Comic Book Review: Incredible Hulk #82
by R.J. Carter
Published: May 30, 2005
Story |
Creative Team |
Publisher |
Price |
Target Audience: |
Grade |
"Dear Tricia..." |
Peter David
Jae Lee
June Chung |
Marvel |
$2.99 US
$4.25 CAN |
T+
Suggested for Teens and Up |
A- |
For more information: Marvel Comics link |
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Ah, love.
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Here There Be Spoilers.
A stand-alone Hulk story. Who'da thunk it?
What's more, it's a rather good one. A London-set epistulary fable of love lost... of ghosts and monsters... of murder and betrayal.
A chance encounter brings Bruce Banner face-to-face with the love of his lives. It's brief. Momentary--quite literally. And then it's over.
Because she's killed.
Which... irritates Banner's alter ego, the Incredible Hulk. Fortunately, the creature has a guide to help him vent his frustrations: the astral form of the late lamented woman. She has twenty-four hours before her spirit leaves this mortal plane to follow Hulk, read the auras of her enemies and let him know who deserves vengeance. Along the way, she explains to Bruce what she's deduced about the two of them:
Tricia: I'm sorry, Bruce. If I'd realized you were out there... I didn't know until I saw you. It's... The closer I get to the other side... the clearer it is. Everyone has their perfect person, Bruce... Each lifetime. They're out there. Sometimes they don't connect, but "make do." Sometimes they connect, but the timing isn't spot-on. And sometimes everything's perfect and they live happily ever after. That middle one's us. We screwed the timing this go-around, I'm afraid. I think... we loved each other before. At least once. But it ended sadly.
Bruce: It always does.
How many still remembered Hulk could do this?
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Peter David--who unarguably knows more about the Hulk than any other comics writer in this or any other universe--delivers a unique tale, one that's told in the retrospect perspective of Banner writing a letter to the dead woman. It also takes advantage of one of Hulk's seldom seen abilities--that of being able to see astral forms. Jae Lee's Hulk looks less like a comic-book brute and more like Frankenstein's monster, and June Chung's add to the somber gothic feel of the story. This is the kind of story that might have been told that fateful night when Mary Shelley first verbalized her horror to an audience sitting in rapt attention by candlelight.
Recommendation: Best book this week.
In stores Thursday, June 2, 2005.
Advance comics are provided courtesy of The Comic Book Store of Little Rock. Michael Tierney, proprietor, even has his own book out, Wild Stars. Check it out.
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CD Giveaway - Paper Bird, "Rooms"
Ends May 28, 2013
Drifting ever so slightly away from traditional folk music, this Colorado band delivers harmony and energy aplenty. |
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