| Title: | Savage Hulk |
| Contributors: | Alan Davis Mark Farmer |
| Publisher: | Marvel |
| Issue #: | 2 |
| Year: | 2014 |
| Pages: | 32 Pages (19 story pages) |
| Age Rating: | 10+ (Violence) |
| Story Grade: | A |
| Art Grade: | A |
Savage Hulk #2 is a hulkish second installment in the four book run. Not only does it pick up right where Issue #1 left off, it picks up steam and explodes. From the opening page to the very last panel, this is an action packed comic that includes Hulk, Abomination, Talbot's Hulkbusters and some old school X-Men.
This story felt like a celebration of the Silver Age stories. There is Silver Age-like comic-tech, a simple yet enduring plot and enough action to go around a few times. And let me not forget to mention the fantastic cliffhanger that makes me beg for Issue #3 to be out already.
Davis is a great storyteller. He uses this issue to get inside the mind of Abomination, he also but also closes up the one of problems I had with Issue #1, where Banner gets assistance from a random stranger in the desert. This closing of the help-from-a-stranger arc includes a stunning two page spread of Banner transforming into the Hulk.
The other problem I had with Issue #1, about not fearing for the character's lives. Well that to vanished. The throwdown between Abomination, Hulk, the Army and the X-Men was simply fantastic from start to finish. I didn't care that nobody was going to die.
There is absolutely no ink wasted on character development. And to be honest, is any more character development needed for these characters? I don't think so and apparently Davis agreed. He is not trying to reinvent any of the characters in this book. Instead he is focused on telling the most kick-ass action packed book he can. And he delivers... big time.
The other problem I had with Issue #1, about not fearing for the character's lives. Well that to vanished. The throwdown between Abomination, Hulk, the Army and the X-Men was simply fantastic from start to finish. I didn't care that nobody was going to die.
There is absolutely no ink wasted on character development. And to be honest, is any more character development needed for these characters? I don't think so and apparently Davis agreed. He is not trying to reinvent any of the characters in this book. Instead he is focused on telling the most kick-ass action packed book he can. And he delivers... big time.
Davis' artwork is eye-popping gorgeous and when Farmer's ink is applied it comes off as an artistic match made in the Heaven. Clean, crisp, vibrant, exciting.
Issue #2 feels reads like a King Sized annual, but even still, it felt short. And why shouldn't it. At 32 pages, the book should have been satisfying. But alas, there are only 19 pages dedicated to the story. That's 13 pages of ads. Nearly one half (1/2) of the book is ads. This is not a failure on Davis' part, but rather Marvel. At $4 I would think that Marvel wouldn't need to rip the reader off by filling one in three pages with ads. Imagine if you bought an 800 page Stephen King novel and 472 pages were nothing but ads. Talk about a disappointment.
I understand that ads are a revenue source for all comic publishers. It is like this in most magazines as well, not just comics. But I have always been of the mindset that if you are putting ads in a book, charge the advertisers enough to make the book and then give it away like Rangefinder magazine does.
Despite the short page count, I graded this book a solid A. The story is fast paced and the art is explosive.
Until next time... Keep calm and Hulk smash the comic ads.
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