Hulk vs. Thor: Banner of War: Alpha #1
/alpha_1.jpg "Hulk vs. Thor: Banner of War: Alpha #1")
| Event\Storyline | Banner of War |
| Writer | Donny Cates |
| Artist | Martin Coccolo |
| Cover Price | $4.99 |
Hulk and Thor have both undergone massive changes recently, but one thing remains constant - their heated rivalry! When mysterious circumstances bring them into conflict once more, will the God of Thunder be able to triumph against a Bruce Banner who can now control his rage?
Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of both characters, this epic five-part crossover between the THOR and HULK series starts here in this oversized Alpha issue, brought to you by creators Donny Cates and Martin Coccolo! Key mysteries from both series will be revealed, as well as shocking consequences for the future of both characters! (Continued in May's THOR #25 and H
more
CRITIC REVIEWS Back to Top
-
10
But Why Tho? - Collier "CJ" Jennings
May 09, 2022Thor vs. Hulk: Banner of War Alpha #1 celebrates the title characters with a blood-soaked and brutal battle royale. If you've been readingThorand/orHulk, this storyline looks to pay off plot points from both titles. If you haven't, it's still a storyline with an easy jumping-on point and a hell of a hook. Either way, this is a comic that's worth your time. Read Full Review
-
10
BGCP - Andy MacGregor
May 14, 2022Sometimes you pick up a cross-over event book, full of expectations and it can leave you feeling underwhelmed. This is not one of those times. There are panels in this book that will have your jaw on the floor! The writing, the artwork, these things will just leave you in absolute awe. But don't let me just tell you, get out there and pick this book up straight away! This has all the hallmarks of being a FANTASTIC Marvel cross-over and I'm really excited to see what future issues bring. Read Full Review
-
9.0
The Comicbook Dispatch - StoryBabbler
May 09, 2022Hulk vs. Thor: Banner of War Alpha #1 delivers what's on the cover Hulk vs. Thor! The story is pretty straightforward with the necessary recap to catch readers up to date on everything that's been going on for both heroes.The art by Martin Coccolo is dynamic and compliments Donny Cates' high-octane story, pacing, and dialogue. Hulk and Thor both maintain the spotlight while getting their licks in as the story follows through on the epic art, smack talk, tension, and action from start to finish. Read Full Review
-
8.9
The Super Powered Fancast - Deron Generally
May 11, 2022Coccolo delivers some thrilling art in the issue. There are some great visual moments with the fights and the action is beautifully detailed. Read Full Review
-
8.0
AIPT - David Brooke
May 09, 2022Hulk vs. Thor: Banner of War Alpha#1 is a well-drawn action comic that will satiate fight comic fans. It also does an exceptional job explaining the complicated backstory that has led Thor and Hulk here. For that alone, it's worth the price of admission. Read Full Review
-
8.0
Comic Book Revolution - Kevin Lainez
May 12, 2022Hulk vs Thor: Banner Of War Alpha is a good old slobber knocker of a fight. Sure there are some character moments that will speak to fans of the Thor and Hulk series. But at the end of the day Donny Cates and Martin Coccolo knew exactly what fans wanted to see and that was a big titanic battle between Hulk and Thor. That is exactly what we got and it did not disappoint in starting of Banner of War with the hottest start possible. Read Full Review
-
8.0
Comic Crusaders - C.V.R. The Bard
May 16, 2022With Thor and Hulk rampaging through some make-shift Candyland, to these two both dealing with the ghosts of their pasts the similarities and differences of two of Marvel's strongest will prove to be an entertaining tale, and Cates and Coccolo can be trusted to deliver this since they have came out swinging here at the opening bell. Read Full Review
-
8.0
Impulse Gamer - Tim Chuma
May 17, 2022Well worth a look even if you just want to get this one as a one-shot and maybe check out the character series you are more a fan of going forward. Read Full Review
-
7.0
Graphic Policy - Brett
May 11, 2022Hulk vs. Thor: Banner War Alpha kicks things off as promised. It's a comic, so far, about these two fighting, not much more. If you're looking for a decent reason or depth, this isn't delivering that. If you just want to see these two punch each other, then this is your pinnacle of entertainment. Read Full Review
-
7.0
Weird Science Marvel Comics - mrgabehernandez
May 11, 2022Hulk vs. Thor: Banner of War #1 kicks off the next arc in Cates's run with stronger art but not much story. If all you want is an excuse to see Hulk and Thor duke it out, you get plenty of that here. If you want to know why the El Paso incident is such a big deal and why it's motivated everything since issue #1, you can probably skip this issue and not miss a thing. Read Full Review
-
6.0
ComicBook.com - Charlie Ridgely
May 11, 2022If you're hoping for something of real substance, this comic probably isn't for you. But if wild comic book action is what you crave, this is the place. Hulk vs. Thor has wild for days. Read Full Review
-
6.0
Bleeding Cool - James Hepplewhite
May 22, 2022Hulk Vs. Thor: Banner Of War is a fun comic. If Jude still calls Cates the bad boy of comics, then Hulk Vs. Thor: Banner Of War is that bad boy faithfully writing one of the oldest Marvel standards in the book. Rich put together an eleven-page preview here. Read Full Review
-
5.0
Comic Watch - Matt Meyer
May 09, 2022If you're looking for a comic with no more depth than Hulk and Thor fighting each other, this is the comic for you. Otherwise, spend your six dollars (!) elsewhere. Read Full Review
USER REVIEWS Back to Top
-
9.5
I am loving this issue, even more than the whole 1st Hulk arc. Donny Cates does a great job. It introduces both characher stories so far using an external narrator. They are both seen as having problems with "voices" in their heards. Thor, fighting his Father and Bruce fighting Betty. The story adds some more details on the El Paso accident, not as much as I would hoped for though. We can see here two of the strongest superheros both struggling with their inner battles. The art is gorgeous. Coccolo does a great job. Battle scenes are very well done and overall it seems to be in a kind of videogame. Definitely, he is a great artist on this series other than Ryan Ottley. I am really waiting from the second part of this crossover, it r more
+ Like • Comment -
8.5
Not gonna lie. I really liked this. It's exactly what it markets itself to be. And if you don't like the idea, you probably won't like the execution.
-
8.5
A fun start to this crossover. One thing I already like about this crossover is that both titles are written by the same person, which I think only makes this stronger, as Cates already knows where he wants both characters to go from here. Talking more about the story itself, I appreciated that it catches the reader up on what's been happening in both Thor and Hulk's, respective, ongoing titles. I've kept up with both of them, but it's good to include for someone who's only reading one of the books or someone who hasn't read either of them (which if you haven't already, do yourself a favor and check out both runs). This was a lot of fun where Hulk and Thor beat each other up for a bit, with Hulk literally making a hole in his stomach in ord more
-
8.5
Incredibly fun and, surprisingly, not dumb.
-
8.0
Really good art and just Thor and Hulk beating each other.
-
8.0
I really liked the issue, it has good art and it seems to be very interesting and makes me excited for the rest of this event.
-
7.5
Well, the issue has its ups and downs, but epic moments prevail. Overall it's at least not bad. God, I hate crossovers... But let's see if it's at least good.
-
7.0
Good action and great visuals but, sometimes Cates goes bizarre with stuff, and it works, this was a case where it didn't work for me and made some parts feel corny.
-
6.5
This sure is one spectacular Hulk vs. Thor fight. It's a big opportunity for the artist to flex, and the visual results are formidable. On the story side, though ... Uatu promises that this will be a unique Hulk/Thor fight unlike any previous one. And that is not at all what I'm seeing so far. Even the first semi-revelation about the Hulk's El Paso mystery is underwhelming in its familiarity. I did at least like the last-page twist, and Bruce's brutal solution to getting Mjolnir-pinned. I'd rate higher if the Watcher/the author hadn't oversold this at the start.
-
5.5
"HUlk...(yawn)...zzzzzzz" I give the creative team credit, this comic had the potential to be terrible, but instead it was marginally above average. I'm not sure why (aside from extracting the price of another comic from the readers) Marvel decided to kick off this crossover with an Alpha issue, as though it were a major event, and not something that will be forgotten in 2 years. But, here we are. The story is wafer-thin. Hulk and Thor hit each other. That's it. Nothing more to see here. Move along. This comic expends 2 double-page spreads, each packed with tiny panels, to catch the reader up on events in the Thor and Hulk series that led to the present moment. Mileage may vary, but to me, it reads like a highlights reel of Cates' more
-
5.5
It's Hulk vs Thor, not much else to report.
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
9.0
-
8.5
-
8.5
-
8.0
-
8.0
-
8.0
-
8.0
-
8.0
-
7.5
-
7.5
-
7.5
-
7.5
-
7.0
-
7.0
-
7.0
-
6.5
-
6.0
-
6.0
-
5.5
-
5.0
-
1.0
2025 In Review:
