Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Incredible Hulks #618
Marvel Comics
Pak, Pelletier, Miki & Mounts
This issue of the Incredible Hulks is a Chaos War tie-in which provides a good test for this reader as I haven't read one single issue of the Chaos War event….assuming it is an event. I found the issue to blend in perfectly with the larger scheme of the Hulk universe while also informing the reader of what exactly the Chaos War is. I liked the issue and I even thought the backup was good too. All around, this was a good comic book.
With Earth basically blown up all over the place, the Hulks return to Earth with a lot of questions. One of the obstacles is that one of Hulk's children, Lyra, was left behind on Earth during the previous arc. With Hulk having just lost a son he is motivated to make sure he doesn't lose any more offspring. This sense of urgency sends the Hulks charging into the immediate danger of the Chaos War.
One of the nicest aspects of the book is the reintroduction of Doctor Strange. When last seen as a big role in the land of the Hulk he was part of the group that launched Hulk into space setting off a chain of events that led to the Hulk beating Strange up in World War Hulk. Clearly, a lot has happened to the character since then and it's neatly summed up here as naturally as possible. This was a terrific way to bring a returning character into the fold of one book that has had many appearances in other ones.
The characters all play a good part in the issue. While the story itself is mostly action and set up, the character's voices are established and used well when needed throughout the issue.
Perhaps the best part of the issue is the artwork. Channeling John Romita Jr, Pelletier brings the comic to a high level of detail making the comic book feel epic in scope. The art takes a bit of a brutal nature to it during some of the action which adds to the drama of the story at hand. It's a terrific story visually.
The backup by Parker and Elghorri focuses on Rick Jones and his transformation to the A-Bomb. This adds some depth to his origin while telling an entertaining and, at times, funny story. Amazingly, Elghorri's art is reminiscent of the early Frank Quitely which is pretty impressive.
Hulks have themselves dropped into quite a predicament by the end of this issue. Based on this cliffhanger the next issue promises to be a good one. This is a good example of how a tie-in can be picked up and read without having read the main series for the event. I liked the pacing and character interaction in the book. While mostly setup, this issue is worth giving a try.
3.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
