Bugs of All Sizes, Boys Growing Up, & a Bungle in the Jungle (Incredible Hulks #625's All Right By Me)

Another week passes, and lo and behold, another bi-weekly installment of everyone's favorite not-so-jolly green giant arrives in comic shops! Today, I'll review the final installment of the Hulk and his Warbound's epic battle with the one who betrayed them all, Miek the Unhived, who as it turns out has a secret he's been keeping from everyone...

 The Incredible Hulks #625
"Planet Savage," Conclusion

Writer: Greg Pak
Artists: Dale Eaglesham & Drew Hennessy
Colorists: Morry Hollowell & Frank Martin
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Production: Irene Lee
Assistant Editor: John Denning
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel Comics

When last we left the Hulk, he was depowered following his fight with Zeus, and had been captured by Miek, who used his still-healing body to incubate alien insect larvae. This issue picks up from that point, with Miek having brainwashed the weakened Green Goliath and set him against his Warbound allies and Ka-Zar. What follows includes the broad strokes you'd expect, of course--Hulk breaks Miek's control, gets angry, heals, and beats the big bug--but there are decent surprises in the mix, too. Those surprises are especially illuminating considering some of my comments on the relationship between the Hulk and Miek during my last review. The issue is nearly impossible to discuss without addressing the key development in Miek's life since the Warbound miniseries, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try.

The advancement of the Miek storyline improves my overall opinion of the "Planet Savage" storyline considerably after last month's perceived decline. The change in Miek that's outright stated this issue makes sense in context (although, whew, is it weird!) and makes sense of the character's behavior with the Hulk and the Imperials earlier in the storyline. True, it's a major shift and may not be appreciated by all fans of the character, but, well, Miek is a character who's never truly remained static in body (while adhering to the Hulk's perceived mindset of "never stop making them pay"). The battle between the Hulk and Miek is appropriately grandiose, hitting all the right emotional chords. Is the character gone for good? Probably not, and it's a good question whether even the changes in this storyline will stick when the next writer arrives. I do however feel that Miek's arc completes itself well here.

What about the Hulk? His battle with Miek highlights his own tensions with the Warbound and his own son, and those tensions mount to a climax this month that paves the way for Rob Williams and Brian Ching's Skaar: King of the Savage Land miniseries due April 6 (which, I'm guessing, is where the Warbound will make their next appearance). The interaction between Hulk and his son is well indicative of the former's own emotional stuntedness and suits the character perfectly.

Probably most surprising and most subtle is the work by Pak this month that resolves the Hulk's own healing problems. They're never directly referenced in dialogue or captions, but Eaglesham's art brings the point home loud and clear that this Hulk is angry, and hence, as formidable as he's been in some time. In fact, this act is the strongest in the storyline all around, with everyone perfectly on-point. I did lament the loss of Dean White on colors, but Hollowell and Martin were able substitutes.

So, what's next for the Hulk--or is that still Hulks? (Solicitation copy and writer Pak's own comments have placed this issue as the end of the Incredible Hulks status quo, but a preview ad in the issue seems to state the book will continue in the plural for at least another arc.) While Skaar cuts loose in a new miniseries, the Hulk will return to deal with Red She-Hulk, it appears. This issue seems to close the loop on the Hulk's Warbound companions, which seems apt as "Planet Hulk" scribe Pak is also preparing to exit the book. Things are winding down and yet the momentum is just picking up again. If you didn't enjoy the last issues of this arc, come back, because here's where Pak, Eaglesham & co. give up the goods. Big, disgusting bugs? Check. Rich, emotional storytelling? Check. Hulk doing what he does best? Big ol' check.

~G.

Sing It With Me, Kids: "I've Got You...Under My Skin..." (Incredible Hulks #624, Reviewed)

When last we left our intrepid Green Goliath, he was accompanying his Warbound on a trip to the Savage Land, where the races of Sakaar had petitioned its leader, Ka-Zar, for asylum. Someone's been killing the remaining Imperials, hence the jungle king's request for the Hulk and his companions. Only problem is, ever since the Hulk had a run-in with the Olympian Skyfather, he hasn't quite been himself, and so now he finds himself kidnapped, apart from his Warbound brethren, and held captive by the Warbound member who betrayed them all: Miek, the Unhived!


The Incredible Hulks #624
"Planet Savage," Chapter Two

Writer: Greg Pak
Artists: Dale Eaglesham & Drew Hennessy
Colorist: Dean White
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Production: Irene Lee
Assistant Editor: John Denning
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel Comics

It occurred to me the other day as I was reading the preview pages to this issue that, for as long as writer Greg Pak has been chronicling the Hulk's adventures, he's never been alone. From that first moment he set foot on Sakaar, the Hulk always had someone to fight beside--first, the fighting unit that has come to be known as the Warbound, up through the end of World War Hulk; then, the de-powered Banner palled around with Skaar, A-Bomb, and the Warbound; and finally, the Hulk joined up with his extended family in an iteration where Marvel saw fit to re-title the book. Even Skaar wasn't alone in his own title, having Old Sam, Princess Omaka, and Hiro-Kala hanging around. This persistent new status quo flies in the face of years of adventures where the Hulk was a solo act who'd only occasionally team up with other superbeings. Perhaps it's ironic I discover this fact as we wind down the plural phase of this title (which, let's face it, is kind of off-putting; after all, there should only be one Hulk).

This storyline marks the long-awaited return of Miek to the title as antagonist, after his development in "Planet Hulk" and his downfall in World War Hulk, plus tales of his subsequent incarceration by S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Warbound limited series. Freed by the Chaos King in Chaos War #4, he escaped to find the remaining aliens who traveled with the Hulk to Earth, following up on many a loose plot thread from the crossover event of some four (!) years past. Make no mistake, Miek has been developed, since early in the "Planet Hulk" story, to assume the role of the Hulk's dark opposite, from his metamorphosis to "King Miek" to his twisting the Hulk's maxim to "never stop making them pay," to standing by and letting Imperials plant a bomb on the ship that brought Hulk to Sakaar and ensuring the brute would mistakenly blame the murder of millions on those who exiled him. Miek was so hung up on the death of his race's last queen, striking up a fatalist point of view, Machiavellian in execution, that everything must die in order for the next great thing to exist. Justifiably, the Hulk blames Miek for the murder of his wife, Caiera, as he must absolve himself of his own guilt in (mis)guiding the little bug to seek vengeance against his oppressors. He couldn't know Miek was more screwed up than he himself could ever hope to be.

In this issue, readers discover a bit more of the "big plan"--and by big plan, I mean Pak's as well as Miek's. "Planet Savage" is clearly the reason that Zeus kicked the living crud out of the Hulk two issues back, as without the Hulk at reduced physical and recuperative powers, Miek's plan would never, ever work. I'm not sure what to make of the plan--after all, given a certain context, it's about as oddly homoerotic as it is...well, just plain odd. (It doesn't get any clearer than the fades between a hallucinated bedroom encounter between Hulk and Red She-Hulk, and the reality of Miek whispering not-so-sweet nothings in the Hulk's ear.) True, certain answers are left ambiguous, but the bottom line is that Miek is raising a legion of monstrous insects using Imperials as hosts, calling this legion his "New Sakaar." The question, posed by No-Name of the Brood in the issue, becomes "Can the Hulk's healing power come back quickly enough to prevent the unthinkable?" And, although I'm sure it will, I'll admit a measure of disgust with the storyline as it's developed in this issue. The fact that Ka-Zar and the rest of the Warbound are perpetually in a "find the Hulk" mode this issue, chasing after their weakened friend, underscores that this arc represents the Hulk at his lowest point--having failed Miek, failed the Imperials who needed a home in the wake of his war, failed his family during the "God Smash" storyline, and failed himself. I guess the best part about this issue is, there's only one way to go from here, and that's up.

I don't mean to sound so cynical, so I'll interject some thoughts about the issue's actual strengths. Just as in the last issue, Dale Eaglesham and Drew Hennessy come on strong as the art team, with the only real misstep being Miek's hideous simplified redesign. It's obvious the character's new look came after Eaglesham drew this issue's cover, which still features the sinister-as-ever original look for King Miek. Otherwise, the monsters are appropriately disgusting, the battle scenes intense, the softer moments sensual, and the emotional moments sufficiently powerful. Dean White's colors amplify the gravity of the storyline all around. If I can say one truly good thing about this arc, it's that it sure looks pretty.

For the second issue of a three-part storyline, this section of "Planet Savage" really is a soft middle, with the Hulk left in a similar position at this issue's end to the last. We know a little more about Miek's plans, but it's not too far removed from what I would've guessed from the end of issue #623 after seeing the Imperials' corpses. I'm a bit flummoxed by the last two pages--I think we're dealing with a Hulk who's operating under hallucinated delusions--but next issue should make all clear. As it is, I've gone from hopeful in part one, two distressed with this second part to the storyline. Believe me when I say, I really hope there's a hell of a finish in two weeks. (And, yeah, having the Hulk operate solo for a while in the future, that wouldn't be a bad thing, either...)

~G.

Please, Keep Him Angry. He Won't Die If He's Angry. (Incredible Hulks #623, Reviewed)

Another day, and another round of Hulkish excitement comes in the form of Greg Pak & Dale Eaglesham's first team effort on Incredible Hulks. Let's dive right in, shall we?


The Incredible Hulks #623
"Planet Savage," Chapter One

Writer: Greg Pak
Artists: Dale Eaglesham & Drew Hennessy
Colorist: Dean White
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Production: Irene Lee
Assistant Editor: John Denning
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel Comics

It's pretty stunning to open a Hulk book and see Ol' Greenskin, flat on his back, barely conscious, barely breathing, apparently not healing, but that's what you get when you open Incredible Hulks #623. He's survived--just barely--a battle with Zeus, with his family having saved him from a Promethean fate. With Hulk as the only mortal who's even close to Zeus' power level, and the Hulk not adequately invested in the battle, writer Greg Pak presents an intriguing puzzle: to enable the Hulk to heal properly, he must stay angry. That whole "madder the Hulk gets, the stronger he gets" part evidently extends to his durability and healing power as well. So what, you may ask, can keep the Hulk sufficiently angry to recover from his injuries? It's a communique from a certain friend in the Savage Land, where now dwells the remainder of the alien refugees who traveled with the Hulk from Sakaar after the destruction of Crown City--and one foe who started out as a fellow Warbound companion.

Greg Pak gives another strong outing on this issue of Incredible Hulks, with the main allure story-wise being a revisitation to the characters and world he introduced way back in "Planet Hulk," albeit relocated to Earth. From page one, I really enjoyed seeing the reunited Warbound, last seen as a whole in the miniseries of the same name in the aftermath of World War Hulk. To have them alongside Bruce Banner's Earthly family of Hulks is icing on the cake. In particular, I love Kate Waynesboro, a Bill Mantlo creation recently returned from comic book purgatory. Unless I miss my guess this issue marks the first time she's met Betty Ross (granted, Betty's in the form of Red She-Hulk, but still!). I'm hopeful to see more panel time for this duo, as their dynamic has the potential to be very entertaining. Pak has a grand time returning to his creations this month, with the Hulk recruiting them for a reunion with those left behind in the wake of World War Hulk. Leaving his family with Kate to heal, he tells them he's going with the Warbound this time out because "This is their fight. And they're warriors. Deep down inside...you're just puny humans." Nice little sentiment, don'tcha think? Of course, as many of you saw last issue, amid the Sakaarian refugees is Miek, Warbound companion turned perversion of everything the Hulk stood for on that world. We'll see next month just what he means to do with the Hulk, but from the end of this issue, it doesn't look good.

Speaking of looking good, I've got to hand it to artist Dale Eaglesham: He really knows his way around Marvel's myriad realms and peoples, drawing this issue with flourish I've not seen since Paul Pelletier's work on the "World War Hulks" arc in issues #609-611. Having made even Reed Richards look beefy in Jonathan Hickman's brilliant Fantastic Four run, he's able to cut loose with the Hulk, and he does so incredibly well. So well, in fact, that after one issue I can say what a shame it is that he's only drawing this three-issue arc, afterward departing to draw an eight-issue Alpha Flight series this summer. (If it's any consolation, the story will be by Greg Pak and his Herc co-writer Fred Van Lente.) The Hulk and his teams have seldom been so well-rendered, and the jungle vistas of the Savage Land have seldom looked so lush and authentic. Aided and abetted by inker Drew Hennessy and colorist Dean White (whose pages occasionally look murky), Eaglesham really brings his "A" game.

The bottom line: If you enjoyed the original "Planet Hulk" storyline and longed for Pak to revisit the characters and situations centered around that arc, then you'll have a Hulking good time with "Planet Savage." If this first third of the saga is any indication, we're in for a hell of a ride. With many familiar elements of that now-classic story, as well as the long-awaited return of a key villain, there will never be a better opportunity for the Hulk to stand up and smash. After all, it doesn't matter how many times a certain Green Goliath falls down, It matters how many times he gets up.

~G.

Incredible Hulks #623 Preview

Folks,

While waiting for my Chaos War #5/Incredible Hulks #621 review (coming before the weekend, I swear!), here's a sumptuous feast of a page by Dale Eaglesham, Drew Hennessy & Dean White from the February 23-shipping Incredible Hulks #623:

If you click here or on the above link, you'll see more preview pages from the same issue. It looks like the Warbound will be having one last adventure with a very humbled Hulk. Elsewhere in the preview pages lurks No-Name of the Brood, but here in this page are the assembled Hulks plus Kate Waynesboro and Elloe Kaifi!

Great, great stuff by Dale, Drew and Dean, and I can't wait to see the finished issue. It looks like #625 is the end of the line for the Hulk family, and it all starts here with part one of the three-part "Planet Savage" storyline. This epic storyline guest-stars Ka-Zar and features the return of renegade Warbound member Miek, fresh from his appearance in the final two issues of Chaos War. Don't miss out!

Visit Dale Eaglesham's website here to see some process artwork from the arc. With five pages looking as good as this, can it be very long before he's asked to come back?

INCREDIBLE HULKS #623 (DEC100578)
Written by GREG PAK
Pencils and Cover by DALE EAGLESHAM
Rated A… $2.99
FOC – 1/31/11, On-Sale 2/23/11

~G.