REVIEW: ‘Hulk,’ Issue #7

Hulk #7 is written by Donny Cates, illustrated by Martin Coccolo, colored by Matt Wilson, and lettered by VC’s Joe Sabino. It’s published by Marvel Comics. Part 3 of “Banner of War” finds Hulk and Thor’s showdown interrupted by Iron Man, who’s piloting a massive suit of Celestial armor—  and intends to take the Hulk down by any means necessary. But the Hulk’s persona has slipped free from the “Engine Room” that Bruce Banner contained him in, and his unbridled rage has some unexpected yet dangerous results.

In Thor #25, Cates decided to switch up his writing style and make it feel more like an issue from the Hulk’s perspective as Odin and Bruce Banner had a literal meeting of the minds. He repeats that trick here, as the poetic dialogue usually accompanies the Thor series now shifts to Banner’s state of mind. Multiple captions throughout the issue speak of the “fire” and “rage” that Banner has withstood throughout his life and Petit’s slanted letters make these captions feel like lost bits of scripture —  with the poetic nature of Cates’ words serving as a balance to the extreme violence taking place within the pages of the book.

And what violence it is. Showing absolutely no signs of letting up on the action, Coccolo opens the issue with a massive meteor descending from the skies and enveloping Banner. Coccolo slowly pushes in on Banner’s face as the fiery mass races toward him, with tears spilling from his eyes right before it hits. That leads to a two-page spread where the Celestial Hulkbuster is pummeling Hulk with all matter of weaponry, with energy bolts tearing through the ground and the Hulk’s flesh. The entire issue is full of big moments like this — a single page features Thor striding through the wreckage of the Black Hand of God, with his ravens Huginn & Muninn flanking him and lightning crackling around his body. And the final page is worth the cover price, especially since it has Cates’ trademark “this idea is so crazy it just might work” all over it.

The pinnacle of Coccolo’s artwork is the Celestial Hulkbuster. It literally towers over both Thor and Hulk, and its design is essentially what happens when you cross a suit of Iron Man armor with Transformers’ planet-killer Unicron. Readers’ eyes will be drawn to the Hulkbuster not just for its sheer size but for its bright red and yellow color scheme, courtesy of Wilson. Wilson also shifts the color palette based on which character is at the center of the action. There’s red and gold for Iron Man, bright blue for Thor due to his lightning, and a fiery green when the Hulk unleashes waves of gamma energy.

Hulk #7 hits the halfway point of the “Banner of War” storyline, as Iron Man’s interference shakes up the God of Thunder and the Green Goliath’s worlds. With only two issues left, there’s no telling how things might turn out, but I’m definitely ready to see how this showdown ends.

Hulk #7 is available now wherever comics are sold.