Some of you may have noticed that The Incredible Hulk (including its "new reader friendly, jumping-on point" 25 cent issue) has been a little short on... well, on the Hulk. For those who hated that direction from the start, or have merely grown weary of it after about two years of repetitive storytelling, Hulk: Nightmerica should be a nice antidote. The story is by no means flawless, with some pacing problems toward the end and a worrying tendency toward cliche in the villains, but it does have some great painted artwork that shows the Hulk in action, and Laws seems to really get into the head of Banner and the Hulk and explore how they think.
The first thing that struck me about Nightmerica (and that really is a terrible title) was that it opens with a full-page shot of the Hulk, serving notice that it's going to be quite different from Bruce Jones's "monster in the closet" approach to the lead character. The second thing that struck me was that the narration was from Hulk's point-of-view, and thus does Laws immediately set Nightmerica apart from the regular Hulk title. This story could almost be called old school, as it features such familiar sights as the Hulk beating up a robot, Banner trying to deal with the consequences of a Hulk rampage and even that old favorite, the evil military-industrial conspirators.
While I enjoyed this more traditional approach, there are some worries there. For one thing, the villains behind W-A are a bit too snarling and willfully evil, and seeing them for only a page robs them of any depth they might otherwise have had. Here's hoping we'll see more well-realized villainy in future issues. The other problem is that Laws crams a lot of reversals and exposition into the issue, which starts out with reasonably-paced characterization and action and then turns into a breakneck run to the bottom of the hill where the premise of the mini-series is waiting. These days, I hate to advocate that Marvel slow down any of its books, given the snail pacing that has seemingly become a presidential mandate at the company, but Laws sort of undercuts his interesting supporting character with a rapid fire reveal of her true history and introduction of something that upsets her for a forced cliffhanger.
I do have my troubles with the issue, but I found a lot more to like than to dislike. Laws hits on some nice details of what it feels like to be the Hulk, or what it feels like to be Banner immediately after a rampage. The notion that he has a certain protocol he follows when waking up, seeking out clothes and then food, or the way he so casually and easily lies about who he is, sheds a lot of light on the life he's found himself forced into, and Laws seems to have found the balance between the laconic expert fugitive from Jones's run and the sometimes milquetoast Banner of just about every other Hulk writer here. He also develops a likable and intriguing supporting character in Cutler/Chrissie, although I have to admit that I liked her first story about how she found the Hulk better and more interesting, and would have liked if that had turned out to be true.
Then there's the artwork, which is beautifully painted but not so sterile as painted artwork can sometimes be. Ashmore's work is dynamic, an important quality when he's drawing the rampages of the Hulk and even more so when he's trying to convey the emotions and the bond developing between Banner and Cutler. His version of the Hulk is not as bulked-up and monstrous as that of John Romita Jr., Dale Keown or other definitive Hulk artists, but he does have a squat, compact power similar to the original design by Kirby or some of the shots we've seen from the movie.
