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INCREDIBLE HULK 2001
Neutral (3/10)
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Marvel Comics
"The Hammer Strikes"
Writer: Erik Larsen
Pencils: Jorge Lucas
Inks: Al Milgrom, Al Vey & Greg Adams
Colors: Avalon Studio
Letters: Sharpefont
Untitled back-up story
Writer/Artist: James Kochalka
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Price: $2.99 US/$4.50 CAN |
Hammer Strikes: It's clear what Larsen and Lucas are aiming for with this story: this is a Lee/Kirby story from the Silver Age that was never told. This is the Silver Age Thor deciding to finally do something about the threat posed by the Silver Age Hulk. The problem is that sensibilities have changed since the Silver Age. Nostalgia is fun, but a look back needs to be tempered with more modern storytelling tones.
Just as Thor thwarts the criminal machinations of a high-tech gang in New York City, he's informed of the Hulk's rampage in midtown. The God of Thunder decides to put an end to the Hulk once and for all, and their battle takes them into the New York state countryside and even into other dimensions.
Well... that was one looooong fight scene. And a rather pointless one as well, given that the outcome -- meaning the maintenance of the status quo -- is a foregone conclusion. The story offers no suspense, and the only two characters that really matter are far too removed from normal human experience.
Lucas does his usual Kirby riff, and it suits the simple tone of the story. But Kirby homages only go so far. The reader sees nothing really new in the art. This sort of thing has played out in Silver Age comics like Avengers, Thor and Hulk many times before, so one is left with a feeling of "same old, same old" from the art.
Kochalka story: This all-too brief story is also simple in tone, but in a much more charming way than the main feature. Kochalka focuses in on the Hulk as a tantrum-prone child, both in terms of the dialogue and visually. I'm pleased to see an independent-comics creator like Kochalka getting some recognition from one of the biggest publishers in the industry.
As the Hulk wanders a barren landscape, a downpour frustrates him to no end. He rages at the storm, claiming to be more powerful, but some mud and uncertain footing proves otherwise.
The message behind this cute, colorful story is clear: no matter how powerful one becomes -- whether that power stems from knowledge or brute force -- mankind just ain't no match for Mother Nature. The only real problem with this piece is its brevity. I could have gone for 40 pages of Kochalka's Hulk instead of just four.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
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