When it comes to the Hulk, can anything really stop him? Greg Pak’s Planet Hulk proved that any pain or damage he takes only makes him stronger, but what if he were hit with the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs? It’s a question Ryan North and Vincenzo Carratu answer in Hulk: Smash Everything #2!
If the first issue proved that the energy and action are there for this series, the second issue proved that stakes can always be raised in comic book storytelling. Hulk: Smash Everything #2 opens on Hulk punching out dinosaurs, all of which are feathered, I might add. The captions draw us into the impending danger, reminding us that the asteroid killed 75% of all life on Earth and the results of the asteroid’s impact. It’s safe to say North makes it abundantly clear Hulk should not survive what is about to happen.
Of course he does, and the result is flesh burning and chunks of him falling off!
This second issue is satisfying, setting up the big asteroid, showing us the fallout, and then resolving it before everything we know falls away. Hulk was sent into the past by Leader, and even he should have known Hulk would likely have altered reality, even if he died.
Hulk smash feathered dinosaurs!
Credit: Marvel
North and Carratu do a great job resolving this predicament, satisfying with humor, horror, and some superhero punching. It’s strong enough that once the cliffhanger drops, and the reality of what Hulk will have to survive next issue, you’ll be thirsty for more.
Carratu and color artist Federico Blee keep things bright colors like any good classic comic should, and plenty of forward momentum. Layouts jazz up the pages, like when time is being changed and the panels curve as if being sucked away. A double-page splash of the asteroid impact makes it abundantly clear Hulk should not survive, making the page turn to a Hulk on fire all the more impactful. The Leader is also well drawn, with his long, strange head and Doctor Strange clothes making him stand out. He’s a smug jerk, so you’ll enjoy it when he’s proven wrong.
Hulk: Smash Everything #2 asks one of the most ridiculous and brilliant questions in superhero comics and then answers it with style, brutality, and a bit of humor. By turning the extinction-level asteroid into both a visual feast and a narrative turning point, the issue proves this series isn’t just about smashing, it’s about how far comics can push scale, consequence, and imagination before reality itself cracks.
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