Writer Tamaki and Marvel continue to simply tease us with what we want to see.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Mariko Tamaki
Art: Nico Leon
Colors: Matt Milla and Andrew Crossley
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
What They Say:
A HULK UNLEASHED! Ever since the tragic events of CIVIL WAR II, JENNIFER WALTERS has done everything she can to avoid transforming into her heroic other form. When a string of murders point to her newest client, Jen finds that she might be in over her head without her super-strong alter ego. But who is this new HULK? And, more importantly, can Jen hope to control her once she’s let loose?
Content: (warning, content section may contain spoilers)
We start this issue off with a bit of a rewind. Jen is in the hospital post Civil War II, and Captain Marvel tries to say she’ll be there for Jen, but Jen clearly isn’t having any of it (Carol Danver’s decision to confront Bruce Banner over a vision Ulysses had in the story led to Banner’s death). After Marvel leaves, Jen discovers maybe she’s gone nuts, because a vision of Bruce suddenly appears and tells her it’s going to be fine. Her reaction to seeing the vision get an arrow through the head is…less that good for the doctors. Jen (as Hulk in the shadows, so we never see it) wrecks the room before we move to present day, where Jen is currently running from some sort of creature.
Maise Brewn, her recent client, confronts her on the roof of the building Jen was supposed to help her stay in, and has the creature summoned to her. Whatever it is seems to have affected other residents of the building, because as the cops try to gain access to the structure, other residents appear on the roof and talk about how bad a place the world is (in a manner similar to Maise). A giant shadow like monster appears to “protect Maise, and Jen starts to change as the issue ends.
In Summary:
Marvel…come on. We get it, you wanna show us that you’re taking the issue of showing Jen’s PTSD seriously, and that was ok in the beginning, but we are 5 issues in now and Hulk has shown up ZERO times (i don’t count the shadow one because it was a flashback and we never saw her clearly). The biggest problem there is that this should have been the issue where we finally got to see her transform.
She’s trapped on a roof with enemies all around and then a giant shadow creature attacks? that’s primetime right there. The series seems to have decided that having a slow pace is best, but for a character like this, it really doesn’t work out. Every issue has teased and teased what Jen’s Hulk form has become, and we get tiny glimpses in her moments of extreme anger, but in 5 issues, we have yet to see Hulk in a comic called Hulk. Aside from the pacing, the art remains consistent and so does the writing. It’s not a terrible book, but it is starting to grate a bit. It feels like the book dangles the main character in front of you and then whisks her away at the last second.
I can see the angle they want, but dang, hurry it up a bit please. The tone is degenerating into a grim one, with Jen now finding herself in a rather bad position for someone like herself. She’s still really the only standout too. Pick it up if you’ve got patience.
Grade: B-
Released By: Marvel Comics
Release Date: April 26, 2017
MSRP: $ 3.99
