So many books this week. My thoughts on the first wave:
The Incredible Hulk #3 ($3.99; Jason Aaron [W] & Marc Silvestri [A]) – Okay, so this one’s already over a month old, having been released December 7th (where was I?), but I need to comment on Silvestri’s art. After Arthur Adams, this is my favorite artist in X-Men history. And since I’ve never been a big Hulk fan, he gets the nod there too, by default. Which reminds me, Jason Aaron has made me CARE about the Hulk! Probably because the green goliath and Bruce Banner are now two separate entities, Banner is batshit crazy having gone all Island of Dr. Moreau, and we still need to learn how all this happened. It’s a knock-doiwn drag out fight between Hulk and two of Banner’s creation, the Boar Brothers. I LOVE that this subterranean fight is causing earthquakes across the globe and ending with the brothers trapped deep in the earth’s core. They’re broken, beaten, deaf and blind on two rocks in the center of a lava lake, unable to hear or see each other a mere twenty feet apart. Later, fools!
The Incredible Hulk #4 ($3.99; Jason Aaron [W] & Whilce Portacio [A]) – Hulk finally confronts Banner, who has an entire menagerie of Hulked up animals at his disposal. Aaron has replaced the sympathetic, weak Banner with an obsessive man who has become more of a monster than the Hulk has ever been, breaking into government facilities and handling radioactive materials like they’re Fruit Roll-Ups. He’s certifiably scary, and even knocked our hero across his remote island hideaway. (I don’t get how the hell that happened, but whatever.) Whilce Portacio steps in to pencil, and just like he did 20 years ago on Uncanny X-Men, he follows Marc Silverstri. Also repeating history, his art is good, but doesn’t measure up to Silvestri’s line work for me. But their styles are similar enough that it’s not a totally jarring switch. I think after I find out how the Hulk and Banner un-merged, I’m dropping this title. Aaron’s a great writer, but with so many books on my wish list, cuts must be made, and if Silvestri isn’t penciling regularly, it’s an easy decision.
Superior #7 ($4.99; Mark Millar [W] & Leinil Yu [A]) – Five bucks never feels steep when it comes to a Millarworld comic. I’m a fan of his writing, and he only works with top notch artists (Yu included), and unlike Marvel and DC, you never see a creative team switch (ahem…see above) in mid-story. #7 concludes the tale of Superior, wrapping everything up, but with a Raiders of the Lost Ark homage at the end that leaves some room for a potential sequel. If this is the last Superior comic we ever see, though, I’ll be content. It ended on such a fine note. To recap, Simon Pooni, a teenager with multiple sclerosis, is granted his wish to become an adult superhero, a la Superman, by a monkey in a spacesuit… who turns out to be a demon from Hell in need of a soul. Said demon also transforms the local bully into Abraxas, a walking WMD. It’s hard to truly hate a fictional character, but every time he opened his mouth, I wanted to punch Abraxas’ metal head myself. Superior takes out all the bad guys, saves the day, and reverts to being a boy, content with his life. It’s a tidy Hollywood ending and everyone goes home happy. If the next Millar/Yu project, Supercrooks, is half as good as this, I STRONGLY recommend it.
Uncanny X-Men #4 ($3.99; Kieron Gillen [W] & Brandon Peterson [A]) – This is why I hate my Marvel subscriptions. They come in the mail (if they even reach the mailbox!) at least a month after being released. I read (and panned) Uncanny #3 last week, and just received #4 on Monday, which is crazy, because the comic shop got #5 on Wednesday. So I’m a month behind. Anyway… I love good stand-alone stories. They’re throwbacks to the old days and show respect for the reader by the writer by not stretching out a tale over 3 issues, which is exactly what Gillen did to start this lackluster series. It’s a nice rebound, though, sorta explaining how Sinister became immortal, and mostly told through the eyes of a Phalanx alien. Peterson’s art is good, and I enjoy the subtle nuances of the techno organic background to the Phalanx-centric pages. On the other hand, Colossus looks like a goofball in that Juggernaut helmet. Storm proves herself to be the moral backbone of this story, and in just a handful of panels, Cyclops shows why he is the Magneto of the 21st century. THIS is why I buy this comic. About time. LOVE IT.
In Part Two: Batman #5, Daredevil #8, Voltron #2