Indestructible Hulk, Volume 4: S.M.A.S.H. Time (Marvel NOW!)

 

    Disappearing Airports... Rampaging Dinosaurs... Invading armies comprised of Vikings, pirates, and P-47 Thunderbolts... Someone is messing with time and only the Hulk can save it! 

    Because his gamma radiation can withstand the destructive currents of the time vortex, the Big Green Machine will team up with some of your favorite Marvel heroes of yesteryear in order to save tomorrow. But since the Hulk isn't really known for keeping on task, he'll be aided by a drone that comprises the brain patterns of Bruce Banner. For the first time ever- it's mighty Hulk and puny Banner teamed together to save time itself. Yet there's a caveat- should the Hulk calm down at any point during his quest, he'll morph back into his human self, stuck in a vegetative state  somewhere past unable to reconnect with his Banner persona.

   This volume was a fun ride. I love stories about time travel and this chapter of the Indestructible Hulk doesn't disappoint. Guest-starring the Black Knight, Kid Colt, Betty and Thunderbolt Ross, and a slew of characters that exist in the Marvel Universe's past, I was so stoked. I only wish that Hulk traveled to more time periods and meet further characters (maybe a few real-life historic figures too!) 

   This volume was written by Mark Waid, who I've really become a fan of with his work on latest runs of Daredevil. He's known as the only man to have ever read everything ever published about Superman. Well, I must say I think he's done quite a bit of reading up on the Marvel Universe as Waid crafted a story that paid loving tribute to the Marvel Age of Comics created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and many more comics legends. 

   Aiding Mark Waid is the stunning Mateo Scalera (Black Science.) His ability to capture 1,000s and 1,000s of years of history in a seamless setting of time periods was awesome. Plus, I think he stole some designs from his work on Black Science as the suits worn by some of the time travelers looked very similar to that of the time displaced crew of that crafty Image series.

   It's a nearly flawless time traveling romp that pays homage to the Hulk family.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Black Science Premier Hardcover Edition, Volume 1: The Beginner's Guide to Entropy

  My wife won this book for me on Goodreads and I was so excited to get it. She won this back in November but due to production problems, it was delayed until late January. Man- was it worth the wait...  I love Black Science. I had only read volume 1 but I was hooked by the end of the first issue. I actually was about to grab volume 2 when my bride informed of winning this omnibus edition. (And with the official drop date of Feb 9th, I actually got this book before anyone else- HOW COOL!)

   When I last left this band of inter-dimensional travelers, they were dropping like flies. The main character had been left for dead, his children were left to fend for themselves and the group picked up a shaman healer, which I must say, if you're going to add a stranger to your group, this is the guy to add. The second and third storylines don't really deviate from this formula.

    With its fair share of twists, turns, and shocking deaths, this team seems destined to run out of team members. But, this book is about explorers lost in the multiverse- so there are infinite versions of characters running around and who you think might be of the original earth group ends up being a wolf in sheep's clothing. 

   Writer/creator Rick Remender kept me on my toes. The idea of Black Science is to breach the limits of physics and the universe using unorthodox methods. Thus, the rules of traditional science do not apply here. Featuring gritty art and dynamic covers by Mateo Scalera, I was transported to worlds unimaginable and I loved every minute of it. 

   Now to get my hands on the fourth storyline- unless my wife can hit the lottery twice and win the next omnibus edition of this fantastic Image series.

   Worth Consuming

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.