I liked the first issue of The Incredible Hulk, heading into the second I was hopeful it would be as good as the first. With the second issue my experience was something completely different. Jason Aaron is a writer I normally like, yet he’s heading in a direction with The Incredible Hulk that’s the epitome of your mileage may vary. Another thing that hurts this issue is having three different artists on it with two pencil assists and a finisher. Marc Silvestri, Whilce Portacio, and Billy Tan are the main three artists credited on this comic. Between a story that’s not entirely working and three different artists, I can’t help but say that my reaction The Incredible Hulk heading into the second issue is a mixed one at best.
At the beginning of the second issue of The Incredible Hulk there’s a flashback with Betty and Bruce Banner relaxing on a deserted island. Under the guise of working on their marriage sadly though that wasn’t the case. Jason Aaron within a few scenes turns Bruce Banner into a jerk. The guide does appear in the midst of Betty and Bruce chatting but the way Aaron is handling this Bruce does himself no favors. Aaron tries his best to make you sympathize with Bruce but that’s easier said than done. Aaron does everything throughout to try and have you feel some empathy for him, that never quite works out that way though. Sadly since I don’t have a page listing for which artist did certain pages I’ll mention that I did like the scene of Banner standing over his ripped apart notes. One of the better parts of the book in adding atmosphere to the scenes.
During the Hulk sequences he’s with Amanda Von Doom and as it’s stated no relation to Victor Von Doom. Sadly though with the Hulk part of the comic, this is where the disconnect really sets in. Ever seen books that have so much cool stuff happening yet you just can’t find it compelling? This is the epitome of that. The last issue of The Incredible Hulk had a sense of enjoyment out of all the cool fight scenes yet I could find myself enjoying these scenes. The sad part is I found myself not really caring about anything going on with the Hulk and his current situation with Bruce Banner. Even with the cool fight scenes happening within this I just felt underwhelmed. By the point I got to the ending I felt nothing and there really wasn’t anything compelling me to grab the next issue.
Sad to say but whatever direction Jason Aaron is going for with The Incredible Hulk doesn’t work in this issue. In the long term, this issue is a major misstep in setting up this new direction. The rotating artists on this issue doesn’t help matters either. The Incredible Hulk had a strong start and this issue feels muddled. Sad to say I think I’m done with this comic after this one. It just didn’t work for me sadly. Your mileage may vary though on what you think about this issue and that’s fine. I might check out the next issue just to see how it comes together, but as of right now I have to say that’s not looking very hopeful at this point in time.
