As he did with his first arc, Bruce Jones is telling a story of intrigue and suspense more than a straight super-hero tale, and this issue's tense hostage negotiation was another example of that kind of thing. The shifts in alliances, the maneuvering of the shadowy Agent Pratt and the damaged lives of the protagonists all converge into a gripping narrative web. In addition, though Romita Jr. was a big part of what drew me to this book in the first place, Lee Weeks has met or maybe even exceeded the high artistic standards that he set for the title.
Jones has crafted each story around supporting characters as much as around Banner himself, and this rotating cast of extras has turned out to be one of the book's biggest selling points. Though we only met her a couple issues ago, I'm as interested in Sally Riker as I am in anyone else in the book, and the story of her life and what brought her to this crossroads made for a strong read. Even Agent Pratt, who serves as little more than an antagonist, has a bit of a sense of humor and likable human exterior to him. While the heart of the story is whether or not the shadow organization will get their hands on the Hulk or not, the smaller stories of what happens to Harry the hostage-taker or Sally the disgraced negotiator are just as interesting.
While I know pretty well that Banner isn't going to get killed, Jones still manages to inject a lot of tension into this book. He makes the reader care about the fate of the hostages and even the hostage-taker in the store, and the tension as each player in the drama decides how to deal with things is powerful and well done. I particularly appreciate that this feels like hostage sequences that I've seen in movies and TV, cutting back and forth from the negotiator to the hostage taker to the snipers outside, all waiting for things to converge just perfectly.
A lot of the credit for that must go to Lee Weeks, Tom Palmer and Studio F as much as Bruce Jones. They convey the small details of what's going on, the minor moves of hands and faces, that indicate shifts in thought or emotion. They provide a detailed and believable look at the store and the buildings outside, and I love how Studio F saturates certain scenes with green, brown or yellow to indicate place or time. While I'm happy to see Stuart Immonen taking a turn on this book, I'll honestly be disappointed if Weeks isn't brought back for another shot at the art chores at some point, or even made regular artist.
I've long said that I'm not an Incredible Hulk fan, and that the only person who really got me to care about the character and the book was Peter David. Bruce Jones has made a liar out of me, as I've found his mixture of conspiracy and suspense to be an intriguing and compelling take on the character. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Kaare Andrews's covers have been stunning, certain to grab the eye, with this one being a particular stand-out.
