Incredible Hulk: Destruction #1

The Hulk is definitely NOT your average super-hero, if you even want to call him a hero. He doesn't wear a costume (torn purple pants don't count), he doesn't go out on crime patrol, and his identity is far from secret. Mostly, what Hulk DOES do is smash stuff, shout a lot, and cause panic wherever he goes. Not your typical hero.

True to form, Hulk doesn't really have a typical Rogue's Gallery of enemies either. Maybe that's because most people who run into the Hulk want to make sure it never happens again and, sensibly, try to stay as far away from him as possible. The closest thing the Hulk has to an arch-enemy is the Abomination. He is one of the few villains in the Marvel U who can go toe to toe with the Hulk and still chew his own food the next day. The history between the two characters is pretty ugly too, so it makes sense that Marvel has put together a limited series that shines a spotlight on the Abomination, AKA Emil Blonsky.

Incredible Hulk: Destruction #1 by Peter David and Jim Muniz promises to reveal the never seen before facts about good old Emil. Fans of Peter David's "incredible" run of Hulk stories will be glad to know that a ton of great Hulk supporting cast members are back in this series. General "Thunderbolt" Ross, Doc Sampson, Hulk, and, of course, the Abomination are all here in fine form. David's definitive take on these characters alone makes this book worth the cover price. Muniz's art is a great complement, giving readers all the huge, vein-covered, sinewy muscles you could possibly expect in 22 pages.

The story itself starts when some government official gets the "brilliant" idea of using the Abomination as a sort of one-man Army, to be sent in to depose the occasional dictator or whatever you might normally use an army for. Sending in one huge gamma-powered dude instead of thousands of troops seems like a great idea, right? It will save time, money AND lives. Seriously, what could possibly go wrong? How could someone called "the Abomination" be unsafe to work with? Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

Really, you just can't do much better than Peter David writing a classic Hulk story, featuring THE Hulk villain. The story is great, the art is great, and if you don't buy Incredible Hulk: Destruction #1 now, while it is Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week, you might make Emil angry. And, you know, you really wouldn't like him when he's angry.