Additionally, many people seem to be giving Cates rope, since he's in the unenviable position of following up Immortal Hulk. I believe this is a mistake. The current series is bad on its own (de)merits, not just in comparison to Immortal Hulk. This is d-list story-telling at its most banal. Demand better, people. You deserve it. Especially when you're paying 5.00 for 22 pages.
Hulk #4
| Writer | Donny Cates |
| Artist | Ryan Ottley |
| Cover Price | $3.99 |
"SMASHSTRONAUT" part 4 of 6!
As the mystery behind the Hulk's shocking new status quo deepens, Banner has piloted the Starship Hulk to an alternate Earth - one where Thunderbolt Ross is president, and he has an army of gamma-powered monsters under his command. Get ready for a surprise-filled, all-out brawl that only the insane minds of Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley can bring you!
Rated T+
CRITIC REVIEWS
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10
ComicBook.com - Tanner Dedmon
Feb 16, 2022Hulk #4 keeps things brief as well without skipping a beat or doting too long on any one point " it understands what people expect from a Hulk comic. Read Full Review
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10
BGCP - Andy MacGregor
Feb 20, 2022Wow, just wow. This issue was so good that after I finished the first read-through, I had to start it all over again. I thought that the last issue was slightly on the short side. But it's far from that in this one. This is an action packed roller-coaster from start to finish. And Cates & Ottley do not hold back on the ultra-violence whatsoever. Another fantastic instalment to the 'Starship Hulk' series and highly recommended to all Hulk/Marvel fans. Read Full Review
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9.0
But Why Tho? - Collier "CJ" Jennings
Feb 16, 2022Hulk #4pits Bruce Banner against the horrors of a gamma-irradiated Earth while continuing the creative team's penchant for eye-popping carnage. The final page teases another horrifying foe for the Hulk to battle, and it looks like the maiden journey of Starship Hulk may be over before it starts. Read Full Review
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9.0
AIPT - David Brooke
Feb 16, 2022Hulk #4 is a comic about emotion, action, and big beats. It has those in droves while also subtly building up the fact that Hulk is as important as any Marvel character as he leads the charge in the development of so much in the Marvel universe. Read Full Review
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9.0
The Super Powered Fancast - Deron Generally
Feb 16, 2022Ottley delivers some fantastic, energetic and brilliantly detailed art in this issue. The style is perfect for the action elements of the story and I love the explosive imagery throughout. Read Full Review
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7.8
The Comicbook Dispatch - Dispatchdcu
Feb 16, 2022Anyone whos followed Cates work knows that he has some insanely creative stories. The man is brilliant. However, sometimes taking that potential and putting the story to paper can be much harder than I think the average comic fan realizes. Again, Cates always manages to help himself out by finding some of the best and brightest artists the industry has to compliment his work. And that truly helps. But he needs to add more emotional points and themes while saturating the reader in proper narrative beats that flow and make sense. Readers, lets be real. Read Full Review
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6.0
Weird Science Marvel Comics - mrgabehernandez
Feb 16, 2022Hulk #4 is proving this series is little more than an excuse for Cates to have Hulk smash stuff. There's no rich storytelling or even a plot to be found in this title, so if smashing is all you want, smashing is all you'll get. Read Full Review
USER REVIEWS
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10
President General ross nuking a version of earth, unleashing a Gamma-Peter-Kaiju-Man to be fought by a multiverse displaced banner piloting his hulk, who's level four mental antagonist are the marvel Zombies.........might not be for everyone. But i am loving how bombastic, nutty, and fun this series has been. Sure its no immortal hulk, few things are. Immortal hulk was like a stressful succession of interviews to land that job you always wanted. Cates hulk is like having drinks with your buddies after getting the first paycheck from it.
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9.0
Still a lot of fun. I think if you're still having trouble overcoming Immortal Hulk, you should just re-read that. Stop expecting a 60 year old character to adhere to what was an atypical aesthetic for said character, or even worse, getting upset for another atypical aesthetic taking its place. I don't say this to be mean. You should stop wasting your money.
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9.0
Best issue so far, Cates plot here is the definition of pure fun, its okay and it does just enough to let Ryan Ottley shine, which of course he does. It's great seeing him beiing able to drawn those big battles that we all know he does so well, I loved him in ASM but he could never do the crazy fights(except in a few key moments) that he did on Invincible because the character didn't allowed it, after all, is Spider-Man, but Hulk? damn if he isn't in the right place, best artist they could have picked for this book. The pacing is slower than i thought it would be, but there still is this sense that things are moving forward and that we will have our answers. I know some people have already given up on the book, but these guys have every thing they need to deliver an awesome series, so try to give them a little more faith, i mean, look at what they have done. Ryan Ottley penciled Invincible, which is one of my favorite comics of all time, his work in ASM is up there with the all time great artists of the book, and Donny? look at his body of work: God Country, Baby Teeth, Crossover, Venom, Doctor Strange, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Thanos, Cosmic Ghost Rider, Thor, like, he at least deserves our attention until the end of the first arc. more
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9.0
This series just continues to be a lot of fun. Seeing what happened to Tony Stark and the X-Men in this universe was interesting to see, and I appreciated the, sort of, homage to the Dark Phoenix saga with the death of this universe's Cyclops. Once again, Ottley does amazing work with the action in this book. The story from Cates continues to be intriguing as well, and I like the use of Peter Parker in this world by making him a Spider-Hulk of sorts. Cates also sets Thunderbolt Ross as a cold, heartless villain as well. This book is just great.
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8.5
I’m starting to enjoy this for what it is. And because of what it is, it suffers the unenviable task following Ewing’s run and drawing comparisons. Cates’ run is like someone leaving Marvel to create their own Hulk at Image… only in 2022 instead of 1992. The concept’s off the wall but the art keeps up with it.
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8.0
Ottley's art is so good and fits so well in this book. From Stegman to Klein to Ottley, Cates works very well with artists who bring his vision to comic book medium. As for the script? It's fine. It's fun and enjoyable still. Sure there are some big problems like the unanswered questions we have, but I'm fine with it for now.
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8.0
an enjoyable comic book for sure. However, I cant help but compare Donny Cates Hulk to Al Ewing's Hulk sadly.
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8.0
crazy fun
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8.0
It's still bizarre how we went from Immortal Hulk to this but, as bizarre as it is, it's starting to become fun. Probably the best issue so far.
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8.0
Another good issue. The story continues, although very slow, but now we have more information on what happened to most of the superheroes in this alternate universe. We see again a lot of smashing and Ottley's artwork is always phenomenal. The battles are amazing although sometimes I felt that the color palette could be a bit more 'darker'.
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8.0
This issue segues smoothly out of world-building and back into SMASH. I have exactly enough context to appreciate the smashing now; the world-class art certainly helps. I can't help but grumble about the sad, hollow world of Earth-122, though. It seems tailor-made to allow for all-out Hulk mayhem while minimizing repercussions on Earth-616.
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7.5
Just outright bombastic fun here from Cates and Ottley. The entire premise requires you not to think too much but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. I'm hoping it eventually leads to some genuine moments between the Banner and Hulk personas to ground all the insanity, but until we hit that point there's nothing wrong with some good ole fashion smashing. And boy did this issue have a Hulk-sized amount of it. I also just want to add that I appreciate the complete 180° turn in tone/style when compared to Ewing's run. I think Cates made the smart choice to stick to his personal strengths rather than poorly imitating someone else.
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7.5
I mean no one can argue that Cates/Ottley don't know how to have fun! This is pretty rad. I'm not sure I'll hang around for much, but as for the time being I'll keep having fun. Bring on the BFS (Bring Friendly Spider) bitches! xD
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7.0
Pretty lazy script, if you ask me.
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3.5
The stars are for the art. As for the story... There's not much to see here. 4 issues, and $20.00 in and very little has happened. There have been many pretty splash pages but otherwise we haven't advanced much. It's like reading an early Youngblood comic, with decent art. I did win 5.00 from a friend; I bet her, when Alternate-Banner was introduced, that Alternate-Ross wouldn't be far behind. I keep lowering my expectations for this series, and, sadly, Cates keeps meeting them. Won't be long now before Bruce becomes the God of Gamma, or some such nonsense.
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10
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10
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10
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10
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10
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10
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10
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10
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10
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10
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10
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10
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10
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10
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10
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9.5
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9.0
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9.0
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8.5
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8.5
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8.5
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8.5
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8.0
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8.0
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8.0
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8.0
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8.0
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8.0
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8.0
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8.0
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7.5
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7.5
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7.5
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7.5
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7.5
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7.0
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6.5
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6.5
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6.5
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6.5
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6.0
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6.0
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5.5
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3.0