Well, I have a splitting headache today so I'll be making this quick. Only two books to review this week, She-Hulk #19 and World War Hulk: X-Men #1 so let's get right to it.
World War Hulk: X-Men #1 -- So we get some setting up for the first half of this book, introducing the idea that Xavier wasn't behind blasting Hulk off into space and we get a quick introduction to some of the New X-Men (left behind by themselves at the mansion). Then the Hulk shows up and things get going. Now on its own this book isn't bad, it covers the necessary points and introduces the reader to the details they need to know, especially if they haven't been following every title in the Marvel universe. But the problem comes from being tied into all those titles. Where does it fit in? You wonder if this after the Astonishing team comes back from space or before they go? Obviously it has to be after the other X-team came back from their space adventure as Xavier is there with his powers. If they are just seeing the Hulk's arrival in New York and then he seems to suddenly appear at the mansion then when did the Iron Man fight happen? It's just hard to figure out the timeline. But other than that, you get some good ol' Hulk action. Though he doesn't really seem to be breaking much of a sweat and has the team pretty well scouted despite never encountering these people before (which makes sense with this Hulk and his Warbound friends). And now, thanks to the backlash that occurs when Xavier tries to enter the Hulk's mind the X-Men know Xavier was involved in some sort of secret group with Iron Man, Reed, et al. I do hope some of the X-Men discuss what issues they may have with that, I mean Cyclops told Xavier to get lost after he discovered the whole Danger Room is a sentient being thing that Xavier was hiding. I really do like how this book ends, with just a simple question by the Hulk, how would Xavier have voted? And the art is pretty solid. So do I recommend it? Well the story seems decent, the characters are well written (Beast really stands out as he leads the team of newbies against the Hulk), and it's got some good moments. So all in all, it's actually off to a good start despite some timeline confusion on my part. We'll just have to see if it stays that way. So yeah, if you're into the World War Hulk or a Hulk fan or an X-Men fan, I'd put this on my recommended reading list. Not a "must read" but not something you should avoid.
She-Hulk #19 -- Okay, just to get it out of the way, I still dislike the art immensely. And I'll probably be saying that for 2 more issues until the new artist (who looks good) comes in with the new writer, Peter David. For me this book actually suffers from not being a World War Hulk story, at least not directly. First up, Jen is still powerless (despite how she was shown in World War Hulk 1) and despite what's happened so far (they do mention the Hulk and Iron Man fighting in New York and destroying a good chunk of the city) Jen's focussing on her lawsuit with Tony and now the trial of the Leader and not even mentioning her cousin who just came back and threatened to smash the planet in retribution for his lost wife, unborn child, and new found planet. Makes sense I suppose. :) So yeah, I kinda feel that this title should be more tied in with the story considering the character and what she's going through. Then you have the Leader being taken to a trial (again, brought pretty much unprotected up the steps to the courthouse in public view) in New York. You know, the place that was evacuated and made a mess of (as they point out in this book). And wait a minute, since when have these people been getting trials? I guess all the other books that indicated they were being thrown into the Negative Zone without trials (which may include She-Hulk itself considering SHIELD just threw the other gamma powered individuals into stasis tubes to experiment on) were just "off". But I guess we should be looking for logic in this book. Looking beyond all that, it's not a bad little bit of character disection and you can see some things building with many of the characters (especially She-Hulk herself) but with everything else, it just seems to be a mess of a story to me. So overall, I can't put it on my recommended reading list and honestly, I'm just trudging along with the hope that Peter David will turn things around.
Hmm... I can't remember if I posted a review of the latest animated Hellboy adventure ("Blood and Iron")??? If not, it's actually a pretty decent little piece of animation with solid voice talent thrown in and a decent story. I don't think it's necessarily worth paying the full price for but if you're looking for something to watch and are up for it, I'd recommend checking it out.
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