Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Is "Red Hulk" Almost Over?

Yes, I started reading [Red] Hulk after World War Hulk. Yes, I stayed with it this long, despite Jeph Loeb's attempts to make She-Hulk into an icy, icy, bee-otch in issue #1, turning Rick Jones into a giant, blue, armadillo-man (who should have been Red Hulk, in my opinion), the Giant Robot Betty Ross-faced Anti-Hulk Harpy Squadron™*, and Bruce Banner/Hulk written as if Greg Pak's fantastic take on the character with Planet/World War had never happened.

I have overlooked all of these things to this point, but issue #5 finally got under my skin. The issue picks up with Thor challenging "Ol Rulky" (bleh) , proclaiming that he must be taught a lesson. RH responds with his prickly wittiness that he does not believe in gods, despite the fact that he is punching one in the face right now. But the thing that really gets my dander up, is Loeb's take on Mjolnir, the mighty hammer of Thor.

First, we see RH holding Mjolnir and leaping high enough to reach escape velocity, all while towing an astonished Thor behind him. Then, RH explains that he has studied Thor and his enchanted hammer, and realized that while he cannot lift Mjolnir off the ground (not worthy), he can swing it around in zero gravity. Okaaay...if that is the case, then we set up the argument that physics do apply to an enchanted hammer. Fine. But don't then show me, three panels later, RH using the hammer to fly through space!

If RH can only "push" the hammer around in zero gravity, thus circumventing the enchantment that requires worthiness to wield it, then he definitely can't use it to break every other law of physics and propel himself through the vacuum of space.

The best line in the whole comic was "To Be Concluded". I certainly hope so.


*not actually trade marked

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