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WWH Part 5

The war is over.

When someone says that, it’s usually cause to celebrate. Nobody LIKES war, after all. (Yes, a President Bush joke looms somewhere in there, but I think his premature “Mission Accomplished” banner suggests a passion to WIN war, even at the cost of perpetuating it beyond its natural course. I digress.) Yet something about World War Hulk was different. If some supervillain pummeled his way through the Marvel Universe like the Hulk did, we the readers would cheer for his defeat, but something about the Green Scar’s plight evoked sympathy, even encouragement. Like the Hulk-loving hippies in the background of this war-torn New York , we wanted to see old Jade Jaws finally get his just desserts for years’ worth of misunderstanding and never being left alone.

Instead, Hulk surrenders his rage and the spotlight to plot twists and new series launches, which goes to show that, though Hulk was free of the Illuminati’s manipulation, he’ll never escape the machinations of Marvel’s marketing department . . .

(Before I continue, I’d like to note that, as an avid reviewer, I usually have the issue in question in front of me while I write, but in this case, I feel so invested in this miniseries that the visual aid is unnecessary. Plus, I’m at work and it’s at home, so I don’t have a choice, anyway . . .)

(Also, this review is rife with spoilers, so if you haven’t read World War Hulk #5 yet, avert your eyes right . . . NOW!)

In case you missed my reviews of World War Hulk #1-4, I felt compelled to read this series despite my usual dismissal to multi-title-tie-ins, but the summer blockbuster nature of this story (and the self-contained nature of the core five issue miniseries) intrigued me. What kept me coming back for more was Greg Pak’s poignant dialogue contrasted with John Romita, Jr.’s hard-smashing visuals, both eloquent in their hybrid portrayal of an enraged, yet mourning Hulk. More so than any desert tumble with Thunderbolt Ross, the Hulk had righteous motivation to fight his fellow heroes, and after Marvel’s divisive Civil War (and subsequent Avengers split, “One More Day” Spider-epic, Captain America assassination, etc.), Mr. Purple Pants was refreshingly to the point in his unwavering quest for revenge.

Then, World War Hulk #5. Thanks to Sakaar’s mind-control disks, the Illuminati are locked in mortal combat, just as Hulk endured when he first arrived on the ravaged world. There’s Mr. Fantastic, blade in the air, ready to skewer Tony Stark, but when he misses, folks assume Stark’s electric manipulations saved the day. Alas, ‘twas the Hulk, who, despite four issues of merciless rampaging, reveals that he hasn’t returned to kill – just to devour the Big Apple to its core. (My words, of course.) No, I wouldn’t want the Hulk to condone murder, but if the heroes were never in any real fatal danger, their plight seems a bit cheapened, if not even unnecessarily prolonged and deceptive. If Hulk was going to think that far in advance, actually strategizing a seemingly blind rage, why not devise a scheme in which the Illuminati fall prey to their own recklessness, as he believed his wife had? You know, spark a, uhm, what are they called? Oh, yeah . . . civil war.

(I didn’t think about it while I was reading the issue, but isn’t the Marvel Universe tired of this hero-on-hero violence yet?)

Before the Hulk can take his bite, though, enter the Sentry, in a climatic battle that created the very impression I feared – one of vapid implication. Throughout WWH, the Hulk’s simple dialogue was drenched in years’ worth of anger, and, as longtime fans of ol’ Jade Jaws (which is why I feel comfortable still using Stan’s old campy nickname!), we understood the subtleties of his victimization. For example, when Rick challenges, “You’re Bruce Banner,” and Hulk retorts, “Bruce Banner is me,” we GET that the two personalities have finally found a mutual anger, and maybe they always really had. Yet, here comes the Sentry, saying things like “for years this” and “we’ve always that.” I’m sorry, who are you again? Pak’s poignancy is virtually interrupted by this relative newbie to the canon – this living reboot. That the Sentry actually brings the Hulk down is disappointing considering all this heavy-hitting history. Marvel’s mentally damaged Superman rip-off succeeded where Iron Man, Doc Samson, and Thunderbolt Ross failed?

Then, in a matter of just a few pages, everything changes. Rick is stabbed and presumed dead (though he is on a stretcher at the end of the book, offering some hope). One of Hulk’s warbound reveals his guilt in destroying Sakaar, and the Hulk gets SO mad that he becomes a living gamma nuke, until Iron Man’s satellites bring him down. Then, we’re “treated” to teasers of the series that will result thanks to World War Hulk, including a Hercules book, a Warbound series, and, most promisingly, Skaar, Son of Hulk. You can almost hear the pulp film-like pitch: "If you liked World War Hulk, you'll LOVE these related products from Marvel Enterprises!" Yes, an intriguing, action-packed series turned into a springboard for Marvel’s ’08 brand too quickly for my tastes. I was WITH the Green Scar until the end, but now I just feel jaded.

I suppose I ignored the one aspect of my summer blockbuster analogy that was inevitable: despite any legitimate character development or insightful dialogue the piece had to offer, it was a blockbuster in nature and scale, so it could only end one way: with a light show.