Hulk: Ladies Man?
At this point I think it barely needs to be said that Leinil Yu's artwork is utterly gorgeous, but just to be safe LEINIL YU'S ART IS GORGEOUS. The colors are brilliantly drenched in oceanic blues and greens, and the character work is sublime.
Banner has a very unique experience with the Lemurian Rebel Army, where his is liked more for The Hulk than he is as banner. The dysfunctional fling he has with Mara is extremely entertaining, creates some excellent character exploration, and actually serves a vital plot point.
This issue strikes something I felt was missing from the series previously, a perfect balance between Banner and Hulk. Banner takes up most of this issue, but their stories are fully intertwined, with vital importance for both of their talents. Neither one alone could have saved Lemuria, and indeed the whole world, without the other, so luckily they're in the same person.
The end of this issue was perfect, as it summed up everything that made this short arc stand out among an already excellent series. The balance between Banner and Hulk was perfected, there was character exploration for The Hulk, potential setup for a future storyline, and Banner having reasons for everything he does.
In Conclusion: 5/5
As we conclude what is probably going to be the first collection, Mark Waid demonstrates his talent in full with a story that uses everything the first few issues set up. Not much else to say honestly, it was epic and it was brilliant.
