Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Ryan Ottley
Color Artists: Marte Gracia & Matt Hollingsworth
Cover Artists: Ryan Ottley & Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
The Incredible Hulk is off-world and going further than he’s ever gone before. Or rather, Bruce Banner is going further than he’s ever gone before, of his own choice anyway. After the tumultuous battle with Thor and rescuing him from the fate of being a Gamma-Mutate, Bruce has set the Starship Hulk back on track. See what new forces Bruce Banner discovers in Hulk #9!
Review:
Anyone who’s been following this Hulk run by Donny Cates know that it is weird in some of the best ways and weirdest ways. This hyper-weird train isn’t stopping anytime soon so anyone who wants out of this trip would be recommended to leave now because this comic only gets weirder in some interesting ways and in some not so much. At least not compared to the previous Immortal Hulk run. Fair Warning: There will be Mild SPOILERS for this review of the issue.
The issue starts out with action of a different sort as Bruce appears to be in a therapy session with his old buddy and personal shrink Doc Samson. Of course, things are not what they appear in this comic, but Donny Cates does know how to strongly convey the emotions of everyone involved and more importantly root Bruce’s story in the emotional pains and highs of his life.
What readers discover is that after his big clash with Thor, Bruce Banner had basically subdivided his personality like a sponge to create other versions of himself that operate “Starship Hulk.” Cates is without a doubt leaning heavily into the idea of Bruce being a starship captain of a sort with the way he talks, his narration feeling like he’s a space captain from Star Trek exploring a new world. Even his rapport with his crew is as if they were actual starship crew mates.
The art by Ryan Ottley is invaluable here. From start to finish, he brings this comic and all of its characters to life. Mostly when it comes to giving them all personality, having them clearly express themselves through their faces and bodies. This is especially helpful with distinguishing Captain Bruce Banner from all of the rest of his “crew.” This is definitely shown when the rest of the story in the comic proceeds into the actual plot of the new story arc that Cates and Ottley are setting up for readers.
SPOILERS:
From there, the story has Bruce and his crew discover a brand-new planet that’s drenched in Gamma Radiation but there’s something extremely off about it – there’s civilization on it. From there, things have the Hulk crew make their way to the planet, where it doesn’t take long for them to encounter the mysterious Amazonian-esque woman called Monolith in the synopsis. But there’s no big reveal about her at least, and readers will likely get answers in the next issue.
Final Thoughts:
Hulk #9 follows after the events of the Banner of War crossover event with the beginnings of a new story arc. The comic further continues to explore Bruce Banner’s personal journey as Donny Cates leans heavily into the Starship Captain direction for not only the Hulk but Bruce himself in the dialogue, narration, everything, which is all brought to life by Ryan Ottley’s art. If nothing else, they’re setting up something interesting for the Hulk to experience.