Review – Hulk (2021) #1
Writers – Donny Cates
Penciler – Ryan Ottley
Colour Artist – Frank Martin
Letterer – VCs Cory Petit
Cover Artist – Ryan Ottley
Publisher – Marvel Comics
Release Date – 24 November 2021
Variant Covers – Ryan Ottley and Simone Bianchi
Intro
IMMORTAL NO LONGER! CATES & OTTLEY DELIVER A NEW, COLOSSAL-SIZED ERA! “MAD SCIENTIST” Part 1 of 6 The uncontrollable rage of the Hulk has reached an all-new level, and nobody – including the Avengers – is prepared to handle it. But is it really the Hulk that people should be afraid of, or is there something missing to this puzzle? Join the superstar creative team of Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley as they look to the stars for the next era of HULK!
Writing
Donny Cates follows in the footsteps of Al Ewing who had an impressive run with Immortal Hulk previously. And whilst this is seen as a continuation of the former, Cates firmly puts his own stamp on this book. I’m really excited to see where he goes with this book and I don’t want to give too much away about the storyline. All I will say is that it’s a fascinating look into Banner’s psyche and we are left with the question, “What if the Hulk exists to protect us from Bruce Banner?”.
Artwork
Ryan Ottley is an artist who should need no introduction. And for me, it was his work on Invincible that really made me sit up and take notice. So when I heard that he was going to be working on the new Hulk book with Donny Cates, I was excited. I’m not going to lie, I was like a kid at Christmas reading this book. Ottley’s artwork is amazing and it would need to be to match Cates’ storyline. But let’s not taking anything from Ottley, his work on this book elevates the whole thing to another level. This is a lesson in how it should be done, and done well.
Overall
What a fantastic book, easily full marks across the board for me. It’s a really interesting take on the complicated character of Bruce Banner. And sure we have seen many iterations over the years but this feels like a fresh take on the subject matter. I’ll admit that I’m a massive fan of the Hulk and some stories have left me feeling disappointed. This is not one of them. A must collect for any Hulk fans!
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