COMIC BINGE: Hulk, Vol. 1: Omega Hulk & The Fade Out, Vol. 1: Act One
School has begun as my ability to binge read has suddenly disappeared. However, I’m still managing a little time here and there to take a peek through some books. This week it wasn’t necessarily anything I was looking forward to reading, but I did find some hidden gems in my pile. First up was the second volume of Marvel NOW!’s Hulk series, to which the first book was pretty decent but nothing to write home about. What the first volume did essentially, was set up this volume which sets up the series for something entirely different than we’re used to. Introducing, Doctor Green. Hulk is shot in the brain which basically kills Bruce Banner, but Tony Stark injects him with Extremis to fill out the brain and heal it fully. What happens next is unexpected, as Hulk becomes as intelligent as he is strong. Now, the new Hulk is on a mission to cure all those who are cursed with the same gamma radiation as him, except that he will not and cannot cure himself. Thus the name, Doctor Green. Doctor Green is as interesting as you normally see a Hulk book get, other than classics like Planet Hulk. I was definitely intrigued with this story, but as it fleshed out it lost its footing all within the same volume. I really would like to see how this ends up going in the next volume or more, because after the introduction to Doctor Green we don’t get much else here to enjoy. Keep an eye on Gerry Duggan’s Hulk, as we could be heading to some uncharted waters for the Hulkster, and that is greatness. Keep in mind that Duggan is fresh off of Deadpool now and left his humorous counterpart behind. Hulk is definitely a title to keep an eye on, as is the character Doctor Green.
RATED : ( PG )
STORY : ( 8 / 10 )
ARTWORK : ( 7 / 10 )
COVERS : ( 7 / 10 )
AWESOME : ( 7 / 10 )
FINAL RATING : ( 7 / 10 )
The other book I got to this week was by longtime writer Ed Brubaker, who has done his fair share of Batman which is likely where I most recognize him from. The Fade Out reads like an old school, Black Dahlia Hollywood mystery. For what it was, I enjoyed it. There wasn’t a lot of any one thing that made this book that special, but it was a good read. Something about the atmosphere of the book really works well with the writing and it just presents a very easily readable story. Adult in nature, The Fade Out shows the darker side of an old Hollywood that we all have experienced stories in. Brubaker again shows why he is a mainstay in the comics industry with this title, and the art is on point as well. I’ll be interested to see where this series is headed, as it could get wilder if anyone starts to get froggy. But for now, it’s a standard murder mystery set in a swingin’ Hollywood of old. If you are into noir-like stories, this one is definitely for you. I can’t imagine that there are too many other noir type books out there that are as good as this one was. Unfortunately I can’t say much about the story without ruining things, so there’s not much here to go off of, but I definitely recommend it for fans of noir and reality-based comics.
RATED : ( R )
STORY : ( 8 / 10 )
ARTWORK : ( 7 / 10 )
COVERS : ( 7 / 10 )
AWESOME : ( 7 / 10 )
FINAL RATING : ( 7 / 10 )