Hulk #24 – Review

by Jeph Loeb (writer), Ed Mcguinness (artist)

The Story: World War Hulks comes to a close as the Red Hulk faces off against the Green Hulk (who’s in his Planet Hulk incarnation) in a fist-fight to end all fist-fights!  Meanwhi– Er, wait. Nope, that’s it.

What’s Good: Take as many digs at Loeb’s Hulk run as you want, but the one thing that cannot be disputed is that as long as McGuinness has been at the art reins, it’s been freaking beautiful.  McG is a “big” artist whose artwork thrives in splash and double splash page form, and while that mode of pencilling can sometimes be frowned upon, it works wonders here with this particular set of characters.  What is essentially   twenty something pages of punching, head-butting, and kicking just sings.  The weight and energy he throws down in every panel is palpable.  The artwork alone makes this issue a must-buy.  If they sold this in a non-Loeb edition with just “silent” artwork, I would be all over this.  Can we please get a Hulk series penciled by McGuinness and written by Greg Pak?  Pretty please?

Incredible Hulk #600 Review

By Jeph Loeb (writer), Ed McGuinness (artist), Mark Farmer (inker), Dan Brown & Chris Sotomayor (colorists)

“WHO IS THE RED HULK?! THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN IS GOING TO TRY AND FIND OUT! GREEN HULK! RED HULK! SPIDEY! SECRETS REVEALED! A STORY SO BIG IT CAN BARELY BE CONTAINED IN THE INCREDIBLE 600TH ISSUE OF HULK! ALL THIS AND A STARTLING SURPRISE ENDING TO TOP ALL THE OTHER SHOCKING SURPRISES THIS HULK BOOK IS KNOWN FOR!”

I wanted to include Marvel’s original solicitation for this issue to illustrate how marketing gimmicks like this are more evil and alluring than the Dark Side of the Force and never to be trusted under any circumstance.  I also wanted to show you exactly what it was that sold me on the issue in the first place, a measly fifty-eight words that I will gladly kick my own ass for buying into when we’re done, here.  The point I’m trying to make is that it’s all too easy to believe the hype surrounding special event comics like this, but when companies are raising cover prices to all time highs it’s these kinds of comics that need to be scrutinized most carefully; especially if you’re going to show how something like this fails to deliver the goods.

The heart of this massive tome is the story by Loeb and McGuiness, told from the perspective of Ben Urich, the only reporter alive in the 21st Century who refuses to use a typewriter. In a scene that would make Woodward and Bernstein fall to their knees and cry, Urich is called to a meeting by a thoroughly paranoid She-Hulk and charged with the task of discovering Who Is The Red Hulk? Remember this point, because it’ll be important later on. Urich and Peter Parker (did I mention that She-Hulk specifically asked Urich to bring along a photographer? Wow, how convenient.) join She-Hulk and Doc Samson to infiltrate a government facility called Gamma Base. There, the group discovers that Marvel’s favorite angry head M.O.D.O.K. has reactivated the terrorist cell A.I.M., and that he may be receiving help from General Ross.  The revelation is interrupted though when Samson suddenly reverts to a Hyde-like version of himself and attacks She-Hulk. From there, things get complicated as Red Hulk suddenly appears from nowhere to beat on Spider-Man, while Banner suddenly awakens from his induced coma to turn into Hulk and throw down with his evil counterpart.

Sensing a trend here? Practically everything happens out of the blue for no apparent reason, other than Loeb wanting it to at that particular moment. He constantly fails to set up these moments in ways that justify their existence, and as a result they come off feeling shallow and self-serving. Remember how I said Urich’s goal was to find out who the Red Hulk was? Yeah, well, he suddenly decided not to. “If all you do is focus on the Red Hulk you’re going to miss the big picture”, Urich observes. Really? Looking at the solicitation, I thought the Red Hulk was the whole point! This discrepancy suggests that either Loeb deliberately misled his readers into shelling out five bucks for a cocktease, or he is losing the ability to tell cohesive stories that don’t rely on shameful misdirections and obnoxious slights of hand. Either way, your buying dollars would be better spent elsewhere.

Grade: D

-Tony Rakittke

Skaar: Son of Hulk #2 – Review

By Greg Pak (writer), Ron Garney and Butch Guice (art), Paul Mounts (colors)

I’m a big fan of Greg Pak and Ron Garney’s work. I enjoy just about everything they do. And dammit, I want to like this book so much.

But I just can’t recommend it.

I still have reservations on how Skaar’s early years were tossed out the window (last issue), but since there’s no turning back I’ve come to accept the given story. Pak is trying very hard to make this a sprawling epic and this issue does everything the previous didn’t – but it’s still not enough. Skaar is immediately thrust into the confrontation with Axeman Bone, and I’m glad we’re not given the cliche outcome of “You can’t defeat me yet. Come back in a few years.” Instead, Skaar pretty much whoops everyone’s ass – even taking on some dragons – and it’s a most welcomed sight. Frankly, I’m surprised that this isn’t in Marvel’s MAX adult line. The intense violence is some of the most graphic I’ve seen in a mainstream Marvel book. That said, well scripted action sequences an awesome book this does not make. And that’s really all this issue is: a big fight and an introduction to a new character.

As for Ron Garney, well, the scenes he renders are freaking amazing. There’s no dispute that he’s perfect for this book. BUT. But… for the love of god, give this guy an inker! I don’t care how much he argues, fix this now. Stop trying to ape Dark Horse’s Conan style and give us something truly beautiful. You know, like the superior high fantasy art Marvel did in the 1970s? I can’t convey how much this pisses me off. Look at the cover of this book for Christ sakes – it’s fantastic and it’s INKED. Imagine how much better this book would look if someone inked Garney’s work.

I rest my case.

As much as I love the artwork, there’s a bit of disjointedness going on with the storytelling. This makes it hard to tell what’s going on at times. I’ll admit I had to do double takes and rescan over the art to figure out what was going on. A bit annoying, but if you can let this go you’ll be mesmerized by the art – especially when Skaar takes on the dragons.

The story is on the short side at 14 pages. Why so short? I’m thinking Garney was running behind on his deadline. This book is almost two months late, after all. For the remaining pages we get a back-up story with art by Butch Guice which gives us a different perspective on things, but is nonetheless, filler. There’s more meat to this backup story, but it honestly made me yawn. Butch Guice’s work is dependable as always, however – no complaints there.

I don’t know what’s going on over at Marvel, but if the lateness is going to continue I’d rather the powers at be just cancel the book. As much as I want to like this book, there’s too much going against it to make me want to continue buying it. Art that’s hampered by the non-presence of an inker and 14 pages of story? I’d rather put my money on a title that’s more timely. Besides, I can get this same fantasy element from Conan. So really guys, what’s the point? (Grade: C-)

– J. Montes

World War Hulk TPB – Review

By Greg Pak (Writer), John Romita Jr. (Pencils), Klaus Janson (Inks), and Christina Strain (Colors)

Let me preface by saying that I’ve never been a huge fan of the Hulk, the character, the comics, the movie, even the concept. A guy who gets really angry and turns into a big green smashing machine has always sounded rather silly. That said, there are only three words to describe World War Hulk: insanely friggin’ awesome! This isn’t just a bunch of senseless smashing and fighting, it is a story of revenge, misunderstanding, and disaster combined with an array of epic battles.

The story is extremely well told in many facets. Some of my favorite examples include the effect of destruction. Many times, big superhero fights cause destruction to parts of the city, but this is often left in the background and we as readers really don’t care. Here, the destruction is catastrophic and blatant. Greg Pak and John Romita Jr. make it obvious that WWH is the worst thing New York City has seen since 9/11. I actually cringed every time I saw a building destroyed.

Another great part was the theme of revenge, and its effects. This is the story of how revenge left unbounded can literally ruin everything around you. True, Hulk had credible reasons to be angry, but he lets his anger cloud his judgment and quickly steps onto the path becoming the very thing he is fighting against. The ramifications of this are both tragic and beautiful.

Lastly, and perhaps my favorite part of this series, was the good writing of the Sentry. Don’t get wrong, I like the The Sentry, I like Brian Bendis, and I like Mighty Avengers – but I don’t like the way that Bendis writes The Sentry in Mighty Avengers. This, however, is just as much a perfect Sentry tale as it is a perfect Hulk tale. Events like these are the reason that I like The Sentry in the first place. His character is so complex and frightening here (as he should be), not just a big deus ex machina, like in Mighty Avengers.

Romita’s art is perfect for the story and matches the epic script. I’m not the person who gets insanely fanboy excited when “JR Jr.” is announced as a project’s artist. His art is certainly very good, but I wouldn’t rank him in my top five artists. I’ve really never understood what the buzz around his work was all about. With that out of the way, I loved his work here. His depictions of the action, the fighting, the destruction, are magnificent. I could just stare at the artwork from this book for hours. Truly, I have no complaints about his work, or anything in this book for that matter. I cannot recommend this enough – comic book fans: Read this! (Grade: A)

-M. Staples

Marvel Zombies 2 #5 (of 5) – Review

By Robert Kirkman (writer), Sean Phillips (art), June Chung (color)

It looks like the whole zombie craze has finally come to an end. Granted, The Walking Dead has always been a good read, but I blame the first Marvel Zombies mini-series for stirring up all the trouble. Robert Kirkman’s take on the an alternate Marvel Universe was fresh, silly, and grotesque. It took a couple of issues to find its audience, but after it did, Marvel Zombies became the runaway hit of 2006.

Its sequel, Marvel Zombies 2, builds upon this new franchise, but sadly fails to capture the allure that made its predecessor so successful. Perhaps it’s the initial novelty that’s worn off, or maybe it’s the lack of a true adversary within the story. Whatever it is, it’s just not as fun. But that’s not to say Marvel Zombies 2 is bad. It’s still a fun book! I think the problem most people had with this sequel is that it actually had more of a story than the original.

Well, after four issues of story and setups, Kirkman unloads everything on this final issue. Characters die, conspiracies are revealed, and we even get a mini-version of World War Hulk! What’s also nice is we get an honest resolution to the story. Sure, the way Kirkman writes the ending leaves it open to another sequel, but even if it never happens, the story, more or less, is complete. And you won’t believe who the real monster of this book is!

As much as I love the “Thor versus Silver Surfer” cover, Arthur Sudyam’s homage covers have become stale. If they were relevant to the story, I’d probably enjoy it more, but they’ve become so tired and gimmicky. Sean Phillips’s artwork is brutal. The stuff he does with Hulk’s rampage on Iron Man and Phoenix ain’t pretty.

If you’ve been largely unsatisfied with this series like many of my friends, issue #5 will most likely satisfy you. Me? I loved every single issue. Kirkman could haven taken the easy way out, giving us more of the same. But he didn’t. Instead, with Marvel Zombies 2, we got a worthy follow-up that tried to do something different. He also got us to care about these zombies! And that’s to be commended. (Grade: B+)

– J. Montes