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Brant Fowler on the issue

I have not been a fan of the Hulk books since he came back on planet. In fact, I wasn't a fan of them before he went off planet either. Try and try as I did, I could never get into the Hulk books, despite being a fan of Hulk, mainly from the TV show I watched as a kid. Of course, the Hulk movie didn't help things either (though I'd HIGHLY recommend The Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton! So good.).

Then came Planet Hulk, and it was pure genius. Take this character that has been pretty much one note - even though there may have been some good stories within that one note - and completely turn his world upside down, literally. And people loved it, including myself. For a while, the Hulk books were hot, fun and entertaining. That all ended with World War Hulk.

So when the whole Fall of the Hulks thing got announced, and Red Hulk and Red She-Hulk surfaced, I was less than impressed and just didn't care. But in doing the Why I Love Comics review podcast that goes live today, I wanted to try and cover the bases and take a look at important titles that came out over the past two weeks. That decision also led me to read Image United, so maybe it wasn't that great an idea. But in the case of Fall of the Hulks Alpha it was a very good decision.

Before I get into the praise for this issue, I'll preface it with something that did bother me just a little. The book opened up with a history lesson of sorts, told in narration. That could have really taken me out of the story had it not been interestingly written and somewhat entertaining.

But really, that was all there was to dislike about this book. If you're not aware or haven't read it, basically (SPOILER ALERT), some of the most intelligent super villains in the Marvel Universe banded together to form their own version of the Illuminati. I'm talking the Leader, Mad Thinker, Modok, Dr. Doom and more. These guys apparently had a hand in several events throughout Marvel history that helped shape events. While some could view that as a cop-out (and I did at first), it's actually pretty cool when you get through the story and realize how involved these baddies are with all of Marvel.

See, these guys, some of the smartest men on the planet, realized why they were getting their butts handed to them all these years by lesser opponents. So they decide to team up and steal the contents of the Library at Alexandria from the Eternals, and with that knowledge finally once and for all come out on top.

I won't spoil too much for all of you, but suffice it to say that even though this little organization seemed to fall apart at the end, the plans of the remaining members are coming to fruition in Fall of the Hulks, and it's actually made me somewhat interested, even in Rulk. So that's got to say something, right?

Chuck Moore compared these guys to the Rogues Gallery over at DC, and I agree that is one of the things that makes this book cool. While there were several great books over the past couple of weeks, because this one surprised me so much it gets this esteemed honor that I try not to hand out lightly. If you've been skipping Hulk lately, check this book out. You might just be as surprised as I was.

Written by: Jeff Parker
Pencils by: Paul Pelletier
Inks by: Vincente Cifuentes
Colors by: Guru-eFX
Letters by: Simon Bowland
Cover by: David Finch
Published by: Marvel Comics

M.O.D.O.K. The Leader. Mad Thinker. Egghead. Red Ghost and the Super-Apes. Doctor Doom. They make up the secret group who have analyzed every victory and every defeat in the Marvel Universe to create the perfect battle plan that results in FALL OF THE HULKS! The origins and shocking truths of some of Marvel's most dangerous villains are revealed as the biggest HULK EVENT yet begins! From fan-favorite creators JEFF PARKER (AGENTS OF ATLAS) and PAUL PELLETIER (WAR OF KINGS) comes this tale of the "Smartest There Is" and their quest to prove it, once and for all. Rated T

PRICE: $3.99
IN STORES: December 3, 2009