The Good

Hulk as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. It's a crazy idea. It actually makes sense. Long time Hulk readers will recall the INCREDIBLE HULK issues where Hulk had Banner's intellect and was the leader of the Pantheon, a secret ancient team determined to prevent world catastrophes. Unfortunately it's the Hulk's temper and unpredictability that makes the idea of Hulk on a team a little crazy.

Writers sometimes forget how powerful Hulk can be. He could be seen as an incredible hero or a world class threat. You just never know what you're going to get when it comes to Hulk. But Banner is determined to give Hulk, and himself, a new direction.

Mark Waid touches on an important aspect of Banner, his intellect. Men of this level of genius have the desire to create things and try to make the world a better place. Banner has pretty much always used his brains to try to find a way to rid of himself of the Hulk. This distraction has prevented him from experimenting in other areas. In a manner that touches on and acknowledges the previous INCREDIBLE HULK series, we're seeing Banner come to terms with himself and the Hulk. This makes a great new direction for the character.

Leinil Francis Yu is a great choice in an artist for this new direction. Combined with Sunny Gho's colors, you just feel like a world is being created and coming to life. A simple scene taking place in a diner feels so alive. You'll find yourself just staring at everyone in the panel just to see what might be lurking in the background. Yu is no stranger to big, over the top action scenes as well. When it comes time for Hulk to smash, you want it to be something epic. We've seen what he could do before with Hulk and that in itself should get you excited.

The Bad

While it's great for new readers, there is a bit of set up here. It's important because while some of the other Marvel NOW! series have successfully thrown readers right into the action, it's important to see how Banner and Hulk come to be part of S.H.I.E.L.D. There is some great dialogue in the conversation but with a title including INDESTRUCTIBLE, maybe I just wanted a little more smashing.

The Verdict

If you like the idea of Hulk but want more than just smashing, this is the Hulk series for you. Mark Waid has made a great decision in taking the fact that Banner has finally come to terms with the Hulk's presence and also wants to use his intellect to try to better mankind. Hulk as part of S.H.I.E.L.D. seems like a crazy idea and that's part of what will make this series so fun. As in the movie, the idea of keeping such a destructive force in a helicarrier is an insane idea. But the idea of using the Hulk's abilities in a positive manner is brilliant and what readers want. Fans rejoiced in seeing Hulk fight alongside the heroes in The Avengers as well as the finale of AVENGERS VS X-MEN. With Leinil Yu joining Waid on this series, you know we're going to get some epic and over the top action scenes. This is a great (new) start for Hulk and Banner and I cannot wait to see what Mark Waid has planned.