Pick of the Week: The Incredible Hulk #4
Something of a grody Frankenstein for the 21st century, Jason Aaron’s Incredible Hulk fast became required reading after its October debut (which, I’ll admit, disappointed me at first). In this relaunch, the seriously, distressingly unhinged Bruce Banner (previously a tormented do-gooder) is matched against a newly independent Hulk who’s been refashioned as a sort of Jesus Clint Eastwood mixed with, uh, Godzilla, maybe?
Hulk, now the sanest character in the entire book, is tasked with hunting down the mad Banner. He arrives at Marvel’s take on the Toho Monster Island in this issue, and hideous combat ensues.
This book channels much of the insanity that Aaron displayed in his excellent take on Ghost Rider, but it’s a bit more restrained. Make no mistake, though: there’s a definite hard edge here, as perhaps most brilliantly gleaned in the conclusion to last month’s issue, when two mentally confused brothers (who, yes, happen to be irradiated mutant warthogs) are thoroughly beaten by our reluctant hero. Burnt to a crisp, one deafened and the other blinded by their gruesome defeat, they hopelessly call out to one another as Hulk, perhaps a bit less sympathetic now, continues on his way.
- Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #5: The second part of DC’s monstrous slugfest that began in O.M.A.C. last week. It’s not brainy (the issue opens with a decapitation, purple blood gushing everywhere, as our favorite hero screams “DEGENERATE SCUM! THIS IS HOW FRANKENSTEIN DEALS WITH CANNIBALS!”), but it’s a lot of fun. Scrumptious art and colors by Alberto Ponticelli and Jose Villarrubia round out this story by Jeff Lemire and Dan DiDio.
- Batwoman #5: There is no “duh” loud enough for this one. J.H. Williams III’s Batwoman series is, simply, a feast — the best superhero book on the market, hands down. This issue concludes the five-part “Hydrology” story that you should’ve been following all along.
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"Superhero science has taught me this: Entire universes fit comfortably inside our skulls. Not just one or two but endless universes can be packed into that dark, wet, and bony hollow..."—Grant Morrison, Supergods
"Glunders" writes and edits (professionally!) in New York City.
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