So after finishing this issue, I find myself relieved to see this story arch over with and at the same time, surprised by the bits of entertainment I got from it.  The story, which centered around Red Hulk’s version of Planet Hulk, was just okay.  I thought the scenes where Ross was sharing his tactics with all of the people were great, and you really get a sense that this guy would crush you in warfare.  In the end, the story just felt a little lifeless.  It felt rushed and to the point, which is good because a longer version of this would probably have sucked, but it leaves the story feeling a little flat.  At the end, everything is explained, and while I don’t often say this, I guess I just missed the point of the little adventure.  To me, it seems that this detour was meant to avoid a Fear Itself tie-in, but Captain America is not doing a tie-in and Bucky didn’t have to go to another planet to continue his story.  I’ve heard Jeff Parker in interviews, so I know he’s being deliberate with his choices.  Maybe to him, this whole thing sounded fun, but it really just sort of sucked the momentum from the story he was telling on Earth.  It was a diversion that feels unnecessary now, but maybe pays off later.

I am a huge Hardman fan, and while it’s disappointing to not see his pencils in the book, I did enjoy this fill in artist.  He draws the Hulk big, and the scale of some of the action scenes was pretty awesome.  He definitely has a very stylized look, and I think it’s just a matter of taste.  He wasn’t my favorite artist, but I thought he was visually interesting and laid out the story really well.  Overall, the art was very good.