Donny Cates, writer
Martin Coccolo, art
Matt Wilson, colors
Vc’s Cory Petit, letters
Recap
In this issue, Stark arrives in an upgraded Hulk-buster Iron Man Suit carved out of a Celestial Body. The issue doesn’t explain the mechanics of this process; however, Stark is supremely confident that this suit will withstand whatever the Starship-Hulk has to throw at him. Meanwhile, Odin, who lives inside of Mjolnir, begs Thor to let him back at Hulk seemingly so that he can continue his conversation with Banner. The fight escalates exponentially and after Starship-Hulk is pinned by Mjolnir, again, it appears that Odin will get his wish. This leads to metamorphosis by Hulk with a dispensing of gamma energy that Stark cannot comprehend. What’s even more incomprehensible is the impact this energy blast from Hulk has on Thor.
This issue had me turning pages faster than Quicksilver at comic-con. The story is big and told in a grand, centerstage, fashion. The art is bold and shows respect for these beloved characters. For example, when Iron Man arrives he towers over the Starship-Hulk and the planet he is on. And when Thor moves in to confront Starship-Hulk after it appears that he is subdued, he takes up an entire panel.. The art is beautiful, with lots of color and details showing the characters in action. What I love about the way Cates and the art team designed this story is that it doesn’t bog down in places that slow the pace but gives you enough to be fully invested in the outcome.
The previous issue dove into the motivation of the characters and what drives them toward this huge fight. This issue informs the reader of the power levels held by each character and how these levels have changed over the decades - and how the power differentials have stayed the same. Iron Man has his machines, Hulk has more power than ever before, and Thor has his honor and Mjolnir.
What is it that draws us to these clash-of-the-titans stories? Cates knows that we have an obsession with combatants and the arena. He has crafted the story and placed the participants in places that have the reader anticipating but not knowing how it will go. For example, Titan-Hulk has yet to appear, despite the huge power surge that happens at the end of the issue. Given what is happening with Thor and that he still has Mjolnir, I want to see how the Titan-Hulk and Thor battle might unfold. It is anybody’s guess. I love this story and this issue. Overall 10/10