In case you missed it this summer, a little event between two of Marvel’s titanic heroes just wrapped up. That’s right, the classic rivalry between Thor and Hulk has erupted yet again, and this time it’s Donny Cates at the helm. With him writing both Hulk and Thor, it seemed almost inevitable he’d find a way to settle this conflict once and for all. A Thor and Hulk beatdown is well-tread ground at this point, but Banner of War manages to give it a fresh twist.
With Banner bouncing across the multiverse in “Starship Hulk“, it feels only natural his one of his old friends would track him down. He didn’t plan on it being the God of Thunder though. Thor, still getting used to having his father residing within Mjolnir, finds Hulk and seeks to assess if he’s a threat since the “El Paso incident.” This simple conflict sets the event’s stage and lets the story barrel head-first into the action.
What ensues is the wild comic equivalent of smashing all your favorite action figures together. Even the first issue renders the initial face-off in the style of a video game, complete with health bars and a flashy HUD. New powers are displayed, tenuous alliances formed, and a Celestial Hulkbuster shows up?! Cates’ takes full advantage of the playground he’s cultivated across both books and makes the most of it here.
Marvel Comics
As our bareknuckle brawl goes on, there are some solid internal struggles playing out too. An invasion of Banner’s mindscape reveals the constant turmoil with his conscience and forces him to confront his actions in El Paso. Thor as well wrestles with beating/saving his friend and how to incapacitate an unchained Hulk. There’s never a dull moment here thanks to the creative narration and gripping visuals.
The art team of Coccolo and Wilson works great here. Each panel renders the blows for maximum impact. With crossover events it’s all too common to balance shifting artists, so the consistency through this whole event is a welcome change of pace. Wilson packs in vibrant colors to display the carnage. Arenas are annihilated in grand spectacle and worlds are shattered in bright blazes of gamma and lightning.
Celestial Hulkbuster anyone?
Credit: Marvel
This event knows what it’s supposed to be and goes all out. It’s not trying give a heartfelt story filled with emotion, it’s just a bombastic fight across five issues. Even then, it finds ways to continue both heroes’ arcs and weave their struggles into the overarching battle. My only real complaint is the resolution struck me as too quick. Perhaps it’s a result of the ante being upped so many times the resolution couldn’t help but feel a bit underwhelming, but nonetheless it seems natural.
This beatdown brawl occupies an interesting place as a bridging volume between both series, and it honestly got me interested in these books again. I’d dropped off Thor after the first arc felt dragged out and I had no interest in Hulk due to the start seemingly just throwing away the progress of Immortal Hulk. This story showed me that Hulk is building off Immortal still, and Thor’s recap shows some adventures I’d like to see play out. Hopefully this volume will have a similar impact on others too.
Banner of War fully delivers an all-out, action-packed adventure that makes for a story anyone can pick up, while also continuing both character’s arcs from their respective series.
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