Greg Pak’s Incredible Hulk swan song continues with “Heart of the Monster” Part Four. While the series has done what Hulk books should ( feature Hulk smashing and crazy epic-scale battles) it’s never felt like it’s been on sure footing. It’s wandered off in different directions that have never made it feel like a cohesive story. Now Hulk’s anger has driven him to full Worldbreaker mode and it’s left up to Umar of the Dark Dimension (and former Hulk flame) to try and stop him.

Pak’s story is split between an Umar induced Hulk fantasy world intended to calm the beast down and a series of conversations between Hulk’s friends and other parties trying to decide the best course of action. The fantasy angle ranges from cool to utterly ridiculous. The discussions about the Hulk’s future are by far the better and more interesting sequences. There are some great exchanges and I particularly loved Dr. Strange being involved. Altogether this is a better issue than the previous few, but it’s nothing that really stands out.

With Pak’s fantasy world, artist Paul Pelletier is given a huge sandbox to play it. He puts together a wide variety of pages from huge, overtly sexual panels to gruesome barbarian style action. As a whole the art looks good and is fitting for this type of over-the-top story. It’s not my favorite visual style but it works.

This is a hard book to review considering I’m an on-again/off-again Hulk reader. Pak’s done some great things with the Hulk over years but this last arc doesn’t come across as his best work. It’s certainly not bad and this issue is better than the last. But I guess I’m still waiting for that stroke of brilliance we’ve seen from Pak in the past.