This week saw the release of “Hulk” #50, beginning a brand new story arc promoted as “a great perfect jumping on point” for those curious about the ongoing exploits of the Avengers’ burgundy-hued bruiser, Red Hulk. And right up front, this is me letting you know that I don’t particularly like the Red Hulk and haven’t ever really been impressed by what I’ve seen of him in Avengers and the other Hulk titles. Still, I can’t resist a good ghost story, and I’ve heard good stuff about Jeff Parker’s work on the title, so I decided to put aside my aversion to all things “Rulk” and grabbed one up.
Written by Jeff Parker
Illustrated by Carlos Pagulayan and Dan Brereton– Bonus-Sized! A Great Jumping On Point, As The Ghoulish Haunted Hulk Arc Begins!
– Who Or What Is The Dark Figure Hunting Red Hulk?
– Can Red Hulk’s Might Match Malevolent Magic?
– Appearances by Dr. Strange, Red She-Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Daredevil And Others We Aren’t At Liberty To Divulge!
At the risk of blowing my review, I’ll just go ahead and spill the beans early and say I enjoyed the hell out of “Hulk” #50. This was probably one of the most enjoyable comics I read this week, and considering I didn’t even like the main character going into it, that’s saying something.
I usually stay away from comics that are advertised as jumping on points, mostly because they’re never really good jumping on points. Or, worse than that, they are so focuses on being new reader friendly and accessible that they cut out everything the people who already like the book found interesting. It’s a tough business trying to get some much attention on an ongoing series several years into things. But occasionally, the stars align and a comic comes along that’s actually both a good issue and a good starting point, and such is the case here.
I’m thankful that “Hulk” #50 doesn’t dumb anything down. Sure it’s new reader friend, but Jeff Parker never makes it feel like he’s detouring his narrative in anyway. Within a few short pages, he’s got me interested in the lead character, the entire supporting cast, and then we’re dropped knee deep into the exciting world of the Red Hulk. Parker does a superb job of hooking us into the here and now, but over the course of the issue, he fills in most of the gaps, too, but without ever feeling like he’s Telling Us Something. Having never read the title before, but knowing Parker’s work on Agents of Atlas and Thunderbolts,
Read “Agents of Atlas”, “Age of the Sentry”, or his current run on “Thunderbolts”, and you’ll soon recognize that one of Parker’s strong suits is playing in the Marvel sandbox. And while he’s most certainly not the only Marvel guy doing it, I always get the feeling he’s having the most fun doing it. Parker has sort of an “all in” approach to his stories that feels perfect for Red Hulk and his current status as an Avenger opens so many doors. This issue reads like a Marvel Mixer, with appearances by Machine Man, Iron Man, Spider-man, Daredevil, Dr. Strange, and even a nice nod to the Venom-led event Circle of Four, which sort of works as the catalyst for Red Hulk’s current troubles.
So what are those troubles? Ghosts, man. Lots and lots of ghosts. And right now, you’re probably wondering what I was at the end of this issue: Can a Hulk be afraid of ghosts?
Carlos Pagulayan is a beautiful fit for this story, and compliments Parker’s script brilliantly. True story: way back when Pagulayan was drawing the adventures of the Green Hulk during the cosmic crusade called ‘Planet Hulk’, I commented to a friend that he reminded me of early Bernie Wrightson. It was subtle, sure, but for me, it was there. He’s come a long way since then, but I have to say, I still see Wrightson in Pagulayan’s pencils, even more so now than then. And really, doesn’t that just make him ideal for a story pitting Red Hulk against the supernatural horrors found in the world just beyond our own? Yeah, I think so, too.
Continued belowAs a little bonus, “Hulk” #50 features a back up story drawn by guy who’s no stranger to monster comics, Dan Brereton. In a tale set years before Ross was assigned to Bruce Banner’s gamma project, we follow him and a group of soldiers as they raid a old castle in the Pyrenees Mountains that ends up being equal parts war comic/horror comic. The back-up feature combined with the surprising amount of Hulk related back matter goes a long way towards catching up new readers, as well as making everybody feel like they’re getting a little more bang for their bucks.
As this issues intro text explains, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross is a man who believes he can affect the world with his hands, and currently, those are some pretty powerful hands. But ‘Haunted Hulk’ looks to be putting Red Hulk against a supernatural obstacle he can’t just smash his way out of, and if this first chapter’s any indication, this just might be the kind of Hulk story we’ve all been dying to read.
Final Verdict: 8.25 – Buy!
