Comic book reviews for Hulk #7, Hulk #8, and Hulk #9 by Mariko Tamaki, Georges Duarte, Julian Lopez, and Francesco Gaston
Average rating: 3.6/5 stars
Hulk #7 by Mariko Tamaki
Art: Georges Duarte
Let’s real talk for a second, where has this book been? Seriously. Issue #7 was better than ever single issue before it. I’m so happy that my love of She-Hulk pushed me to keep reading.
First, we see Jen actually trying to deal with her grief over the loss of Bruce. She’s actually doing something about it.
Then, we see her going to her destruct-o playground where she can rip things apart as the Gray Hulk. And there’s complete callbacks to how the Gray Hulk in Bruce’s life wasn’t the smashing-all-things Green Hulk. No, Jen can control herself to some extent. And there’s some acknowledgement about how many she just needs this at the moment.
Next Patsy shows up! Yes, it’s nice to see some Hellcat and Hulk together again times. Patsy is such a great friend, and without Leth’s comic, it’s great to see her getting put to use in the Marvel U. Yay friends!
And then the whole plot with the monster drug and involving Jen’s beloved YouTube cake baking show. This is just too great. I love them all so much already, and I cannot wait for Warren and Oliver to become part of team Jen once their own Hulk problems are solved.
Hulk #8 by Mariko Tamaki
Art: Georges Duarte
This is a nice build onto the last issue, but it doesn’t quite start tackling all the issues in a deeper way as I’d hoped based on the last issue. This inconsistency has been the larger problem of the Hulk comic.
And I am a primed audience member for this book. I love Jennifer Walters. I’ve loved other books by Tamaki. This current plot features a baking show with a gay host. You got me. So why do I just feel ugh?
These videographer guys are just the worst. They are those skeezy dudes that just want to be internet famous, and they are trying to essentially steal the work of a queer man to do so. Now I’m going to rage Hulk out.
You’d think, this being NYC, that Oliver could easily go for treatment. Like doesn’t Reed Richards or Tony Stark or hell, Steve Rogers have some kind of memorial hospital where they specialize in this stuff? I get that this book is about Jen. That’s great. However, it’s so weird when authors don’t acknowledge the integrated world.
I really dig Bradley’s and Jen’s relationship. He’s turning into a great assistant and a friend, which all her friendships and great side characters are what’s always made Jen’s world so special.
Hulk #8 by Mariko Tamaki
Art: Julian Lopez and Francesco Gaston
Not a great sign for this book that Marvel has changed artists on the title again. I feel like there’s a very specific style of artist best suited for Jen Walters’ books, and I’m not sure anything in this series has hit it yet.
Additionally, Lopez’s and Gaston’s art styles don’t even match. Lopez’s reminds me of the late ’80s shadow style, like The Question, and Gaston’s is much more cartoony. At the very least, Marvel should try to match artists who compliment one another. This definitely broke apart the narrative for me.
For a moment, I was worried that Oliver was going to melt into that sink. Teeth falling out always makes my skin crawl. Instead, he becomes just a bigger and more malformed monster. I did love Jen’s line about how once you are a monster, you cannot go back.
The empathy Bradley shows Warren is pretty great. I continue to love him as an addition to this book.
Ray and Steve don’t seem to like monsters up close and personal.
Yay for Patty. I’m always cool with more Hellcat. And I liked how Hellcat is the human who keeps Jen human, the same way she’s telling Warren to keep calling Oliver.