Marvel Comics 2020
Written by Peter David
Illustrated by Germán Peralta
Coloured by Jesus Aburtov
Opening Scene Illustrated by Dale Keown
Opening Coloured by Jason Keith
Lettered by VC’s Ariana Maher
An explosion of experimental gamma energy turned scientist Bruce Banner into the super hero known as the Hulk, one of the strongest beings in the universe. The Hulk once travelled to the future and met his older self, a despotic ruler who goes by the name of Maestro. We know what turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk. But what turned the Hulk into the Maestro?
I haven’t been excited about reading the Hulk since the last time Peter David was writing the book. This first issue alone is a testament to the man’s brilliance and skill as a writer. I found myself riveted to the page wanting to see more now, not in a month, by the last page. This is a remarkable story that has depth to how we see Bruce as a man as well as some wonderful layering within the story that focuses on the others seen or mentioned that really creates that extra intrigue factor.
The way that this is being told is phenomenal. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented flawlessly. Right from the get-go Peter manages to create this world that we are interested in learning more about and what follows well, I for one want to know more. The characterisation here is filthy work, and by that I mean there is no surpassing it. What we see and how we see the characters as they face the circumstances and situations presented to them is utterly bloody brilliant. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists & turns alongside some incredible revelations we see how all of this works together to create the story’s ebb & flow.
So this is a prime example of someone who is able to take a character and make them accessible to everyone! If you are not a Hulk fan or someone who just follows certain folks this is what you need to be reading. I may not know how long this will run but I'm ready to read every issue this creative team puts out and I do want it to be a long and healthy run. This is what gets readers’, fans and the industry excited to have unfold before them!
The interiors here are absolutely amazing to see. The linework is so smooth and how we see the varying weights and even techniques being utilised to bring out all this detail work is extraordinary. The utilisation of the backgrounds we see here is sensational and how they work to enhance the moments as well as bring us this great depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the book is exquisitely rendered. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a stupendous eye for storytelling. The colour work we see here is divine! To see how colour with the hues and tones within them being utilised to further create musculature and add to the facial features is what sets this apart for me. The way we see the shading, highlights and shadow work being rendered throughout is amazingly good.
This is the kind of book that I wish marvel would look at and realise that all of their titles need to meet the standards that we see within these pages. The quality and level of storytelling we bear witness to within these pages is why I am such a fan, lover and collector of comics.