Hulk (2008) #11: "Trapped In A World They Never Made"

Reviewing The Order yesterday, which included the masked version of Doctor Strange, reminded me of a Hulk story that I had yet to finish. We're going to step forward with that one now.

As a quick recap, The Grandmaster and The Collector, cosmic brothers who use Earth's heroes and villains as pawns in games, are pitting the Defenders against a gathering of each member's fiercest foe. In Namor's case, that means Tiger Shark. Yes!

The Grandmaster tacks on another stipulation. The fights will take place in an unfamiliar environment.

Being that this is a past version of Namor, he struggles against his opponent, who has been boosted since.

And yet, the Collector and Grandmaster feel that the combatants are too evenly matched. So they bring a wildcard into each contest.

This is done similarly to dropping the fighters in an unusual setting in which to scrap. The newcomers are very well known to their teammates but not to them. Namor and Tiger Shark get a particularly shitty draw, for them.

The Hulk and Red Hulk had been sent to Atlantis to do battle. The red version appears to kill the green as the book ends, leading to a major victory for that side. The contest concludes in the next issue!

This was a fast read but a fun one. For being a Hulk book specifically, the other participants get a fair bit of attention too. I'm looking forward to the final beat down.

Hulk (2008) #10

While not my favourite superhero team by any stretch, the return of the Defenders, announced about a week ago, is nonetheless good news. It means that while he may often be in situations to which he's poorly suited (fighting in space, other dimensions, whatever), Namor remains on pages of comic books.

It's hardly the first time that Marvel has touted the return of their so-called non-team. It happens every few years, whether it's in a new title or a guest-appearance.

So we're going to take a look at a couple of those instance, starting with Hulk #10.

When we join in, The Hulk is loving life until his lady Jarella gets taken away by a giant blue hand (in a yellow glove). She is used as a pawn to get the Hulk to fight on behalf of the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster and his brother (The Collector) are a couple of cosmic dicks who are constantly involving Marvel heroes in their little games and competitions.

To fill out his roster, Hulk immediately thinks of his old Defenders buds. Grandmaster, clever cosmic dick that he is, chooses which version of those characters Hulk will get to fight with. He deliberately chooses each member at a time when they have suffered the loss of a female companion so that they are properly motivated. For Namor, that means...

This is a shitty time to interrupt someone and, as he will, Namor loses his temper. Hulk subdues him and the Silver Surfer talks him down.

That's some good intensity in those eyes. Major appreciation for artist Ed McGuiness here.

Once the foursome is gathered, The Collector reveals his own team and wouldn't you know, he had a similar but twisted idea.

Damn, man. That would be some scrap. It appears as though the story runs through the next two issues of this series, which is good news. This was a great way to set things up.