Post by goldenfist on Sept 24, 2007 16:54:30 GMT -5
Here are two reviews about World War Hulk #4.
All good things come in moderation, so they say. I'm not sure who 'they' are, or why they said it, but I think they are right. I can think of numerous examples proving the statement true, and, off the top of my head, none that outright disprove it. Apparently World War Hulk didn't get the memo. No, Hulk displays such a lack of restraint that it tumbles head over heels in effort to provide the most primitive form of entertainment - pure action. But it does this without emotion. It does this without reason. It does this without heart or balance. And it is because of its omission of these ideas that it outright fails. The battles wear into one another until all you see is one big mess that you can't possibly care about. At this point the concept of 'revenge', or whatever we're supposed to believe, is so lost and so inane that I dare anyone to really stand behind the Hulk at this point. It makes no sense. It's as if a neighbor spit on your sidewalk so you burned down his house. It's absurd, and even worse is that actions in this issue would push that term even if we had the dramatic overture to theoretically support it.
World War Hulk was a risky venture in my eyes. It was supposed to be the "simple dessert" to Civil War's grand, complex meal (or something?). Funny thing is, I never really saw much complexity to Civil War - nothing that necessitated this at any rate. Are readers that stupid? Are we supposed to accept the idea that last summer's event was so mind-twisting that we needed to just dumb it down? We can't have two intellectual debates in a row! Don't do that! Instead watch every Marvel hero succumb to the fists of an overly simplified goon! Better yet, let's have every conflict be solved by punching. And we'll tack on the easy opt-out clause by saying the madder our protagonist gets, the stronger he is. So he'll pretty much beat anything. Wonderful.
Fine. Fantastic. I'll accept my hero if I have a reason to care about him. But as I said before, all of that is long gone now. And we get more fighting and a ludicrous, asinine premise involving yet another gladiator arena. Do we really need this again? I get it, I get it. Parity! He's doing what they "did." Oh, how rich and poetic is that. But be careful! That might be too much for our readers! You can't get too complex. I'm sure we'll dial it down a bit next issue. After all, we already know what's coming.
I'm sure some of you are punching up your Outlook. Or perhaps you're scrolling down to the comments section so you can tear my head off. How dare I stand against the holy Summer Event? How dare I challenge "good, old-fashioned fun"? How dare I dislike a Hulk book? Apparently the words "Hulk Smash" are some sort of holy signal to discard our brains entirely. I'll tell you what. If this is your idea of fun, sign me out. I like some measure of complexity with my story. I don't want to predict what happens at the end of every fight, and I certainly don't like seeing characters I've invested a lot of time, emotion and energy into getting pregnant dog-slapped around for the sake of one character that people seem to care about for the moment. I liked this event when it started. It carried itself well and had a good rhythm. It tried to deliver more than just fighting. But once the punches started, they never stopped. And now I don't care. I'm bored. I could care less what happens to the Hulk. Let's just get this over with and move on, shall we?
Rating: Pass It
I've noticed many of you don't like it when we review an issue of World War Hulk. After a generally well-liked first issue, our opinions have been nothing if not mixed. Some readers just hate to see us rip on a major series, regardless of whether the ripping is well-deserved. As much as everyone, myself included, would like to see a "Must Have" rating adorning the latest issue, it just ain't gonna happen. Greg Pak's sophomore Hulk storyline has repeatedly fallen victim to its own predictability, and that problem continues to haunt the book in its fourth issue.
Last issue closed with one of the very few unexpected moments of the series, with a demonically-charged, 10-foot-tall Dr. Strange confronting Hulk and his Warbound. Naturally, this issue picks up immediately from there and delivers yet another massive and bone-crunching action sequence. Say what you will about World War Hulk, but Pak never fails to exploit John Romita, Jr.'s for epic scale and fluid motion. I don't have any particularly nice things to say about this issue following this paragraph, but Romita's art, at least, continues to justify the $4 price tag.
So where was I? Oh yes. First Strange smashes, then Hulk smashes in kind. On some level it's satisfying to finally see Hulk matched up against someone who can rival him in terms of sheer power. I know I'm not the only one who's grown tired of seeing all my favorite Marvelites tossed around like rag dolls under Hulk's unassailable might. On the other hand, what's the point? Unless you've managed to avoid every single preview image and solicitation over the last 12 months, you know who the final battle will be fought between. When Hulk does overcome his opponent, we feel no sense of shock as he turns around finally reveals his dark plan for his many captives.
My fears that Hulk's enemies would be unjustly vilified in this series seem almost laughable by this point. Not unlike Civil War's opposing factions, one side is clearly being cast in a more favorable light here. At the end of Planet Hulk, Hulk felt incredibly justified in his rage at his former allies. Since then, Pak has painted the Green Goliath as far too much of a two-dimensional thug. I don't feel sorry for Hulk anymore, even though I really should. Maybe Pak can manage to change my mind in the finale, but I'm afraid no amount of sorely-needed introspective moments or surprise twists will completely redeem World War Hulk.
Rating: Check It
Post your opinion about the reviews.
All good things come in moderation, so they say. I'm not sure who 'they' are, or why they said it, but I think they are right. I can think of numerous examples proving the statement true, and, off the top of my head, none that outright disprove it. Apparently World War Hulk didn't get the memo. No, Hulk displays such a lack of restraint that it tumbles head over heels in effort to provide the most primitive form of entertainment - pure action. But it does this without emotion. It does this without reason. It does this without heart or balance. And it is because of its omission of these ideas that it outright fails. The battles wear into one another until all you see is one big mess that you can't possibly care about. At this point the concept of 'revenge', or whatever we're supposed to believe, is so lost and so inane that I dare anyone to really stand behind the Hulk at this point. It makes no sense. It's as if a neighbor spit on your sidewalk so you burned down his house. It's absurd, and even worse is that actions in this issue would push that term even if we had the dramatic overture to theoretically support it.
World War Hulk was a risky venture in my eyes. It was supposed to be the "simple dessert" to Civil War's grand, complex meal (or something?). Funny thing is, I never really saw much complexity to Civil War - nothing that necessitated this at any rate. Are readers that stupid? Are we supposed to accept the idea that last summer's event was so mind-twisting that we needed to just dumb it down? We can't have two intellectual debates in a row! Don't do that! Instead watch every Marvel hero succumb to the fists of an overly simplified goon! Better yet, let's have every conflict be solved by punching. And we'll tack on the easy opt-out clause by saying the madder our protagonist gets, the stronger he is. So he'll pretty much beat anything. Wonderful.
Fine. Fantastic. I'll accept my hero if I have a reason to care about him. But as I said before, all of that is long gone now. And we get more fighting and a ludicrous, asinine premise involving yet another gladiator arena. Do we really need this again? I get it, I get it. Parity! He's doing what they "did." Oh, how rich and poetic is that. But be careful! That might be too much for our readers! You can't get too complex. I'm sure we'll dial it down a bit next issue. After all, we already know what's coming.
I'm sure some of you are punching up your Outlook. Or perhaps you're scrolling down to the comments section so you can tear my head off. How dare I stand against the holy Summer Event? How dare I challenge "good, old-fashioned fun"? How dare I dislike a Hulk book? Apparently the words "Hulk Smash" are some sort of holy signal to discard our brains entirely. I'll tell you what. If this is your idea of fun, sign me out. I like some measure of complexity with my story. I don't want to predict what happens at the end of every fight, and I certainly don't like seeing characters I've invested a lot of time, emotion and energy into getting pregnant dog-slapped around for the sake of one character that people seem to care about for the moment. I liked this event when it started. It carried itself well and had a good rhythm. It tried to deliver more than just fighting. But once the punches started, they never stopped. And now I don't care. I'm bored. I could care less what happens to the Hulk. Let's just get this over with and move on, shall we?
Rating: Pass It
I've noticed many of you don't like it when we review an issue of World War Hulk. After a generally well-liked first issue, our opinions have been nothing if not mixed. Some readers just hate to see us rip on a major series, regardless of whether the ripping is well-deserved. As much as everyone, myself included, would like to see a "Must Have" rating adorning the latest issue, it just ain't gonna happen. Greg Pak's sophomore Hulk storyline has repeatedly fallen victim to its own predictability, and that problem continues to haunt the book in its fourth issue.
Last issue closed with one of the very few unexpected moments of the series, with a demonically-charged, 10-foot-tall Dr. Strange confronting Hulk and his Warbound. Naturally, this issue picks up immediately from there and delivers yet another massive and bone-crunching action sequence. Say what you will about World War Hulk, but Pak never fails to exploit John Romita, Jr.'s for epic scale and fluid motion. I don't have any particularly nice things to say about this issue following this paragraph, but Romita's art, at least, continues to justify the $4 price tag.
So where was I? Oh yes. First Strange smashes, then Hulk smashes in kind. On some level it's satisfying to finally see Hulk matched up against someone who can rival him in terms of sheer power. I know I'm not the only one who's grown tired of seeing all my favorite Marvelites tossed around like rag dolls under Hulk's unassailable might. On the other hand, what's the point? Unless you've managed to avoid every single preview image and solicitation over the last 12 months, you know who the final battle will be fought between. When Hulk does overcome his opponent, we feel no sense of shock as he turns around finally reveals his dark plan for his many captives.
My fears that Hulk's enemies would be unjustly vilified in this series seem almost laughable by this point. Not unlike Civil War's opposing factions, one side is clearly being cast in a more favorable light here. At the end of Planet Hulk, Hulk felt incredibly justified in his rage at his former allies. Since then, Pak has painted the Green Goliath as far too much of a two-dimensional thug. I don't feel sorry for Hulk anymore, even though I really should. Maybe Pak can manage to change my mind in the finale, but I'm afraid no amount of sorely-needed introspective moments or surprise twists will completely redeem World War Hulk.
Rating: Check It
Post your opinion about the reviews.