“May He Who Dies…Die Well.” A Review of ‘World War Hulk’ and Its Various Tie-ins (Part 5)

WORLD WAR HULK #2
The carnage continues in World War Hulk #2 and this mini-series turned summer event crossover is still going strong. If you're looking for a bunch of dialogue, well, there are probably three or four new Bendis comics out this week. If you want to see the Hulk fight another group of superheroes? This is definitely the place for that. Just like in the first issue, all of these battles are well paced by writer Greg Pak and grandly executed by artist John Romita Jr.. The use of computer effects in this issue is particularly well done as well, adding weight and speed to the action. A visceral good time and a definite must-read book.

WORLD WAR HULK: FRONT LINE #2
A ground-level view of events that puts World War Hulk in perspective. We find out early on in this issue that the folks in the Marvel Universe are referring to this smash-fest as "World War Hulk", too. A cameo by a Hell's Kitchen hero gives us a good look at the state of a city in disaster and a huge crisis at the end of this issue can only make things worse. Still the best of the WWH tie-in series.

WORLD WAR HULK and FRONT LINE definitely left me wanting more. Let's see if this weeks other Hulk books are up to snuff.

GHOST RIDER #13
So, if you read what I had to say about the first issue of the Ghost Rider WWH crossover, you know I was not a fan. Well, this issue is pretty awful as well, but it's so ridiculous that I had a smile on my face the whole time I was reading it. Everything in here is as over the top as possible. Ghost Rider #13 ended up being a fun if mindless distraction.

WORLD WAR HULK: X-MEN #2
This is quite a departure from the first issue of WWH: X-Men. In that comic, the Hulk fought the New X-Men. In this issue, he fights the Astonishing X-Men! A totally different adjective! So, yeah, not much changes but in Round 2, Hulk vs. Mutants remains an entertaining bout.

AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #4
I read the first issue of AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE and it didn't really grab me. I like the writer, Dan Slott, but his usual funny seemed absent. The art, by Stefano Caselli, has a cartoony feel that I like, but again, I just wasn't feeling it. Now that I've read issue four, though, I'll have to go back and check the others out. Partly because it was a tight, well-told story of the new Initiative recruits, but mainly because I had no idea what was going on! A good issue with an interesting twist to the Iron Man/Hulk fight from WWH #1. I recommend you pick it up (after you read the first three).

Wow. I hate to admit it, but I whole-heartedly expected this week to be filled with suckiness. Five WWH titles in a week is a bit much. These issues were all pretty solid, even the intensely goofy GHOST RIDER #13. I'll be back with more WWH reviews if Marvel isn't too tired after this week! If that's not enough Hulk for you, you can always check out parts one, two, three and four of my series of World War Hulk reviews.