Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Hulk #16
Marvel Comics
Duggan, Bagley, Hennessy & Keith
The final issue of this incarnation of the Hulk series ends with a very touching and telling story. For the most part, there aren't any battles (the cover is a future vision), not really any revelations, no real twists. Instead the comic is a deep look at the relationship between She-Hulk and Hulk and a smaller look at Banner and Hulk and a tiny look at Banner and Betty Ross. The comic book probably caters to real hardcore fans of the character and the casual reader might dislike the lack of action. However, despite the five-dollar cover charge, the book is a very entertaining and complete read. I recommend giving this a shot.
The book opens with a whiteboard conversation between Banner and Hulk (he calls himself Doc Green now) about how to handle some things. Basically there is an A.I. that Doc Green created and is now looking to take control of a body. The problem is that Doc Green is slowing losing his powers and intelligence, but there seems to be a way to keep them that has moral implications. Compounding things, Doc Green has been running around and ending (or exiling) any person that has gamma powers. All that remains is Hulk and She-Hulk.
Hulk comes to her with the "cure" and they discuss what to do with it. Hulk is not approaching She-Hulk to cure her. As the conversation evolves there is a bit of finality to the relationship and it feels like a good ending to the Hulk having the high level of intelligence that he has in this issue. Hulk then engages another character to talk things over with, albeit a very short conversation.
The book sounds boring. Perhaps it is. However, if you are a fan of the character and the interactions that comes with the roller coaster personality swings over the years then this is a comic book that doesn't happen often. Whatever character arc you might be looking for from Hulk, this is the cap of that arc.
The artwork is very good. The expressions that Hulk has throughout the book bring new life to the character that isn't always seen. The comic has a dramatic flow to it, but in a calm way. This isn't life and death. It's regular life with tough decisions and forwarding thinking that results from soul searching. The book's artwork tells a very nice visual story.
This comic book is a very good read. The comic brings Hulk's character arc to a nice conclusion in this issue. Even one of the lose ends gets resolved in the back-up, ten-page story, to round out the book. There isn't much action or danger but it peels back the layers on a character that has so many sides to his personality. If you have any interest in the character personality of Hulk then this is going to be a good book to pick up. The five-dollar price tag isn't very appealing but if you have opportunity to pick this up then I recommend it.
4.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
