So, if you didn’t know, the Hulk and Doctor Bruce Banner have been separated. Yeah, seriously, after a somewhat confusing introduction to this storyline in the first issue of The Incredible Hulk #1, this issue does offer a little backstory into this surprisingly new development in the Green Goliath’s never-ending drama.
No, the Hulk is not rampaging through some Midwestern town with the Avengers hot on his trail. The Hulk is simply trying to do what the Hulk has always wanted to do, find a quiet place to sit and not have anyone bother him. The surprising revelation that has come from this monumental break-up is Banner’s reaction. You see, after all these years of trying to suppress the beast within him, even reverse the effects of that fateful gamma-bomb experiment, it seems that Bruce Banner actually wants the Hulk back.
Quite simply, Banner is starting to lose it. Ever since the split, his sense of purpose has diminished in equal proportion to his increasing obsession to re-create the Hulk. And, he’s already experimented on himself as well as anything else he can get his hands on to achieve this, even going as far as to seriously consider building another gamma bomb.
The later is what has Amanda Von Doom (no relation to Victor) trying to drag the Hulk himself into Banner’s craziness. Who could blame her, with Banner’s gamma-irradiated monkeys, boars, and even a pack of hulk-sharks on the loose; someone has to do something about Banner, right?
Well, the Hulk just does not care. Like I said, the Hulk just wants to be left alone and seems perfectly content with allowing Dr. Banner’s madness run it’s course as either way, he is still separated from Banner and chances are nothing Dr. Banner can do would cause him any real danger anyway.
Jason Aaron is penning a pretty compelling story here. From what seemed to be a train wreak waiting to happen in the first issue, he perceptively slowed this issue down a bit and allowed the reader to catch up with both Banner situation and how it truly is affecting him. And, Marc Silvestri and Whilce Portacio are doing an amazing job bring this story to life from the stunning cover to the detailed interiors.
Now, the interesting part is how Jason Aaron will bring everything together in the next few issues since we all know that the Hulk without Banner’s intellect is just a force of nature (and, even left alone, something usually provokes the World Breaker into making a really big mess). You really cannot have one with out the other, which Aaron is starting to make pretty obvious here in this story. I, for one, will be grabbing the next issue as soon as it hits the shelves and would recommend everyone else that is looking for something far removed from the traditional ‘Hulk Smash’ storyline to do so also.
Rated 4 out of 5
ART BY: Marc Silvestri, Whilce Portacio
COLORS BY: Sunny Gho
LETTERS BY: Ed Dukeshire
COVER BY: Marc Silvestri
PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics
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