THE INCREDIBLE HULK #34

By: Arnold T. Blumberg
Date: Tuesday, November 27, 2001

Bruce Banner should know a thing or two about how to survive. As the Incredible Hulk, he has been on the run on more than one occasion skulking about in dark alleys, evading the authorities, and all the while trying to contain the rage within him that occasionally explodes and transforms him into a huge, green monster hellbent on destruction. Banner is a master at traveling incognito, and now he's entered a new phase in his life, one in which he will be going underground more than ever before. He is on his own, hunted, despised, but determined somehow to survive...always to survive.

The saga of the Hulk has taken an amazing number of twists and turns over the years, but this looks like the first truly promising new beginning since Peter David took over the title lo those many years ago. With absolutely stunning artwork by John Romita Jr. (possibly some of his best work in years), the new story arc dubbed "Return of the Monster" has been scripted by Banner's namesake, Bruce Jones. Jones and Romita Jr. not only give Banner a new look, with shaven head and gaunt Michael Stipe features, but a new benefactor. The mysterious Mr. Blue is apparently some new contact through which Banner is now coordinating his efforts to hide, and perhaps to conquer the beast within, but the ramifications of this new relationship remain to be discovered. It's an intriguing new element, however, but not the only one.

Certainly one of the most exciting, and potentially controversial, new facets of this arc is Banner's newfound appreciation for his "curse." By the end of this first issue, Banner actually chooses to walk into danger and allow the beast to take over, because he knows it will allow him to mete out some justice to a gang of lowly toughs. It's a rare moment to see Banner take such perverse glee in his condition, and it represents a fundamental shift in the philosophy behind the character. While some might balk at accepting the new Banner, it's a bold move nonetheless. The tone of the series also veers steadily toward the mood of the old TV show starring Bill Bixby rather than any other past comic book incarnation, further enhancing a grittier sense of realism that now permeates the book.

As a set-up for a new writer's run, INCREDIBLE HULK #34 pushes all the right buttons, easily inspiring readers to return with that purple-panted monster for more mayhem next issue. There are mysteries to be solved and miles to go before Banner sleeps. According to Jones, we may even learn at long last why Bruce shows such a passion for those violet-hued pants. Now isn't that reason enough to follow the title for a few months?

THE INCREDIBLE HULK

Grade: B

Issue: No. 34

Author(s): Bruce Jones, John Romita Jr., Tom Palmer

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $2.25