Comic Book of the Week (11.21.2012)

It has been a bit since I have posted a comic book of the week, and some of you might even notice that my 'Comic Book of the Week' tab has been completely removed.  Unfortunately time has become scarce for me, and it has been only recently that I have caught up on my stack and been able to reasonable post a comic book the week.  Hopefully, I will be able to stay up on my readings, but if I'm not then the lack of a post will be its indicator.

This week marks another introductory week for Marvel's NOW! promotion and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the week's pickings.  The Indestructible Hulk was a fantastic start, especially considering that it was coming off the heels of Aaron's spectacular Hulk run.  Iron Man #1 was simply  atrocious in my opinion, and my only hope for the character is that justice will be served in the newest incarnation of Guardians of the Galaxy.  Rocket Raccoon equals awesomeness...always.

However, for this week, I was pleasantly surprised by Captain America #1 as well as Matt Fraction's Hawkeye #4.  I thought that Captain America added more depth to the already famous character by showing is about of Rogers' childhood and by paying homage to some of the most classic Captain America villains.  As for Hawkeye, it was not only hilarious, but it holds true to the character and firmly cements the increased popularity of one of Marvel's most underdog characters.  Hopefully, Fraction's first official story arc with the character holds strong and it finishes out just as famously as it started.

Check out their respective cover artwork below, and as always feel free to comment and critique.

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Splish Splash: Incredible Hulk #12

"If it was Thanos or Dr. Doom breaking into your secret old underground prison, you'd get Captain America and Thor. But when you got a Hulk problem... You get us."

In "The Incredible Hulk #12," writer Jason Aaron wraps up his five-issue story arc ("Stay Angry") with another moment of the Hulk waking up in a strange situation and piecing together Bruce Banner's evil plot.  In this issue the Hulk awakens in a forgotten S.H.I.E.L.D. prison nestled deep within the confines of Antarctica; he realizes that his plan of 'staying angry' has not worked out quite as planned, and is promptly pitted against Wolverine and The Thing in an all-out slugfest.

Unsurprisingly, the Hulk does a lot of damage; there is a lot of pain for all parties, lots of stabbing, and lots of punching.  It is an action-packed issue that instantly becomes the highlight of Aaron's story arc.  By bringing Wolverine, the Hulk and Thing together for an all-out brawl it has a sort of throwback feel to it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this issue--more so than the last few.  I had never really considered myself a huge Hulk fan up until reading Aaron's run, however, with his writing and  the stellar art it's hard not to be a fan!  In particular though, this issue caught my eye--from page two onwards (which features Wolverine and The Thing heading into the prison discussing their reason of being there).  Carlos Pancheco's art and Frank Martin's coloring are spectacular, and at its heart is the inspiration for this post.  That coupled with the line above really sets the tone for the whole issue.

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The Incredible Hulk #1 (2011)

I would like to begin by stating that I am not a Hulk fan.  I have never really had an interest in the character.  I’ve heard things through the grapevine that I’ve thought to be interesting such as the Planet Hulk storyline, but besides that my exposure to the Hulk has been meager at best.  I’ve seen the two newest Hulk film adaptations, which I both enjoyed and disliked for very different reasons, and Lou Ferrigno’s Hulk is as legendary as Adam West’s Batman.  You just don’t mess with the legends.  

However, after finishing up Fear Itself #7, the stellar conclusion to last summer’s Marvel event, my interest in the green incredible became intrigued.  The final issue of Fear Itself concludes the miniseries and then wrap-ups with a series of epilogues.  One of these epilogues is a short piece pertaining to Bruce Banner and the Hulk.  Within this particular segment Bruce is internally speaking with the Hulk.  The Hulk sits cross-legged in the darkness of Banner’s mind while Bruce proceeds to pace and rant to the Hulk.  Finally the Hulk becomes fed up and tells Bruce to leave.  Mighty hard to leave considering they inhabit the same body, but miraculously enough at the end of the epilogue Bruce Banner and the Hulk are left separated in the desert; Bruce sitting stunned on his butt, while the Hulk stalks off into the distance.

Honestly, I couldn’t recall any of the other epilogues so vividly, but this one stood out, and intrigued me enough to purchase the first issue of Marvel’s new release of the Incredible Hulk.

Usually I save my overall rating for last, but today I am going to switch it up a bit. I give the Incredible Hulk #1 a four-and-half stars out of five.  I thought it was a great foray back into the jungles of the Hulk mythos – figuratively and literally, and here’s why:

First off the art is amazing.  Marc Silvestri penciling is very reminiscent of a lot of concept art used for video games and films.  It’s very rough and raw, but has a certain beauty unto itself.  And, considering that this comic book is about the Hulk, and not Bruce Banner and the Hulk, I think that the “rough and raw” effect of the art is very appropriate considering the character.  Also, most of the plot takes places underground and the use of varied hues, including a healthy dose of brown, orange, and red, excellently accents the Earthly setting.  The bright green skin of the Hulk pops against the rocky background, which details the importance of the Hulk and highlights that fact that this comic is solely about him.

As for the writing, I think that Jason Aaron is one of the best that Marvel currently has under its belt.  His current work on the latest volume of Wolverine has been excellent, and by far one of my favorite runs of the past several years.  His writing, especially his introductory story arcs seem to delve into the character by stripping away all of the excess fluff layered on over the years and then focusing on the framework.  Personally, this skill is necessary to drawn in people who haven’t been fans because it presents the character in its most basic form allowing newcomers to develop new opinions and perhaps hop onto a new series that they normally wouldn’t even have considered before.

Overall, the first issue of the Incredible Hulk was phenomenal.  Purchase it, love it, and just allow Aaron to take you on a journey into the heart of the beast.

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