Hulk #5 – Review

By: Gerry Duggan (Writer), Mark Bagley (Penciller), Andy Hennessy (Inker), Jason Keith (Color Artist), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer), Alex Ross (Cover Artist)

The Story: To paraphrase Dr. Evil: “He didn’t spend five years in Green Medical School to be called MISTER Green!”

The Review: This new direction for the Hulk follows quite shortly after the last new direction, which is a sentence that gets repeated with some frequency, actually. In this case, at least, there’s at least a sense of continuity, building on what’s before in a logical manner while remaining a (somewhat) genuine new take.

This is helped, of course, with the continuation of the art chores by Bagley. Not only does it help perpetuate a through-line as the writers shift, he once again delivers some dynamic presentations of powerful figures in key panels, such as three consecutive splash pages of the Hulk in speed-line-filled, explosive action. That’s a pretty bold move, but establishes a wide-screen feel for this Hulk’s initial appearance.

The one art choice I’m unsure about is the allowing Hulk’s hair to be vaguely mohawk-ish. The exact length seems to vary a bit from panel to panel, and it overall doesn’t really mesh with the face. I suppose it’s meant to convey some kind of “edginess” to the character, but it’s not really that extreme so it’s kinda held back as a design element, in a way.

Hulk’s new “Doc Green” persona is the very thing that lends some welcome tension to the book. Since the title’s relaunch, the Hulk was a passive player in his own title, which makes this a sudden turn, if nothing for the fact that Banner/Hulk has taken complete agency over the status quo. However, rather than return to some very altruistic roots from the last-last relaunch (“Banner builds”), this Dr. Green has an almost villainous streak. Seriously. Read some of his dialogue and see if it isn’t what we’d expect from a supervillain rant: “After my special project is concluded, the world will be a better place” and “I’m back because there’s science to be done… and only we can save it!”

I’ve always thought the best Hulk stories are those that stay close to its roots as a take-of the horror comics of the 1950s, and this is no exception. In a way, Doc Green might become a monster in the eyes of his victims, the others in the “Hulk Family.” Maybe I’m being gracious to see that in what we’ve been given so far, but it’s true there is a kind of uneasy tone being created here by Doc Green’s actions.

That said, I’m not going to give the writer any credit for using nannites as a cure, nor for using time travel. I’m not a fan of nannites in science fiction. Even at best, they’re just a magic wand that the writer can wave around to accomplish whatever he/she wants. I’m even a less fan of time travel being used in the same way. Doc Green travels to some future with the ease of crossing the road to pick something up at the convenience store.

Also, the ending leaves a bit to be desired. A fight is promised with A-Bomb, but it’s less of a cliffhanger and more of an abrupt interruption, as if the page count had the audacity to run out during the story in progress. The art could have helped with this, using more of an establishing layout or dramatic pose instead.

The Bottom Line: It’s intriguing to see a new Hulk persona being presented, one that lends itself to some interesting choices for tone and plot. I’m not sure if it’s disappointing or encouraging that some plot elements will remain unanswered from the previous writer, but there’s enough kept to make it feel like a somewhat seamless transition, thanks as well to some consistent artwork.   

Grade: B-

–Danny Wall

More Musings:

— Any guesses as to who may be assigned the various serums to “cure” the non-Banner Hulks? Three Red, two Green, and two Blue. Perhaps Red Hulk, Red She-Hulk, Red Leader, Lyja, She-Hulk, A-Bomb, and… who’s the other blue?