Writer & Penciler: Ryan Ottley
Inker: Cliff Rathburn
Color Artist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
It’s the moment, the possibility that Bruce Banner has dreaded for a while now: Titan is free. Just who is this creature, this terrifying persona of the Hulk, why is it so malicious? These questions and more remain unanswered for now. But Titan is free, and now see what destruction he’ll reap upon Hulk Planet in Hulk #13.
Review:
Let’s be clear about one thing: this comic delivers on Titan. I’ll admit that when I found out the name and appearance of this new Hulk persona, I was more than a little letdown. From the name to the fact that he’s connected to Brian Banner, which was already done much better in the Immortal Hulk series. and that Titan just looks like a bald version of Kluh, if anyone remembers him from Marvel’s Axis event. But surprise, surprise, this comic delivers on the destruction Titan has wrought on Hulk Planet while furthering the mystery behind his existence. Fair Warning, there will be some SPOILERS here and there throughout the review.
The first few pages of the comic are mainly recap mixed in with some explanations behind a couple of things. Naturally, the first thing the comic shows is Bruce setting up his new mindspace with Doctor Strange and we’re given a rundown of how it all works and why it was made to begin with. Then of course, it delves into how Bruce reacted to the El Paso incident with Titan’s influence, and how he made up his mind to leave Earth to become the Smashtronaut. By the time the comic returns to the present, it looks Monolith, her people, and Hulk Planet itself, at least the surrounding area, had been put through hell all thanks to Titan.
I said before that the comic really delivers on Titan and it shows. I gotta give it up to Ryan Ottley and the rest of the art team for bringing Titan to life in all the darkest ways. Firstly, Titan still looks like Kluh 2.0 to me, but the “reactors” on his shoulders do add a little bit of something to his design. But what’s really important is the destruction and harm Titan brings to Monolith, her people, and all of Hulk Planet. The comic really shows why he’s the worst thing to happen to them.
See, he doesn’t just kill the gamma mutants, he sucks out their gamma almost like a vampire. Titan is a walking wastelander, he sucks the gamma, the life from the people and the planet and leaves nothing but a death-filled wasteland. This is compounded with a few pages here and there that really show what kind of a gamma-vampire Titan is and the state he leaves Monolith’s people in. It also helps that Ottley and crew let Titan to be very brutal when he’s fighting Monolith and her people, it get a little brutal in this comic and that seals the deal on Titan as a true threat.
Now there’s a major development in this comic tied to Doctor Strange. See, Dr. Strange is trying to help end this crisis in his own way via Astral Projection, which allows him to see and interact with things on Hulk Planet as well as on Earth. Since this is the penultimate issue to not only this storyline but the whole series, Ryan Ottley is wrapping up the main plot behind Titan that leads to a big reveal that this reviewer won’t spoil, because even I’m still scratching my head. But even with this reveal, the comic establishes that there’s an even bigger reveal awaiting us in the series finale on who is truly responsible for all of this chaos.
Final Thoughts:
Hulk #13 is the penultimate issue of this series and it really delivers on just what a monster Titan is. Ryan Ottley and the rest of the creative team really bring Titan to life, and while his design is a little lacking, that doesn’t take away from the threat he is. The sheer destruction and death he brings to Monolith and her people is exceeded by what else he doest to them. And on top of that, the comic manages to deepen the reveals of the true villains behind all of this, though it is a little last-minute. Hopefully all of the reveals make better sense in the next issue.