Indestructible Hulk, Vol. 1: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Indestructible Hulk

by Mark Waid, Leinil Francis Yu (Illustrator)

Hulk: Indestructible force more weapon than man. Banner: Smartest man alive. Combined, they are the strongest, smartest weapon on the planet! And NOW!, the Indestructible Hulk is an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Hulk's first official missions include taking down the all-new Quintronic Man and battling Attuma on the ocean floor! But not everything is as it seems: What is Banner's secret hold over S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Maria Hill? What and where is Bannertown, USA? And which one of Banner's lab assistants holds a deadly secret? Plus: Bruce Banner and Tony Stark are friends but Hulk and Iron Man are anything but! The Golden Avenger guest-stars as Eisner Award-winning writer Mark Waid (Daredevil) and superstar artist Leinil Yu take the Hulk in an all-new direction...NOW!

Collecting: Indestructible Hulk 1-5, plus never before seen extras

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Comic Book, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

136 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2013

About the author

Mark Waid (born March 21, 1962 in Hueytown, Alabama) is an American comic book writer. He is best known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

What if Banner stopped trying to get rid of the Hulk, and decided to use him to get what he wanted?



No. I don't mean, by Smashing everyone.
I mean, what if he put Hulk to work for S.H.I.E.L.D., and got a nice new lab for himself out of the deal?
Maybe a few assistants, a good-sized budget, and the freedom to make a name for himself in the scientific community...
Banner is one of the geniuses of the universe. Well, the Marvel universe, anyway. But having spent the majority of his time working on curing himself of his alter-ego, hasn't left much time for showing off his scientific smarty-pants side.
And now, he feels like Tony Stark and Reed Richards are getting all the glory, and leaving him in the technological dust.
So.
Time for Plan B.
Banner offers Maria Hill first dibs on the Hulk.
After all, he's a weapon of mass destruction. So, the plan is to point him in a direction, and let him destroy whatever they need him to.
In return, Banner gets to use his down time making a name for himself.
On the government's dime.

This was so much fun! One of the best Hulk titles I've ever read (I've admittedly not read many, though), because it's chock full of action and humor.
When Tony shows up at Banner's lab, ready to 'help' Bruce out?
Well, it was a definite highlight watching him put Tony in his place, by reminding him that he isn't always the smartest guy in the room.
When Tony finally realizes that Banner has him beat, he slurks off to the bathroom in defeat and has a conversation with himself in the mirror...



This was a great first volume, and I can't wait to get my hands on volume 2!
Highly Recommended!

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

If only…

If only Jason Aaron hadn’t wasted an entire year penning The Incredible Hulk. Worst Hulk books in recent memory.

If only Banner had teamed up with S.H.E.I.L.D sooner. You get his genius at creating stuff (he makes Tony Stark green with envy) and, if a problem is too insurmountable, point Hulk at it and: Boom!!

If only Hulk's adversaries didn’t underestimate his power. This happens a lot in the Hulk books and it’s always a welcome development, something I never get tired of seeing. Here, Mark Waid takes a page from the Peter David playbook and is particularly clever with laying it out.

If only they hadn’t given Agent Coulson a cameo in this, then I wouldn’t have thought how much better The Agents of S.H.I.E.LD (Damn you, Marvel comics and your acronyms. Tired of typing periods between letters!) TV show would be if they adapted this approach. First, say goodbye to the insufferable, geek-kid scientists - Dr. Banner is in the house and he’ll handle all the science chores, thank you very much. Say good bye to the crappy agent(s) characters. Just smack Banner around and send him in. I’ll paraphrase that great line from The Fifth Element – Anyone else want to negotiate, bitches? I thought not. And consequently, you can get rid of the boring, labored scenes of exposition – if there’s a problem just do the whole Gordian knot thing and Hulk will smash it to bits.

If only… (sigh)

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was great myself. So Banner goes to S.H.I.E.L.D. Maria Hill, he has some technology to trade to them for a chance to have his own lab etc. He has sort of found a way of controlling himself. :-) But he still does a lot of Hulk Smashing. He's my hero. LoL



I thought it was cute when he made a little joke about his tombstone saying Hulk Smash on it! So, I made him one with some pretty flowers.



Banner decides to give them a little demonstration to what he is capable of while not killing any good guys, at least he didn't at the time.



That dude in the picture above ↑ thinks he can take the Hulk out. No

Anyhoo, so the Hulk goes on a few missions in this book and he gets his secret lab in, what I thought was a cool part of town. It was like a ghost town, but Bannertown.

I enjoyed his underwater fight with Attuma and his gang. Hulk ends up making friends..friends.. real friends and some water chick had a crush on him.. I love it.

I thought it was really good as I soooo love the hulk and all of his smashing.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Banner, all Hill, all the time.

Banner build, Hulk smash.

Interesting intersections include the indescribable irradiated Ironman.

What can we expect when Bruce gets an offer of SHIELD resources and protection and his own state-of-the-art lab in return for being a loaded shotgun pointed at the world's foes? A great start. What a nice change from always being the world's bogeyman. Hey, what could go wrong? He gets to hand-pick from past allies of villains to propel his projects. What could go wrong? I like it!

We'll see how it continues, of course, but the last part of this volume was kinda... I don't know... fishy? Still, it was funny to see Hulk get the love and Banner get none. :)

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

1 - Bruce Banner makes a deal with SHIELD to use the Hulk as a weapon in exchange for them funding his lab. His first task is to take down the Mad Thinker.

I've never been much of a Hulk fan. To me, he's so powerful that he's more of a plot device than a character, kind of like Superman. However, what Mark Waid is doing here piqued my interest. The first issue was a nice setup for what promises to be an interesting run.

2 - Banner and Tony Stark have a conversation that eventually turns ugly.

Much like he's done on Daredevil, Waid plums the depths of Bruce Banner's psyche. His motivation for taking Tony out into the Himalayas made sense, although a super genius should have taken into account what would have happened with the Gamma Fracker.

3 - The Hulk is unleashed against the Quintronic Man!

There wasn't a lot of meat to this one. The fight with the Quintronic Man wasn't as interesting as Banner's new lab crew being recruited.

4 - Banner meets his team and The Hulk is set against Attuma and the Lemurians!

While I like the Banner parts of this series, the Hulk is still the Hulk.

5 - Hulk and Attuma have it out.

Yeah, this one is also mostly fighting.

Closing Thoughts: I'm not nearly as enamored with this series as I thought. The Hulk is still the Hulk. However, Walt Simonson draws some of the next volume and Daredevil appears so I'm up for one more. 3 out of 5 stars.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Waid has come up with a great premise here. Bruce Banner has decided the Hulk is an incurable disease and is focusing his energies on bettering humanity instead of getting rid of the Hulk. He's decided he's tired of Reed Richards and Tony Stark getting all of the fame and glory and is out to make his name as well known. So he hooks up with SHIELD. They give him a lab and he gives them the Hulk to fire at problems like a cannon. That issue with Tony Stark is fantastic. I love how he finally gets put in his place.

[Terence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruce Banner has experienced a revelation. Banner has finally come to realize that The Hulk is incurable. Because of this revelation Banner has made a decision. Rather than spending endless amounts of time trying to cure himself, he's decided to put his mind to creating scientific breakthroughs. To do this he's made a deal with SHIELD Director Maria Hill to use Hulk as a cannon in exchange for a top notch lab and funding for his scientific research. So The Hulk has become an Agent of SHIELD.


I have to say I love the concept going on here. Bruce Banner making a deal for both of his personalities to benefit SHIELD is brilliant and honestly it's surprising this idea has never been considered before. A lot of thought went into the story and I'm excited to see where it leads. The story is so cool that The Hulk has made friends in surprising places.

[Lono · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Daredevil, now Hulk. A couple of characters that I haven’t really given much thought lately and Mark Waid goes and makes’em fun for me again. Hulk gets a fresh coat of green paint with Waid’s Indestructible Hulk. Much like Waid’s Matt Murdock, Bruce Banner gets a lot of face time in this one. I think it’s his Banner that really won me over with this title. From his job interview with Maria Hill to his pissing contest with Tony Stark, I love Waid’s take on Banner. He isn’t the “mopey teenager” (Waid’s words) struggling with his search for a cure (Shit, he’s been doing that since Bill Bixby in the 1970’s. Cue sad piano music).



Banner has accepted his anger management issues and is finally trying to make them work for him instead of against him. Bruce is finally going to redirect all the effort he’s been focusing on his search for a remedy and try and do something to make up for all damage Hulk’s been doing over the years. A bunch of new characters show up in the way of a team of scientists put together to help Banner with his new mission. Loved how Bruce fucks with them at their introduction. Curious to see where this is going. But that’s not all. Banner comes up with the idea of allowing Shield to use his angry side as a WMD. This little twist lets Waid to put Hulk right where the action is. Buncha great throw downs in this one.



Leinil Francis Yu provides the artwork in this one and fans of his other work will enjoy his stuff here. He draws a suitably large, enraged, and violent monster. While Yu has never been a draw for me, his work in this one is solid and I really dug his take on Hulk. Yu’s Iron Man was pretty bad ass too.



And you gotta appreciate an artist that finds a way to squeeze in the occasional "Boob Window" shot. Money.



Indestructible Hulk is an easy recommend for Hulk aficionados, Marvel Fan-boys (or girls), and Mark Waid enthusiasts. It’s a light hearted, action packed, and a refreshingly new angle on one of Marvel’s classic heroes.


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[Artemy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The OG Hulk never interested me all that much as a character for some reason, but Mark Waid is generally a solid and reliable writer, so this was still a pretty good read for me that called back to those simpler, better times of the original Marvel NOW (aka probably the best line-wide relaunch in the history of superhero comics). This has all the traits of a solid mid-tier NOW book: the story is easy to follow if you're new to the character, it quickly briefs you on all the important things that you need to know and then drops you right into the action, and you have a good amount of fun reading it. Nothing less, nothing more. For its time Indestructible Hulk did a pretty interesting character shift of Bruce Banner trying to accept the Hulk in him and treat him as an asset rather than a curse, and Waid's characterisation of Bruce is quite compelling here. Of course nowadays it pales in comparison to Al Ewing's sublime and radical take on the character in Immortal Hulk, which makes this series look a bit too tame. That's by no means Waid's (or anyone else's) fault, just a testament to Ewing's talent. Overall, this was a solid read and I probably wouldn't mind checking out the rest of this series eventually.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waid kicks the shit out of the script here. His writing is sharp, tight and meaningful - like I'm talking to someone who's smart enough to talk smart back to me, not drag out everything until I want to kill them for condescension.

Waid fixes Banner in a way that I don't recall seeing before (though I haven't read Hulk comics in years) - he gets his groove, gains his arrogance back. And even finds a way to measure up to Tony "primadonna rich douchebag" Stark.

Plus Waid brings the fun (even despite Yu's fussy, overdone linework). Each issue is pretty close to a done-in-one adventure, and there's plenty of silly, surprises (or lack of surprises considering our Indestructible protagonist) and straight men keeping us from getting bored.

But Waid doesn't keep everyone a straight wo/man, and thankfully the scales are pretty balanced both in terms of realistic representation and for the love of all that's holy, the funny. The science team that assembles around Banner promises to be used well.

Holy shit does Waid setup some exciting possibilities. I got chills when Banner shows off his inventions and the "tech" he's going to play with. (The Thor artifact makes my pants moist.)

And the opponents/villains/threats that Waid get Yu to build/draw/bring to life - this is the kind of crazy shit that I last saw in Jason Aaron's initial run on Wolverine & The X-Men. SO. MUCH. FUN. This is what Shallow Comics Reading is all about.

And may I add, Waid actually takes the time to get in *every* person's head to hear how they'd use words in their own experience. When an Atlantean briefly captures Hulk, he says "Oh you clever, clever...What do the airgulpers call them? Gorillas? You clever *gorilla*. Already your metal whale has retreated." EX-ACTLY.

I have one complaint: near the end of this book, Yu's art gets damned confusing and murky - so bad that I just started flipping pages cause I grew tired of trying to figure out who was who and how the action flowed between panels. Is it rushed? Did he lose interest? Or was there some problem in the script? Not sure, but I know I felt like we weren't getting his best work (or anything close).

Onwards to grand adventures! Next book, now.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Green Theme Buddy Read! Green Character: The obvious Hulk!**

This was my first Hulk. And let me state that my knowledge of Dr. Banner is extraordinarily limited. I mean I watched the horrible Ed Norton film and the awesome Avenger's film, and thus: my entire knowledge. So it was really cool to read more into his story, to see him come to terms with Hulk, and to be introduced to bad guys I hadn't met before.

Okay! First I have to comment on the awesome artwork. Yu did a FANTASTIC job with everything. The expressions, the fear that radiated off of people, the fact that Hulk showed up, said he made an impression because he smelled piss and it was like you could pinpoint the bastard who was the most terrified and know that he was the culprit. Loved it!

The plot works extremely well. Banner coming to terms with the Hulk, hatching out a plan to not only benefit from it but also help, while being a witty asshole... it's everything I didn't know I wanted. Tony Stark showing up and continuing their bromance just kicks it into high gear for me (because YES, I loved them in the movie). Banner and Stark together always means great great great things. They're both way too intelligent for their own good. They're both much more human than they let on. And they both want to do good for the world, even though sometimes their plans go way south. God bless them.

My favorite villain by far was Attuma. I liked the underwater cities. I liked the powers that some of the citizens possessed. I loved that there was a woman who was obsessed with Hulk but hated Banner (helllllo backwards, underwater lady!). The artwork and story line in these two chapters just caught my attention more than the others. They were so well done and involved so many incredible details that I think I will compare all underwater scenes to Yu's artwork (must seek out more underwater scenes asap).

I clearly have not read a lot of comics. And therefore I don't know back stories and the names of everyone and all of the small, cool details. But I REALLY enjoyed this. I'm looking forward to the next volume :)

[Sam Quixote · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Hulk book I can say I think is truly awesome. Mark Waid and Leinil Francis Yu knock out a smart, interesting new take on Marvel's Big Green Giant and his even angrier counterpart Banner. Full review here!

[Peter Derk · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a very cool trend in comics right now where these scientists, guys who are supposed to be smart, are ACTUALLY smart. DOCTOR Reed Richards is saying and doing smart things. Peter Parker, boy nerdo, is using his brain a little. And in this one, DOCTOR Bruce Banner is using his brain beyond trying to live in the slums of India and not turn into the Hulk. I love that, by the way. You know where I'm least likely to become agitated? Oh, probably the worst slums on the planet, a place where Mr. Rogers would probably end up tearing off the arms of a blind peasant and using them to beat another guy to death.

But they're starting to do some science-y stuff. Cool stuff.

I think this might be the positive effect of the Iron Man movies. I'm not certain, but that was kind of an early version of a tech guy becoming very cool. Granted, I recognize that this is a complete fiction. If you're reading this, think of the very smartest person you know. If you told me that the person you're thinking of is very smart, personally known to you, rich and attractive, even remotely as rich and attractive as Iron Man (or Robert Downey Jr.) I would first call you a liar, then once you'd proven to me sufficiently that such a person exists I would have nothing but questions about why you haven't abandoned all other life goals in pursuit of this person. Oh, that's the richest, smartest, most charismatic person I've ever met. I married this guy because we both enjoy badminton.

The whole nerd chic thing is kind of interesting. Because the key quality of being a nerd is being uncool. So when it becomes cool, how does it maintain any sort of...anything?

The truth, I'm afraid, is that there is nerd and then there is nerd.

Let's take an older trend. When I was a young man, full of ideas about philosophy while also beating off about 8 times a day, one of the more popular trends was thrift store clothing. Nothing would be cooler than to wear a t-shirt purchased at a thrift store featuring the logo of a softball team that you'd never heard of, originating in a place you'd never been to, and designed by someone who had just that right amount of artsy idiocy where the mascot with a baseball for a head was drawn decently but with one hand backwards.

Second hand stuff was cool.

However, it was not stuff that was REALLY second hand. This coolness did not extend to salmon/teal windbreakers, and it also did not extend to a nice sweater that nobody would be able to identify as thrift store goods. You had to both get it at the thrift store AND it had to be obvious that this is what happened. Thrift store, the anti-label, became its own sort of label.

I blame the fashion industry. I blame the fashion industry for a lot of things, but the fashion industry is the only cultural force asinine enough to cause the sorts of things we've seen in terms of trends. Only fashion could cause us to look at the same black-framed glasses two ways:

1995: You are the biggest fucking idiot ever and must also be terribly poor.

2013: There is an entire category of pornography related to people wearing those very frames.

I kind of hate fashion for this. The problem is that you cannot live outside fashion. Even if you try to dress like an idiot, it will come around to where you are. If you purposely dress ten years out of style, the pictures looked at a decade later will prove you to be the only one who was right.

What I'm saying here is that the nerd trend is in, then it'll be out. Then, who knows? It'll piss me off, I know that, but what it'll be I can't say.

So, if I'm not going to enjoy the trend as a whole, I'm happy that I can at least enjoy some goddamn comics and what nerd chic is bringing to them. Look at me, Mr. Brightside.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one based on the positive reviews of the Shallow Readers posse. I liked it. But I don't think I liked it as much as they did. The middle got a little boring for me. But the start and finish were pretty good. I like more of the focus on character and on both Banner and Hulk as real characters...and not caricatures (one is often explored at the expense of the other). Hulk Smash moments are expected. But not always my favorite (sorry, Jeff). I liked the anticipated fear of Banner becoming Hulk and how Banner deals with that and even plays with it in the new role and mind set he's assumed. The scene when Hulk escapes the magic sea beast was pretty gratifying though. That being said, I felt the villain should not have been able to even compete with Hulk's strength. Also interesting that different cultures like Hulk better, and Banner is more the abhorrent one. Hulk even makes friends, which surprised Banner. Waid is doing interesting things, and the art is amazing. I plan to continue with the series.

[William Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Waid is magic these days. Well, maybe he's always been magic. Because out of all the old school writers still working, he's one of a couple that have learned to adapt to the modern storytelling techniques. His time working at BOOM! studios, writing 'Irredeemable', 'Incorruptible' and 'The Unknown', away from the Big 2 seems to have rejuvenated him even more, put him in touch with "the now". Because he knows exactly what we want to read, as fans. And as much as I enjoyed Aaron's mad scientist tale (and I seem to be the only person who did), it's nice to have Hulk back mixing it up in the Marvel U as a good guy. We've seen plenty of different incarnations of Hulk and here, with Waid, we get something completely out of left field that should have been worked out years ago. It's as plain as the noses on our faces but no one ever thought to do it. Banner using his brains and his brawn for the good of humanity.

Costume redesign aside, this is a stellar book. (But, no, seriously, what in the hell is with these armored shorts he's wearing? Whose stupid idea was that?) Perfect for brand new fans and old alike, it feels like we're meeting Banner and Hulk with a clean slate. None of the baggage coming along, not holding anything over from previous eras, and with a clear focus on what both beasts should be doing with their time. Waid is making it clear that he wants Banner and Hulk to be working for the greater good instead of fighting one another, instead of at each other's throats and instead of hovering at the edges of the Marvel U.

This might not be as good as his 'Daredevil' books (which should be winning the Eisner every single year) but it is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I'm so excited to see Waid putting Banner to good use and I'm over the moon excited about seeing Hulk fight baddies like Atuma. Just a damn fine read. Worth buying. Because you'll read it more than once, guaranteed.

Yu's art is on point as always and is especially magnificent here with the inks of Alanguinlan. There's something so perfect about the two that it has seriously created the most enjoyable art Marvel has going right now. It's also nice to see real pencils and real inks. Just so sharp and so stylized. Magnificent job all around.

Writing: A
Art: A+

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the book opens, Bruce Banner has come to a life-changing realization about himself: he will probably never cure himself of the Hulk. He's been trying for a long time, after all, and nothing has ever worked. So instead of trying to hide from the Hulk, he'll use him. He'll offer himself up as a weapon S.H.I.E.L.D. can aim wherever they like, and in exchange, they'll give Banner anything he wants as far as funding and lab equipment goes, so he can use his time to invent devices that will improve the world. Hulk will smash, and Banner will build.

It's a brilliantly simple idea, something that a lot of writers are probably wishing they'd had, or that Marvel had let them do years ago. The focus, naturally, is on Banner himself, with Hulk showing up to punch things and make big explosions now and then. And when it was focusing on Banner, I was really enjoying myself. He's become the sort of snarky, bitter, and brilliant guy that can be so much fun to read about, as much as I'd hate to actually work with him.

The Hulk, on the other hand... Well, there's a reason that I've never read Hulk books. He just comes across as so indestructible. It's the name of the book, after all. So when he goes smashing, there's no tension, no sense that maybe he won't smash so good this time. The action can be cathartic to read, sure, but it's mindless and without any sense of consequence or risk. Fun to read now and then, but nothing that I'd read on a regular basis. But that's just me.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smashing good read. Lots of fun stuff going on here. Fantastic artwork as well. Hulk at his finest since Peter David and Mr Fixit.

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd been wanting to read this since I first heard about it; Mark Waid (one of my favourites, who really looks at heroes in a different way - Incorruptible/Irredeemable is a fantastic mirror series for anyone who's never read it), Indestructible!, and Agent of SHIELD!

Sadly, I rely on my local library (support your local library peeps, there's all kinds of great stuff there, and I can't tell you how many people are shocked when I tell them the library has comics! Current Movies! CDs! eBooks, you name it! I have saved SOOO much $$$ thanks to a library 1 block from my home) for most of my comic/graphic novel reads, and this has not shown up on their buying list as of yet (though, oddly, they already have Volumes 2 & 4...). However, I ended up with a gift card to a bookstore (yes, a store that sells books and it's NOT Amazon!) and spent a good hour debating what to buy in the comic section, and since I'm writing this review...well you know what I got.

I am VERY glad I did. First off; the art is phenomenal. L. Francis Yu does amazing work here, and Hulk looks tremendous. There's a 2 page spread early on in Issue #1, when Banner first Hulks out in this volume, and it's just WOW. I could honestly stare at that page for a long time. If they sold that as a poster, I'm sure Yu would make a few bucks. It's a great blend of hyper-real, if that makes sense as a style, but not so ridiculous that you forget it's a comic.

Secondly, the concept behind the story is genius. Hulk is MIA and wanted, as per the usual, so Bruce Banner sets up a meeting with Maria Hill (Director of SHIELD) where he reveals to her that he's done trying to find a cure for the Hulk. He's decided instead to manage it, like an illness, and enjoy the good time he has left as Bruce Banner to better the world. He wants to do this for a couple main reasons: Hulk has done so much damage, that he feels he owes it to make reparations, but he also is sick and tired of Tony Stark, Reed Richards and Hank Pym getting all the credit as the super brains that figure everything out.

It's a great premise, and he elaborates by showing Hill that he's invented a purification unit that will eliminate water-borne diseases from the Earth in 5 yrs. This shows just how valuable he can be, and how much he has to offer...he also suggests that when Hulk emerges, it's best to have a strategy for where to aim his destruction, like a Canon instead of a Bomb going off.

What follows is a test run, with Hulk being "aimed" at the Mad-Thinker, and passing his 'audition' with SHIELD. However, Bruce isn't entirely a naive man, and has put safeguards in place so that he has to check in with a friend to ensure he's safe every day, or some serious dirt on SHIELD will be made public.

This is the kind of writing I love. Waid has taken a very simple idea, and made it into a great one by thinking of all the small little details (such as Banner wearing custom contact lenses that have him monitor his heart rate, adrenaline and other factors that lead to him Hulking Out) so that the action can move forward and we don't spend too much time on stupid stuff.

The rest of the volume has Banner: assembling a team of top scientists to work as his assistants while he contributes his brilliance to humanity; fighting villains from the past, and working to stop an Atlantean terrorist. We also establish just how strong Hulk is (off the charts) how smart Banner is (Tony Stark is intimidated), How suspicious SHIELD remains (they create a robot to follow/monitor Banner/Hulk).

Oh, and there's also a major throwdown between Hulk and Iron Man. Yup.
And while that's awesome, the banter between Bruce and Tony is even better. Bruce pretty much shoots down Tony's entire life with a few words and leaves him speechless, but in a great way that anyone who thinks Tony Stark needs an ego check will appreciate.

There's a lot of pushing the boundaries of what this Hulk can do and take, and absorb and withstand, so the title change from Incredible to Indestructible is apt. I also like that it somewhat re-establishes Hulk right back among the top of Marvel Universe's powerful/indestructible forces. He's also the force working for the good guys for a change, instead of the loner, which is a cool idea. I also love how Banner is written here, not a meek scientist who doesn't like getting angry. (Waid even throws in a funny little joke about "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry, but twisted just a bit) Banner also mentioned to Maria Hill that he could just as easily give his services to anyone, including the baddies, so this Banner is a pragmatist, realist, who isn't going to be bossed around by anyone, and I like it.

In many ways, this is a great Bruce Banner book. I haven't read enough to know if there are others, but like another guy named Bruce in the comic world, a book that's really great explores both halves of the man. (Banner/Hulk; Wayne/Batman). So yes, that is high praise, but I see similarities between Waid's Hulk and Scott Snyder's Batman (specifically: Batman, Vol. 4: Zero Year - Secret City). Check out my review here.

So, this is an awesome book, a great start for a new series, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. This is also a great place for newbies to start with Hulk. I haven't read a ton of his stuff, and found that this was in no way holding back my enjoyment. I am giddy with excitement for Vol. 2 to arrive at my library soon! Don't miss this one!

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting new direction to take Bruce Banner, even if Hulk himself seems to have regressed to mindless punching machine, unfortunately. The Banner sections are as a result much stronger than the Hulk ones, but the overall idea is sound, and backed up nicely by Yu's awesome artwork. There's also a surprising amount of humour involved too, not something I usually associate with Hulk. Mark Waid seems to have done it again.

[Jerecho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story - 4.0
Graphics - 4.0

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty cool I guess.

Hulk is now a SHIELD agent and well he is working for the govt and first issue is him taking on the mad thinker and then the coming of Tony Stark and I like how their interaction goes and then the convos that happen and you see their friendship being birthed but the big thing is him getting assistants and I like the way its done and then going against AIM and Quintronic men which was a weird story but regardless it could have been expanded upon rather than being just a single issue.

Then the big story in Atlantis where Hulk has to team up with the resistance and take on Attuma and his army. Again a story which felt compressed and could have used some more issues. But its pretty much Hulk fighting sea monsters and making out with a mermaid.

Its a volume that is off to a great start but the art is horrendous for the character and some shots just look weird and while its big on action it has a fatal flaw that it seems unclear at times and thats one of the biggest problems with Yu's art but regardless a quick one time read. Maybe the future volumes will be better.

[RG · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok. I haven't read much by Waid but I've heard amazing things so I need to read more. Solid story telling. Banner decides that the Hulk is incurable so cuts a deal with SHIELD to run a lab but be called upon ig required. Pretty cool setup I just felt like the overall story arc was a little messy. I loved the Tony Stark issue where Banner puts him in his place. The art was great as well just wasnt sold on where the story could go

[Trike · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is... okay, I guess.

It suffers from two main problems: S.H.I.E.L.D. uses Hulk to solve their problem du jour and the Hulk is indestructible. So each story feels the same and the Hulk is literally never in danger. Douse him in magma? No problem. Have a super-strong mythic beast which can digest anything swallow him whole? No problem.

That just leads to boring storytelling.

The idea is interesting: Banner has become tired of trying to cure himself of the Hulk and decides to instead treat Hulk like a chronic disease that needs to be managed. He also wants to be a famous scientist/inventor like Tony Stark and Reed Richards, rather than being known as the guy who smashes everything.

But Waid makes Banner a super-savant who is good at everything, which again just becomes boring. Characters are far more interesting when they have limitations, but Waid's version of this character removes the intellectual and emotional limits on Banner and the physical limits of Hulk. (Exemplified by the final shot of Hulk picking up Thor's hammer.)

You know what? I've talked myself out of 3 stars and into two.

It does have some decent lines ("You wouldn't like it when I'm happy.") and cool set pieces, but they aren't enough to overcome the inherent problems.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually good.

Story focuses mainly on Bruce Banner, and changes him from the eternal wimp, to a man with a mission to help humanity... OK, comic book humanity, but what the hey, right?

Most, if not all, of the story focuses around Banner, with the Hulk making the "occasional" appearance (hey, it is called Indestructible HULK, after all). Hulk gets very little dialog, in fact, I can't even recall wether he gets any at all.. His presence is an important part of the plot(s), but over-all has very little to do with him other than when his brawn is needed over Banner's brain. But waidaminnit, if they're gonna have a story arc taking place in the Pacific, where the hell's Namor at?

The art is really nice as well.

All-in-all, a sweet little indulgence kinda book. I was a big fan of the Hulk as a kid, and who knows, this might be the book/series that pulls me back in.

[Mr. Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me about 9 months to finish this one. I had started reading it about 4 times, but gave up until just now. The first 2 issues are droll. I hated the pacing and couldn't believe this was the same writer that did such a stellar job on Daredevil. Mark Waid is one of the greatest and there was a time I thought Yu was the best artist around. Call me fickle, but his art should have evolved since 2006...alas. I still enjoy the art, but it just doesn't work for me anymore.

But truthfully, once the series started to roll, I found myself engaged. Not too amped, but still into the series. Only thing is this book is 2 years old, so who the hell knows what kind of nonsense old Hulk has gone through since then. HULK READ!!!!!

[Sonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great!
With superb art, and a great premise, great handling of characters, ... I want more of this if it is out there, ...

[Julio Bonilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

You understand what I'm saying?

Dr. Bruce Banner is looking for help from Maria Hill. He wants S.H.I.E.L.D. to help him out.

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Incredible Hulk is one of my favorite comic book characters. But after all these years I was getting tired of the same old story repeated over and over again. Dr. Banner tries to fix / cure himself and some bad guy attacks disrupting the cure while the Hulk saves the day. Banner just kind of moped around the rest of the time hiding from the world. Well in this comic Dr. Bruce Banner is finally acting smart. He realized that all this moping is not getting him anywhere. What he wants to do is invent / create. So this is the record of his deal with S.H.I.E.L.D to take advantage of the Hulk and still do the science thing. The writing so far has been solid telling good stories. I like this comic book.

Edit to add on 2nd read: Tony Stark is still an evil selfish man unable to grasp that others might be better and smarter than him. Had to tinker thereby destroying a mountain. I had forgotten the whole Lemuria story.

[Michael Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Hulk book and it really lived up to the hype. I don't have any frame of reference really, but this was good, engaging, well paced, well written, and gorgeous to behold.

The concept is really great and it's really about time that Banner decided to use his genius for the greater good. It's really interesting seeing what he's like, the way he's so competitive with Tony Stark and Reed Richards (there's even a little mention of Hank Pym) but its not necessarily something I'm enjoying.

I guess my main issue is how formulaic the book is. Point him at a problem, solve the problem, repeat. That's the idea and it's done well, I can just see it getting bored.

On the bright side, there's clearly a bigger story at stake here. It's going to be interesting to see where it goes. I'm still invested. Definitely worth a look.

[Jesse A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok. The story was good but I'm not a big fan of the art.