“Weapons of Mutant Destruction” part 5 dropped this week, but you probably already knew that. You knew that because Greg Pak has been delivering some action-packed evil scientist fun with a kill squad that only Amadeus Cho can prevent from actually doing some killing. The story has been fun, and depicted the villains in interesting ways, so giddyup for the penultimate issue in this story arc!
So what’s it about?
Why does this matter?
Everybody knows Wolverine vs. Hulk is one of the coolest hero fighting hero matchups, but what if you could combine them? You all know you’ve dreamed this up at some point or another, so why not see it come true in comics?
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
But the villains having normal lives angle was intriguing!
The infiltration of Serenity Hills, Texas starts in this issue and with it comes a lot of action frenzy and fun. Pak continues to use Cho’s incessant desire to refrain from killing as a dynamic that puts him at odds with killers like Logan, Sabretooth and Domino. Given they have a track record of killing you’d think he’d know better, but what can you do. Regardless, their team up continues to be fun to watch, as Cho in Hulk form can take a major beating, Cho brings in an interesting high tech angle to their operation and all together they make for a fun team to watch cut up some robots.
Two interesting twists are dropped in this issue, both of which make it hard for the heroes to complete their mission. I won’t spoil it here, but it’s fun to see them figure out how to get past a threat when surprises catch them off guard. Speaking of surprises, it’s fun to see the evil scientists refuse to release her monsters early as it further shows she takes her work seriously. If she comes out of this story arc alive Marvel’s universe will be better for it.
Marc Borstel and Ibraim Robertson draw some excellent fight scenes, as even small panels are filled with oodles of detail. When it comes to mutant Hulk abominations or robots with foot long blades for fingernails, the art team makes it look sharp and understandable. One highlight is a scene with Domino wall running to get behind some robots and blasting them good. It’s only half a page, but the action is easy to follow and fun.
How badass is this?!
It can’t be perfect can it?
The villains aren’t quite as interesting this issue–it’s like they are doing their best evil baddie impressions. The compelling element of the villains working under a seemingly nice suburban area is sort of chucked too, with the heroes bursting through and ignoring the kiddies. It feels as though Pak and company might have missed an opportunity so as to rush to the action. That said when there are monsters being created from mutant DNA you can’t argue that’s the main selling point.
In regards to Cho insisting his teammates not kill anyone, this was always an unbelievable element that has become somewhat obnoxious. The character and company will burst into a room only for Cho to say, “Don’t worry I see no brain activity” and have the heroes murder with impunity. It’s a reoccurring element that is somewhat tiring to see over and over.
Is It Good?
Make no mistake, I’m all in for the finale in Totally Awesome Hulk #22, as this and the series as a whole has offered big time action with a cool special ops vibe. Plus Cho adds an element that’s undeniably interesting due to the tech savvy tricks up his sleeve. The strong writing on the villains has dropped, but how can you deny the monster mayhem?
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