by Randy Lander

INCREDIBLE HULK #39 "Tag... You're Dead!" Recommended (7/10) 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 This issue is the conclusion of the first story arc, but it doesn't provide much of a satisfying conclusion. Instead, Jones offers up a lot more questions, and a scant few answers, all of which are suspect given the source. Though I enjoyed the issue to some degree, the mystery is becoming more frustrating than enjoyable, and I'm being reminded of X-Files and how it went from being a favorite to being something I wouldn't watch on a bet. The artwork is still drop-dead gorgeous, but the story needs to get a little more direction, and fast, or my newfound interest in the Hulk is likely to fade. There's some beautiful imagery in this issue. Romita Jr., Palmer and Studio F do a phenomenal job recreating a couple of key scenes from Frankenstein, and they also capture the desolate nature of the setting for the final confrontation. This is easily some of the most beautiful artwork in mainstream comics right now, and if Studio F aren't the best colorists working in the business, they're well within the top three. I also enjoy the elements of the story, including conspiracies amongst a group who can raise the dead and create guns to destroy the Hulk, but I'm having a little trouble putting it all together. What Verdugo explains in this issue is mostly the sort of thing that readers will have figured out, while still leaving a number of important questions. Are we meant to believe that the bystanders who got up after being shot last issue were agents in place? Just how many agents are there? If these top agents are so good and their weapon so secret, why weren't they in on the job from the first place, and why were they so easy for Slater to take out? Who gave Vergudo the disk, and why? What exactly was she hoping to accomplish with Banner, anyway? In providing mystery, Jones has also provided a lot of unanswered questions, and while I'm all for a good mystery, the questions are starting to far outnumber the answers, and my confusion is starting to outnumber my enjoyment. Which is not to say the writing isn't working for me at all. Jones writes ruthless very well, doing a particularly good job on the efficient killer Slater or the morally challenged Verdugo. And the central premise of the story, that a group which can resurrect the dead wants to get its hands on the Hulk, is certainly an intriguing one. Indeed, there are some interesting explanations for what has been going on over the past few issues, leaving tantalizing clues about why Ricky Myers was killed and who did it. Ultimately, the success of the Hulk will be measured when the story is all over, and it is then that we'll be able to fairly judge whether Jones left the readers hanging for too long or if his pacing was right for the story. However, given that this was meant to be the end of the first arc, it feels very much unfinished, and it's the first issue of the Hulk since this creative team has come onboard that hasn't bowled me over in at least some respect. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.