Indestructible Hulk has been a mixed bag. I think it suffered early from Iron Man syndrome. The early issues of Iron Man were kind of a waste in the same way that the early issues of Indestructible Hulk were a waste. We are nine issues into the Marvel Now! relaunch and finally with this issue it feels like Waid is beginning his run. Don't get me started on the Simonson arc, what a tragic waste.
I will let you in on a little secret, Hulk is bar none my favorite character in comics. I absolutely love him. Unfortunately, more often than not, writers don't get him or write him very poorly. I had to suffer through the Loeb years and the OMG terrible Jason Aaron run. I have to admit as much as I respect Waid as a writer he really stumbled out the gates and we haven't seen a great Hulk writer since Greg Pak dropped the mic and moved over to a failed X-Treme X-Men title and then onto greener pastures at DC.
If you couldn't tell by now, I enjoyed this issue. I feel like it finally gets to the meat of the new run. We wasted the first 5 issues on random SHIELD missions and the last 3 issues on one of the most boring, art-as-cautionary-tale, arcs I have ever had to experience. Simonson, please retire, or you know go do some indie work, I am tired of looking at your horrible art.
Matteo Scalera does a better job here, there is some dynamism, which all Hulk art should have. This should be an action title after all. We also get some really funny moments. You see, we learn in this issue that Daredevil has Hulk's back in dealing with SHIELD. If they ever try to pull something twisted on Banner, Murdock with have a lawsuit on their desk lickity-split. The moment where Daredevil and then Hulk walk into a known bad guy bar was very amusing.
I really have to give a shout-out to Chris Eliopoulos, what a great bit of lettering work you did in this issue. Very inspired work. Did he work on previous issues? I won't check because that would mean having to see more Simonson art.
Basically what happens in this issue is that Hulk is sent in to stop some arms trading and they have a very powerful sonic gun that really wants to fall into the wrong hands. Whose hands? Well Baron Zemo, of course. Great to see Zemo in action and what a great villain to counterpoint with Hulk. Makes sense to me, he could be Hulk's Dr. Doom if Marvel would allow it. Marvel, please allow it. Zemo is just wasted anywhere else, except maybe in the pages of Captain America or Avengers. Hulk needs a better, more expanded rogue's gallery though and Zemo fits the bill perfectly.
