Comic Book Review: Fall of the Hulks Alpha #1

The stable of Hulk writers have planned this story for some time. To kick off the “Fall of the Hulks” event, they brought in one of Marvel’s best writers-Jeff Parker. Add to the mix the always good Paul Pelletier and we should see a very good start to this storyline.

Creative Team
Writer: Jeff Parker
Penciler: Paul Pelletier
Inker: Vincente Cifuentes

Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10

Synopsis:The smart villains had their own version of the Illuminati. It is called the Intelligensia. Members include Dr. Doom, Egghead, the Leader, the Mad Thinker, M.O.D.O.K., the Red Ghost, and the Wizard. The group teams up to steal the Library of Alexandria from the Celestials. Other parts of the Library are hidden in Wakanda and under the ocean in Namor’s realm.

The Library is being reassembled in Latveria since Doom can provide the safest place to keep it. Once the Library is put back together, Doom turns on the others. The group is devastated.

Later, M.O.D.O.K. tracks down the Leader and shows him his plan to get revenge on their enemies. Including Doom. By combining various energies and using the secrets of the Library (he downloaded the knowledge before Doom betrayed them), he can create the ultimate weapon that he calls the Red Hulk.

Without Banner’s influence on this Hulk he will be controlled by the Intelligensia. The Red Hulk will remove all opposition to the group. End of issue.

The Good: Looking at the writers currently on staff, Jeff Parker was the perfect choice to write this story. He has excelled at understanding the continuity of the Marvel Universe. The way that he crafted the history of the Intelligensia, it is believable that they were working behind the scenes. It explains how different villains were able to return after their defeats. The Intelligensia was protecting them.

The group’s plan to steal the Library from the Celestials was well plotted. The discovery of the group by the mystic in Wakanda almost ruined their theft. M.O.D.O.K. earned his name with his quick thinking and cavalier attitude towards killing the man. While the Leader is portrayed as the head of the group, M.O.D.O.K. is their heart. He has finally found a place where he fits in.

Parker does a good job showing the negative side effects of their plan. One such effect was the Beyonder was accidentally brought to Earth by their experiments. I find this much more believable than Brian Michael Bendis showing the Beyonder bowing to Black Bolt. Parker does not violate previous continuity while the Beyonder was never shown as being subservient to Black Bolt in the past.

We now know how the Red Hulk was created. This issue moves the Red Hulk story forward with this revelation.

Paul Pelletier inked by Vicente Cifuentes made for a fantastic team. The art is influenced by Alan Davis but still retains Pelletier’s style. This duo needs to be drawing a regular title.

The Bad: I would have liked to find out who the Red Hulk is but I can understand why they kept the mystery.

Some readers might by turned off by the amount of Marvel history incorporated in the story.

Overall: A great kickoff to what looks to be a promising event. I was lukewarm to this event until I read this issue. Now I can’t wait. Marvel needs to keep these creators busy.