Indestructible Hulk, Vol. 2: Gods and Monster by Mark Waid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Not quite as knock-it-out-of-the-park as Vol. 1, but a very cool solid collection.
First off, No more Francis Leinil Yu…
However, he’s been replaced by the legendary Walt Simonson!!!
Oh…and he’s drawing THOR! with HULK!
The story has Banner and his team use a portal to the realm of the Frost Giants to gather elements for Earth, and of course, the Frost Giants show up to attack…luckily Thor arrives and he and Hulk make short work of them.
However, Thor doesn’t remember Banner…or Hulk…so Banner discovers that they must also have gone back in time to before Thor ever crossed paths with the Hulk.
It’s very cool to see Banner and Thor before they met, and Hulk having the knowledge that Thor is a friend. So it’s not in depth story-telling but it’s very cool for geeks like us.
The second story has a different artist, and reveals who the secret contact Banner had from the first volume; the one who was to release sensitive info if Banner ever failed to report in. That person is not a spoiler…but it’s…Daredevil/Matt Murdock!!!
It makes perfect sense for Murdock to be Banner’s lawyer, and the relationship between the 2 men is done very well, there’s mutual respect you don’t always see. What’s even cooler is that Daredevil and Hulk work so very well together as well.
This probably works best for me because Waid also has been writing Daredevil, so he’s got a great grasp of MM, and his Banner/Hulk work is strong too. The only mis-step is an unnecessary super-villain (B-list) appearing.
I really loved the interactions between the 2, and how Daredevil could calm Hulk better than most people, purely due to tone of voice, and the recognition that DD was a friend.
There’s one scene in the midst of battle/explosion between the 2, and the grown man me had tears in my eyes because it was so…sweet? perfect? loyal? friendship at it’s best? Pure instinct, and I loved it.
More solid work from Waid, and I love the work he’s putting out for Marvel the last few years. Long may he run!
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