Malodorous Hulk
You know, down the line, for some reason I never expected for there to be a mini-series solely centered around Hulk going up against Thanos. Maybe it's because Thanos is such a "event" related villain that him fight one specific character seemed to be a bit unexpected. Nonetheless, while some maybe dislike this idea, I for one am excited to see how it turns out. I don't expect Hulk to win, but for any fan this is pretty much a dream battle.
Anyways, the first things I'd really like to talk about is the style of dialogue. Have you ever read some of the older Marvel stories? Where, basically, some of the dialogue seemed very very...what's the word..structured? In the sense that it just seems way to formal for it's own good? You do? Good, because the opening pages of this issue will basically remind you of such a conversation. It's not bad, per say, but for a current day comic book it was a bit striking and noticeable, which I guess took me out of the experience for a moment. As the issues progresses though the conversations take a turn for the better, and basically the dialogue comes much more fluid and natural, which in turns fleshes out the various characters that appear here.
Speaking of which, the characterization in this issue is top notch, but what really, and I do mean really, bothered me was the fact that title characters had minimal screen time. For now, I understand that the story needs to be set up, but the fact that some of the side characters have been bestowed with such an important role, I can't shake of the feeling that they'll hog the screen for some time. Many may not be bothered by this, but personally I'm in it to see Hulk go up against Thanos, and while I have no doubt that the issue will deliver, it still feels like their screen time has to be minimized to some point. I'm a fan of good story-telling, but secondary characters should keep their status of being just that, secondary. I won't take down points for it now, considering that this issue is purely the set up for the fight, but once the exposition ends I hope the title characters take center stage.
The art style is great, though it's obviously trying to recreate an old era style, which I do not mind at all. That being said, I'm not exactly a fan of the character models. Personally they seem a bit...rigid, but by the end of it I guess you could say that I kind of got use to it.
In conclusion, this issue isn't that eventful, but it does give you the essential details on the story, which, if you ask me are pretty crucial for a fight as big as this. So if you wanna be ready for the clash, I'd suggest you buy this.
