Mick Martin Comic Reviews

Age of Ultron is a shooting gallery. Superheroes die. They die abruptly and horribly or in heroic last stands and the only reason they die is because every single one of us knows that, in the end, they can't die. Hulk and Thor and the rest can't be dead and humanity can't be wiped out. Nothing in this series matters or ever could, because Age of Ultron isn't about anything other than Age of Ultron. All this series seems to offer is Bryan Hitch's wonderful art, and hype.

That may just be hopeful speculation, unfortunately, and that would be a shame. Because of his often limited vocabulary and his savage, myopic nature, there is a misconception that the Hulk has nothing substantial to offer the evolution of superhero comics. He gives good violence and comic relief and that's about it. On the contrary, I'd argue that when it comes to the major players of Marvel and DC, no superhero offers a truer sense of moral ambiguity than the Hulk. He does not conform to the normal formula. He has no satellite or mansion. The commissioner doesn't have his number and if he did, he wouldn't want it. The Hulk isn't Superman. The Hulk isn't here to save us. He's here to save himself. Trying to change that isn't just a mistake because it's shoving a square peg into a round hole; it's a mistake because if you take that away then what you're left with really is just good for fisticuffs and comic relief.