Firstly, Boo Cook's cover is really cool. Madrox could pass for Arnie Schwarzenegar (oh my days how do you spell that?) but still, it gives insight into the issue which i like to see. The art was a damn site better inside as well, a most welcome change.

The story itself, well. I'm suprised this story wasn't tied up in this issue but i'm a fan of it so that's ok with me. I liked the dual narrative that was going on in this issue and i love the direction that Jamie loosing control over his dupes is going.The thing i love about X Factor is the writing, the humour Peter David puts in and how he gives each character a different sense of it.

Quote me on this. "X Factor post Secret Invasion is brilliant."

SPOILER


I loved this.

As much as i disliked the front cover ripping off the Star Wars episode 1 posters of Anakin with his shadow i have to admit, it works here with Max and Magneto in the puddle. Its pretty cool and the red works well, so kudos to Marko on that.

I watched X-Men the movie last night and to think that Magneto was this boy is extraordinary. Having crushes on girls just doesn't seem like the man who says "These homosapiens despise us Charles" The boy who would grow up to become the X-Men's deadliest foe, the man who is bent on ruling the world. The man who could cause pain to one man and not feel guilty at all about it.

But every mutant has a past and why should Magneto's be any different? Growning up in Nazi Germany doesn't sound much fun for a mutant does it, not to mention the fact that the mutant in question is Jewish. Every mutants past is haunted but from whats inthis issue, Max having a meddle stripped from him for being a "cheating Jew" and later being attacked for it despite (not intentionally manipulating the metal in the javelin) throwing javelins further than the other boys. Having to watch his father abused by a Nazi soldier for "shaming a German woman"

PLOT *SPOILER
Bruce Banner finds himself in London, and due to his lack of knowledge of the English green cross code is almost hit by a car. He is pulled back by a woman who is quick to remind him "We drive on the left in London" The two get talking and hit it off instantly but the relationship is short lived when Patricia (Banners saviour of 2 minutes ago) is killed in a bomb explosion. This is when our friendly green giant first comes out of his shell to avenge the death.

Patricia then re-appears in ghost form to explain to the Hulk that her death was on order. She had 24 hours before ghost form would dissipate and that she would like Hulk to avenge her killing for her. He is most eager to do this and gets on the case straight away, he visits many sorcerers in the city in the hope to find out who was responsible for the killing of his new found love while Patricia becomes ever more faded and closer to the next spiritual level.

It seems that Hulk's efforts are in vein so Patricia asks him to pay a visit to her fiancé Edward Perkins and gives him an address. Banner turns up and asks to come in to talk about Tricia, in the scene Tricia's (now very faint) ghost points to Edward's son revealing her death had nothing to do with Sorcerers politics and it was on the order of her soon to be step son. Banner now undergoes the famous transformation, now as he is the dominant male within the room he gives out the orders. He says although he can't himself prove Perkins' son had Patricia killed but he could "tell every sorcerer I terrorised today that they suffered for your crime. Can tell them to be imaginative in showing there appreciation. That they'll gain the gratitude of the Hulk for it." Perkins' son promptly runs for his life to the haunting sound of the Hulk's twisted laugh.

The closing scene shows Banner approaching Patricia's grave with a letter (of which the contents are printed all through out the story fitting in as a commentary of the events unfolding.) on her grave with the last lines reading "if not in this life time. Maybe the next. Love your friend...Bruce."

Writing
this issue of Incredible Hulk was directly after the Tempest Fugit 5 part story in which dreams were reality and reality didn't exist. Wolverine killed Banner in reality and an array of weird events unfolded with every issue. So the mood was totally different to previous issues of Incredible Hulk.  Peter David managed to captivate what he does best in every Hulk story he writes, he managed to show, create and push further into the emotional side of the green monster that people don't expect to see there. He shows Banner to have control over his counterpart and gives Hulk the majority of the speech. The story itself is reminiscent of Brandon Lee's quest for retribution in The Crow and the letter Banner writes that acts as the narrative gives the story a Sin City feel to it (Chung's colour artwork however is more responsible for this.) Despite how this story reminds me of two other stories David makes sure it is original. An imaginative satisfying ending that shies away from the easy way out of Hulk finding the perpetrator

And smashing him to oblivion. Peter David is a truly amazing talented writer but I consider this single issue of Incredible Hulk to be his finest hour (or twenty minutes if you don't read slowly.) The final page makes you really think about how a comic can come to life easily and take hold of your imagination. David really captivates the conventions of a love story and still puts in the action it needs to be gripping; the issue itself could be produced as a film the scripting is that good. As always there's a gem of a one liner in there as well which is guaranteed to make you smile, in this case its when two men look up at Hulk (trying to be still) and say "Boy does that Hulk look fake."

Art
Lee surpasses himself in this issue without a shadow of a doubt. He portrays Banner well and Hulk even better. He gives him a different facial expression in different situation and helps anchors the theme of retribution perfectly through the Hulk's want of retribution more than want for destruction. There is a scene where Hulk is hiding behind an Amazing Spiderman advert and wow that Spidey looks evil (Lee has worked on Ultimate Spiderman in the past)

June Chung's colour on the issue helps create the Sin City feel and is solely responsible for the eerie feel to the opening page giving it a Sleepy Hollow like mood Setting the scene for the story which is to follow.

Overview

SPOILER

The idea of the sucess of the Skrull invasion of earth depending on "Longshot" and X-Factor members being able to deliver a serious blow to the invasion amazes me. I doubt that Marvel would allow Monet St Croix be the sole reason earth fends off the Skrulls but as a die hard X-Factor fan i would love to see the team play a bigger part in saving the world (Because Reed Richards hasn't been much use)

Review

One reason this issue of She-Hulk can't be given 5 stars.....Cucca. In all my time i haven't ever seen such bad drawings and varied drawings of one character in a single issue. In one scene if i didn't already know wiser uldn't e difficult to mistake Longshot for a woman.

With my only critism out of the way, wow. I've never been a big fan of She-Hulk but if every issue is as rich in humour, qaulity scripting and gipping endings as this issue was then i am now converted. David never fails to amaze me and this is no exception.

Within the first 2 pages of Secret Invasion #1 i can see that (write to me to find out) is a skrull and i can justify my reasoning for this, The writing combined with the artwork gives it away in one frame and it would explain irrational and uncharacteristic behaviour in a prvious story arc.

Other than this i think Bendis' writing is excellent. I think that this "subtle as a brick" approach to this issue compensates for the apparent clues about the Invasion that lie in previous issues of other titles because for the life of me i can't decipher any hint of who may be a skrull at all in The New Avengers #1, not even in the directors cut. All in all i love the idea of the invasion. I'm especially captivated by the thought of anybody anywhere being a skrull and i think this is an excellent story arc for the universe. This one issue of secret invasion is responsable for my hours of time spent reading through old issues on the hunt for clues and endless conversations with the guys in the 2 comic book stores i visit about who is a skrull, and more interestingly, why do people think they are ?

I think the artwork is a bit tactless in the way it plays along side the books dialogue and shys away from detail and consistency people like to see in images. But the ending of this issue is enough to make everybody get y of Secret Invasion #2 to see how/if the situation in the savage land resolves.