Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Hulk #15Hulk #15
Marvel Comics
Loeb & Churchill

Hulk continues to entertain and frustrate at the same time with the latest issue. The crux of the issue is X-Force versus the red Hulk's mercenaries. On the surface the issue is pretty good. There are some good elements to latch on to in here but there are a couple of oddities that continue to linger that take away something from this issue. For the most part this comic is a step up from previous issues of Hulk.


Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsThe pairing off for the battle works in a couple of instances very well. Of course, Wolverine versus Hulk is the best of the bunch, but the Deadpool versus Warpath is a good one too because of the humor. The issue is a means to unveil a new threat at the end. It's a good battle, but the real purpose of the comic is the character that shows up at the end, seemingly to everyone's surprise.

You might wonder what actually happens with the fighting. Well, Domino holds her own but it seems that Hulk's mercenaries aren't all totally interested in her. Sure, the characters get sucked into their own individual battles but a couple had their shot at her and didn't seem to take it.

One aspect of the comic that is left open is the dialogue that Elecktra has with Domino. She suggests that everything involved with the battle in this comic book was contrived by an outside party. Essentially meaning that everyone involved was getting duped. Could this be another red herring? Sure, but the idea floated here does help to make the story more interesting.

There are elements that aren't very good in this comic. For example, the Punisher battling X-23 with a pool cue is completely laughable, but the real problem is the monologue that the red Hulk spews. I read it, reread it and then read it alone, without reading the issue's dialogue and it doesn't make sense. It seems that the red Hulk wants to be and considers himself to be a hero. He questions how he'd become power hungry recently and how he's fallen off the path. This makes no sense because since the red Hulk has been on the scene all he has done is fought various heroes with no rhyme or reason issue to issue. I really couldn't figure this out at all.

The comic book manages to entertain consistently, despite some of the writing, because of the artwork. There are a lot of characters and a lot of action and the comic book brings its best when dealing with the visuals. The Wolverine battle doesn't disappoint as Wolverine even attempts to bowl over Hulk with a taxicab. It's a fun story with the artwork.

Hulk has its share of problems with the story and the overall direction but this issue is good. It drives you nuts with all the characters popping in without purpose but at least it's a little entertaining. I don't understand where this is all going but I would think that the red Hulk is going to do some more pontificating about who he is in future issues. That can only help make this comic book more coherent. This was a pretty good issue, though I would think fans of the Punisher and X-23 aren't going to like how their characters are portrayed.

3.5 out of 5 geek goggles