale Fialkov (Writer), Leonard Kirk (Artist), Jesus Aburtov (Colorist)

The Story: A different surfer arrives to see just who the mighty Galactus might be as the Kree and Chitauri reacts to his presence.

The Review: Mini-series have a rather hard job to do. In a limited amount of pages, they must show a whole story, complete with character arcs, exposition, explanation of the setting and so on in order to create a satisfying experience for the readers. It may not sound so differently from the regular ongoing that needs to do just that as well, yet the much smaller amount of issues do tend to make it so the creative team need to use each pages smartly by preserving a good pacing.

Hunger is one of those, but one that need to make its point in four issues, with this one being the second one, meaning that the story reached its middle point by the issue’s end. While the basic premise of Galactus being in the Ultimate universe is something that is rather silly, yet ingenuous, does it work in creating a story that is both entertaining and that fulfill a purpose?

Hunger #1 – Review

Joshua Hale Fialkov (Writer), Leonard Kirk (Artist) Jesus Aburtov (Colorist)

The Story: Rick Jones is warned multiple time that a huge and devastating event will soon happen. Cue Galactus.

The Review: If I have a certain sub-genre of comics I really love in comics, it would be the space-opera/ sci-fi vibe that some stories like Annihilation and Infinity Gauntlet possessed. The big scales, the problems, the conflict and how the players need to resolve some problems that are way beyond their capacities can lead to great stories. However, this genre is not always well-presented in comics, as many tries to mimic it, only to fail without reaching the height of those cosmic stories. Does Hunger, so far, relate to the former or to the latter?

Judging from the first issue, I’d say we have a big chance that it will be the former, as Joshua Hale Fialkov seems able to deliver on some very key front in terms of cosmic stories, the first of which being the scale. As we see the Chitauri–Kree war develop and how the animosity between those two races develop, we also see the Ultimate answer to Galactus, Gah Lak Tus, the Watcher, the infinite depth of space and more, all being led up toward the arrival of Jack Kirby’s creation himself. The pacing and the exploration of all these elements is done rather well, letting the readers escalate throughout the rapid flow of information and exposition. Fialkov let us know that the cosmic background of the Ultimate universe is different, as he shows it aptly throughout the issue.

How he does so, however, is quite befitting, as our protagonist, Rick Jones, is presented quite well too. His balance between cosmically aware, yet his utter humanity and his younger years do help us readers absorb the information, either by humor or by juxtaposing our own questions throughout his voice. However, the character isn’t exactly perfect either, as his utter cluelessness about his predicament do lead us to question why he has such powers, something that isn’t helped at all by the vague explanation provided by the Watcher. A good character he may be, his role as our window toward what is happening is a bit less effective due to a certain repetition of his lack of knowledge.