by Randy Lander

INCREDIBLE HULK #38 "Last Chance Cafe" Highly Recommended (9/10) Marvel Comics Writer: Bruce Jones Pencils: John Romita Jr. Inks: Tom Palmer Colors: Studio F Letters: Comicraft Editor: Axel Alonso Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN There have been elements of a conspiracy and mysterious players in this story ever since Bruce Jones took over, but this issue introduces some new players and a fascinating new element to the people tracking Banner that leaves me even more curious. There are some big questions raised, and it's clear that there's more going on than a simple government operation, or a simple series of stories featuring Banner roaming from town to town. This issue also features one of the first full shots of the Hulk in some time, and John Romita Jr. makes it as impressive as it should be, given all the build-up. The two villains tracking the Hulk have been interesting, not just for their unusual origins but for their open animosity toward one another. This issue, that animosity explodes in an unexpected fashion, and there are revelations made about one of the duo that paints her as more than human. In fact, there's a new element introduced in the form of seemingly undead villains, and it adds an unexpected layer to the covert operatives background that has defined Banner's nemeses in the run so far. Romita Jr. and Palmer are doing some simply incredible work on this book, and what impresses me the most is that they are conveying the mundane just as well as the strange. The believable cornfields, cops and diner patrons make the walking dead, the covert assassins and the Hulk all the more impressive against such a normal background. And Romita Jr. conveys the smallest of details, whether it's Verugo's sensuality or Banner almost drinking his spiked drink under her watchful eye. That doesn't mean he can't do big action, though, as the emergence of the Hulk in the diner proves. Then there are the ongoing mysteries, such as the identity of Mr. Blue and what exactly the people hunting Banner want him for. It seems likely that they don't just want him dead, although given the abilities demonstrated in this issue, that may be exactly what they want him for. There's an element of unusual ability that speaks to something more than just a modern version of the Hulkbusters, and I'm dying to know more about the forces pursuing Banner. Creators working on the Hulk have an uphill battle with me, as I'm not a fan of the character in general. Jones and Romita Jr. have taken a character who is among my least favorite in the Marvel Universe and made his book one that rises to the top of my reading stack each week. Incredible Hulk combines weirdness and conspiracy elements straight out of the X-Files with the conflicted internal dynamic that has defined the Hulk, and the result is a surprisingly fresh and engaging comic. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.