Marvel Comics
World War Hulk #2 0f 5
By Hervé St-Louis
August 26, 2007 - 17:15

Marvel Comics
Writer(s): Greg Pak
Penciller(s): John Romita Jr
Inker(s): Klaus Janson
Cover Artist(s): David Finch



WWHULK002.jpg
While everybody on Earth is preparing for the arrival of the Hulk, the latter jumps right in to defeat an assembled cast of registered and non registered super heroes. The Hulk wants to kill the men responsible for his exile and the destruction of his new world and wife. Can the Iron Man, The Fantastic Four and the Avengers resist the new menace, or will the Hulk give peace a chance and listen to his cousin?

One has to admit that although the Hulk has always been an anti hero, the thought of the Hulk as a super villain who wants to destroy the Earth is interesting. Of course, the story is separated in distinct chapters where each issue will be a major fight, followed by further intrigues in several other comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The formula is the same as last year’s Civil War and has done wonder for the publisher.

Now, not much happens in this issue, if one discounts the fighting. Pak has created a powerful menace in the Hulk, although characters keep repeating to readers that the Hulk only gets stronger as he’s angrier. I think readers have figured that out already. There’s something about showing, as opposed to telling that always works in comic books. Pak should show more of Hulk’s tantrums. Instead, he stays silent or waits for a new fight. We don’t see the increased savageness after each additional confrontation. Yet we are led to believe that the Hulk is angrier by the second. That’s where more visual storytelling would help Pak give proofs of Hulk’s angriness.

Here, Romita Jr, is not as crisp and interesting as he was in other series. Romita is usually a great storyteller, but this issue lacks the wide-screen effect needed to believe that Hulk is a major threat. So much of the action is left to other series, involved in the crossover, that readers will feel like they are reading brief snapshots of the story. That’s not interesting, and it doesn’t uses Romita Jr’s strength to the maximum. What little action is displayed in this issue is often hard to grasp and not very interesting. This is disappointing, as Romita Jr is usually a great artist.

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