Comic Review: Indestructible Hulk #6
Posted By Dave Howlett on April 4, 2013
For whatever reason, Mark Waid‘s take on Marvel‘s Green Goliath hasn’t garnered anywhere near the rapturous acclaim of the writer’s critically beloved Daredevil relaunch. The reason could be that, while Waid (aided by an astonishing roster of artistic talent that includes Marcos Martin, Paolo Rivera, and current illustrator Chris Samnee) has taken the sightless superhero back to fun-loving basics, his approach to the Marvel Now! launch of Indestructible Hulk has been a decidedly forward-thinking one. Rather than chronicling Doc Bruce Banner’s angst-ridden struggle to free himself from his jade-jawed alter ego, Waid has instead enlisted him with S.H.I.E.L.D. in order to use the Hulk’s immense power for good (and to maximize his “Banner time” for the greater good as well, focusing his scientific genius on advancements that could aid mankind). And while the results may not be quite the revelation that his Daredevil has been, Waid’s Hulk has made for an appropriately action-packed exercise in ante-upping: after all, when you admit in the title that your book’s hero is indestructible, you have little choice but to find newer and bigger challenges for him to overcome.
Since joining the ranks of Marvel’s superspy organization, Dr. Banner and his brutish alter ego have been on a whirlwind tour of the world’s most dangerous locales. In Indestructible‘s first five issues, Waid (along with original series artist Leinil Francis Yu) has sent the duo to the peaks of the Himalayas, a HYDRA base concealed inside a volcano, and the sunken civilization of Lemuria. Their latest adventure finds them travelling, by way of a sliver of Uru metal donated by Thor from his hammer Mjolnir, to the frozen wastes of Jotunheim. It’s Banner’s hope that a magical waterfall might hold the key to a renewable energy source, and he tasks his new team of hapless lab assistants to help him acquire it. However, their arrival is greeted by a strangely retro God Of Thunder, not to mention a legion of killer Frost Giants. Earth-shaking fisticuffs ensue, culminating in a–dare I say it?–smashing last-page cliffhanger that tweaks one of Marvel’s longest-running “who’s stronger?” debates.
Joining Waid for art duties on this story arc is Thor legend Walter Simonson, and it’s clear there could be no other choice for the job. While many of his 1980s artistic contemporaries have struggled to keep their work looking fresh in the 21st century, Simonson’s blocky dynamism has lost none of its power (having letterer John Workman along for the ride, whose splashy sound effects captions were an essential ingredient during Simonson’s nearly 50-issue run, doesn’t hurt). Waid wisely plays to his artist’s considerable strengths, choosing to use a version of the guest-starring Thunder God that resembles the one from Simonson’s heyday. Not a continuity error, this conundrum confounds Banner as well, and is clearly a mystery for a later issue (I might be mistaken, but I think Mjolnir used to have time-spanning powers as well as dimensional ones, so that might explain it). The biggest stumbling block to this series so far, though, has been the limitless strength of its lead. Even with the increasingly more powerful threats in his path, we all know that the madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets, so it’s unlikely that any foe is ever going to be madder or stronger anytime soon. But this has always been the biggest drawback for any Hulk writer, and Waid is a clever enough creator to find a way around it. Like Bruce Banner, he just needs to be constantly looking for the proper balance of brains and brawn.
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