World War Hulk
by Greg Pak
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Book Summary Information
Author: Greg PakIllustrator: John Romita Jr.
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-05-21
ISBN: 0785125965
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Marvel
Book Reviews of World War Hulk
Book Review: A fun, quick read
Summary: 3 Stars
World War Hulk is the comic book equivalent of a summer action movie: long on action and fun, but short on plot. If that appeals to you, then grab your popcorn, sit back, and enjoy! Pretty much the same thing happens in all 5 issues: a succession of Marvel's heroes all line up to stop the Hulk, who's madder than he's ever been -- and one by one, they all fail. Up until the last issue, which seemed a little cliched (see spoiler alert below).
The Hulk has always been one of my favorite characters, and it was nice to see him in a big "event" comic which affects other Marvel characters. Then again, it doesn't really affect other characters much, because, by the end, lots of people have been beat up, and lots of property damage has occurred, but nothing else really changes. Nobody dies, nobody's life is changed, and the status quo is pretty much the same at the end as the beginning.
The fact that the Hulk is prepared to wipe out the entire eastern seaboard makes it a little hard to root for him. And the fact that no heroes have any success at stopping him makes the storyline seem a little repetitive -- like it doesn't really matter what anybody tries next, because the result is only going to be the same as with the last hero who tried. That is, until the last issue, when ...[SPOILER ALERT]... the Sentry fights Hulk to a standstill, and the Hulk finally calms down. Sentry is referred to all throughout the book as one of the Hulk's closest friends, and the one character who could always calm Hulk down, which does build up anticipation for the final battle, but to me it also raised another question: Who in the world is the Sentry? I've collected almost 250 Hulk comics, from each decade that the Hulk has been published, including all issues of the then-current "Incredible Hulk" series that ran at the same time as WWH, and I'd never even heard of Sentry before. When did he and Hulk meet? How did they become such close friends? Sentry seemed a little like a deus ex machina, thrown in to give the storyline some resolution. It would have made more sense if the final character who turned the tide had a more familiar history with the Hulk (like Rick Jones, She-Hulk, Leonard Samson, the Bruce Banner persona, or even the recently-resurrected Betty Ross).
Well, these are all criticisms of the story, which is fairly pedestrian. But most people won't buy this for the story. As a simple, straightforward action story, which shows "the Hulk doing what he does best," this book is a lot of fun. He smashes everyone and everything in sight.
The strongest selling-point for this book is the art: I have seen about 40 artists portray the Hulk, and John Romita Jr. is one of the best, and probably my all-time favorite -- and here, he cuts loose like never before. One reason for the paucity of story is the high number of splash pages and oversized panels, which really show off JRJR's beautiful art. He captures such rich emotion in the faces of the characters, and his Hulk displays a primal ferocity which almost makes you feel his anger yourself. Also, the covers by David Finch (if they're reprinted in this volume) are wonderful -- easily equal to the gorgeous covers Ladronn put out for the earlier "Planet Hulk" issues.
If you're interested in a smash-em-up fun-read, or if you're upset with the way Marvel's "Civil War" ended, then you'll probably like this book, because two of the strongest proponents of the "Superhero Registration Act" (Iron Man & Mr. Fantastic) are among the first to get it. If you open it up expecting a prolonged, intense, lavishly-illustrated battle royale, involving all sorts of superhero guest stars, and you don't expect much in the way of plot development, you won't be disappointed.
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