INCREDIBLE HULK #31
"Spiral Staircase, Part 2"
Recommended (8/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writers: Sean McKeever & Paul Jenkins
Pencils: Joe Bennett
Inks: Tom Palmer
Colors: Avalon Studios
Letters: John Workman
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
I recently became aware of the writing talents of Sean McKeever after receiving the collected first volume of his Waiting Place series, as well as subsequent single issues, for review. Not surprisingly, he and Jenkins team up to fashion an imaginative piece of science-fiction that has at its heart a powerfully emotional and touching idea. Just as important, though, is how accessible the story is, thanks to McKeever's script.
The Leader has summoned Bruce Banner to his desert hideaway, but it's the Hulk that answers the call. The super-intelligent but misshapen villain reveals he has no insidious purpose in mind, that he has abandoned his desire for world domination. Instead, he is focused on transcending his earthly existence and moving to a higher level of consciousness, and he wishes to share the experience with Banner.
I've never really been a big fan of Joe Bennett's art, and I didn't expect to enjoy his work here. I was pleasantly surprised with the powerful visuals he contributed to this issue, though. His organic yet angular portrayal of the Leader was fascinating. It was horrifying yet seemed somehow natural. Bennett and Palmer manage to convey the immensity and importance of what was happening to the Leader just as well as the dialogue did.
There are other interesting visuals in this book contributed by those other than the penciller and inker. Brian Haberlin's photo-realistic cover really grabs the eye and captures the iconic appeal of the title character. Workman has created a weird but effective font style to convey the Leader's distorted and shifting physiology as well.
In the past, all I've seen the Hulk and the Leader do is fight, but here, the writers are trying to convince us of a connection between the two. It's a testament to the script that they succeed. The Leader's description of Banner as something of a sibling really clicked for me. This is a story about how everyone, even the most solitary among us, needs someone else, needs to feel he is a part of something bigger than himself.
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