Hulk #5 Review... Let's get it out of the way, shall we?

[The Spoliers Start Here] When the new HULK title was announced, featuring a big angry red Hulk on the cover, I was a bit shocked and confused. Then I noticed that a certain name was attached: Jeph Loeb. I was quick to get issue one (thankfully, because it sold out... like issues 2-5), and was not disappointed at all. The same occurred through issues 2-4.

We're here to talk about #5, however, so here we go.

Hulk vs Thor. Groovy.

Rulk just finished throwing Hulk through the Golden Gate Bridge when none other than the thunder god himself arrives to show Rulk the meaning of defeat. To say the least, Thor failed big time. It turns out Rulky can withstand the "awesome" force of Mjolnir. Thor was then smashed (really, are there no fancy words for that???). This led to a truly great two-page spread of Thor failing (again) to take down Rulk (I just like calling him that.) that I hope will be the cover of the second printing variant.

We are then reminded that no mere mortal may hold the hammer of Thor... in repsonse to which Rulk grabs Thor, jumps into space, takes Thor's hammer whilst in zero gravity, and flies him to the moon for a rough deposit. Oh, and the 'mighty' Thor gets his head gear kicked off, adding insult to injury.

Back at the Golden Gate Bridge, A-Bomb awakens Hulk and the two climb back up to the service, where the two split up: Hulk sets out to take care of Rulk while A-Bomb stays behind to help the city. The ever timely Iron Man arrives, offering to help Hulk (oddly enough) with the team of She-Hulk, Ares, Human Torch, The Thing, and Namor the Sub-Mariner.

I should probably mention that Rulk crashed back into Earth after dealing with Thor, triggering the San Andreas fault line and starting San Francisco's plunge into the Pacific Ocean. [Spoilers end here]

Whoo. Thats a decent amout of ground covered for one issue. Here's what I think of it:

Jeph Loeb deserves an award. I am perfectly serious. This is the Hulk series I've been waiting for. It's the opposite of the last Hulk series in that this one is fun, mysterious, outrageous, and more fun. I liked "Hulk Think" but I'm happy to see "Hulk Smash" make a big return in this book.

A lot of reviews and comments about this book state that HULK is Loeb's worst book and that it needs to end. I whole-heartedly disagree with each and every one of those reviews and comments. I hope Jeph Loeb writes this series for at least another five years.

I can't really find the right words to describe how much I love this book, so I'm going to end by just saying that I've loved this whole series (especially issues 4 & 5) and that I can't wait to review the conclusion of the series's first arc.

jL
8/13/08