FAMILYFANS Books & Comics

review by

Mike Nappa

WORLD WAR HULK #1: Prologue "World Breaker"

by Peter David, Al Rio, Lee Weeks, and Sean Phillips

(Marvel Comics)

Reader Appeal: Teens and Adults

Genre: Comic Books / Superhero

It's been a while since I've indulged my inner gamma hunger and dived into a Hulk comic book, so I picked up World War Hulk #1 with great anticipation and enthusiasm. After reading "Prologue: World Breaker," I have to admit it will probably be a while before I pick up another Hulk mag.

Not that this was a terrible comic - it wasn't. The artwork is truly impressive - strong, imaginative, and evocative. But the story it related was belabored and tedious, and, well, the Hulk just isn't what he used to be. The great appeal of the Hulk concept is that within this raging monster there was always a man, one shred of human decency that kept the Hulk from crossing the line into villainy and cruelty. The Hulk has all the power, to be sure, but it was his alter ego, Bruce Banner, that made him a hero.

Apparently the writers over at Marvel have gotten tired of dealing with the complexity of the human condition. Maybe it's just too hard to write about someone who is marvelously flawed, but also irreconcilably good.

So, with World War Hulk, they've opted to simplify things a bit and make our ever-lovin' green-skinned monster just, well, a monster. Not only that, he's a murdering monster now determined to exact a deadly revenge on his former superhero friends, Iron Man, Dr. Strange, Mr. Fantastic, and Black Bolt. After all, it was these four who exiled Hulk into space where he was supposed to live out the rest of his days, far away from earth, removed from any opportunity to destroy our world as we know it.

"Prologue: World Breaker" is told in a rather tedious and disjointed flashback montages, punctuated by long, tedious conversations between groups of people retelling what has happened previously to get us into the moment we are now witnessing. Basically, after being exiled, the Hulk landed on a planet that had somehow imitated the gladiatorial tradition of Spartacus. In short order, Hulk became a sort of king over the gladiators, formed his own little gladiator gang full of weird and wonderful specimens from all over the universe. Now this gang of warriors is returning to earth so the Hulk can kill Iron Man et. al. Of course, he happily kills anyone or anything that gets in his way, nearly strangles one of his own fighters in the heat of battle, learns meditation from an overconfident alien, and voila, he's calm and a super-killer at the same time.

Granted, the scope of this first comic was ambitious. Trying to recap all the back story before launching the Hulk's war against humanity is no easy task. But the telling was so forced and cramped, that it seemed amateurish. Add to that the full villain-izing of the Hulk, the lame (and overused) "intergalactic gladiators" motif that requires Hulk's fists of fury to now be filled with a sword and axe, and you've got a beginning that's overwrought, over-hyped, and actually disinteresting to a degree. (and by the way, with his near-invulnerable green skin capable of surviving a nuclear blast and various and sundry other weaponries aimed at him over the years, exactly why does the Hulk need armor on his left arm and legs, and a shield on his back? Just curious.)

My guess is that the World War Hulk storyline will probably appeal to readers who are already Hulk fans, but unlike the iconic hero at its center, this tale simply won't stand the test of time.

FAMILYFANS RATING: C+

AFTER THE STORY

If your family members are interested in this comic, then encourage discussion about it afterward. You can use these questions to get started:

• When were you mad even to try and seek revenge? What happened?

• How does bitterness and a thirst for retribution hurt both parties involved?

• When you feel a desire to strike back at someone who hurt you, what can you do to get beyond those kinds of feelings? How can the example of Christ help you at that time? How can Christ himself help?

Note: All comics-related graphics in this column are standard publicity/promotional shots and are owned by their respective publisher.