Who shot J.R.? I mean… who shot Bruce Banner? After ending “Indestructible Hulk” with a bang and proving that Bruce Banner is, in fact, pretty darn destructible, Mark Waid is back with Mark Bagley in tow to bring us a new “Hulk” #1!
Written by Mark Waid
Illustrated by Mark Bagley
ALL-NEW DIRECTION! THE EPIC “BANNER D.O.A.” BEGINS NOW!!!
Following the shocking events of last month’s INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK finale, Bruce Banner lies at death’s door! If he survives, it WON’T be as the Bruce Banner we’ve known! How will the Hulk wreak vengeance on Banner’s assailant? How CAN he?
“Indestructible Hulk” was a bit of a weird title as, after a really strong start from Mark Waid and Leinil Yu which showed a clear sense of new direction for the character, seemed to falter and fall out of the Marvel NOW! spotlight. Sure, there were some high points like the team-up with Mark Waid’s other Marvel baby, Daredevil, but the downward slope really started with the “Age Of Ultron” fallout arc that seemed to try and draw some last effects out of the pretty inconsequential event. Now, though, with All New Marvel NOW! Mark Waid has another chance to try and bring both Hulk and Bruce Banner into the spotlight with “Hulk”. Despite the fact that the entire premise of this #1 spoils the ending of “Indestructible Hulk”, it’s still pretty safe to mention the fact that Bruce Banner has been shot and starts this issue in critical condition. With one of Marvel’s most reliable artists, Mark Bagley, in tow it’s time to save Bruce Banner once and for all.
The thing that really defined All New Marvel NOW’s success so far has been the fact that not only have the new series debuting filled niches that have long gone empty, but the relaunched titles have shown a clear new direction. From “Captain Marvel” going to space to “Daredevil” going to San Francisco, this new direction has largely been literal in the book as well. With “Hulk”, the new direction is a very character focused notion. While the motto of “Indestructible Hulk” was ‘Hulk smashes, Banner builds’ the new focus for “Hulk” will be to rebuild Banner himself. This mostly works throughout this issue as it certainly takes the character in a new direction that continues along the track set by “Indestructible Hulk”. However, the problem comes from the fact that the issue can’t focus on Banner himself seeing as he’s in a coma for most of the issue.
This means that Waid’s writing has to show Banner through the perspective of other characters, defining him through how they see him. While that allows for a natural way to explore the origins of the Hulk, something that seems almost necessary for a new #1, the issue perhaps spends a little too long recapping this for the reader. At least, it spends a little too long while not providing enough new information. Maybe this is coming from the privilege of having read this issue already knowing the Hulk’s origin, but spending so much time recapping that information without really adding anything new was unnecessary in the grand scheme of the issue because that page space could have been used to make the issue feel less rushed. While the majority of the issue covers the attempt to save Banner’s life, the end of the issue tries to cram so much (including a two week jump to an epilogue-like tease for the second issue and status quo for the series) into the last three pages.
It’s frustrating to me as both as fan of Hulk and a fan of Mark Waid that the writing on this issue felt so disjointed. On one hand, it spends so much time conveying the Hulk’s origin yet again, but on the other it’s so obtuse about the shooting of Banner that even as someone who read the entirety of “Indestructible Hulk”, I felt like I had missed an issue. While this wasn’t the worst issue ever, it feels like the first half of this story could have closed out “Indestructible Hulk” while the latter half could have been expanded into this new #1. It’s a mixed bag of a story that has really solid potential to go somewhere great with the material and somewhere new and refreshing for the character, but wastes on unnecessary recaps and overly obtuse mysteries.
Continued belowHowever, while the writing may be a mixed bag, the artwork is probably the most consistent thing about the issue. Mark Bagley’s artwork in this issue is actually very good and makes even the lower parts of the issue, like the origin recap, enjoyable to read. It’s a simple style that focuses on storytelling and presenting the pages without too much frill and it works for this issue. Sure, it doesn’t have the focus of stylistic art like some of Marvel’s other projects right now, but for a Hulk book it’s pretty much perfect. The no-frills, stripped down feel to the art lets nothing get in the way of how great it is to finally see the Hulk show up in the issue and do what he does best. Unfortunately, while it does elevate lesser parts of the writing, it wasn’t enough to bring the entire issue up. Mark Bagley is the kind of artist who is a writer’s best friend when it comes to clear storytelling, but when that writing fails to live up to its own potential, then sadly not even Bagley can save it.
Ultimately, this issue was kind of a disappointment. While “Indestructible Hulk” languished with some run-of-the-mill arcs towards the end of its run, there was a hope that this new #1 would bring back the energy the title had during its early days. Instead, it seems to have slipped further with the new direction not even being all that clear other than the twist at the end of the book. Mark Bagley seems to try his hardest to make certain moments shine, but not even he can save an issue that doesn’t even seem to know where it’s going. Perhaps this series will be able to turn itself around with a second issue, but this #1 is definitely not up to the standard set not only by Waid himself with the recent “Daredevil” #1, but by All New Marvel NOW! as a whole.
Final Verdict: 5.2 – The issue isn’t even all that bad, there’s just not enough here to define itself as something new or fresh.
