‘Incredible Hulk # 600-605’ Back-Up Tales Written by Fred Van Lente.
‘Incredible Hulk # 600-605’ Back Up Tales Art by Michael Ryan; Salva Espin (Issue # 600); Sergio Ariño (Issue # 605); Guru eFX; & Simon Bowland.
‘Fall of The Hulks: The Savage She-Hulks # 1-3’ Written by Jeff Parker.
‘Fall of The Hulks: Savage She-Hulks # 1-3’ Art by Salva Espin; Zach Howard (Issue # 1); Jonboy Meyers (Issues # 2-3); Guru eFX; & VC’s Joe Caramagna.
Collection Composite Cover Art by J. Scott Campbell & Peter Steigerwald.
SUMMARY:
Released in 2010 by Marvel Comics, this 136-page trade paperback compiles Lyra’s back-up tales from Incredible Hulk # 600-605, which then leads into Fall of The Hulks: The Savage She-Hulks # 1-3. These materials were all first published in 2009-2010.
In a lone crusade to locate the missing Jennifer “Jen” Walters’ She-Hulk, her second cousin, Lyra (Bruce Banner & Thundra’s daughter from a future alternate reality), first battles her way through killer cyborgs from another alternate reality. Against orders, Lyra and an ill-fated fellow A.R.M.O.R. (Alternate Reality Monitor and Operations Response Agency) operative, Alex Erde, deparrt to investigate Jen’s last known whereabouts in Death Valley.
Lyra and Alex’s possible romance is short-lived, as they are attacked by three female rogues: Aberration, Morass, and Axon. This trio has been sent by H.A.M.M.E.R.’s military wing – per Norman Osborn’s instructions to capture Lyra for genetic harvesting.
As it’s revealed, these three female villains had previously escaped military justice by agreeing to become artificially mutated: specifically, by experimentation on genes from Abomination, Zzzax, and the Glob. The trio’s psychotic natures and willingness to kill defenseless innocents forces Lyra to improvise. While the backstory of each villainess is revealed, Lyra fights back against them one by one. It’s up to Lyra to protect the survivors of a secluded small town caught up in the destructive crossfire.
With help from her A.I.-powered ‘Boudicca’ wristband, Lyra finally locates Death Valley’s abandoned Gamma Base. Instead of gaining further intel re: Jen Walters’ fate, Lyra encounters an unexpected adversary. A flashback depicts Lyra’s furious confrontation with her future mother, Thundra, in the American Southwest. From afar, watching with keen interest are MODOK, the Leader, and members of the Wizard’s Frightful Four. Off-screen are presumably the Red Hulk and the now-corrupted Doc Samson, as they had abducted Jen Walters from the abandoned Gamma Base in Incredible Hulk # 600.
Having rejected the Wizard’s recruitment offer, Lyra is attacked by the Frightful Four’s Klaw and Trapster. The arrival of the ominous Red She-Hulk finally convinces a weary Lyra to join their scheme – ostensibly to gain vengeance upon Thundra. Aboard the Intellgencia’s modified helicarrier, it’s revealed that Lyra has since helped the Frightful Four raid The Baxter Building and abduct Reed “Mr. Fantastic” Richards. No further word of the Fantastic Four’s involvement is mentioned.
Meanwhile, Lyra’s true mission is accomplished: rescuing a captive Jen Walters from Intellgencia captivity. Jen’s rechargeable gamma radiation is evidently being siphoned by the villains. Hence, Lyra witnesses her beloved cousin being used as a gamma-powered battery by The Intelligencia for its nefarious purposes.
Amidst a full-scale assault on the helicarrier by Jen’s allies (i.e. Wolverine, Skaar, Rick Jones, Spider-Man, Sub-Mariner, and The Hulk), Jen convinces Lyra of Thundra’s actual intentions. Attacked by the Red She-Hulk, Jen and Lyra soon find themselves on a chaotic Washington, D.C. battlefield. Specifically, their adversaries consist of at least two hundred of the Intelligencia’s hulked-out human soldiers, plus corrupted heroes also now hulked-out. Even an unexpected new ally may not be enough of a game-changer for the two She-Hulks.
A poignant epilogue in the far future reveals the legacy of a mother and daughter’s bond.
Note: This title is also available digitally (an estimated 142 pages).
REVIEW (Beware of Spoilers):
The artwork for a few pages of Savage She-Hulks # 1 appears somewhat shoddy. Otherwise, this compilation’s mostly appealing visual look hovers between average and above average. This project’s art teams, in that sense, accomplish what is necessary for a good read.
As for the overall plotting, it’s a mixed bag. Writer Fred Van Lente’s scripting of Lyra’s solo adventures is solid, in terms of effectively conveying various plot twists. Van Lente supplies enough of a mysteriously grim ambiance, so predictability isn’t a problem throughout Lyra’s quest.
Preposterous storytelling in The Savage She-Hulks # 1-3, however, sabotages the welcome return of Jen Walters’ She-Hulk into the monstrous fray. The sole advantage is that writer Jeff Parker justifies Lyra’s unshakable belief in Jen’s stature as her legendary role model/surrogate aunt. Yet, sheer overkill relying upon hundreds of counterfeit Hulks, including the overtly sexualized Red She-Hulk, shoves the ‘Fall of the Hulks’ concept down a dubious rabbit hole that Parker’s creativity simply can’t escape from.
Case in point: Parker’s mythical cop-out finish (i.e. the She-Hulk trio’s last stand against seemingly hundreds of male Hulks) is unintentionally eye-rolling. One should logically infer the vastly outnumbered three She-Hulks will defiantly/inevitably fall in battle. Without revealing the epic showdown’s outcome, Parker opts to abandon this plot thread in favor of a wistful far future epilogue. The epilogue’s content is good, but it just glaringly fails the present-day characters.
Fall of the Hulks: The Savage She-Hulks delivers a solid page count with likable rather than impressive visuals. The uneven and frankly insufficient plotting, however, makes this book more of a practical library find rather than a purchase.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Each full-page cover precedes its Lyra (the ‘All-New Savage She-Hulk’) back-up tale from Incredible Hulk # 600 – 605. The cover artists are: Alex Ross (Issue # 600) and Ariel Olivetti (Issues # 601-605). Each full-page J. Scott Campbell & Peter Steigerwald cover appears before its issue for Savage She-Hulks # 1-3.
With each in a full page-format, the variant covers consist of:
- artist Jelena Kevic Djurdjevic (Issue # 1 – Women of Marvel: Lyra);
- artist J. Scott Campbell (Issue # 3 – Heroic Age: Jen Walters’ She Hulk).
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
