Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Ed McGuinness
I have been a fan of the Hulk for a long time now, with him being one of my favourite comic book characters. Due to this I've always meant to try this series of the Hulk, which would introduce the Red Hulk to the Marvel Universe, as although I've heard a lot of negative comments about the series as a whole, I am wanting to read it for myself, as to see Red Hulk's development.
Plot
When the Abomination is found dead with a huge hole in his chest, but with reports of this Hulk being red, as well as the fact that Bruce Banner is still in a maximum security cell the question is... who it this Red Hulk?
Review
This was overall a brilliant story, as although it wasn't outstanding, it was very fun and entertaining. Although Jeph Loeb's run on the Hulk hasn't been met kindly by fans, I personally couldn't see much to hate about this story, as he did a wonderful job of it (though I have heard that it's following this that the series gets poor). It was very dramatic and suspenseful, having a lot of mystery to it as well as some very exciting moments. I also loved the character interaction and how Loeb handled the dialogue, as although I wasn't too sure on Hulk seeming as dumb as he did (as he seemed much smarter through Greg Pak's run), the other character interactions were brilliant, and I loved seeing not only some of the most well known Hulk side characters, but also the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. and then director Iron Man being involved. I did however find other characters like Namor to be slightly out of character though.
The artwork on this story was simply phenomenal, and Ed McGuinness did a fantastic job as usual, showing why he's one of the best artists at drawing powerful characters. The detail in McGuinness' artwork was simply amazing, with it being very consistent throughout. The layout of McGuinness' art was also brilliant, and added a lot of depth and tone to the story, as well as being very dynamic and dramatic, also making the story that bit more exciting. Talking of excitement, McGuinness' action sequences added a lot of excitement to the story, with them all being very explosive, as well as at times emotional. I also loved the way that McGuinness managed to show the characters emotions in this story, as well as the general atmosphere throughout, as due to this he managed to make the story much more lively, giving a lot more depth and realism at the same time.
This story would introduce the Red Hulk to the Marvel Universe, with his identity being a mystery throughout. Now although I know the identity of the Red Hulk due to it having been revealed in a later story I won't mention it here for anyone who knows nothing about the character but is considering reading this story. Now what I liked about this Hulk was that he was quite different from the others, being much more tactical and determined. I also loved that there was differences to this Hulk and the other, and how anger affects this one differently. Besides that it was the reaction of the other characters that interested me the most, as it added more suspense and drama.
Red Hulk wouldn't be the only new monster to be revealed in this story, as a blue Abomination type creature named A-Bomb would be introduced. Now this characters identity would be revealed in this story, but again I won't reveal it as to avoid spoilers for people who don't know. Anyway I found A-Bomb to be a very interesting character, and was happy to finally see his original introduction. I also loved the characteristics that A-Bomb has, and how he considers himself Hulk's friend. At the same time I also find Hulk's reaction to A-Bomb to be rather interesting, as well as the fact that Hulk knows who A-Bomb is.
Now with two Hulks with completely different characteristics featuring in this story it was only a matter of time before the two squared off, so it was a good thing that Loeb didn't wait about in doing so. Apart from being exciting the fight was also very interesting and dramatic, and the dialogue between the two Hulks was simply amazing, even if green Hulk seemed less intelligent than he did throughout Pak's run. I did however also love how the fighting between these Hulks was split into two sides, and Loeb would have some very clever development points throughout it, making it all that more interesting.
The fight between the two Hulks wouldn't be the only fight in this story, as Red Hulk would also fight A-Bomb, and eventually Thor. Now it was the fight with Thor that I most enjoyed, and Loeb would produce some very clever development points throughout. I did however feel at times that the fight was a little one sided, and not very respectable towards Thor, but Loeb would rectify this to a certain extent later on in the story. I also loved Red Hulk's reaction to Thor as well, as although the normal Hulk has never had much of an opinion about Thor, I have always considered that to be down to the fact that Hulk only knows what he's seen of Thor, and not the myths, whereas this Red Hulk appears to know him well enough, and yet still has a very disrespectful view towards him.
Final Verdict
This was a fantastic story, and although it isn't one of the best Hulk stories I've ever read, it was one of the most mysterious, having a lot of drama and suspense throughout. It also had a wonderful supporting cast, as well as some brilliant cameos, also having some very exciting action sequences as well. Due to all this I'd recommend this story, as although Loeb's Hulk run isn't considered as one of the best, this story was in my opinion very good.
Rating: 7/10
Writer: Daniel Way
Artist: Steve Dillon
I decided to go into this series with an open mind as prior to reading this issue there were things that I was looking forward to, like the characters and seeing Punisher and Deadpool two of my favourite underrated characters team up, whereas I wasn't too sure if I'd like Steve Dillon's art as I usually don't like it.
Plot
This issue sees Thunderbolt Ross A.K.A the Red Hulk putting the Thunderbolts together. He goes all around the world from Somalia, France and Afghanistan to recruit his Thunderbolts, Punisher, Deadpool, Venom, and Elektra.
Review
This was a good start and the issue wasn't as bad as I was dreading. It still wasn't as good as I hoped but considering what I feared it could be I'm happy enough with the outcome. Daniel Way has done a good job introducing the characters in this issue and I love how he's made Thunderbolt Ross the leader of this group. Due to this issue focusing on Ross assembling his group of killers it didn't give any time to explain what his overall goal is or show much action. Although this issue was slow Way has instilled more faith in me that this series can be good and I hope he delivers to that. I also liked how he handled all the different character and although besides Ross and the Punisher, they didn't get a lot of time you could notice they're unique characteristics. I'm also interested in seeing how Way writes Deadpool in this series as he had plenty of time writing him in the previous Deadpool series. The current Deadpool series is however a lot different and the unique inner voices style Way added whilst writing Deadpool has gone. This leaves the question if Way will write him with or without the voices, for continuity's sake I hope he writes him without.
The thing that put me off this series was Steve Dillon as artist. I've never really liked his art in the past and especially the way he draws women. In saying that I actually liked his art in this issue. It still wasn't as good as most other artists but it's a lot better than I've seen in the past. I particularly like how he draws Thunderbolt Ross and Venom, and how he showed of Venom's symbiote powers. I've never minded how Dillon's drawn Punisher in the past, and he's one of the better Marvel characters I've seen him draw. I would however have liked him to have drawn Punisher similar to the way he was drawn in the most recent The Punisher series as the newer skull shirt was better. I still wasn't to keen on how he draws women. When I first saw Elektra I thought this isn't that bad, and that it's better than he's done in the past, but when he drew a closer up version of her face or her face from the side she looked more like a man than a woman, which wasn't nice.
Seems not a lot happened besides the team coming together I will talk about each of the five character involved individually and say what I think they will bring to the team and what I expect from them. I will start with the leader of the group Thunderbolt Ross. He's a natural leader having served in the army, and has always shown a bad side. Another reason he's a good choice for this team besides his pedigree, and the fact he's a Hulk is that he's got Thunderbolt as his nickname so it makes sense him leading a team named Thunderbolts giving the name a dual meaning. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Thunderbolt Ross in this series as most other series have him in his Hulk form. I still however want to see him Hulked out a lot at the same time as it would be daft having this team of killers lead by a Hulk and not have him Hulked out. What I'm basically saying is that I'm hoping to see a more balanced view of Ross as both Red Hulk and Thunderbolt Ross.
I've always been Punisher fan and him being a part of this team is what mainly drew me towards buying this series. I was so disappointed when I heard that Punisher would no longer have a solo series once Punisher: War Zone finishes. I do however question the timing of this series in conjunction with the Punisher: War Zone series. I would have thought that Marvel would have waited until the end of the War Zone series till putting this series out, as it would have helped the continuity of both series'. I am however looking forward to seeing how Way handles Frank and what he will bring to the team. He's never really been a team player but with a team full of killers I think he'll fit in, it will just be a matter of whether the others keep to only killing those who deserve it. It will also be interesting to see how Punisher and Ross get along as they're both ex-army with the highest military training in Marvel apart from Captain America.
Deadpool's part in this team will also be interesting as the Merc with a Mouth has worked with various people in the past including Weapon X, Cable and most recently the X-Force. The way Ross went about recruiting Deapool was interesting asking for him to volunteer like he did with Weapon X. As I said earlier I'm mainly looking forward to seeing Deadpool fight alongside Punisher as both have been in my top 10 favourite characters for a few years, and I've felt that despite their loyal fan base they've been very underrated for to long. I'm looking forward to seeing Deadpool work in a team again as he was brilliant in Uncanny X-Force. It will also be interesting to see how Deadpool will react alongside the other members and if he will try and prove he's better with a blade than Elektra, or better with a gun than Punisher or Venom. I also hope that Deapool brings his funny banter to the series, and his jokes and I know that Way can do that if he wants to.
Venom is also an interesting addition to this team and seems to be in demand after joining the Secret Avengers. Since Flash Thompson has been Venom he has really brought some life back to the character and has made Venom into a more serious character as well as a decent hero. The way he reacted to Ross' visit was very good and I loved how he kept his proper army sense of respect, and how he considered Ross a legend. It will also be interesting to see three characters who have been army trained feature in this group as well as their different characteristics. I'm looking forward to seeing if Venom will be the cooler head in the group, if there is one, and how he will react in certain situations that he's less experienced than the others are.
Finally Elektra. She is probably the most unique addition to this group. Apart from being the only female member she is also the most mysterious usually working in the shadows. Although she's worked for and lead The Hand, and worked alongside Daredevil in the past, she hasn't been the best team player especially whilst working with people she's not ordering around. It will also be interesting to see how she reacts to all the different personalities throughout the group as she is usually a very serious character. I will however be looking forward to seeing her bring her ninja style to the group, and see her kicking but, which I haven't seen in a while.
Final Verdict
A good introduction to a brand new team. Although this issue wasn't brilliant, and a bit slow at times, it does show great promise that the series will be good in the next few issues, and I hope it is. I would recommend this series to people who are fans of any of the characters involved as it's too early in the series to determine if they are a good addition, or if the series does them justice. It's also a great issue to introduce newer readers to these characters as you don't need any prior knowledge of the characters to enjoy this issue.
Rating: 3.5/5
