Artists: Mahmud Asrar & Kim Jacinto
Indestructible Hulk has been one of the best series to come out of the Marvel NOW! concept, as although it's not always been phenomenal, it has always been fun and entertaining. This however is the issue of Agent of T.I.M.E. that I've been looking forward to the most, as although the nature of the teased development could be horrible, it could very well be amazing as well.
Plot
There is only one Chronarchists left, but due to him altering Hulk's timeline it won't be easy to get to him, let alone defeat him.
Review
This was a very good issue but there were a few things that disappointed me about it. Mark Waid's writing however did very little to that, as although I felt that the story itself could have been executed ever so slightly better, as well as have smoother transitions between sequences, it would still be very enjoyable, with the developments and references to Hulk's history being handled perfectly. Waid also added a lot of suspense and drama as well, with some very exciting moments that were simply amazing. On top of this the narration and dialogue was once again brilliant, and the constant changed in the time line would make Banner's monologue extremely entertaining to read.
The main thing that let this issue down was the artwork as although Mahmud Asrar's artwork was amazing Kim Jacinto's art was a bit too rough and jagged for me, with both artists styles clash with one another. The layout from both artists was however brilliant, adding a lot of depth and excitement to the issue. I did however feel that Asrar added a lot more detail to his work, with the character expressions and emotions being much more realistic. Now Jacinto's art wasn't terrible, as much like last issue I enjoyed the way he drew the Hulk, as well as the dynamic feel to his fight sequences, but I just felt that it was overshadowed by the brilliant detail of Asrar's art.
This issue would start with Hulk randomly jumping throughout time, changing through his various persona's, fighting various different villains, including Abomination, Sandman and Fing Fang Foom. Now it would be the fight between the Gladiator Hulk from Planet Hulk and Fing Fang Foom that I enjoyed the most, as besides the fact that Fing Fang Foom is rarely used, the fight itself was amazing. It was however a shame that Asrar couldn't draw the whole fight though, as his art on both characters was simply beautiful, and especially on Fing Fang Foom.
We'd also see the final Chronarchists, Khotto in this issue, also learning that the Chronarchists's aren't working alone. Now I won't go into too much detail as to avoid spoilers, but it would be the revelation of the person working with the Chronarchists's that would interest me most about Khotto's appearance, as otherwise this was probably the dullest Chronarchists appearance, with the previous two being much more interesting. I will also add without any spoilers that it was slightly obvious who the Chronarchists, though at the same time very appropriate.
The big thing that I was looking forward to in this issue was the fact that it would be returning to the Gamma Bomb test site at the time Hulk was created. Now I personally would have preferred that the Hulk and Banner that are travelling through time were actually present in this time longer, with them fighting the final Chronarchists. In saying that it was nice to see this retelling of Hulk's origin, and the huge development at the end of the issue was simply phenomenal and has me extremely excited about the next issue.
Final Verdict
This was a fantastic issue with some brilliant development points. It was however let down slightly by the clashing artwork and the overall flow of the story. In saying that the issue was very exciting, having some brilliant references and due to this I'd recommend giving this a try, though you may want to get the previous Agent of T.I.M.E. parts first.
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