Incredible Hulks #612 – Advance Review

by Greg Pak & Scott Reed (writers), Tom Raney & Brian Ching (artists)

The Story: The Hulks enjoy a family barbecue at the beach as Bruce Banner confronts his newly resurrected wife Betty in regards to their marriage.  This being a Hulk book, that equals Green Hulk vs. Red She-Hulk action!  Meanwhile, lost son of the Hulk, Hiro-Kala (Who’s going to be pretty peeved when he finds out everyone else in his family can turn into a Hulk except him.  What a gyp!) travels through space as he suffers revolt from his followers on all sides.

What’s Good: I admire what Pak is attempting to do with this title.  The acclaimed writer has been put into a position where he not only has one Hulk at his disposal, but six, and he’s milking that storytelling opportunity for all it’s worth.  The title change, going from Incredible Hulk to Incredible HulkS, is more than just a gimmick.  Pak’s exploration of the concept of family and relationships continues here from his previous work on the Hulk titles.  If anything, that theme is stronger than ever thanks to so many actual members of Bruce Banner’s genetic family being present.  The Hulk’s Warbound in Planet Hulk and World War Hulk and the relationship between Skaar and Banner during the lead up to Fall of the Hulks were all studies in family dynamics and this new iteration of the title seems to be bringing that examination to a head.  If there were any doubt about Pak’s intentions, he even has the Hulk family enjoying a beach barbecue for crissakes!  That decision, and Banner’s relationship problems with his estranged ex-wife Betty (which of course turn into a Hulk vs. Hulk smackdown) both do a nice job of showing the positives and negatives to being surrounded by those you consider family.  I’m intrigued by the direction this title is taking, and while there’s always the danger that we’ll journey into Fantastic Four territory (I’ve never been a fan of the “family of super-heroes” concept), I trust Pak to take the tale of a clan of aggressive, super-strong Hulks to its logical conclusion.  Oh, and Tom Raney’s artwork?  Perfect for this new direction.  The man knows how to draw him some Hulks.  Nuff said.

World War Hulks #1 – Review

by Jeff Parker, Harrison Wilcox, Scott Reed, & Paul Tobin (writers), Zach Howard, Ben Oliver, Aluir Amancio, Ramon Rosanas, Ryan Stegman, & Ig Guara (artists)

The Story: As Fall of the Hulks transitions into World War Hulks, we pause for a moment to get glimpses into the recent pasts of some of the major players of the story-line.  And no, none of them are the Hulk.

What’s Good: Well, I’ve got to admit that I had low expectations for this one, and I was generally not surprised with what I found.  However, the two stories (out of the six) that I actually got some enjoyment out of were the two that I was convinced would be the worst.  Harrison Wilcox’s Red She-Hulk tale and Jeff Parker’s Deadpool yarn are hardly worth the price of admission, but they succeed at being illuminating and funny, respectively.  Parker’s introduction of Hulkpool in particular induced a few smirks from this reviewer, as did the return of Bob, Agent of… well, you’ll see.