Marvel’s Avengers: Hulk #1 Impressions
For the most part, I’ve been pretty impressed with the “Avengers” comics Marvel has released to tie into the upcoming video game from Square Enix. This is mostly thanks to the strong work by writer Jim Zub, who never phones it in when it comes to comics writing. He’s been joined by a strong bullpen of artists who have infused the somewhat generic style with a little bit of spirit. The third issue of “Marvel’s Avengers” focuses on the Hulk. It’s the weakest of the three so far, but lurking in the margins are the hints of a good story.
The art style of this series (and presumably the video game) take a lot of cues from early 00s comics, particularly “The Ultimates” (which was drawn by Bryan Hitch). The MCU movies also borrowed visual elements from that generation of comics. That means a lot of small busy bits: buckles and straps, belts, seams, and very textured armor. The artists in the series thus far have done a fabulous job at using those fine details to ground the superhero costumes in plausible reality without going overboard and making the panels busy with unnecessary bits. That style doesn’t really fit in this issue though, as the Hulk is mostly naked.
It’s Not Easy Being Green
He’s got muscles of course. And his green skin is flecked with pores and bulging muscles. But it’s not that visually interesting. The same goes for the shield facility and generic East-coast urban docks he goes to later. Everything is sterile, begging for details, but there’s nothing to be found. This kind of story calls for a more stylized approach, like the art David Aja brought to his famous “Hawkeye” run or how Chris Samnee approached “Daredevil.” Their styles used large simple shapes that didn’t capture the realism of the scene, but allowed for much more striking and memorable images. They let the colors do a lot of the talking, and that can turn an empty white hallway into a rich scene of light and shadow.
Hulk stories a little harder to get right than some of the other Avengers. There’s only so many iterations of the central conflict, so the best writers tend to get weird. There was a classic run in the 80s where Hulk wore a pinstripe suit and became a Las Vegas bouncer (it’s great!). The current Hulk comics are a horror series that positions the Hulk as a biblical force of justice. This is a familiar story about Bruce Banner’s regret at the destruction his alter ego causes. Not only have we seen this story countless times in movies, cartoons, and comics, we saw it in the last issue when Hulk was a supporting character in Thor’s story. Hulk doesn’t get to be as fun as Iron Man or Thor; we don’t get to relish his rage-out.
But I said there was a good story lurking here, and hopefully it’s part of the setup for the game. It has to do with the two scientists Bruce is working within the SHIELD facility. One is his love interest, who we only see referred to be her first name “Monica.” The other is a shifty creep named George Tarleton, who is responsible for unleashing a classic Hulk monster in this issue, Zzzax the Living Dynamo. In the comics, Tarleton isn’t Zzzax, he’s somehow a much weirder villain: MODOK the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing!
Now, video game fans may know MODOK from Marvel vs Capcom 3, where he was a playable fighter. He’s awful, a giant head with little baby arms and legs and a rocket where his butt should be. He would yell “Psionic Blaster!” in a terrible raspy voice. If you played the game, you know who I mean. MODOK of the comics is a goofy delight; the kind of mad science creature that you only get in the pages of cape comics. He once led a team of loser villains on an epic heist to get back at his ex-girlfriend (check out the criminally underrated “MODOK’s 11”). He recently became a sort of incel and re-imagined himself as BRODOK, the Bio Robotic Organism Designed Overwhelmingly for Kissing in the pages of “West Coast Avengers” (it didn’t work out because of his awful personality). MODOK doesn’t show his oversized head in this issue, but if he’s being set up as a villain for the game, that’s definitely exciting news.
Monica is a bit more obscure, as we don’t get a last name or an alias for her, but I’d bet good money that she’s Monica Rappaccini, the Scientist Supreme. Like MODOK, Dr. Rappaccini is frequently associated with the evil mad scientist cult AIM, and tends to build giant evil death robots that stomp on major cities (well, if you consider Jersey City to be major). Monica is cool because she’s the rare female mad science villain. She’s got a great look, and unlike the psychotic MODOK, she usually manages to keep her evil plans together until the last minute, when her lust for science typically drives her to do something batty. In this issue, she’s mostly just a girlfriend prop for Bruce Banner, but give her a green and yellow suit, and evil laugh, and a convoluted plan, and we’ll be in business! Evil business!
A Smashless Affair
So as a comic issue, “Marvel’s Avengers: Hulk” is a bit of a disappointment. The most interesting characters only appear as the most boring versions of themselves. But maybe that’s a reason to hope. Surely they weren’t shown as their full selves because they will appear in their full glory in the game? While this story leaves a lot to be desired in and of itself, it’s very effective as a setup for the video game. I can’t wait to smash MODOK’s oversized face with a green gamma charged fist.
***Comic was provided to COGconnected by the publisher***