Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Incredible Hulk #610Incredible Hulk #610
Marvel Comics
Pak, Pelletier & Miki

At long last some sense can be made of World War Hulks and the Red She-Hulk. This issue basically gives the origin of the Red She-Hulk and unwinds much of the conspiracy that has been hovering over Bruce Banner and all of the other characters in the Hulk universe since the conclusion of World War Hulk some two and a half years ago. There's a lot at the end of the comic that I won't spoil that elevates this to a higher level. You'll just have to trust me on this.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsThe bulk of the issue gives the rundown of how Betty ended up becoming the Red She-Hulk. What I liked most about this sequence was that it referenced some comics that were years old. This helped to ground the character transformation into something that a continuity nut would appreciate. To me, this helped to ease the pain of these red characters just being jammed in for the sake of a storyline in the last few years.

The Betty transformation story also managed to tie in many of the other supporting characters like Samson. This all basically explained so much of what has been going on in the Hulk titles for the past year. It also helped to push across the big ending to this issue.

The last few pages of this issue throws virtually every main characters from this crossover into an impossible situation. Banner understands the larger plot and how to take it down. He also understands the ramifications of his actions. Banner acts as any other hero would act by making sacrifices on a smaller scale for the betterment of a larger of group. The explanation of the science behind his reasoning may be a little fuzzy, but the acts are genuine and believable.

The artwork brings this issue to a level that might very well top the story. The story calls for big explosions and lots of fighting with lighting and all kinds of noise for the ending. The artwork delivers on each and every panel. The story wouldn't be able to pull off the level of drama it was seeking without the amazing art in here.

The issue concludes with a backup story about the Son of Hulk. Unfortunately the eight page space just isn't enough room for Reed and Munera to carry across the story they want to tell. I haven't found a backup feature yet that can make the adjustment from twenty-two pages to eight and hold my interest so this isn't a knock against them. It's worth mentioning that I hope the story is collected down the line because it probably reads as it should when not truncated so badly here.

I enjoyed this issue so much I felt the same level of interest in this title that I haven't felt since Planet Hulk. I can't wait to see where this going and because of my interest in this issue I may actually pick up the Hulk-Jeph Loeb series as well. Gasp! This is definitely one to check out. Even if you haven't been following along with this story, this is an ending you don't want to miss.

4 out of 5 Geek Goggles