Seeing Red

Hulk #1

The Hulk is back, but he’s not the big green goliath we’re all familiar with. It starts off with Doc Samson, She-Hulk, Iron Man, and Gen. Thunderbolt Ross investigating an unusual murder in Russia. From the looks of it, the Abomination was attacked by the Hulk, beaten senseless, and then… shot to death with a handgun?!? Unfortunately, the investigation is interrupted by Red Guardian, Darkstar, Crimson Dynamo, and Ursa Major of Russia’s Winter Guard, which, of course, leads to the inevitable fistfight. Things settle down when a lone survivor of the attack is found — a traumatized little girl who is only able to say the word “red.” Meanwhile, longtime Hulk ally Rick Jones finds himself mysteriously lost and shirtless in the Alaskan wilderness, while Samson and Ross decide to track down some answers about the Hulk by turning to the world’s foremost expert on the Hulk — Bruce Banner, still safely in custody in Nevada.

Verdict: Thumbs up, with a ton of criticisms. First: We don’t actually see the Hulk at all — just some flashbacks. Second: killing the Abomination? He’s pretty much the main Hulk villain. Everyone knows he’ll be back by Issue #6. Third: I don’t understand the animosity between Doc Samson and She-Hulk — last time I remember seeing them together, they seemed to get along fine. Seems like poor characterization. However, for all those criticisms, I still enjoyed the issue. There’s not much question about who the Hulk is this time, but it should be entertaining finding out what turned Rick into a big red musclehead.