I’m probably one of the handful of people who liked Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley’s take on Hulk. Granted, it was a nearly impossible task to follow up on the horrific masterpiece that was Immortal Hulk…so it made sense for Cates and Ottley to swing in a different direction with a science fiction route. The idea of Bruce Banner attempting to exert control over the Hulk had been done before, but never on such a wild scale. Not to mention the horrifying force that is Titan. You thought the Hulk was scary? Try a Hulk that’s more or less a living volcano.
However, all good things must come to an end, as the old saying goes. And Hulk #14 marks the end of Starship Hulk’s journey. However, that ending feels a little too rushed. There is a lot packed into these pages, both in terms of art and story. It’s the latter that feels like it doesn’t fully click together. Not only does Ottley, who wrote and penciled the issue, have to resolve the issue of Titan, but also get Banner back to Earth and set up the status quo for the next run. All of this feels like it should have taken two to three issues to resolve instead of one, which left me feeling a bit discombobulated.
Even if Ottley’s script feels a bit rushed, his artwork is still a joy to behold. Whole panels feature characters getting blasted with energy and slammed through planets, as well as the literal fabric of time and space being torn apart. The issue also keeps in line with Ottley’s penchant for drawing disturbingly alluring imagery; the leader of the “Hulk Planet” Monolith has half her face burned off, and there’s a gruesome moment where Banner and Hulk’s flesh seems to meld together. The most disturbing is the demonic D’Spayre…suffice it to say, Ottley draws this guy in a way that will give you nightmares.
The rest of the art team is more than up to the task of delivering on Ottley’s Hulk-sized imagination. Inker Cliff Rathburn gives each of the characters weight and heft with his linework – this has the effect of making Hulk and Titan feel like the behemoths you’d expect. As befitting a Hulk title, colorist Marte Gracia fills the issue with plenty of shades of green. From the Hulk’s emerald skin to the various inhabitants of Hulk Planet, there’s green as far as the eye can see. The lone exception is Titan – the beast is more of a colossal black void with burning volcanoes for hands and shoulders. Even his word balloons are an inky black thanks to VC’s Cory Petit.
Hulk #14 wraps up one of the more interesting takes on the Green Goliath, though it does so in a rather rapid matter. While I’m looking forward to Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Nic Klein’s take on the Hulk this June, there will always be a small part of me missing Hulk smashing his way through the stars. But if the final page is any indication, Ottley’s left a door open for creators if they want to walk through it.
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