Hulk #5-10 "The Omega Hulk"

"The Hulk" has been having a weird time lately at Marvel. Following a successful run featuring the "Planet Hulk" storyline, the character had a sustained period of growth during the previous decade, bringing the company to expanding the franchise into several sister books. Despite the efforts of the editorial, the last few years have seen a bevy of takes and relaunches, with the acclaimed writer Mark ("Daredevil") Waid leaving the series shortly after the launch of his second successive take on the character.

Following the crossover with "Iron Man", capitalizing on the two characters' appearance in "The Avengers" movie, the company had decided to allow Gerry ("Deadpool") Duggan to take over as the writer, while Mark ("Ultimate Spider-Man") Bagley stayed on as the penciller. The new writer debuted with a clear statement of intent, albeit one that harkens back to a previous era in superhero storytelling.

Using Waid's set-up involving a bullet wound in the brain of the Hulk's alter ego Bruce Banner, and Iron Man's subsequent cure, the creative team have paved the way for Doc Green. Debuting as a supremely confident mad genius in the mold of Doc Savage, this Hulk has gotten ready to cut a swathe through the Marvel universe, effectively undoing a series of creative decisions made in the last ten years. The character's immediate plan seems to consist of depowering various other characters that have been imbued with Hulk-like abilities. Considering that most of the book's original cast has recently been remade into monsters, the decision has to do with the character bringing back his status as unique in the Marvel universe. On the dramatic level, Doc Green's confrontations with close friends and family members carry the additional charge requisite to making the scenes interesting.

Yet, most interestingly, the book itself seems transported back into yet another superhero era, that of the post "Authority" mature take on superhero power fantasies. Following Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch's groundbreaking superhero epic, a number of then-current mainstream books have tried to embrace the darker elements and the more nuanced portrayal. Most pertinently, Dan Jurgen's "Thor" was transformed from a modern day Kirby pastiche into a graphic novel detailing the character's descent into megalomania.

What makes "Omega Hulk" a call back to different era starts with the titular character's personality makeup. Presented as a calculating super genius, the character nevertheless maintains a sharp focus that coupled with a dark sense of humor makes reading his adventures interesting. Just like the unrepentant protagonists of books like "Planetary" and "Wildcats v3", Doc Green acts above the ordinary tropes of superhero comics, to enact his own mark on the world. The book truly feels like anything could happen in it, leaving the reader at the mercy of the Machiavellian monster that has taken over the body of the Marvel universe mainstay.

Doc Green feels no obligation to rationalize his actions to anybody, with the character's strength allowing him to simply go where his pleases and let his intelligence take control of the situation. In the most direct nod to "The Authority", the character even uses the same teleporting technology of the Ellis/Hitch superhero team, which is at one point identified by name by one of the supporting characters. Mirroring the Wildstorm flagship's debut, Duggan's story begins with the character's retaliation against a North Korea stand in. Yet, for the remainder of this opening arc, the Hulk seems poised to clean his own corner of the Marvel universe, before returning to take an active role in the Earth's politics.

All this is realized by Mark Bagley's clear and energetic layouts which bring a welcome sense of consistency that is rarely seen in superhero books of today. In a book filled with a large cast of characters meant to emulate the Hulk, there is never a sense of confusion when it comes to the inevitable fights. Following Duggan's debut, the creators structure each issue to have a strong fight sequence with a different member of the extended Hulk family. Aided by the inks of Andy Hennessy, the penciller manages to instill a sense of danger in each of these sequences, while never relying on gore or shock tactics. At this point in his career, the veteran artist is a consummate professional managing to bring a strong sense of storytelling to his pages and except for some Doc Green's attire, succeeds in realizing the story.

The reader is lead to see the awe in bystanders' reactions to the mohawk-wearing protagonist, but by the end of the first of the promised two storylines, the reader is lead to discover that even the haircut foreshadows future events. Redefining the invulnerable anti-hero as the "smartest one there is" has brought back a measured approach that makes the conflicts in the book that much more interesting. Doc Green engages all the other characters as inferior and delights in cruel taunts, but his central conflict is that with himself. Following Waid's cue, this Hulk's relationship with Bruce Banner is another of the many reversals that the readers have been treated to previously, much like the character's previous smarter incarnations the writers have made him exhibit.

Yet, with the upcoming "Secret Wars" wholesale redefinition of the Marvel Universe, the creative team genuinely seems to have their hands free to produce a year's worth of stories that are free to severely alter the status quo. At this point, it doesn't matter in what way the company will reconfigure one of their perennial favorites following the event, as long as they leave Duggan and Bagley to complete their story on their own terms. On the face of it, "The Omega Hulk" seems to be yet another in a long line of divergent takes on the character, but with the adequate follow through, the creative team could well leave the readers with the story on par with "Planet Hulk", but with a sophistication and charm all of its own.

Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk #1-6

"Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk", Marvel's long time in development project has recently been completed, making it a 6 part mini-series that took more than three years to come out. Spinning out of Mark Millar's "Ultimate X-Men" and "Ultimates", the imprint's best-selling titles, the nominal goal was presumably to recreate Wolverine's historical first appearance of main Marvel superhero universe. Due to the increased profile the more mainstream friendly Ultimate versions of their characters had, for a long time Marvel was very careful not to overextend it's imprint, building a brand name by hiring high-profile superhero talents, such as the Filipino-born artist Leinil Francis Yu. The company opted not to feature a traditional comics writer, but instead engaged the services of television's Damon Lindelof. 

Most famous for his work on "Lost", the writer ended up devoting so much of his time to the show, that his scripts started getting delayed further and further, up to the point where for all intents and purposes the series had been cancelled. Since that point, artist Yu has went on to collaborate with Brian Bendis on his "New Avengers" work, eventually ending up pencilling the company's 2008's "Secret invasion" event, with "Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk" seemingly remaining only in the memories of fans, who kept asking the editorial about it at the comics conventions. And yet, upon completing his work on the high-profile project, Marvel revealed that Yu's next assignment would be finishing up the long-delayed Ultimate mini-series. Apparently, Lindelof has completed all of his scripts, making the company secure to finally green light the once-successful series once again.

Sticking to the project's intended goals, it's easy to see what Marvel was hoping to accomplish. Yu is a certified comics artist, well known for his detailed and dynamic style and has a history with Wolverine. On the other hand, Lindelof is a well-known comic-book fan, who has exhibited both the ability for capable non-sequential storytelling, along with well-developed characters in "Lost". Apparently, the publisher thought that pointing him to Mark Millar's approach would be enough to make this "Ultimates" spin-off a fun and interesting mini-series on it's own. Marvel is well-aware that the 1970s "Incredible Hulk"#180-181 is going to attract only existing fans, so recreating the story with incarnations of their characters more attuned to their counterparts, in a modern setting would have a much better chance of attracting new audiences. In any event, their hardcore fans would surely find the new story a capable read, particularly as a part of the successful "Ultimate imprint".

In retrospect, had it come out in the promised, bi-monthly fashion, the series would have had a much better chance of retaining the sales level it had when it debuted. But, even then, it is a project with some of it's own particularities. From the continuity point of view, the changes to the original Wolverine/Hulk meeting are perhaps the most visible part of the project. Clearly, substituting the "Department H" with SHIELD is a commendable idea, in keeping with the Ultimate universe streamlining the more familiar aspects of regular Marvel continuity. On the other hand, the absence of Wendigo is a glaring difference, but one that may in the end work to the story's strengths. Even in the story as over the top as "Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk", the presence of arctic were-beast would be uncalled for. Substituting him with a Ultimate make-over of another, much more popular Marvel character, is a much sounder idea that the company could benefit from, working to the strengths of a tale, pitting two such large egos as Wolverine and the Hulk. 

Actually, Lindelof's story strips the original down to it's premise, of a government agency using Wolverine's services as a black ops soldier to quietly take down the Hulk, where the army and the other superhumans have failed time and time again. "Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk" follows up on the Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's "Ultimates II", but is actually very accessible to the readers with working knowledge of any incarnation of the Hulk. What's more, Lindelof makes almost no reference to "Ultimate X-Men"'s continuity, preferring to use an almost universal version of Wolverine, which is in keeping with the story's focus on Bruce Banner. Lindelof's exploration of Wolverine mostly stays on his distinctive character, with a couple of visual nods familiar to his longtime fans, in the way of his signature hat, and an eye-patch that he picks up on his visit to Hong Kong. Truthfully, most of the writer's fascination with the character seems to come from his regenerative abilities, which for once play a large part in the story.

The creative team actually spends most of the series convincing the readers that Wolverine is the only one capable of sustaining intensive physical damage, seemingly needed in order to have a prolonged conversation with the Hulk. Yu is a very capable penciler when it comes to depicting the gore involved in a way that is both very detailed, and yet nonsensical. This, of course, calls back to the "Ultimates", which managed to do all that and elect pathos, by having Hulk commit mass-murder. In contrast, "Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk" sidesteps that particular stylistic conundrum by taking place in Tibet, effectively eliminating the possibility of human causalities. 

Lindelof effectively ties up some of Hulk's murders as a part of the joke at one moment, with Yu memorably depicting the monster as having a harem. The silliness of the situation shows how the creators are dealing with the story, positioning it's emotional center on the Bruce Banner/Hulk psychological dynamic, with the violence as the visual extension of the rage. Dissociated from some of the "Ultimates"'s intended depth, they actively work to make "Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk" as much of a comic-book story as they can, with no real pretense of a political message. The story actually revels in it's immaturity, like a novice storyteller incapable of letting the best parts of his tale spill before he even gets to their place in the narrative. 

All of the book's outlook can actually be summed up in Yu's rendition of Bruce Banner, who is divorced from the neurotic look that Bryan Hitch gave him. The new penciler gives him a much more familiar heroic look, with chiseled features, of a more traditional comic-book hero, that is not really in keeping with the book's humour, but serves to further cement the book's dualistic nature. It's almost like Marvel is consciously gearing their Ultimate releases to appeal to an adolescent fan base, that is supposedly both thrilled by the superhero setting, but at the same time attracted to the garish jokes and scantly-clad females. This is nowhere more clear than in the sequences featuring Tibet as it may have existed in a distant past, in order to proceed with a couple of off-beat gags. Still, once the reader has embraced the story's stylings and internal logic, some of the more inspired touches can somewhat ease off some of the series' more exaggerations, with a wonderfully twisted dream sequence starring a panda as a particular highlight.

Still, most of the series goes for a particularly mixed violent tone, that is familiar to superhero readers, albeit defined by the constant jumps around in time. Similarly to Lidenlof's "Lost", but even more exaggerated, it seems like no two sequences follow each other chronologically, with the writer using a particularly fragmented method to control the pacing and choose to only spotlight the thematically linked events in each issue. That way, the creative team controls the pacing for the most impact, while also constantly hinting at forthcoming scenes that the reader should await on. Lindelof's story thus alternates between dialogue heavy, and somber scenes, entire issues of exposition, even, and their more fast-paced and explosive counterparts. As it stands now, it's difficult to judge what kind of story it would be like, had it been told in a more conventional chronological sense.

"Lost"'s influence extends to even to some Easter eggs, that seem to pile on in the later issues. It's not really jarring, but a fan of the show could start anticipating the visual references and actually get taken out of the story for a moment. Similiar to Kevin Smith's work, Lindelof's screenwriter frame of mind makes some of the characters discuss movies and make similar analogies much more often than usual for the comics, but not to an extent that would work to the detriment of the story.

As for the supporting cast, what little there is of it, they're all introduced to the story in a very organic way. Even a particular bit player with a role that is no more than a plot-device has been set-up in advance, making the story stronger and more realistic for it. Concentrating of the main females, both are given enough room to feel like somewhat developed characters of their own, with Yu's female physical model working in particularly against the script. The artist refuses to differentiate between the more intellectual, professor's body type and that of Hulk's fiancee, which bizarrely adds to the mystery about which one of the two will be revamped as the Ultimate version of a familiarly well-endowed Marvel character.

Of course, besides Wolverine and the Hulk, the other most notable character is Nick Fury, who ends up being the focal point of all the outside problems this series has had. Of course, both Lindelof and Yu present the familiar Ultimate incarnation of the character, as established in "Ultimate Spider-Man" and "the Ultimates", which has actually changed since the series debuted. Because, during the "Ultimate Power" crossover with the than popular "Squadron Supreme" series, Nick Fury actually left the Ultimate universe for the separate continuity of the JMS' series. Thus, all of his interactions with Wolverine and Hulk in this much-delayed mini-series actually take place prior to the Ultimate universe's current events. Not only that, but the haphazard decision to move Fury into a completely different series belay the problems that have befallen the Ultimate imprint since the days when "Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk"#1 was first published. In that way, the Lindelof/Yu mini-series is perhaps the last example of Marvel actively hoping to build the Ultimate brand by contacting the high-profile talents, before contacting Jeph Loeb to try and set the new direction for the failing line.

And it's Nick Fury that draws the convoluted story to a close, after one too many McGuffin has appeared in it's finale. Fury leads the two of Marvel's icons to the tale's non-conclusion, the only possible event given their high-profile. For all of the shocks, reveals and heightened emotions, "Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk" achieves little but introducing a related Ultimate character. Even the retelling of the original "Incredible Hulk" story is an afterthought, as the main selling point here are two of Marvel's most recognisable characters. Just like Nick Fury has recently returned from his sabbatical to the Ultimate imprint in Jeph Loeb's and David Finch's "Ultimatum", with #6 "Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk" seems to have also completed it's inconsequential journey back to where it started.

In the end, Marvel has went to a lot of pains to ensure that the remaining fans see the completed story the editorial has planned with Damon Lindelhof more than three years ago, only to see but a smothering of their customers return. And even they already seem to remember it only for the high point of it's absurdity, an image of scarred Hulk tearing Wolverine in half, featured in it's 2006 debut.

70 years of Marvel comics

This year marks the anniversary of the superhero giant's publishing line, thus making it interesting to take a closer look at the two of it's best-selling titles. Both "the Hulk" and "Captain America" are due for a renumbering next month, taking all of their history in print into account, yet there is much more that connects these two seemingly unrelated titles.

From the most cursory look, it's evident that even with the decades-old and world renowned characters, Marvel is forced to put all of their marketing savvy to ensure their continued existence. "Captain America" has just reached it's 50th issue, a round number guaranteeing extra sales, while "the Hulk" has, albeit belatedly, finished it's first year of publication with #12. To ensure sustained profit, Marvel has not only resorted to renumbering these two titles, so that they proudly sport #600 with the next issue, but they have already made plans to launch two mini-events on the back of it, with the long-term goal of putting out a pair of new monthly series starring related characters. Of course, it remains to be seen hos much "Reborn" and "Planet Skaar" have to do with Captain America and Hulk, respectively, yet the "New Hulk" spin-off has already been announced, with the "Captain America" franchise being a logical contender for extension, following the recently announced mini-series.

Putting aside the business concerns for the moment, and getting into the latest stories featuring the characters, reveals a lot of superficial differences. "the Hulk"'s latest adventure was featured as a three-part story-arc, while "Captain America" was presented with a one shot tale. "the Defenders-Offenders war" places Hulk amidst a complicated setup, to explain how multiple characters wound up pairing off against one another. Seeing as to how the heroes Hulk teams up with are his former "the Defenders" team mates, the lack of real depth makes a possible reiteration of the long-troubled franchise seem highly unlikely. Still, Marvel was successful at introducing Red Hulk as a new face in their superhero universe, resulting in him once again stealing the spotlight. Presented as extremely aggressive, Red Hulk seemed a natural choice for dominating most of the battles, but even so, the fights are presented as crass, short, and underdeveloped. 

On the other hand, "Days gone by" presents the reader with a much more somber experience, with most of the action devoted to framing around a different sort of story. Thus, the "Captain America" narrative consists of Bucky's introspection, as he flashes back to three different times in his life, intended to place his current situation in perspective. Bucky is of course, once again, center-stage, even though his fallen mentor's spirit continues dominating the book. By nature, the new Captain America is a violent man, with this story centering on the psychological effect the high stakes have played in his life, as opposed to the mundane birthday tradition, that many of his civilian peers spend with their closest friends. The high-speed present-day action sequences never really dovetail with his narrative, and seem mostly used to ground the book in the now, where where once long-forgotten sidekick struggled to walk in Captain America's footsteps.

Taking all of each respective title's runs so far into the context, the book appear even more different. Believing that "Hulk" should be a predictably action-oriented juvenile book, Marvel paired writer Jeph ("Batman: Long Halloween", "Superman for all seasons") Loeb with the fan-favorite artist Ed ("Superman", "Deadpool") McGuinness. Taking the editorial mandate for a new Hulk book, Loeb has decided on using the approach to pit all of the Marvel Universe against the Red Hulk, but not without setting up clues to the long-running mystery of the character's identity, in the vein of his work on Batman: Hush. Plotting to McGuinness' strengths, the writer famous for his ability to communicate with some of the most popular artists, has once again brought fourth the best of his collaborator, making the book a showcase for McGuinness' bold, cartoony drawings. Yet, for all the fun in pairing of Marvel Universe characters, the book has failed to connect with readers wanting more than a drawn-out, teasing affair.

In other words, it was not embraced by fans of "Captain America", a more mature and sensible exploration of the superhero conventions. Ironically, Ed ("Daredevil", "Criminal") Brubaker has spent years using the book to telling a single, well-thought out story, filled with over the top action in a spy/superhero hybrid. The art is depicted primarily by a striking classical action artist Steve ("El Cazador") Epting, with editorial managing to find suitable replacements, such as Luke ("Samurai: Heaven & Earth", "Jonah Hex") Ross that currently works on the book. The creative-team's unrelenting professionalism yielded a book that is consistent in all the best aspects, charged with a unique goal of fading Captain America out of the spotlight, for his former sidekick to step up. The authors are to be commanded for managing to concentrate on storytelling despite the sensationalism brought on by demise of Bucky's mentor. The Marvel superheroes reaction to the plot was actually hauled over to "the Hulk"'s Jeph Loeb himself, contained in a separate mini-series pencilled by today's most sought-out superhero artists.

The difference between "Hulk" and "Captain America" is most apparent in the way they treat the action sequences. "the Hulk" revolves more or less around the face-offs of it's various guest-starring characters, where "Captain America" includes the fight scenes almost as an after-thought, to fulfill the genre-requirements. Taking a closer look at the traditional superhero aspects of both books, finally reveals the most apparent symmetry - both of them follow firmly the Silver Age model.

In "the Hulk"'s case, it seems unnecessary to look for further depth, as "Defenders-Offenders war" is a throwback to the similar setups that forced groups of characters to fight one another for the most implausible reasons, such as in 1982's "Contest of champions". Yet, while that mini-series worked outside the context of the regular titles, seeing cosmic characters in "the Hulk", makes the reader try to appreciate the tale from the perspective of the Defenders. And yet, with such a strong focus on Red Hulk's atrocities, the whole story arc seems merely updated with a quicker pacing, and more adolescent sensationalism, when compared to it's decades-old inspirations.

Taking "Captain America" into account, the intent doesn't seem to be in doing a direct homage to a particular Silver Age story. Still, a stable of convention rears it's head even there, with the story feeling like a fill-in anniversary one shot of no particular significance on it's own. Despite the previous issue being a much needed look into a supporting cast member's fractured psyche, #50 features a familiar reflection told with the addition of unneeded action elements. After four years of developing Bucky as a hero in his own right, and a recent story arc devoted entirely on his coming to terms with his past, it seems superfluous. Unlike Red Hulk, the new Captain America has been given a lot of focus for some time now, and the only reason publishing a recapping issue like this makes is to try to present the new readers with the hero's new status quo.

Marvel seem to be doing their best to get new readers to sample the renumbered titles, ensuring them that they feature new characters. Taking the publisher's commitment into account, Bucky and Red Hulk might very well be prime examples of building up the interest in their new solo titles, once the original incarnations of Captain America and Hulk return to the forefront. Yet, despite all the differences, both are tied in so closely with Steve Rogers and the original Hulk, that by the nature of creating a family of titles, they don't actually feature new characters per se. Which is to be expected, as Marvel acts to further exploit their existing copyrights, instead of being forced to deal with the creator issues that come with completely new characters. They are, after all, a very successful company, devoted almost solely to updating their Silver Age superheroes to keep up with the market.

With the reality of the ever-shrinking audience, the publisher is thus forced to market their comics as aggressively as they can. And that means using "Captain America"#50 as an excuse to exploit the collector's interest by prizing the issue at 4$. The increase was justified with a text-story included in the back of the issue, illustrated by Marcos ("Doctor Strange: the Oath", "the Breach") Martin, designed to recap the title's history. More blatantly, "the Hulk", costing 4$ since the beginning of the storyline, has had a variant cover for each issue. Thousands of readers continually justify this kind of a publishing move by buying two copies of the same issue, for the sake of the different illustration on the book's front page. Still, despite the recap pages and promotions, the books attract next to no new readers, as defined by the today's young adults' almost complete lack of interest in superhero comics and the specialty shops they are sold in. The publisher is thus forced to rely on the existing clientele, hoping to entice them continue buying, and give spin-offs a chance. These would be the same readers, that have spent decades reading the titles, and are already familiar with multiple interpretations of familiar franchises. And this is how Marvel celebrates it's 70th anniversary, by retelling decades-old superhero stories, slightly updated, while hoping to launch spin-off books on the slight variations.