Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Cosmic Review #14! Incredible Hulk #2 + What to keep on pull this holiday season!

Hey there fellow comic junkies,

    It appears that another Wednesday has come into our lives and with it the bountiful harvest that is “new comic day”. For me, today’s harvest was quite impressive. Let us take a quick moment and check out my comic pull list this week:

BOOM! Studios

Starborn #12

Dynamite

The Bionic Man #4

DC


Batman #3
Catwoman #3
Captain Atom #3
DC Universe Online Legends #17
Green Lantern Corps #3
Justice League #3
Nightwing #3
Red Hood and the Outlaws #3

Marvel

Fear Itself #7.3: Iron Man
The Amazing Spider-Man #674
The Incredible Hulk #2
Venom #9

Quite a haul this week. As I was going through my pulls in one sitting as I tend to do, I had some time between issues to contemplate the state of my pull list and its content. I think after this week I can honestly say that the three most interesting books I am reading right now has to be Venom (Rick Remender), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Scott Lobdell), and Captain Atom (J.T. Krul). Throughout the weeks these three books have not disappointed me in the slightest. I never once found myself pausing between pages and always experienced that familiar feeling of disappointment/realization when I flipped to the final page and found myself wanting more. All three books, to me, seem to have a lot of potential moving forward and I sincerely hope that the comic community shares my view and the titles can continue to move strong into 2012. Moving on to this week’s review I forego the overly examined titles from DC and Marvel (let’s face it the major review sites are all over those ones already,) and examine a title that I think should have more exposure then I am currently viewing. This week I shall be reviewing The Incredible Hulk #2!

The Incredible Hulk #2
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Marc Silvestri
Colours by Sunny Gho


    So at the end of Fear Itself we witnessed the Hulk and Bruce Banner being separated once again, however this time it appears that the separation was done willingly by none other than the Hulk himself. Since issue one, we find Aaron exploring the aftermath of this abrupt separation from the perspectives of both Bruce and the Hulk. As is the norm we find the Hulk seeking a peaceful existence away from those who would wish to use or abuse him. For Bruce however we see a different path unfolding. It appears that since the separation Bruce has been seeking out the Hulk, to rejoin with him. Aaron takes Bruce down a path that really explores his core as a character and the dark side of his relationship with the Hulk. The story that Aaron has created thus far seems to me to have a lot of potential and I can definitely see this title picking up some positive reviews in the near future. To bring this story to life we have the art of Marc Silvestri. I am thoroughly impressed with Silvestri’s art in this title. He does a great job of bringing the dark tone to the scenes with Bruce, expressing his desperation and obsession clearly to the reader. In this issue the action scenes are stunning and will easily delight an avid Hulk reader looking for a great bunch of smashing panels. The detail is just awe-inspiring and makes me excited to see what comes next. Gho’s colours help establish the moods between panels and set a great atmosphere throughout the issue. The head shots alone should win over even the most critical of Hulk fans. If you are on the fence about getting on board with this new Hulk title, I urge you to reconsider. The premise for the new title may seem a little gimmicky at first, it did to me too, but considering what I have seen so far in issue 1 and 2 I really believe that this run will prove to be something that will be buzzed about from Marvel.

Cosmic Rating: 4/5

Good
- Very interesting story direction, explores Bruce in a new way
-  Fantastic artwork. Exceptional detail and great colours
-  Great actions scenes, Hulk fans rejoice!

Bad
- The overall theme is not exactly new, strong start but still too early to be sure


    That concludes the CCR for the week of Nov/16. Now that we are entering the impending holiday season many may be wondering what titles they can trim from their pulls to pocket some extra cash before the annual gift hunt for friends/family. I hope you shall consider the recommendations I have made throughout my review this week into your pull list dissections. I shall return next week with another comic review, until then take care and happy reading!

Luca “Joriko” Baldassarra

Follow me on Twitter @Lucacosmic for news on comics, video games, and everything in between AND Check out my fan-page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Lucacosmic!

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