(***1/2)
Wow, what the hell is it with Loeb? He inspires so much fanboy hate! I read this issue once and I had a blast. Then I talked to some friends and whah whah bitch bitch! So I read it again. The fiasco in question? Hulk got his ass handed to him by Power Princess. Okay, a little weak right? But think, Power Princess=Wonder Woman. Maybe even more powerful actually. Remember Ultimate Power? Squadron Supreme vs. Everybody! This Power Princess seems to at least be more vicious than our current Wonder Woman. So Wonder Woman sucker punches Hulk in the face. Hulk fights back and eventually gets cut on the arm (Wonder Woman has awesome axe and shield). Hulk smashes back on shield and does hurt Wonder Woman.Wonder Woman then punches Hulk in the balls and knocks him out with one last giant punch. Now c’mon, it’s a bit silly, but not very. This is comics people! Anyway, it didn’t bother me much.
Here are ten reasons to read this comic:
1. The Ed McGuinness art!
2. The Marko Djurdjevic art!
3. Hulk doesn’t have those stupid tattered pants!
4. Hulk naked (If you’re into that kind of thing)!
5. Naked Hulk has money somehow!
6. Hulk gets laid!
7. Hulk gets laid!
8. Hulk gets laid (Is that enough?)!
9. Hulk gets laid (Now it’s enough)!
10. This comic is tons of fun! Nuff Said!
read/RANT! 
It was! I enjoyed it. I wasn’t too fond of the Djurdjevic art, but it was a lot of fun. Which makes me hate Loeb more, as he does stuff I like as well as doing stuff that annoys me. When I read a Loeb comic that I hate one week, then a Loeb comic I like the next, I get confused. It was a very pointless issue, but it was a fun issue. It was hilarious. It annoyed me.
Well. I’m glad you enjoyed this. Don’t get too mad, just read the good Loeb and ignore the bad. Their are very few creators who are all great.
Most of the reason it gets hate is because it is exactly what you enjoy about it – throwaway pop fluff. Reading a Loeb Hulk story is like reading a story you might’ve written when you were 10… Hulk fights (fill in the blank) and things break! Over and over and over again. Fun, but utterly disposable, and while it appeals to the lowest common denominator, the repetitive nature of Loeb’s Hulk stories lead to a lot of complaints. Which isn’t to say that it is wrong to enjoy them – everyone enjoys pop fluff now and again. Just saying, that’s why Loeb’s stories take a lot of flak, at least from the semi-elitist comic crowd that I’ve seen online.
Yeah it’s always funny because people will think I’m all high-brow for liking certain Morrison books, Casanova, etc. and then I admit I enjoy Hulk. Let’s just say it’s fun to see their reaction.
Actually, I’m not sure if you’ve ever read Hulk seventh, but they almost read like modern Stan Lee books. I’m not sure how many of the people who hate Hulk have actually read that old Stan Lee stuff, but they’re strikingly similar.
They both are filled with whacky ideas and an undeniable sense of innocent fun. A huge debacle was some nonsense with Rulk and Thor. It involved Rulk using the lack of gravity to wield Thor’s hammer, but if I remember correctly, Lee did similar things. Didn’t he once have Magneto use Mjolnir and the loophole involved his magnetic ability? I also find Hulk rather satirical. Sure, he comes up with an idiotic name like A-Bomb, but then Thing criticizes him for it. Even Thing admits something like “Although Thing is a pretty stupid name too”. And still, even if this was pure “throwaway pop fluff”, it’s still throwaway pop fluff with tremendous art. Loeb writes for his artists as well so he has Frank Cho draw lots of women for example.
Sorry, I’m not sure why I felt the need to explain my affection for Hulk, but there you go.
Glad you liked it. We need more people like you who are quite happy to plonk down $4 onto the counter to read a story written by a pre-pubescent teenage boy and then rave about it to your friends with the eloquent refrain of:
6. Hulk gets laid!
7. Hulk gets laid!
8. Hulk gets laid (Is that enough?)!
9. Hulk gets laid (Now it’s enough)!
That is exactly what the comic book industry needs right now. Well written, thoughtful stories with character developments and plot twists are a complete waste of time. I wish Loeb was writing all the books in the universe. He rulez so much!!! he is teh greatist etc…
Wow, bitter much? I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that you only read things like Watchmen, Kingdom Come or The Ultimates. All great, serious stories, that are unlike so much of comics. If you want to read comics for those type of stories, that is okay. I like stories like that occasionally. Sometimes, though (okay, a lot of the time), I like to have stories that are simply fun. I’d rather have a comic like Deadpool, Wolverine: First Class or Ultimate Hulk Annual than most of what is out there between the two groups. This wasn’t the greatest story ever, but it was fun and amusing. Yes, maybe he went a little overboard with the comments about Hulk getting laid, but come on! And as much as I hate to admit it, it did actually develop a character that hadn’t gotten enough time in comics, Zarda. The comic was lots of fun, and that was the main point. I often hate Loeb, but I still really enjoyed this issue.
Thanks Pi (I just watched your movie the other day), but I doubt he’s coming back. I believe the internet world refers to him as a “troll”. In this case, he is one of the many incredibly vocal Loeb haters.
In fact, if he would read the other comments, he would have known that this is just fun fluff and that even I myself read many other things.
I only wrote the checklist because it seems appropriate when reviewing a book like this. You’ll notice I tend to be less eloquent when reviewing books like Hulk. It’s all about fun.
Anyway, thanks again!
I didn’t like this story at all to tell the truth. Even when I read up on Ultimate Hulk I still like the Ultimate Avengers movie showing off his fighting ability which is cool. Then I see this where he gets beaten easily by Zarda of all people to wear pants?!?!
Oh come on…I mean really?
Since I don’t have the money to keep buying comics I still read up on them from time to time and one story said it took the heroes from 3 universes to take on the Hulk who nearly defeated them all. She was also apparently defeated by Thor alone and the Hulk can’t beat her on one on one?
I know this is the A, B, C, formula that is going somewhere later on but still it was very stupid. lol
So far, most of the comments I’ve read are typical & to be expected. Comic book make believe or not, I find it pathetic yet still 21st century low grade maturity/mentality commonplace that nobody cares that ANY woman, super powered or:otherwise is going to give the Hulk…ANY Hulk…that hard of a time, let alone BEAT him, I mean PUH LEASE. This story saw print to appeal to males with this type of sexual fantasy about being dominated by a woman in this way…AND to your typical man hating power craving fantasy land insecure female who wishes she could keep up with AND out perform the guys. Not ONLY could this crap never happen in any CREDIBLE comic reality (Byrne must have been going through some ‘political correctness’ pressure back when he had that short oriental hulkbuster woman trip the Hulk in’ 85) … But WHEN the classic/savage Hulk beats her good & proper, she’ll look stupid for trying… AND for being beaten by someone w/ the mentality of a child. Then there’s the Maestro…who after easily beating her in a fight would ‘go to town’ on her sexually. Then all of those cool jokes you read in those books & on those t- shirts about Chuck Norris would (& should) be about The Hulk.