Broken Frontier

The Incredible Hulk continues to build steam as he plunders through hero after hero in his quest to gain revenge on those who blasted him into space.

World War Hulk is definitely building to a crescendo with the disgruntled monster’s tug of war against various heroes among the pantheon of Marvel’s elite. He’s already gone through Black Bolt, Iron Man and Reed Richards, but now Doctor Strange enters the fray in hopes of appealing to the Green Goliath’s human side.

Perhaps it is an unwise move, but the President decrees an order to allow General Thunderbolt Ross control of the country’s military might to best the Hulk in battle. Of course this act fails to make a dent in the monster’s plans and in short order the troupe is taken down very quickly. With all hope now seemingly lost, a reluctant Doctor Strange is forced into a confrontation with the Hulk, and upon stretching his magical abilities to reach Bruce Banner his plan backfires drastically. In doing so, the Hulk proves his superiority as a warrior bent on total annihilation of the Marvel Universe.

You have to hand it to writer Greg Pak for crafting a story around the principal motivation of utilizing vengeance. In most cases, when an individual falls down upon the path of seeking revenge, it usually signifies a rite of passage of no return. The Hulk surely is proving his superiority in this case, and it remains to be seen how far he will go to punish those responsible for the recent troubles in his life. We’ve never actually seen a Hulk like this in a number of years, and Pak has forged the Hulk from being a lumbering simpleton into a cunning and remorseless warrior with serious attitude. His plotting is flawless and the dialogue here is completely plausible as the story chugs along to a big climactic finish in a few months.

I have also been hearing that some fans are not finding the work of John Romita, Jr. thrilling enough for a story of this magnitude. Well, I have to say that anyone who believes this is totally off the mark. I happen to be enjoying Romita’s storytelling abilities here, and his pages are fueled with moment after moment of action and intrigue. I think you will always get a competent book when Junior is assigned a project at Marvel, and this one truly ranks up there in my humblest of estimations.

So far I am enjoying this summer blockbuster and it’s nice to find a story with true justification for the conflict eclipsing this series. The Hulk is proving to be a merciless figure in this case and it’s a treat to find him evolving into a true gigantic force. I think his evolution in the pages of his flagship title and in this series thus far has made for a riveting tale and we have Greg Pak to thank for that.