RED HULK

Hulk, Vol. 1: Red Hulk (Hardcover)
by Jeff Loeb (Author) and Ed McGuiness (Illustrator)

Just read Red Hulk and it's a pretty darn good, light, breezy, slam-bang, gee-whiz comic book. Playing like a sci-fi monster movie-murder mystery, it doesn't get bogged down by a lot of exposition or deep thinking, and gets right to the Hulk-Smash action.

This is the kind of comic I like the most - lots of action, great character interaction, artwork that fits the story, and enough dangling plot lines to bring you back for the next issue. And as a mystery there are twists and turns and a resolution of sorts by the end of chapter six. But this is no The Long Halloween, it's much less weighty and much less gloomy.

While I prefer the Loeb/Sale DC books (Batman: The Long Halloween, Superman For All Seasons), Loeb & McGuiness teamed up for a great Superman/Batman run. And I think that McGuiness' bombastic art style is good match for the Hulk.

A long time fan of titles like Justice League of America, Brave and the Bold, Avengers (New & Mighty), I enjoy a good team-up book, or a book that brings together multiple solo heroes. In RED HULK we get not only the Hulk, but She-Hulk, Iron Man, Namor and a great Thor vs. Red Hulk battle. The author also uses major Hulk supporting cast members like Rick Jones, Thunderbolt Ross and Doc Samson to help flesh out the story and set up multiple red herrings to steer the reader through the big mystery.

RED HULK spins right out of "World War Hulk" (which I did not invest in) and makes reference to events in "Civil War", but doesn't get tangled up in "Secret Invasion". If you didn't read World War Hulk that's ok. Loeb gets you up to speed quickly and makes this new story arc accessible to first time Hulk readers.

And here's an observation: Watch for a classic Avengers reunion in the near future. Iron Man is still here, Hulk is back, Thor is back, and there's a new Captain America. Toss in Hank Pym and the Wasp and you're kicking it old school, Lee & Kirby style. Just sayin'...

I would recommend RED HULK to any Marvel fan, Hulk fans or anyone whose interest was piqued by the recent Hulk movie, you won't be disappointed. Again, I liked it a lot, but since I had hoped for more content I'll give it a B.

Hulk at Marvel.com
Red Hulk at Amazon.com
Jeff Loeb at Wikipedia.com
Ed McGuiness at Wikipedia.com