Hulk No. 7
Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Jeph Loeb. Art by Arthur Adams and Frank Cho.
The Deal: Writer Jeph Loeb’s version of Hulk marches on. This issue, Loeb teams up with artists Arthur Adams and Frank Cho for two different stories starring two different Hulks: Bruce Banner (the green Hulk) and Rulk (the red Hulk). This issue also features a ton of guest stars, including … well, I won’t spoil any surprises.
The Good: OK, with legendary artists like Adams and Cho around, it’s almost impossible for the art to suck. And it doesn’t. Every page is a thing of beauty. Both artists employ a similar clean, economical, chunky style, but they soar based on their individual talents: Cho rocks when it comes to women and Adams draws monsters better than anyone. So, yeah, the art is pretty much mind-blowingly excellent. Now when it comes to the story … well, there’s good and bad. First the good: Loeb keeps things fun and moving fast. He also packs the story with a lot of your favorite superheroes; as a result, you seem to get a surprise on every page.
The Bad: OK, now the bad: The ongoing mystery about the identity of the red Hulk is not interesting anymore. It’s been dragging on for seven issues now. Enough is enough, I say.
The Verdict: It’s a fun book. I say buy it now, if only for the incredible art. But if the Rulk’s identity isn’t revealed in a few months, drop it like a hot potato.
Reviewed materials furnished by Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find: heroesonline.com.
This article appears in Oct 28 – Nov 4, 2008.
