Behold: A Dark Son...and His Daddy!

Tonight: Since it's too late to make anything resembling a terrific (or even passable) blog entry, I thought I'd share a third convention sketch. This one's again from New York Comic Con 2010, and it's by writer/artist Scott Reed of Realm of Kings: Son of Hulk and Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force fame! Since he'd only written the listed miniseries, but I knew Scott was also a terrific cartoonist in his own right (see The Last Odyssey), I thought he'd get a kick out of drawing Hiro-Kala, son of Hulk and brother to Skaar. I'd say he acquitted himself admirably, don't you think? (Thanks, Scott!)

More bloggy goodness tomorrow!

~G.

Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force - The Review

This Wednesday, February 23, marks the release of a graphic novel collection I've been awaiting for some time: Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force. Over the last few months, you've seen me nip away at the stories collected in this tome, from my thoughts on the story of Hiro-Kala, Son of Hulk, as it progressed through Realm of Kings: Son of Hulk - The Conquest of Jarella's World #1-4, on to an interview with the writer of this duo of limited series, Scott Reed. This time out, I'm opting to review the whole package: the good, the bad, and the sub-microscopic. And away we go...




The Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force GN
Collecting Realm of Kings: Son of Hulk - The Conquest of Jarella's World #1-4& The Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force #1-3


Writer: Scott Reed
Artists: Miguel Munera, Terry Pallot & Greg Adams
Colorists: Veronica Gandini & Jorge Maese
Letterers: Fishbrain & Dave Sharpe
Production: Irene Y. Lee
Assistant Editors: Jordan D. White & John Denning
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel Comics

You can look at Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force, consisting of the two mini-arcs, "The Conquest of Jarella's World" and the "Enigma Force" series proper, two ways. First, there is the obvious intention begun in the first miniseries, picking up right where the previous Son of Hulk series left off (now available in the graphic novel collection Son of Hulk: Dark Son Rising) and paving the way for the arc now collected in the hardcover collection Incredible Hulks: Dark Son. Foremost in this collection, however, is the story of the resurgent group of subatomic swashbucklers, the Enigma Force, so named after the power which flows through their leader, Arcturus Rann. It's an apt name considering Marvel truly can't refer to the team by their original title: the Micronauts, a licensed Japanese toy property cum Marvel comic that spanned some eighty-five issues between 1978 and 1986 (over two regular series, two annuals, and a four-issue crossover series with the X-Men).

Many years and many incarnations later (anyone remember the Microns?), the team seems to have found their ideal new title, rooted in their illustrious past. The original core triad of Rann, Princess Marionette, and Bug (the latter now of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy series) are now joined by Carl, a Death's Head android imbued with some spark of personality; Jentorra, a K'aitian mystic and cousin to the Hulk's deceased love, Jarella; and an orphaned member of the race that laid waste to K'ai, the Psyklop. It's a shame we who remember the Micronauts' original incarnation can't have Acroyear, Biotron or any of the other characters who joined their illustrious ranks throughout the early 1980s, but we should be lucky we get glimpses of these characters at all!

The first story, "The Conquest of Jarella's World," begins in media res, with Arcturus Rann, Mari, and Carl--the crew of the HMS Endeavor III--seeking out the legendary Enigma Force Nullifier. Of course, this being chiefly a book set in the Hulk's corner of the Marvel Universe, it's not long before they're on a mission to save the denizens of planet K'ai from the alien hordes of the Psyklop (last seen as a singular, humanoid enemy in The Incredible Hulk #203, waaaay back in 1976). Somewhere along the way, Rann discovers the location of the Nullifier, and comes in conflict with the Hulk's second son, Hiro-Kala, who has been transported through the Fault to the Microverse, the subatomic realm all these characters call home.

In the second story in this collection, set shortly after the conclusion of the first story, Rann and his compatriots track Hiro-Kala and his armies back through the Fault to the Marvel Universe proper during the timeframe the "Dark Son" storyline takes place. They continue their cat-and-mouse game from afar, with Bug, Jentorra, and the Psyklop having their roles to play. Along the way, the action continues on K'ai with the return of one character fans of the 1970s Jarella stories will definitely recognize, an added bonus for those fans but something that will leave everyone else scratching their heads.

Unfortunately, overall the series suffers in that the protagonists can never fulfill Rann's mission. They can't depose Hiro-Kala and return K'ai to the Microverse, because that's what the Hulks are charged with doing in the main event. The narrative never truly overlaps with any plot points of the larger story over in the Hulk's book but goes on its own parallel path. These choices limit Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force to being a character piece about Rann's past connections with K'ai, the building of the new team, and their part in the post-"Dark Son" status quo of the planet.

(As an aside, Marvel was originally home to a multitude of sub-atomic dimensions, but thanks to writer Peter David in issues 4-7 of his 2000 Captain Marvel series, all those realms including the ones in which K'ai and the Micronauts resided, merged into one. There's an untold story out there involving the X-Men, Thanos, and Baron Karza where all of these events unfolded. Best as I can figure it with a No-Prize-worthy explanation, this event must have also somehow rearranged the histories of the Microverse realms to allow for Rann to have been involved in K'ai's past, as revealed in the Enigma Force portion of this collection.)

Scott Reed does the best he can granted that the Enigma Force can't truly figure into the main "Dark Son" story's conclusion, filling the tale with character moments. From the first story on through the second, this is really Arcturus Rann's journey, and it's the most in-depth characterization he's had in years. These seven issues together really read like a "pilot" episode of an ongoing Enigma Force series, setting up the complex relationships between all of these characters as well as potential situations for new "episodes." The key mystery that I enjoy--and which I asked Reed about at New York Comic Con last year--involves the evolution of the Psyklop from that one being who seemed native to the main Marvel Universe (having been introduced in Avengers #88) to a race of floating, alien creatures as they were at the beginning of the first issue in this collection. If we're to see more of the Enigma Force, that secret story is waiting to be told.

Whereas Reed's story shows direction and purpose, artist Miguel Munera literally evolves the further we go. In the beginning, I was struck by the various homages to the work of Rich Buckler and Sal Buscema, with various statues on K'ai clearly echoing their work, but much of the early figure work seemed static. It could be the work of various inkers, but Munera's layouts and detail grow stronger as these series progress, with Greg Adams as his best inker in the second half of the collection. It's never overly flashy artwork but he does tell the story ably and his dynamism grows. I'll look for Munera's skill to continue to develop as time goes on.

One note for completists: the Hiro-Kala story by Scott Reed and Miguel Munera that bridges "The Conquest of Jarella's World" and "Dark Son," from The Incredible Hulk #609-611, is not included here. The story did not feature the Enigma Force, which probably accounts for its exclusion. However, the three-part mini-arc is available in the Incredible Hulk Vol. 3: World War Hulks collection, now available in hardcover and available March 30 in softcover.

The Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force is an intriguing mix of concepts from the old days of The Incredible Hulk and the classic Micronauts series married with the ongoing story of the Hulk's new "Dark Son." In spite of the story's limitations as described above, there's a sense of fun that never leaves. For new comics with an old-school twist, you could do a lot worse than pick up this graphic novel collection. After all, it would sure be fun to finally read still more new adventures of Arcturus Rann and his crew. The Micronauts live again--who cares what they're called now--and it's about time.

The Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force is on sale February 23. The collection is priced at $19.99. Call 1-888-COMIC-BOOK or visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com to find a shop near you!

~G.

"Who--who are you guys?" (Musta Been Translated From K'aitian!)

Before I start talking about other things I've been reading lately--chief among them Grant Morrison's run on Batman that has me enjoying the character for the first time in ages--I figured I would reread the first Incredible Hulks storyline, "Dark Son," which spanned issues #612-617. I did this because while I enjoyed the single issues, I've seen certain criticisms leveled against the series, and even thought of some myself. I can't level all the bad stuff directly at writer Greg Pak, and you'll soon see why. Still, the narrative is less impressive in relation to what came before in the legends of the Sons of Hulk.

The first point I have to raise is the characterization of Hiro-Kala himself. He has previously (in my "Dark Son" primer) been characterized as a boy who recognized the dangers of the Shadow People's Old Power and took it upon himself to rid the universe of it. After feeding an entire planet to Galactus, his dead mother even appeared in a vision to him, excusing his actions as being in service to some greater good! He then attempted to find his brother, Skaar, but was diverted through the Fault (see the Realm of Kings series of mini-series) to the planet K'ai, home to the Hulk's late love, Jarella. There, he used some other energy to tow the planet through the Fault and into the main Marvel Universe. Also, he took the power of the Worldmind, a sentient energy at K'ai's center, and used it to subjugate its people in service to him. Now armed with even more power, he resumed his quest to find his brother, only to ultimately discover that his fragile psyche had created the vision of his mother Caiera as means of assuaging his conscience. He was a child, acting out over the loss of his home planet and his own lack of ability to properly harness the Old Power, so he took information he knew and built lies upon it.

There is commentary out there that suggests that the revelations of "Dark Son" ring false, or that they turn the shaky morals of Hiro-Kala's quest into something of stark black-and-white, merely the ravings of a boy who got mixed up in something bigger than himself. In fact, I had to go back and re-read pieces of "Dark Son Rising," the storyline by Paul Jenkins and Andres Guinaldo, to make sense of this storyline. What I found is that the information about the Old Power being unstable comes from Old Sam, and should be treated, until proven otherwise, as canon. There is some manner of problem with the Old Power; however, the exact nature of the problem remains unknown, or perhaps it is only in the misuse of the power that it becomes a problem. ("Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Thanks, Lord Acton!) If it's the latter, then the Old Power is no different than any other form of energy--if you misuse it, then bad things happen.

I like the idea that Hiro-Kala, afraid of the nature of the Old Power, being so young and in possession of the power for which he has been given no formal training, sought solace in hallucinations to excuse the grisly deeds he performed. Certainly, Bruce Banner indicates in his conversation with Hiro-Kala in #616 that he is aware of some problem with the Old Power, but that he has "already begun to figure out how to contain it." He denies Hiro-Kala's ideas that the Old Power is destined to destroy life as we know it. Was what Banner said a lie? Did he know Hiro-Kala was suffering from delusions? Or is there a real problem with the Old Power that will need to be addressed in, say, upcoming issues of The Incredible Hulks?

The second, lesser gripe I have about the storyline is something that's really endemic in popular fiction and comics in particular. It's what the title of this post refers to, when the K'aitians awaken because of Banner spreading the Worldmind's signal and one of them talks to the Hulks. There are no italics, and nothing indicating it's anything but English that's being spoken. Of course, this point stretches back to Realm of Kings: Son of Hulk - The Conquest of Jarella's World, when the Enigma Force and the K'aitians also spoke English. Now, from what I remember of the old Jarella books, the Hulk needed a spell cast upon him to understand the K'aitians, as did Jarella to be able to understand the Hulk's language. (The same spell gave Banner control of the Hulk's body while in the Microverse, and was revoked in #156.) Of course, I think virtually every other later writer ignored that a spell was needed to translate K'aitian speech to English, including Peter David (in #351-352 as well as Captain Marvel #5-7). Add in that we know the Micronauts/Enigma Force have never needed a translator of any kind to talk to Cable, the Fantastic Four, and the other heroes they've met over the years, and they certainly had no trouble talking with the K'aitians in RoK: SoH. (You could also talk about the Imperials and Hiro-Kala talking with the Hulks being similarly problematic.) It's a big mess, but I can't lay it at the feet of Pak alone. Maybe it was the Worldmind keeping everyone able to understand each other? (But while we're on the topic, there is the matter of how everyone in World War Hulk was able to understand the Warbound, all of whom likely spoke in other languages but understood each other thanks to "talkbots" implanted in their ears.)

Third and finally, the ending of "Dark Son" is certainly ambiguous, in such a way that not even the finale of Enigma Force #3 can clean it up. While the Worldmind has Hiro-Kala inside it, did they go back into K'ai and find a new star? Or did the Worldmind and Hiro-Kala become the new star? If the former, great! I can accept it but it should have been made clearer. However, if the Worldmind is a new sun, well, I've seen a lot of comic book physics in this storyline, you know? With the planet K'ai approaching Earth in a very "Silver Age Superman" kind of way, and the diversion of the planet occurring in an even more improbable way. (How could the volcanoes generate enough power to divert K'ai from its collision so quickly? And just think about the physical effects to both Earth and K'ai!) But stars can't just be located wherever someone decrees they can go. There are fundamental physical laws to follow. And so, I'm left scratching my head until which time this cosmic riddle is solved.

The best thing about "Dark Son" was the human drama and the interaction between the Hulk and his new family. As you can see, the rest of it fell apart rather ridiculously.

Any other thoughts out there?

~G.

Dark Son: An Incredible Hulks Primer

Good morning, everyone (and afternoon for the East-coasters)!

Once again, I'm branching out off this site and giving you the best Hulk news I can! Visit Jameson Lee's Daily P.O.P. website for today's article featuring the history of the Hulk's second son, Hiro-Kala! I wanted to boil the prior storylines down and give you guys a nice prelude to today's Incredible Hulks #612 release. Hope you all enjoy it, and I'll be around very soon for more fun!

Thanks for reading!

~G.

ADVANCE REVIEW! The Incredible Hulks #612

The Incredible Hulks #612
Writers: Greg Pak & Scott Reed
Artists: Tom Raney, Scott Hanna, Brian Ching & Victor Olazaba
Colorists: John Rauch & Jorge Maese
Letterers: Simon Bowland
Production: Irene Lee
Assistant Editor: Jordan D. White
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel Comics

A thankfully (mostly) SPOILER-FREE review follows.

When thinking of families of super heroes, it's impossible to avoid thinking of Marvel's standard-bearer, the Fantastic Four. Well, get ready for a new comics family, but this isn't the Fantastic Four--and Bruce Banner and Betty Ross sure aren't Reed and Sue Richards!

In "Earth," the first story of the new, plural status quo of the book formerly known as The Incredible Hulk, writer Greg Pak wisely has the newly-crowned "Hulk family" take a step back from the pandemonium of the past several months' issues by letting them relax at a picnic by the beach. However, since this is a "Hulk" book, the situation doesn't remain serene for long, and it's largely due to the 800-lb. gorilla in the room that everyone's been wondering about (or is that the 650-lb. scarlet-skinned woman?): the status of the relationship between Bruce and Betty, who's just returned from death and been turned into the Red She-Hulk.



If anyone's unclear about it, this issue's character-driven elements should clear it up: Greg Pak gets Bruce Banner and his family of misfits. Bruce is the emotionally-stunted scientist who doesn't know how to approach Betty's return, while Betty is emotionally scarred from the very nature of her historical relationship with Bruce, as well as what happened while she was "dead." Their encounter here really resonates for longtime readers. It has real dramatic weight, and I'm anxious to see how their relationship unfolds from this point forward.

The rest of the main cast--Jennifer Walters, Lyra, Rick Jones as A-Bomb, Korg, and Skaar--all get some small character moments, but the stage this time is clearly devoted to Bruce/Hulk and Betty/Red She-Hulk. Skaar and the Hulk share a smile-inducing moment amid the action, and I can tell, it's going to be a treat seeing these two share "screen time" in issues to come. All in all, the saga of the Hulks is starting out to be a saga about a very human family, even if their forms are monstrous.

Thankfully, the artwork for this issue's lighthearted romp is every bit as strong as Greg Pak's script, with Tom Raney and Scott Hanna turning in their usual, reliable work. I've always enjoyed Raney's slightly quirky style, going back to his days on Warlock & The Infinity Watch and he performs just as capably here with every member of the Hulk family. Barry Kitson may be replacing him next month for the remainder of "Dark Son," but he definitely pulls his weight.



Off-Earth, in the second chapter of the "Dark Son" story, "K'ai," writer Pak and Scott Reed shed additional light on the origins of the Hulk's other son, Skaar's twin brother, Hiro-Kala. Immediately apparent when compared to previous chapters is the striking new art style, this time by former Star Wars and Top Cow artist Brian Ching. It's very powerful, and moves the story along beautifully. The story largely serves as a recap to everything Hiro-Kala has been through to this point. It's well done and sets up the remainder of the arc the way it should. It'll be interesting to see how and when the two sides meet, and what the Hulk thinks of K'ai being in this universe now.

The Incredible Hulks #612 is an apt beginning to the next bold era of Hulk comics, showing a clear introduction to the cast, and preparing everyone for the conflicts upcoming in this arc. It's a testament to the ability of writer Greg Pak that the title can shift so easily from being about the lead character as a loner in a world where no one understands him, to being about the importance of a family of such beings. I'll be eagerly awaiting the next episode in just two short weeks. Highly Recommended.

~G.

The Incredible Hulks #612 is on sale Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at comic shops everywhere. Call 1-800-COMIC-BOOK to find a retailer near you.