To date, Jason Aaron's Incredible Hulk run hasn't clicked on the same level his work usually tends to. The fact that Incredible Hulk #4 is shipping the same days as Aaron's other four ongoing books doesn't helps matters any. The series remains viscerally satisfying but somewhat off-putting in other respects.
Aaron ramps up the action this month as Hulk and his new friends battle an island of Hulked-out animals. I worried Whilce Portacio's art would be too muddy and inconsistent to capture the chaos, but Portacio is in better form here than he has been other recent Marvel books. The more extreme eccentricities of his style suit the story, and it's only in the case of the human characters like Amanda von Doom that his jagged, imprecise facial work is a drawback.
It's these same human characters that are the source of the story-based problems. In the case of von Doom, she remains too vague and generic a character, serving little purpose other than to point Hulk at his targets. Bruce Banner is more of a mixed bag in terms of characterization. There's no denying that Aaron's psychotic, mad scientist take on Banner is amusing and unusual.
In some ways it's even justified given the course the character has taken these last few years. At the same time, it's a very extreme direction to venture into, and the longer it lasts, the harder it'll be to ever paint Banner as a heroic figure again. The most significant test this series faces right now is in proving that this new Hulk/Banner dynamic has long-term potential.
| Rating | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| out of 10 | Click here for ratings guide | |
IGN reviews the hottest comic book releases for the week of ...
