Marvel Two-in-One (Under the Surface of The Immortal Hulk #12, with Apologies to Benjamin J. Grimm)

(CAUTION: This post contains SPOILERS for The Immortal Hulk #12, on sale now from Marvel Comics. If you don't want to be spoiled for this issue and, potentially, the next issue, read no further.)

"Or Is He Both?"

It's been the central question since Jack Kirby's cover to The Incredible Hulk (vol. 1) #1 back in May of 1962. It's also the title of the very first issue of Al Ewing & Joe Bennett's masterful revival in 2018's The Immortal Hulk. Of course, the full version of the question bears mentioning: "Is He Man Or Monster Or Is He Both?"

Over the last year, we've seen a lot of intriguing details in the new series. This Hulk appeared at first to be unlike other incarnations we'd seen before. He was prone to vengeance against those who wronged the helpless, such as when he decimated a biker gang to get to the young man who'd killed a 12-year-old girl (and Banner himself) at a gas station convenience store earlier the same day. Furthermore, like the original, grey-skinned Hulk, he only appeared at night, but this time only after Banner himself died.

It was in that first sighting (outside Avengers: No Surrender, natch) that people around our Green Goliath started making interesting comparisons:

It didn't stop there. This vengeful, judgmental monster found he kind of liked the moniker of "Devil Hulk" while in battle with the Avengers. The name recalled a seldom-seen version of the Hulk who was never seen outside the recesses of Banner's mind (in Paul Jenkins' underappreciated run).

This Hulk also had the uncanny ability to remain alive and even control the parts of his body even after being disassembled into several glass jars. Although the Hulk had previously demonstrated fast healing bordering on total invulnerability, doing what Humpty Dumpty couldn't do puts him in a different and highly unusual league.

But most importantly, Ewing's Immortal Hulk has introduced the extradimensional "green door," a gateway to the lowest of hells ruled by a Cthulhuesque being called the One Below All. (The name inspired by its direct opposite, the One Above All, from Ewing's New Ultimates series of recent vintage.) Unable to gain entry to our world alone, it instead wears the souls of the dead like clothes. In its first direct strike against the Hulk, it used the soul of Banner's abusive father, Brian. "Brian" in turn possessed Walter Langkowski, Banner's college roommate who exposed himself to gamma rays and became the superhero known as Sasquatch.

The Hulk's newfound ability to absorb gamma radiation worked to his disadvantage during the battle with Sasquatch. Because the One Below All uses gamma as a medium, draining the energy from Langkowski's body allowed the creature, still wearing Brian's soul, to possess the Hulk. The creature persuaded him to return to Los Diablos Missile Base, where the fateful gamma bomb had originally detonated.
There the Hulk fought "Crusher" Creel, a.k.a. the Absorbing Man, who absorbed the gamma energy from his body--and with it, the One Below All, who appeared very differently to Creel. And when Creel stumbled into the spot where the detonation occurred, the world turned upside down. He and those around him were transported into the hellish domain the One called home.

In this Hell Below Others, the various parties near the event are divided into teams of two, with the Hulk alongside Jackie McGee, the reporter tracking him since issue #1, while Creel is teamed with Eugene Judd, friend to Langkowski, better known as Puck. So far, Langkowski and Carl Burbank, an assassin better known as Bushwacker, are unaccounted for in the "Hulk in Hell" story.

However, most remarkably, Bruce Banner appears separated from the Hulk, bathed in green light upon a high cliff, while his father Brian stands and explains the story of the One Below All. In addition, Ewing narrates a comparative religions study. He burrows into Kabbalist Jewish lore, evoking the unity and duality of God. In fact, the story in issue #10 is titled "Thaumiel," which are the twins of God. In #11 he defines Thaumiel further, explaining that its ruler is Satan, whom, conveniently, Hulk has been compared to since the very first issue of this run.

However, I think those looking for a deeper reading of the text are emphasizing the wrong part of the puzzle, and issue #12, titled "All on That Day" (an ode to Nina Simone's "Sinnerman"?), crystallizes my thinking by keeping the Kabbalist view of Hell but also bringing in the Zurvanite Zoroastrian concepts of the god Ahura Mazda and its opposite, Angra Mainyu, as twin brothers.

Credit where credit's due to Cth on the Hulk Message Board for highlighting this, because in an issue where we get a lot of new history on Bruce's father Brian and his relationship with wife and son, we also get this panel amid Ewing's narrations:

Looking back, the same panel is found on the very first page of issue #11, with different captions:

In a book where the focus is the dysfunctional relationship between father and son, it's hard not to see a panel such as the above as related to the characters' past.

But then, why are there two cribs in the picture in question?

Then another thing hit me when I went for another reread. When Jackie McGee tells the childlike Hulk to put the Devil Hulk back in charge to talk, he has a marked aversion to her characterization of his relationship to Banner:

Through McGee, Ewing seems to be metacritiquing the historical interpretation of the Hulk that's existed since Peter David's revolutionary Incredible Hulk #377, where the two Hulks (to that point) were explained as multiple personalities of Bruce Banner given form by the G-bomb. And the extant personality seems to disagree with that interpretation.

Now why would he do that?

The answer is one I think we've already seen without realizing. It's staring us in the face since the very end of issue #11, in the climactic moment where we see Brian talking to the suspended body of his son in the green light.

If you think of Hell in the strictest interpretation, it's a place where souls go when they die. So, if the Hulk, or Hulks if you prefer, are mere alters of Bruce Banner, why would they be separate in Hell?

Unless, of course, Bruce Banner and the Hulk have an altogether different relationship than we've been led to believe all of these years.

Unless Bruce Banner and the Hulk are brothers, not alters.

Twin brothers.

Remember that twins aren't an aberration in the Hulk mythos. In Peter David's out-of-continuity novel, What Savage Beast, Betty gave birth to twins named Ross and Brett before Ross died and Brett was kidnapped to be raised in a dystopic future by the Hulk's future self, the Maestro. And in-continuity, Greg Pak wrote of Skaar and Hiro-Kala, the Hulk's twin sons by his alien wife Caiera. And twins, as anyone with a passing familiarity with genetics will say, run in families.

So why haven't we heard anyone talk about Bruce Banner's brother before now? There are a few possibilities. It could be that another son was expected but that he was stillborn. Or perhaps he fell victim to the vanishing twin syndrome, wherein a twin dies in utero and its tissues are reabsorbed, often by the mother or sometimes by the remaining twin.

What if the Hulk were that vanished twin, absorbed back into Bruce, brought to life when the G-bomb struck?

It might even go to great lengths to explain how the Hulk possesses such remarkable healing abilities as he's demonstrated in the body-horrific issue #8. If the Hulk is a vanished twin--fetal tissue reabsorbed into his brother--then fetal tissue has unique properties that developed tissue does not. Hence why many scientists have begun experimentation on stem cells in therapies for treating various genetic diseases. I'm spitballing here, but perhaps the Hulk's healing derives from being, in effect, a mass of super stem cells?

Remember, one thing Ewing also brought up courtesy the Hulk's inner monologue back in issue #9 is the idea that perhaps he wasn't only with Bruce since the G-bomb, or maybe not even since being abused, but even further back in some form:

Put it all together and it sounds like the only remaining questions are just why there's so often a childlike Hulk and a smarter, craftier one.

Oh, and...

We'll see at least a few of the answers in The Immortal Hulk #13, on sale a week and a half from now. But in the meantime, we've got a lot of speculating to do. If the answers are even close to what I've postulated here, well, we're in for a grand old time as Hulk fans.

~G.

Gamma Reviews: Incredible Hulks #633 & Skaar #5

Ladies & gentlemen, hobos & tramps:

Welcome to another review jam session! Before we get back to my discussion of continuity vis-a-vis DC's Relaunch, I'm afraid I have to give my weekly round-up of all things Hulk! Don't get used to it, folks, for I'm going to be doing my level best to diversify in the days and weeks to come. (To see just how much I can diversify, check the earliest blog entries from 2005! Just scroll down and find the archives at right.)

Onward? Onward!

THE INCREDIBLE HULKS #633 - Marvel Comics, $2.99
By Greg Pak, Paul Pelletier, Danny Miki, Crimelab Studios & Morry Hollowell

We're officially past the halfway point of Greg Pak's Incredible Hulks finale, "Heart of the Monster," so all of the varied pieces of the puzzle are starting to congeal. Of all the adversaries lined up in issue #630, only two haven't had their shots at ol' greenskin. From this issue's cover, you can see the villain this time is Doctor Strange's sometime enemy, the sinful sister to the Dread Dormammu himself, Umar the Unrelenting! And boy, does she have a history with ol' Hulky...

To those not in the know (and hey, who can blame you, since certain events occurred outside the Hulk's own book?), one of the last times the Defenders assembled to fight evil, they tried to halt a scheme whereby Dormammu and Umar conspired to defeat Eternity and remake the universe in their loathsome image. In the story--written by J.M. DeMatteis & Keith Giffen of Justice League International fame--the Hulk was--ahem--seduced by Umar. He lasted all of a few minutes before collapsing, and changed back to a more-mellow-than-usual Banner. Take from that what you will.

Thanks to the wishing well created by A.I.M. Scientist Supreme (and Banner's ex) Monica Rappaccini and appropriated by Banner's other ex, Red She-Hulk, Umar has returned to plague the Hulk. Or rather, it appears, to help him burn off all that Worldbreaker energy he's built up from seeing his friends poisoned by Arm'Chedon last issue. As result, the entire issue becomes less a focus on the Hulk--who's far too happy to care about anything else, too happy to even speak--and more a focus on Amadeus Cho and friends' efforts to track him down and put an end to this "wishing war" business posthaste.

So powerful is Pak's ongoing narrative that I didn't even realize Hulk's placement as a MacGuffin until my third read-through! He functions as an object of the plot, taken by Umar, sought by Cho and friends, and apparently wanted for death by the other villains of the piece. While it's not necessarily bad because, let's face it, the supporting cast is so well fleshed-out that you hardly notice, I still thought we were through with, for want of a better term, plot-device Hulk (TM).

Still, the book succeeds on the strength of the other characters in the story, as well as on the immaculate artwork by Paul Pelletier, who with inker Danny Miki and colorist Morry Hollowell shows no signs of letting up in this end run. The art tells the story, sells the story, and otherwise makes "Heart of the Monster" even more of a compulsive page-turner than it would be without his involvement. Over previous arcs, Pelletier has shown he belongs among the upper echelons of Hulk artists--perhaps not nearly in the same breath as the all-time greats like Keown, Trimpe and Buscema, but awful close.

Hampered by a story that for about the only time in Pak's tenure relegates the lead character to a thoughtless plot contrivance, this story should by rights earn a "Skip It" rating. However, buoyed by terrific artwork by Pelletier & co. and thoughtful characterization by Pak on the entire rest of the cast (including a guest appearance that makes total sense), I've got to bump up this story's rating. You've got to at least Read It.

SKAAR: KING OF THE SAVAGE LAND #5 (of 5) - Marvel Comics, $2.99
By Rob Williams, Brian Ching, Rick Ketcham & Guru-eFX

Thanks to a strong introduction by his creator, Greg Pak, Skaar blossomed from an eye-rolling, derivative idea into a legitimate character worthy of his father's heritage. It's unfortunate, then, that the first writer to seriously tackle Skaar outside his creator would misfire so badly as in Skaar: King of the Savage Land. In this finale, the storyline, which has thus far been a Ka-Zar riff guest-starring the green-skinned half-breed, degenerates into a morass of unparalleled depths and is, quite simply, the worst thing to come out of the Hulk's corner of the Marvel Universe since Bruce Jones made Betty into the enigmatic "Mr. Blue" and the Leader into a giant brain in a jar.

Am I being too harsh? I don't think so. Bizarrely, as much as this story is a Ka-Zar tale bundled up to fit under the Hulk banner, it's got elements that echo early Hulk stories. (Featuring Ka-Zar, of course.) Specifically, it's got elements designed to attract fans of sixties Hulk artist Herb Trimpe, including the cover with its obvious homage to 1969's Incredible Hulk #110, the villainy of Umbu the Unliving (as seen on the cover), and a non-sequitur of a guest appearance by someone who seems to be the Phantom Eagle, one of Trimpe's favorite creations from WWI. Add more, equally senseless appearances from prehistory's heroes Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy, as well as western hero Kid Colt, then involve a wormhole that somehow sucked people in over the decades, and you have something more ridiculous. Finish the whole thing off with a blatant "look at me" cameo by Steve Rogers and the Avengers (including Red Hulk!), and the issue feels like everyone's throwing whatever they can at the wall and seeing what will stick. And from out of nowhere--spoiler warning--Skaar saves the day in two pages (by tossing a possessed guy off a cliff to his death!) and Ka-Zar sees fit to crown him new King of the Savage Land.

I hope I'm doing this book justice. And by doing justice, I mean telling you it's a nonsensical book with very few redeeming features. At the very least, Brian Ching's artwork is quite good here, and Guru-eFX keeps the Photoshopped pictures at a minimum this time out. Still, I can't excuse the weak villains, the poor pacing, the limited involvement of the lead character, and the out-of-nowhere conclusion. Truthfully, it may have been a stronger story if Williams had been able to plot it as exclusively a Ka-Zar adventure, as there's really no place for Skaar here. (And that's sad, as from Pak's "Planet Savage" I'd have thought the Savage Land the perfect place for him. I was wrong! I was wrong!)

Please, just Burn It and read this instead:

Questions?

~G.

Better-Late-Than-Never Reviews: Alpha Flight #1, Skaar #4

While I'm prepping some new articles of real industry relevance--a review of one of Gene Colan's seldom-seen works and an essay about the perils of too much continuity--I thought I'd shoot you a few quick reviews of books that came out last month. You'll also see a full review of the Spider-Man/Deadpool/Hulk crossover "Identity Wars" this week!

As previously indicated with my "Quick Reviews" segments, expect the below books to be rated Buy It, Read It, Skip It and Burn It.

Alpha Flight (Vol. 4) #1 - Marvel Comics, $3.99
By Fred Van Lente, Greg Pak, Dale Eaglesham, Andrew Hennessy & Sonia Oback

Last month,we saw the first effort of Herc co-writers Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak on Canada's premier super-team in Alpha Flight #0.1. That story (reviewed here) ably demonstrated their mastery of the team's history and powers. This story, "Pride of a Nation," wastes no time in upsetting the applecart, using an important foe from Alpha's past to bring forward a change in the status quo while at the same time making the saga fall in line with Marvel's summer "Fear Itself" event.

Attuma of Atlantis, who thanks to the aforementioned event has become Nerkkod, Breaker of Oceans, attacks Canada and Alpha Flight is there to fight him back. While it appears Attuma is everywhere during the event (he also is the main villain in Fear Itself: The Deep), his presence here makes sense to longtime Alpha Flight fans as he figured into a major storyline involving Marrina, a member that appears here. At the same time, the continuity is not so obtrusive as to take away from the story's momentum. Pak and Van Lente keep the pace brisk, using Attuma's attack to both further demonstrate the team's dynamics and set up the major conflict that will last through the remainder of the series, namely Prime Minister Cody's enaction of the Emergencies Act.

While the story is well told, building to a quite unforeseen conclusion that will require some explanation, it's in the art that the book shines. I've long enjoyed Dale Eaglesham's artwork, and he's in fine form here, right at home drawing characters from his native land of Canada. His depictions of all the main characters are spot-on, and I particularly enjoyed seeing his takes on Sasquatch and Marrina (the latter of whom has been gone far, far too long).

Overall, Alpha Flight is off to a fine start, and I can't wait for next month. I'm trying not to be overly enthusiastic, but the team really is hitting all the right notes from the start, and as a result, I strongly suggest you Buy It.

Skaar: King of the Savage Land #4 - Marvel Comics, $2.99
By Rob Williams, Brian Ching, Rick Ketcham & Guru-eFX

If I didn't know any better, I'd swear we were getting a Ka-Zar miniseries and not one featuring the son of the incredible Hulk here. In virtually every issue of the series so far, I've been of this opinion, and that hasn't changed here. In fact, the entire introduction here--the first six pages--are wholly devoted to Kevin Plunder the jungle lord, and much of the issue's ending involves his possessed wife, Shanna, and Ka-Zar himself, with Skaar only playing a bit part in the middle, when he discovers a secret, heretofore lost society alongside Ka-Zar's son Matthew, who often acts more maturely than the titular character. The other guest stars, including Devil Dinosaur, Moon Boy, Phantom Eagle and an older Kid Colt, are similarly relegated to bit-part status, sticking around only long enough for us to be reminded they're in the story at all. And with other guest-stars peppering the story and more apparently involved in next month's conclusion, I'm afraid Skaar will be crammed out of that tale as well.

Try as he might, writer Rob Williams can't write Skaar as anything more than a bit player in a drama that is all about Ka-Zar and the newfound problems in the Savage Land, and that's the series' biggest problem. The script is capable, but as stated before, this series has really been a Savage Land story guest starring numerous unrelated characters for shock value. The tale's sole saving grace has been Brian Ching's inspiring figure artwork, as he loves, and I do mean loves, to draw dinosaurs. Unfortunately, that means he skimps on backgrounds, with page after page having computer-colored/Photoshopped vistas that easily distract from the story being told.

If this series proves one thing, it's that Greg Pak's special touch allowed Skaar to prosper during the last two years, first in his own series and recently in Incredible Hulks. Without his vision, and surrounded by the overwhelming character of the Savage Land, he's just one more generic character in Marvel's tapestry of wild men. While this series started off on solid footing, it headed at increasing speed for a cliff, and now it's jumped off. Proceed at your own risk. Or, in words I thought I'd never have to say during a review, Burn It.

~G.

Quick Reviews: Alpha Flight #0.1, Incredible Hulks #629, Skaar #3

A round of much-delayed, eagerly-awaited reviews, mes amis!

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Alpha Flight #0.1 - Marvel Comics, $2.99
By Fred Van Lente, Greg Pak, Ben Oliver & Frank Martin

The eight-issue miniseries begins in earnest in a few weeks, but Alpha Flight #0.1, which shipped May 18, serves as a terrific introduction to the characters and concepts for the uninitiated. The twenty-page story, behind a cover by Phil Jiminez that shows nearly all the original Alpha Flight cast from their 1980s heyday, introduces the ensemble, as well as some other peripheral cast from the "good old days." It's true what writer Fred Van Lente said: this series marks the first time since the early days of John Byrne and Bill Mantlo that virtually the entire group has been the focus. Guardian, Vindicator, Sasquatch, Shaman, Marrina, Northstar and Aurora are all here, and purely from a nostalgic point of view, seeing them together just feels good.

Van Lente and Pak don't let nostalgia carry the story, however, wisely involving the Alphans in a plot to interrupt Canadian elections, ostensibly planned by someone very familiar to the title's middle years. Both that villainess and the specter of the elections themselves are portents of bigger things sure to erupt in the series proper. The only drawback in the book is in the artistic layouts by Ben Oliver. While the figures themselves look great, Oliver's panel shape--always jagged, seldom having 90 degree angles--are a distraction at best and a source of vertigo at worst. I must say I'm glad the miniseries itself will be illustrated by another artist (Dale Eaglesham).

I'm definitely expecting the storyline to ramp up with the actual first issue in June, but this is still a solid introduction with an accessible story, on-point characterization, and above-average artwork. Do yourself a favor and Buy It.

---

The Incredible Hulks #629 - Marvel Comics, $2.99
By Greg Pak, Tom Grummett, Cory Hamscher, Rick Magyar & Edgar Delgado

For the conclusion of Greg Pak's penultimate arc, "The Spy Who Smashed Me," which had been a surprisingly off-beat and humorous arc in its previous three sections, this story takes a decidedly standard superheroic slant. Behind another generic cover, this time by fan-favorite Frank Cho, "License to Smash" nonetheless provides an emotional finale that serves as setup for "Heart of the Monster," beginning next issue.

When you're talking about emotional Hulk stories, it seems the powers-that-be can seldom do one without involving Betty Ross. It's her eyes through which we're supposed to see Banner and the Hulk this issue. However, Betty here bears little, if any, resemblance to the same strong character of Peter David's tenure on the book. Becoming Red She-Hulk appears to have split the character into her strong and weak personality halves, with neither one of them showing exactly why Bruce carries such a torch for her. And maybe that's the point, right?

Arch-foe Tyrannus descends into his traditional mad brand of villainy for this final chapter, leaving the real emotional arc to be solved between Bruce/Hulk and Betty/Red She-Hulk. True, we do finally see what's in the urn and that particular conclusion is perplexing (and may provide a hint to next issue's story). If nothing else, Greg Pak has provided an excellent emotional underpinning for his final arc with this issue's soft conclusion. Tom Grummett finishes the storyline in his same standard superheroic style, which is still far above most else out there. While still not as strong as the previous three parts, you should still definitely Read It.

---

Skaar: King of the Savage Land #3 - Marvel Comics, $2.99
By Rob Williams, Brian Ching, Rick Ketcham & Guru eFX

The Savage Land adventure of Skaar, Son of Hulk, continues as he teams with Ka-Zar and delves deeper into the Designer's mysteries while encountering more of the area's unusual inhabitants. Rob Williams continues the story which seems to have less and less to do with the titular character and more to do with facets of Marvel continuity the writer wants to play with "just because." You can see one of the characters in question--Kid Colt--on the issue's cover, and while he looks a little different inside, he's still symptomatic of the "anything that will stick"-ness of the narrative.

On the plus side, Brian Ching's artwork continues to impress. He's really right at home in the jungle landscapes, drawing monsters of all shapes and sizes, from Skaar himself to dinosaurs. Guru-eFX similarly brings the pages to life with their colors. Still, I'm severely losing interest in the narrative as Skaar continues to be moved around like a pawn on a chessboard. I don't have much hope the remaining two issues will turn things around. Unless you have nothing better to read, I'm firmly of the opinion you should Skip It.

~G.

3-in-1 Review: Incredible Hulks, Hulk, Skaar

Greetings, all!

Yes, I've been remiss in recent weeks, giving you a noticeable dearth of new blog entries. I want to begin blogging every day I can so I can bring you guys (and gals) as many new insights as I'm able. That'll mean retrospectives, interviews, and spotlights on some rare comics you just won't see on these shores (and that's a major hint to at least one new feature!). I went back to Pittsburgh, my hometown, and attended the Pittsburgh Comicon, getting about eleven sketches (that you'll see soon, both here and at my Comic Art Fans page) and buying a few unusual items. I've also catalogued more of my collection that remains on the east coast, and soon I'll be putting those books on eBay (or, if anyone wants to give me offers here, feel free!).

Speaking of old books for sale, I recently re-bought several issues of Incredible Hulk from the 1970s and 80s, replacing my lower-grade (Very Good and lower) issues with nice, Fine-or-better copies. They were deals I couldn't resist, but it does leave me with dozens of duplicate issues. They're "reader" copies so I'm willing to sell them on the cheap. Yes, virtually all of the Todd McFarlane issues are for sale, including the battle with Wolverine in #340. The earliest book I'm selling is #122, and the latest is #431. If interested, shoot me an email at delusionalhonesty [at] gmail [dot] com and I'll play Monty Hall. (And if you want to inquire about what non-Hulk books might be for sale, do so!)

Now then, what've we got today? Since I haven't blogged on them during the last couple weeks, I figured I'd take time out today before any more issues hit to review three books. They won't be my usual in-depth reviews since I'm squeezing three issues into one entry, but you'll get the idea. As in my last round of quick reviews, these ones will be summed up with four main classifications you can easily make sense of: Buy It (highly recommended), Read It (recommended), Skip It (unless it's a light week...), Burn It (a very special kind of hell).

Incredible Hulks #626 - Marvel Comics, $2.99
By Greg Pak, Tom Grummett, Cory Hamscher & Edgar Delgado

One of my longstanding wishes comes true this issue as artist Tom Grummett takes the Hulk's artistic reins for the four-part arc, "The Spy Who Smashed Me." He doesn't disappoint one bit, giving a classic feel to this saga that features the return of one of the Hulk's oldest foes. Although Greg Pak teased Tyrannus in a one-off story (#605), he devotes substantially more energy to his return here. It's a perfect storm of elements that Pak has at play, with Betty at risk of remaining Red She-Hulk forever even as she joins forces with Tyrannus, and Banner donning a tux (made from unstable molecules, natch) and teaming with Amadeus Cho in a wonderfully off kilter Bond-and-Q tag-team scheme.  The narrative moves fast, and Pak works overtime to involve the Hulk in a storyline that, when announced, didn't remotely seem like a "Hulk story." With Betty being at the center of the storyline, this arc may prove to be the most personal yet for Banner since the book became pluralized last fall. (Speaking of which, wasn't this issue solicited with the Hulk back in the singular role?)

This is a well-oiled, gamma-irradiated engine of storytelling, and it just might challenge Roger Stern & Sal Buscema's "They Who Wield Power" arc in the 80s for best Tyrannus story. Cheap hype? Perhaps. Regardless, this book was a treat after the darkness of "Planet Savage," brought to vivid life with Pak's knack for clever dialogue and Grummett's superb superheroic art. It's a fun, fun bit before the emotional torture that's sure to come in "Heart of the Monster." Simply put, Buy It.

Skaar: King of the Savage Land #2 (of 5) - Marvel Comics, $2.99
By Rob Williams, Brian Ching, Rick Ketcham & Guru-eFX

Skaar's second go-round at a solo title continues, with the Son of Hulk involved inconsequentially in a battle with "Kirby Kreations" Moonboy and Devil Dinosaur, while the real action occurs in the tribal council of the Savage Land, where a possessed Shanna sheds blood and turns the tribes against Ka-Zar.

A few short weeks ago, I lauded Rob Williams and Brian Ching's efforts on the first issue of this title, overlooking the unusual nature of the "tribal council" where Ka-Zar addressed the people while wearing a business suit. Obviously, it is writer Williams' effort to establish a dichotomy between the Savage Land's name and what it has become, making Ka-Zar out to be too wrapped up in the ways of more developed countries to be a suitable leader. That point is doubly the thrust of the Designer, who has possessed Shanna. The comparison doesn't quite work when you consider the Savage Land's history and that this series marks the first occasion for the tribal council to be presented thusly. This issue downplays Skaar's involvement, which is unusual considering his name's on the cover, and the lion's share of the narrative involves Ka-Zar and the Designer/Shanna. Now, it looks like Skaar will again be near the center of events with the next issue, as he's poised to attempt a rescue of his fellow Sakaarians (mentioned in this issue at last) from the Designer's, um, designs.

As it is, in spite of the continual lush artwork by Brian Ching, Williams' Skaar is a weak leading man. I hope that changes, and very soon, because the character, who's been well-developed under Greg Pak, risks being trampled by the grandoise narrative around him. Sadly, my concerns from the first issue, amplified through this issue's events, force me to downgrade my opinion. For now, you should definitely Skip It.

Hulk #32 - Marvel Comics, $2.99
By Jeff Parker, Gabriel Hardman & Bettie Breitweiser

It's been fascinating stuff during these last several months since Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman attained control of the Scarlet Smasher's book. Parker brings old-school sensibilities to the book, effortlessly weaving sub-plots through the main story and through the recently-finished series of back-up tales. Several of those elements are going to come to a head next month, where if the cover's any indication, the Red Hulk will face four new foes, the final of which Parker introduces this month in Black Fog.

Speaking of the Red Hulk, this month's adventure for him amounts to little more than reminding readers of his ongoing troubles with General Fortean (with, don't get me wrong, a terrific dream sequence as drawn by Hardman) and giving him an unremarkable foe to fight in the form of...a tornado. In virtually all ways, the storyline echoes every old Len Wein/Herb Trimpe story where the Hulk was on the run from the military, wandering into some small town and helping them against some nebulous menace. In this, Parker only succeeds in marking time--dynamically illustrated time, as is always the case when Hardman and Breitweiser are involved, but time nonetheless.

He is much more successful in the other storyline in this issue, the origin of Black Fog, a serial killer endowed with superhuman abilities by Zero/One. Zero/One's childhood memories of the killer as a "boogeyman" become chilling reality thanks to her new power. His transformation is an excellent centerpiece, and I'm intrigued to see just where the character goes from here. I just hope there's time to examine his state of mind with the grand conclusion impending next month. Truly, his is an excellent lead-up, but add in the less-than-incredible Red Hulk plot means you should just Read It.

Next: Firestorm? The Crossing? More fun with the Hulk family? A convention sketch? Or something totally different, yes? Just wait!

~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.

Chaos War: The Incredible Hulks #618-620 Review-o-Rama!

Since I haven't reviewed the first two parts of the Chaos War crossover, I figured I'd write an all-in-one review of the Hulks' part in the storyline, #618 through 620, featuring the returns of the Abomination and--oh, but that would be telling! This won't be just a review--it's also in-depth criticism and filled with annotations from older issues--writer Greg Pak's inspiration for this tale. Although I wanted to avoid them, it seems a discussion of this triad of issues would be incomplete without heavy discussion of SPOILERS. So, without further ado--tally ho!


The Incredible Hulks #618-620
"Inferno," "Hell Break" & "Harrowed"

Writer: Greg Pak
Artists: Paul Pelletier & Danny Miki
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterers: Simon Bowland
Production: Irene Lee
Assistant Editor: Jordan D. White
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel Comics

After the sprawling epic "Dark Son," wherein the Hulks family faced their first challenge in Skaar's brother, Hiro-Kala, the team wanted nothing more than to come back to Earth for some much-needed reflection and relaxation. Unfortunately, the Chaos King (from the pages of The Incredible Hercules) has risen, killing the lord of the dream realms, Nightmare, and catapulting Earth's denizens into eternal slumber. He has destroyed the underworld, freeing the dead to haunt the world anew. And so, Dr. Strange warns the Hulks of the dangers by bringing his astral self to their great stone ship. The Hulks then proceed to Earth, checking to be sure the Hulk's daughter Lyra is okay, and then...the real terror begins!

"Dark Son" was an important and necessary storyline in Hulk history, showing a son who had become a deadlier version of what Brian Banner believed Bruce would become (although, granted, not using his intellect to do so), it suitably took up six issues of The Incredible Hulks. By contrast, we have an innocuous-looking crossover to a "major Marvel event," that by rights really shouldn't count for much, but it ends up being anything but. These three issues may be overly full of important, emotionally resonant events, each of which could certainly fill an entire storyline all their own.

Fans and reviewers alike have spoken out on Chaos War, and some have likened facets like resurrecting the dead (who are running rampant without any help in books like Chaos War: Dead Avengers and Chaos War: X-Men) to the DC Comics crossover sensation of 2010, Blackest Night. While it's true both sagas share a theme of bringing back dead heroes and villains, the key distinction lies in Marvel's free from external influence and only allying themselves with the Chaos King if they so desire. Hence, that freedom to choose makes Chaos War a richer experience, and it allows so much dramatic potential to be infused. Nowhere is that potential more well-utilized than in Incredible Hulks.

Over the Hulk's storied history, a number of important characters have been lost to tragedy. Even beloved villains have passed beyond the veil, and though we know those villains won't be gone forever, it's fitting that the first resurrection here is Emil Blonsky, the Abomination. Eagle-eyed readers may have seen him in the bowels of Hades during the "Dark Reign" stories in Incredible Hercules #129-131, but here he returns from his ignominious defeat in Jeph Loeb's Hulk #1. As has happened so many times throughout the character's history (Thanks Mick!), Blonsky has again been reinvented, this time as the Chaos King's lackey, sent to locate Rick Jones' estranged (?) wife, Marlo Chandler-Jones, whose presence and predicament lead to the storyline's other, more notable returns of the heroic sort.

A substantial bit of character drama leads off the book, as the Hulk and Stephen Strange have had a strained relationship of late. Readers of World War Hulk recognize that for the second time, Strange played a part in exiling the Hulk from his homeworld. To combat his old friend turned enemy upon his return to Earth, Strange drank the contents of the magical amphora that contained the essence of the demon Zom, imbuing himself with his essence, however diluted. Strange fought back the possession and the majority of Zom's self was returned to the amphora, but the damage was done: Strange soon lost his title of Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. Here, disgraced, he appears to ask for the Hulk's help, but we discover at #618's conclusion that he has again been usurped by Zom, who has been set free anew by the Chaos King so that he and the Abomination may locate Marlo.

Why does everyone want Marlo? Once upon a time (in 2001's Captain Marvel #17-18), Thanos hid Death's spirit away from a cosmic villain called Walker. Where did he hide her? None other than inside Marlo, who had once died and returned to life. Thanks to this brush with Death, Marlo now harbors a piece of her power inside her--a piece that, if extinguished by the Chaos King's servants, would allow those merely sleeping, immune from death's embrace, to die anew. No sooner does Rick reveal Marlo's whereabouts--in Phoenix, Arizona--Zom reveals himself and the battle is joined anew.


Where the story starts to distinguish itself is in its second chapter, where we begin with the fight between Hulk and Zom, where Zom's mystical aptitudes (shown way back in Strange Tales #156-157) are virtually forgotten to make him more a match for the entirely physical Hulk. Soon, focus shifts from Zom and Abomination almost entirely and goes squarely to the Hulks' protection of Marlo, as well as the exploration of Marlo's "gifts." Given that when we see her, cowboys and other dead people she doesn't even know are protecting her from demons, it's not so much a stretch seeing her bring back someone she knows is dead--Doc Samson. (I'm going to have to guess that Rick or someone else tipped her off to Doc's death in Incredible Hulk #610...much like Abomination just magically knows Rick is now A-Bomb, and Betty is now Red She-Hulk, and he knows all about the Banner family! D'oh!) Doc then proceeds to summon three souls especially important to Hulk lore.

In increasing order of importance: first among the resurrected is Hiroim the Oldstrong, the disgraced Shadow priest who was a part of the Hulk's Warbound and who passed on fighting the Leader in Warbound #5. This return marks the first time an issue has been made in the main Hulk book about Hiroim's sexuality, but fans of the earlier miniseries may remember he and Korg talked about one day participating in the ceremony whereby Kronans produce little rocklings. It's not dwelled on, is done tastefully, and does enhance the relationship between these characters. (It's interesting that Samson chooses Hiroim to be resurrected, since he was relatively unfamiliar with him in comparison to the others below.)

The second of the resurrected is Colonel Glenn Talbot, former mortal enemy to the Hulk, who also happens to be Betty Ross' first husband. (They married in Incredible Hulk #158, and divorced in #238 after years of trouble; he died in #260.) Of course, Glenn was just seen in the major Hulk crossovers "Fall of the Hulks" & "World War Hulks," but contrary to the reading Bannertech gave, he was ultimately revealed as just another Life Model Decoy, created in the image of the real Talbot. The Leader and M.O.D.O.K. created the Talbot decoy to be their deep government mole in the event Ross abdicated his responsibilities, and also to be an influence on Betty, who'd recently been resurrected and turned into the Red She-Hulk. His military record was doctored to satisfy deep digging (such as Cho struck in #608). That LMD was "killed" by Ross as the Red Hulk in Hulk #23. As is obvious from the first moment they see each other in #619, Betty and Glenn still have feelings for each other, although in Betty's case, hers could be colored by hindsight and how crazy her life has become since having married Bruce.

The last to be brought back is Jarella, princess of the sub-atomic world of K'ai. It's noteworthy she appears here, as she's been referenced as recently as "Dark Son," since it was K'ai that Hiro-Kala brought through The Fault and on a collision course with Earth. She was first seen in Incredible Hulk #140, created by Harlan Ellison, Roy Thomas & Herb Trimpe for the second in a two-part crossover with Avengers #88. She fell in love with Bruce Banner and the Hulk, who returned to her world a few times in subsequent years before she was stranded on Earth. She eventually died there, saving a young boy from falling debris (Incredible Hulk #205). The Hulk eventually recaptured her body from Gamma Base and buried her on K'ai. Evidently her soul remained on Earth, so here she was resurrected.

Since the Hulks had their own army made from the dead, it only made sense for the Abomination to bring others to his cause. After emotionally satisfying scenes that showed Betty beating on Blonsky for having killed her, the Abomination decides to resurrect the two most important figures to Bruce Banner's early years: his mother, Rebecca Banner, and his abusive father, Brian. This storyline marks the first "present-day" appearance of both characters, as they have previously only been shown in flashback to Bruce's childhood. Brian's three previous appearances--Incredible Hulk #312, 377 and -1--are the stuff of Hulk legend and are terrifically important in understanding the modern iteration. Brian Banner always saw his son as a monster due to his abnormal intelligence displayed from an early age. He blamed his own work as an atomic scientist for some manner of mutation, and his abuse of alcohol fueled his rage, directed physically at his wife for bearing Bruce, and Bruce himself. The physical and emotional abuse both mother and child suffered at Brian's hands not only led to Rebecca's death, but also Bruce's emotional repression that led to the development of the personalities that would become the Hulks. Conversely, to Bruce, his father Brian is the real monster, and he's been shown in mental images to be two kinds of beasts. (One was the form of Bruce's monstrous id, "Goblin," circa #312; the other was a more literal, green-skinned, reptilian monster that was later hinted to be a giant manifestation of Bruce's guilt--most recently seen in Incredible Hulk #12-13 in 2000.)


Pak's script in #620 offers the idea that the dead are granted their power by the emotions of the living, which means that Brian Banner feeds on his son's fears. Although it seemed that Bruce and the Hulks defeated their mental image of Brian in #377, the emotional scars obviously linger. After all, on top of the abuse Bruce suffered, he did let his emotions boil over and killed Brian in the cemetery where his mother was buried (#-1). The Hulk's ability to see ghosts like Strange's astral form appears to spring from the idea that Brian would come for him one day. In fact, some manifestation of Brian Banner was shown taunting the Banner-less Hulk in the wake of "Onslaught." The Hulk didn't have to have that power to see Brian coming this time, as in #620 he reappears in the same guise as #377--a giant, reptilian creature, his size, form and strength all given because Bruce and the Hulk fuel him with their fear.

While Bruce's father is poised at the start of #620 to play a major role in the conclusion of the crossover, he isn't intended to be the primary focus, and we shouldn't forget that. It's likely the reason why a wealth of rich emotional material remains unresolved beyond a one-dimensional conflict that remains unchanged since its introduction in Incredible Hulk#312. We don't have Brian and Bruce talking things out. We don't have an honest conversation about Bruce being the one who killed Brian and committed him to Hell in the first place. We don't have Brian taking on the fact that his son has given him this power beyond death and that he is now a literal monster. These ideas are out there, but never expressed on a big enough stage, but that's because the story isn't all about the Bruce/Brian feud. It's about protecting Marlo, and anything else along the way is incidental at worst and future story fodder at best. hence, Brian Banner here is little more than a caricature.

I have to say I was also looking forward to a broader use of Rebecca Banner here, but what we see works well, in any event. I love her dialogue with the Hulk about Betty. ("Who's that?" "My wife." "I don't like her." "Join the club." Interesting since in #377, writer Peter David went out of his way to establish the Hulks as likening Rebecca to Betty.) But the real tell here is in Rebecca's opinion of the other great love of the Hulk's life, Princess Jarella of K'ai. Although dead for many years, her presence has been felt more strongly in recent years--from the obvious allusions between her and the alien Caiera from "Planet Hulk," to her actual appearance in the "Banner War" chapter of that storyline (Giant-Size Hulk #1), to her being brought up more strongly via Hiro-Kala's arrival on K'ai in Scott Reed & Miguel Munera's Realm of Kings: Son of Hulk - Conquest of Jarella's World limited series, and finally the "Dark Son" storyline referenced earlier. Greg Pak's affection for her is obvious, and after the key moment in this issue, so is the Hulk's. Rebecca Banner even voices her approval: "Okay. This one I like."

Although Greg Pak makes a sizable error in informing readers that Jarella was the Hulk's first wife--they were betrothed but never actually married, and you can check the hardcover Hulk: Heart of the Atom which'll back me up--he nonetheless establishes what Hulk fans of the 1970s remember well. Jarella is one of the Hulk's greatest loves, and perhaps she was his single greatest. Just as Brian Banner has been imbued with all of Bruce and the Hulk's strongest fears, Jarella has, in death, been the recipient of their pure love, and at the risk of being sappy, the overarching message of Jarella impaling the Brian-monster through the head with her sword is "love conquers all." That is, the power of the Hulk's love for Jarella--shown in his unbelievable rampage in the wake of her death as well as his determination in returning her to K'ai for burial (and keeping in mind, it was the savage Hulk doing so!)--is more potent than the fear that empowers his father!

It becomes not only interesting but vital that Glenn Talbot appears in this arc, and the foursome of Hulk/Banner, Jarella, Betty/Red She-Hulk and Talbot all but pushes aside the resurrected Hiroim as an afterthought. Again, back in the swingin' '70s, remember that Jarella and Betty never met, so their encounter here is pretty accurate in that regard. But Betty did know about her, as hers was the name on Bruce's lips when they briefly reunited in Incredible Hulk #150 ("Jarella...my love...!"). Bruce tried to explain, but it was this event that acted as a catalyst for their own break-up, and drove Betty, very quickly, into the arms of Talbot, whom she married a scant eight issues later. That the foursome is fully included here spells potentially big changes in the air in the relationship between the two live individuals, as shown by Hercules' wholly appropriate monologue at issue's end. ("...[Y]our hearts are breaking...for the ties that bind you have shattered," he says as we see him standing with Red She-Hulk to his left and the Hulk to his right.) The memories drudged up by actual contact with the deceased, and the emotions they bring, may yet drive a wedge between members of the Hulk family.

In the end, Zom and Blonsky get to Marlo, who then uses her "death whammy" on them causing them to disperse and Strange to return. Then, the Hulks are pulled away from their loved ones, once more into battle alongside Hercules--into the January 26-shipping Chaos War #5, the fallout of which will be presented on the same day in Incredible Hulks #621. I can certainly hope that those recently resurrected for this three-parter won't be altogether gone for that issue and the one following, the aftermath to the event. I'm also thinking more about just who that mysterious, blacked-out figure is on the cover to #622.


What other final thoughts do I have on this storyline? Well, I really liked that Paul Pelletier came back along with Danny Miki on inks, because this storyline needed a solid artistic team on board, and boy, did they ever deliver. I'm glad they'll be here for another two issues. Aside from that, I think it's worth reiterating what I did at the beginning: the Chaos War crossover was a storyline so densely packed that virtually every major development inside it could have used its own storyline all to itself. Maybe the two-issue epilogue will heighten the stakes even further. Still, in spite of the frustration of a densely-packed three issues as these, for old time Hulk fans, there's a lot to like here, between the Abomination's (increasingly irrelevant) presence, the fact Betty gets some licks in on her killer, the shout-outs to older Hulk continuity like Brian and Rebecca Banner and particularly Jarella and Talbot, and the pervasive emotional resonance putting all these characters together gives the narrative.

Can't wait for next issue!

~G.

"Dark Son" Finale: Incredible Hulks #617 Review

While everyone else is taking their little breaks, here I sit, compiling the review you've been waiting for (and how could I deny all of you?). It's true that I haven't been able to put up regular reviews of Incredible Hulks #615-616, but I'll let you know my feelings about those stories throughout this review. I can tell you one thing I'm thankful for--Greg Pak on Hulk! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!


The Incredible Hulks #617
"Dark Son, Conclusion: Fratricide"

Writer: Greg Pak
Artists: Barry Kitson, Scott Hanna, Jay Leisten, Victor Drujiniu & Sandu Florea
Colorists: Matt Milla & Aron Lusen
Letterers: Simon Bowland
Production: Irene Lee
Assistant Editor: Jordan D. White
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel Comics

With the final part of the "Dark Son" storyline having been titled "Fratricide," referring to the act of killing one's brother--coincidentally, the first type of murder committed in human history according to the Bible and Qur'an--you might think you know exactly what to expect from this story. You might be right to an extent, although Greg Pak smartly throws in a host of surprises along the way. One thing's sure, my doubts about the first half of this saga have largely disappeared, giving way to even more enthusiasm for the future.

Over the last few issues, the book now named for a team of Hulk has gained a modest degree of balance, involving She-Hulk, Korg, and A-Bomb in the action more than in the storyline's first half. However, make no mistake, the "power triad" of Hulk, his ex-wife Red She-Hulk, and his son Skaar dominate this issue, and that's just the way it should be for the finale of a storyline that chiefly concerns the Hulk's other son, Hiro-Kala.

So, where have we been? Banner and Hulk have forged an uneasy alliance over their sons, and they're counting on the group's unique perspective as Hulks to allow them to accomplish what they feel the heroes of Earth can't. Their antagonism is barely contained, as shown in a terrific scene in #615 wherein a holo-image of Banner demands the Hulk let him out. (One wonders just what Banner has planned if, just once, the Hulk refuses Banner's request.) After the Hulk's meeting with Skaar in #611, finding him to be a decent sort, he meets Hiro-Kala in #616 and finds him to be the opposite of his brother. Hiro is, simply put, the monster Brian Banner always thought his son Bruce was, and that's the thrust of the story. However, Hiro has committed deeds far beyond Brian's imaginings, I'm sure, a fact which raises the stakes all the higher.

The psychology of Hiro-Kala is fitting, as Pak reaches back into Paul Jenkins' original Son of Hulk storyline (now available in the Son of Hulk: Dark Son Rising trade paperback) for a moment of continuity that makes sense, and connects with some comments made by the K'ai Worldmind a few issues earlier. I've always doubted the moment from Jenkins' script, and it's nice to see it exploited here.

Greg Pak's smart script offers a thrilling conclusion that relies increasingly less on fisticuffs and more on the psychologies of all the players. His Banner is complex as he solves the narrative, and you can see he does what needs to be done while his Hulk suffers. The character with arguably the most pivotal role here is Betty/Red She-Hulk, with a strong moment in the middle of the story with Banner, and another, equally strong moment with the Hulk at the finale. Betty's presence throughout ably fulfills Pak's teases that "nobody can save you from your anger like members of your family, but also nobody can drive you crazier." Truly this tale marks her as this team's wild card.

The weakest element of this issue, sadly, is on the art. As is often the case, with an accelerated schedule, cracks appear. Barry Kitson's layouts have been strong throughout, and the strongest art has come when he's been able to give his all, but it's in the finished art by Jay Leisten and Scott Hanna that the book suffers. Hanna just isn't more than a competent artist, and nothing exposes his flaws like having to carry the load on the last few issues.

The issue is rounded out by an incidental story involving the Hulk, Amadeus Cho, and some giant centaurs. New comer Victor Drujiniu provides the artwork, which isn't bad, and Pak's smart script (there's that word again!) illuminates some more of the Hulk's complex psychology when the green goliath talks about his "family" with Cho.

So, one arc into the new status quo of The Incredible Hulks, and where are we? Definitely somewhere I never thought we'd be. It's been a wild ride so far, filled with compelling characters and thrilling situations. While I didn't think Hiro-Kala & the K'ai story was the best place to start, I can't argue the results and the position Banner and the Hulk are in at the end of this arc. The Hulk and Banner always work best when they're emotionally tortured, and there's enough pathos to go around in "Dark Son." The upcoming "Chaos War" crossover only threatens to provide even more heightened emotions (along with the return of fan-favorite Paul Pelletier on art duties). If you're not reading The Incredible Hulks, you're missing one of Marvel's smartest efforts.

~G.

Incredible Hulks #613: A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action...Please?

Well, I've had enough time to sit and digest the book in question, and soon enough I'll be mailing out another Daily P.O.P. exclusive interview, but for now, you lucky ducks get my review for parts 3 and 4 of "Dark Son" in Incredible Hulks #613!


The Incredible Hulks #613
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

I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. That was my first thought when I finished this issue--or, at least, the "K'ai" segment of this issue. The rest, well, that's what you're here for, isn't it?

After last issue, the Worldmind found it just couldn't take Hiro-Kala's whining any longer, attacking him deep inside the planet K'ai. Meanwhile, the newly-resurrected Betty Ross made it clear she didn't want to be married to Bruce...but what does the Hulk have to say about it? This issue thankfully keeps the positive momentum going, following up on both of these key plot points. Some efforts are more successful than others.

Firstly, it's a credit to the editors, or whoever made the decision to put the "K'ai" section of this issue ahead of the "Earth" section. It serves as a reminder that for this arc, the K'ai stories are not mere "back-up" tales, but vital pieces of the story being told. However, where at first I was enthusiastic about the ramp-up to Hiro-Kala's arrival in our solar system, it appears this saga has very quickly degenerated into another contest of "How badass can we make the bad guy who still had a shred of sympathy going for him?" Here, writers Pak and Reed make it clear there is no going back, that Hiro-Kala is irredeemably evil, and we can ignore all the times he's been framed to be the misunderstood good guy who's doing the right thing no matter what everyone else thinks. On the one hand, I suppose it's fitting that the Hulk has one son who is unremittingly evil, in the way Brian Banner thought young Bruce was, because it's just not a good plan to run the same plot twice (the first with Skaar). On the other hand, Hiro-Kala's characterization and deeds are just so over the top as to be cartoonish. Really, I'm just relieved this separate section of the stories is over, and that Hiro-Kala's collision course with the Hulks will be folded into the regular stories next issue.

By great contrast, the "Earth" story in the back of this issue picks up wonderfully from the last issue, advancing the narrative on all points. Last month, we found out where Bruce and Betty stood in their tumultuous relationship; this month, Greg Pak mines the territory of Hulk and Red She-Hulk. You know it's going to be fun when our first glimpse of Hulk has him telling someone else to calm down! In some ways this encounter is just what you'd expect, and in some ways it's even stranger. The narrative also mines the Hulk's own characterization, and does it very well. Although much speculation followed the final effort by Jeph Loeb in Hulk #24 as to which incarnation we'd be dealing with herein, I think the question is safely settled here: we are indeed dealing with the "Gravage" Hulk, the Green Scar, the version seen throughout "Planet Hulk" and World War Hulk. Let's face it: Banner could never carry off calling people "stupid" well, and rarely is as curt as this Hulk. This Hulk has something to live for, and although some would argue it takes away a certain edge to the character, I should remind those fans we've got four whole issues left to this super-saga.

Of course, there must be more to this saga than pure characterization and setup, and it starts to move forward here, first with a very Silver Age-y opening to this chapter that evokes the ridiculousness of the 50s-era Superman tales. It ramps up again at the end of the issue, with an offer courtesy Steve Rogers and Amadeus Cho that pertains to said opening. The Hulk's reaction to their news and offer fits right in his character in light of the last few years' worth of events, and is only outdone by that other shoe dropping, courtesy of his son Skaar. The last page is instantly classic, and leads us squarely into next issue.

All in all, this is a decent package, but I'd be afraid those more casual fans reading from the front on back might be bored rather quickly at the Hiro-Kala chapter. Venturing beyond the staples increases one's enjoyment considerably. The artwork by Brian Ching in the first half is brilliantly moody and dark (which fits a storyline called "Dark Son") which contrasts greatly with the bright colors and almost "feelgood" vibe that Tom Raney sets forth in the second. That said, as much as I'm enjoying Raney and Ching, I'm quite anxious to see Barry Kitson take the reins in next month's issues, and I'm confident that Kitson will bring his "A"-game as the story itself elevates to the next level.

Hulks in space? It looks like we're going to get more than our fill these next few months! Thankfully, the "Earth" stories in these last two issues of The Incredible Hulks have made it clear, we're in for a rollickin' ride, at least as far as the complex relationships between our protagonists!

Rating: Recommended (Not quite what #612 was, but close!)

~G.

Who Was That STATUE I Saw You With...?

Courtesy the excellent eye of my friend Don Weiss Jr. and brought to life by yours truly. I can't believe I didn't see this until tonight! How's this for an old-school Hulk reference?


A coincidence, or one more ode to Bill Mantlo? You decide!

~G.

Fables of the Deconstruction: An Incredible Hulk #611 Review/Commentary

It's here! It only took me the better part of four days, and I hope during that time everyone's made their way to their local comic shop for their heapin' helpin' of THE INCREDIBLE HULK #611 by Messrs. Greg Pak and Paul Pelletier. (If not, head out and buy the book, right now. I'll be right here when you return.) Therein was a real tour-de-force by the modern Hulk team par excellance. For parts of this critique, I have to give credit where credit is due: thanks to Don Weiss Jr. and Charlie Brooks for some feedback & food for thought! Shall we get right to get to the point, or must I continue to spew cliches in a foreign language? Oh, if I must...

SPOILER goggles on, yo.


The Incredible Hulk #611: "Sons of Wrath"
A Pak/Pelletier/Miki/D'Armata/Bowland/White/Paniccia Joint

Firstly, I should mention that this issue marks the 300th issue anniversary of Bill Mantlo, Mike Mignola & Gerry Talaoc's monumental Hulk story "Monster" which first appeared in THE INCREDIBLE HULK #312 in October, 1985. As I've discussed in this week's dissection of Mantlo's tenure on the title, the book forever changed the direction of the Hulk series, for better or worse, establishing the Hulk's origins in Bruce Banner's father having abused him as a child. The internalized, repressed anger from those childhood years finally manifested the day the G-Bomb went off and transformed him into the Hulk. Writer Peter David primarily built upon this idea for his "merger" storyline in THE INCREDIBLE HULK #377 where Bruce mentally "defeated" his father Brian's "ghost" in so doing integrating his three disparate personalities into one whole, Hulk-like creature. Needless to say, this story takes quite the opposite tact when dealing with the issue of Banner's tortured childhood.

The seeds should have been plain for longtime readers to see: On the savage world of Sakaar, the Hulk married Caiera the Oldstrong, whose Shadow People gave birth to strong offspring who could run within hours of birth. Marry that strength and advanced development with the Hulk's gamma-irradiated genes, and you could see that any offspring they could have would be quite strong and durable. Hence came Skaar, son of Hulk, who brought the most intriguing questions that virtually everyone at Marvel had been scared to death of asking until now: Would the sins of the father be visited upon the son? How would Banner, and for that matter, the Hulk, react to having a son who was himself, quite literally, a monster? Writer Greg Pak has been moving the pieces around the chessboard for over two years now, and here's where the payoff comes!


When we begin this story, it's thirty years ago (Thank you, Marvel sliding timeline!) and Bruce Banner, aged four, has sneaked downstairs for a peek at his Christmas presents, unwrapping an erector set he uses to build an enormous, ornate structure. Then, a dark shadow looms--Brian Banner, Bruce's father, who promptly destroys the structure, calling his son a monster and cursing his frightening intelligence. That's the story as it was told in THE INCREDIBLE HULK #312, right down to the Guardian doll alongside young Bruce. "Hate to break it to you, Pop," intones present-day Banner as be stands before a video camera, ready to record, "but you don't know the half of it."

Banner's message, recorded two weeks prior to the events of now, plays on several devices before the assembled heroes. He recaps how he manipulated and betrayed nearly every super hero and government on the planet to lead the good guys to victory over the Intelligencia (which he did, last month), but that the cost is that he has reverted to the Hulk--the same Hulk who agonized over the death of his beloved Caiera, the strongest Hulk ever, who defeated Earth's mightiest heroes without breathing hard. And now, only Skaar hates his father enough to do what must be done, what Banner trained him for over the last few weeks: kill him!

From the beginning, it indeed appears the so-called "World Breaker" Hulk has returned, his eyes glowing green, his body emanating gamma radiation in waves. He's so full of rage, or so overwhelmed by power, that he's inarticulate, growling as his every step shatters the ground. (Is it him, though? It doesn't matter, but yes, we only have Banner's word for it.) The end of last issue likened the effects to WORLD WAR HULK #5 with the elderly couple from that same issue crying, "Not again!" One must presume that it is only savage Skaar's use of the alien Old Power that absorbs the energy that would have shattered the Earth. He channels it instead to deliver a hit to the Hulk unlike any he has felt before--one that sends the Green Goliath over 250 miles, from Washington, DC to Gilmer County, West Virginia!


As Skaar leaps to continue the battle, the Hulk seems to glow less, his rage beginning to abate. Articulate at last, he dismisses his son, tossing him aside. "I'm not here to fight you," he says. Skaar brings up his mother's name, but the Hulk disparages the comment: "[S]he's dead. You never talked to her." He did, however--Caiera's connection to the planet Sakaar extended beyond death due to the Old Power--that is, until her savage son fed the planet to Galactus.

Just like that, it's on like Donkey Kong. Hulk is crushed by the news that his wife, his queen, survived in spirit only to be essentially killed by their son. He flashes back to the day Caiera told him she was pregnant, only to see her image shattered, revealing Skaar underneath before it is shattered again, revealing...Brian Banner??!? He remembers his (or is that Banner's?) father beating Rebecca Banner in front of him when he was just four. He casts his son as his father...and promptly hits Skaar into orbit, knocking him about 400 miles the other direction, into the Atlantic Ocean just off Ocean City, Maryland! Our boy Hulk doesn't kid around!

Betty Ross Banner, a.k.a. the Red She-Hulk, leaps down just in time to see the Hulk and Skaar emerge from the ocean. Skaar uses his Old Power to manipulate the Earth, sending it at his father at such speeds and volume it even rips through his dense body. Banner knew, didn't he? He knew that Skaar was strong and smart enough to kill the Hulk, but the training Banner gave him was to ensure he had the will to back up the skill. "I do," he thunders over a beaten Hulk. Then, Red She-Hulk breaks up the conflict, giving Hulk brief time to heal. Skaar dismisses her, hitting her with his Old Power, slamming her into a building which threatens to collapse as the Hulk struggles to rise. He hears the people's cries for help, and he flashes back to his mother, being beaten by her husband, crying out for help as the helpless young Bruce looks on. Skaar renews his monstrous assault, and the Hulk sees himself, hit by his father amid those torturous words: "You little monster!"

WHAKOOOM! The Hulk slams his hands together, causing a terrific shockwave of pure force, driving Skaar off him, sending waves of sand forward from the beaches, toward the toppling structure. Red She-Hulk thinks he's lost it. The people head for the hills...but then, the dust settles...and the Hulk has saved the people in the building and prevented its collapse!

"Those people...I didn't see them...but you..." The Hulk's savage son is incredulous. He had heard the stories that the Hulk united the people of Sakaar, but all he had heard from Banner were horror stories about the Hulk, the monster, the World Breaker. Now, not only had the Hulk displayed his heroism by saving the people in the toppling building, but he also revealed Skaar to be more like the very monster he accused the Hulk of being, putting others' lives in jeopardy.

The Hulk, however, doesn't stop, still flashing back to memories of Brian Banner, taking the soothed Skaar--who doesn't even lift a finger to defend himself--and beating him into the ground. The bloodied Skaar looks forlornly up at his father: "Fun show...but Banner sent me here to kill a monster. He doesn't...he doesn't really know you, does he?"


Cryptically, he tells the Hulk: "Hah. Just tell him...tell him I'm done. The rest of you...work it out," before transforming back to his "puny" self. It's apparent here that what Banner has done is deplorable. He has used the rage he internalized from having allied himself with his savage half during WORLD WAR HULK (that partially-misplaced aggression toward the Illuminati), and taken advantage of his son's plight to find the Hulk, twisting the two together in a suicide pact of sorts, relying on the fact that Skaar had only "known" his father through second-hand sources. He used his son the way he used the super heroes and the world's governments--as a super-strong "gun," but against the part of himself that he loathes instead of the Intel. Is Banner in his own way as much "damaged goods" as he believes the Hulk to be?

The Hulk stands above his son, and we see the inverse of the earlier flashbacks: Instead of Skaar as Brian Banner, the specter of Brian now hovers above the Hulk, with young Bruce above Skaar. Will the cycle of violence continue? Will Bruce Banner or the Hulk become his father? The moment hangs in the air, and then the Hulk transforms back to Bruce, who apologizes to his son. Skaar looks up at him, a worried look on his face.

We pan back to Betty Ross Banner, looking at father and son. Others have wondered why she even appears here; after all, she's not directly involved in the father-son conflict. The earlier appearance, breaking up the fight briefly, sets the stage for the scene that follows. She's there to represent the "family" aspect that writer Greg Pak is setting up. As Bruce's wife, she's effectively a "stepmother" to Skaar, hence at the core of the new dynamic. She has always helped Bruce to express his emotions instead of repress them. So, when she says...


..."This is where you hug him," it's the pivotal moment, what turns the narrative, and perhaps what makes Bruce do what he might not have otherwise done. She forces him to reconcile what has happened over the last year. If not for the Gamma bomb, there would be no Hulk. If there were no Hulk, then the Illuminati would not have exiled him off-world. Each event proceeds from the previous. The Hulk would not have met Caiera and married. Caiera would not have become pregnant with Skaar. Sakaar's Crown City would not have been decimated by the bomb that Red King loyalists set. The Hulk would not have left the son he didn't know survived and returned to Earth to punish those he blamed for the pain he endured. Skaar wouldn't have been raised by monsters in a savage world without the love of his father. He wouldn't have fed Sakaar to Galactus and rushed across the universe in search of the father who abandoned him. He wouldn't have been taken in by the embittered Banner and directed as a weapon at the father he never knew.

The bottom line is that Bruce Banner has a lot to answer for, and the Hulk has a lot to make up for. The way they can both start turning things around is by not neglecting their son but by embracing him, the way Brian Banner never embraced young Bruce. By stopping the cycle of violence. By opening up, and fulfilling the promise of Mantlo's #312.

Like so:


~G.