I'm Pretty Sure I'll Be Just Fine
Recommended!
It all comes down to this, the final battle between Hulk and Banner. It has been teased for as long as the series has been running. It has been stretched out over three issues. Only one more issue until we find out the actual results, as once again, we are left with a pretty decent cliffhanger, only to be confused by the next issue's preview. Either way, this issue does not disappoint - if you like the Hulk and you like to watch him overcome all sorts of odds, this is the issue for you. You also get some disturbing background information about Amanda Von Doom's past - it at least explains why she is the woman she is today, but still, very disturbing indeed.
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Story: 4.5 / 5.0
This single story had a bunch of different highs and lows. There were two low points in this issue for me. The first, just seemed overly campy. It was during the panel by panel breakdown of each weapon being used against the Hulk in Banner's futile attempt to gain the upper hand. The second was the disturbing scenes with Amanda Von Doom, her "origin" and how she dealt with the hoard of Bannermen. That said, I really loved the back-story with Doom and the further explanation of how they were separated, their relationship to Doom and how everything played out.
Cover Art: 4.5 / 5.0
The cover art concept is pretty decent. It gives a bit of foreshadowing for the characters you will see illustrated in the interior, without giving away what actually takes place. There could have been much cover better choices for this issue, but each would have been considered a spoiler. In any case, the cover art for this issue is on par with the previous issues in the series.
Art: 4.5 / 5.0
I like the style of the art, but I am not a fan for the facial expressions or and sometimes changing depiction of the characters from page to page and panel to panel. The most distracting aspect of the art is the character depictions and their facial expressions. I guess I am just used to the Hulk looking a certain way - the style employed for this book makes him less like the hulk I have known to grow and love. The other characters look just fine with this style though - even Doom, who I like more than the Hulk looks great - I guess, in the end, it just comes down to how "odd" the Hulk is illustrated at times... Nevertheless, the panel layout, structure and incorporation of some pretty nice spash pages made this a very visually appealing issue.
Overall: 4.5 / 5.0
The ending is fitting of a Hulk story and it will be interesting how they transition from the last page of the story to the teaser image portrayed for the next issue. They have a lot of ground to make up... and I certainly hope it is worth the wait/anticipation.