Writer : Greg Pak
Artist: John Romita JR
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 13th June
The Summer is almost upon us, and with that comes the big crossover. Last year Marvel gave us Civil War, a storyline that promised to change many things and (for the moment at least) appears to have done just that. For the first epic title-spanning crossover of the post-Civil War Marvel Universe, a strong story was needed. World War Hulk is that story.
Strictly speaking, World War Hulk #1 is the third issue in the storyline. As the handy “Roadmap To World War Hulk” checklist at the rear of the book will tell you, this issue follows on from the World War Hulk Prologue and Incredible Hulk 106, which handily set the scene for those who didn’t read Planet Hulk (Including your humble reviewer). While it would probably help to read those, it’s not essential, as there’s an ultra-compressed version of the storyline on pages one and two of this issue.
That’s not enough? You want me to fill you in? OK, fine. Members of the Illuminati (Mr Fantastic, Iron Man, Doctor Strange and Black Bolt) tried to get rid of the Hulk by sending him into space. Now he’s returned with a group of alien warriors in tow, and he wants revenge against those that tried to kill him.
In other words, he’s back, and he’s here to SMASH.
This is a new take on the Hulk, still propelled by anger but with some degree of self-control and smart enough to make actual threats. His rampage starts with a confrontation with Black Bolt on the moon, followed by an arrival in New York with a terrifying message for mankind – and especially for the Illuminati.
The rest of the issue sets up the series to come, with the heroes starting to make their plans and mount their defence against the Hulk, leading to a pretty brutal takedown attempt by one of the big guns. This is where the main perceived criticism comes in – when exactly is this supposed to be taking place? Reed Richards is there (and was also in the lead in issues) – but he’s currently off in space in the pages of Fantastic Four. We also get appearances by both the New and Mighty Avengers teams, working side-by-side. A scene between Tony Stark and Doctor Strange goes some way toward making this more acceptable, but one cannot read this whilst following other Marvel titles without wondering how far ahead of current storylines this is set. A story of this size needs to be preceded by some kind of stop point in all associated titles, whether they are directly crossing over or just lending their characters. Giving the creators free rein to go off and tell their own stories is fine, but it’s often hard to reconcile those with other tales supposedly set in the same shared universe. Hopefully there will be appropriate breaks at the end of ongoing storylines in the titles of characters appearing here, to give things a chance to catch up.
Greg Pak does a good job here of tying together various aspects of the Marvel Universe, and his characters feel like the same people appearing elsewhere. His recap pages work well to fill in the new reader on what has gone before, and he does a reasonable job of introducing the large cast as they make their appearances. This is the largest and most high profile job Pak has taken on so far, and if he can continue with this level of quality, this crossover is going to be very good indeed.
As for the art – well, it’s John Romita Jr inked by Klaus Janson. Romita has been effectively Marvel exclusive for his entire career, and knows his way around pretty much the entire Marvel Universe – very handy for a book with a cast this size. His figures have a sense of weight, of power, sometimes almost looking like they’re carved from stone rather than being just lines on a page. Special mention must be given to four pages in particular – the Hulk holding up a battered and broken Black Bolt, the first appearance of a new set of Iron Man armour, the page with the sound effect that goes KRAKKABA-THROOM!, and the final page. Not sure if these pages will be available to buy, but if they are, my birthday is in late November.
As the first (Well, third) issue of a massive storyline, this ticks all the boxes. Cast introduced? Check. Story set up? Check. Thrill-packed sequences to pull you in? Check, check and super-double check in a check sauce. This is a far better opener than these stories usually get, and it comes highly recommended.
For the first epic title-spanning crossover storyline of the post-Civil War Marvel Universe, a strong story was needed. WORLD WAR HULK IS THE STRONGEST THERE IS.
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Russell Hillman was born in London but now lives in Coventry. His hobbies include precious little. He doesn’t get out much, but thinks reading a lot of comics makes up for it. He’s wrong.