Hulk Annual #1
Recap
Four student journalists venture to Viridian, New Mexico, to make a documentary about the INCREDIBLE HULK... what they find was too fantastic to believe.
All events were documented and true.
Review
After a ramshackle year-and-change of wild yet terminally misguided Hulk stories, 2023’s Hulk Annual sets about the task of simultaneously telling a thrilling one-off tale as well as righting the ship left by the previous creative team. And it does, to a degree – albeit with a unique (for comics) form of storytelling: the found footage narrative.
Found footage horror films really took off in the ’00s with the likes of Paranormal Activity, but also with more benign fare such as Super 8. Hulk Annual tries to split the tonal difference between those two very different yet similarly-shot films, with intriguing results.
Writer David Pepose clearly knows his genre stuff, and delightfully, manages to wring a taut thriller onto the page that faithfully adapts tried-and-true tropes (“Hang on, let me turn on the night vision!”) for the comics page in a way that feels legitimately tense. There’s wonderful bits within the dialogue of the “microphone” shorting out with a sczzzzzzz sound effect which lends to the authenticity. Small details like that help sell the story of four intrepid student journalists trying in vain to capture footage not only of the Hulk, but of the town near to his origin, now ruined by being the site of his unholy gamma birth. There’s a lot of poignancy to that, and Pepose, hot off of Savage Avengers and with a hot new Moon Knight miniseries debuting this summer, wrings it with absolute conviction. The Hulk may seem like he’s only a guest star in his own story to the untrained observer, but his spirit looms large in every panel.
Now for the inevitable downside. With any attempt to adapt a film-specific narrative approach to the static page of comics, there’s going to be some issues with translation. And while Pepose and artist Caio Majado do their level best, there’s no denying that there’s something undefinable missing that could only have been rectified by seeing an actual film version of this story. The beats all land, but there’s simply something that doesn’t quite ring true. Points to all, though, for the attempt – because at the end of the day, Hulk Annual absolutely feels unique unto itself. Maybe a little time-displaced, since the whole found footage fad peaked at least twelve years ago, but unique and thrilling nonetheless. The only real thing holding it back is Majado’s chosen art style, which, though not bad (it is faintly reminiscent of Phil Hester in places, of all people), feels a touch too cartoony for the tone of the story. “The Viridian Project” might have benefited from an artist who leans more into a darker feel, someone with wilder inks than Edgar Delgado to more adequately convey the sense of horror and dread. Again – no artist here does a BAD job; there’s just a mismatch of style to story.
As the terror unfolds and a giant, 1950s-Marvel style monster gets involved – as well as a familiar villainous face of old, but not necessarily one readers would expect in a Hulk story – Pepose and Cajado really hit their storytelling stride, and as the pace quickens, the reader’s pulse can only do the same, until everything reaches its cataclysmic, heart-pounding conclusion. And then, as a bonus epilogue, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s run begins, bridging this issue to next month’s #1. And boy, does it look like a humdinger. Hulk-heads rejoice – this may not have been the story you were looking for, but it’s damn sure the one you need (you’ve been unjustly thirsty this past year or so), and it’s all leading up to what appears to be a bold, smart, renewed focus this summer. It’s all wrapped up underneath a jaw-dropping Gary Frank cover as a bonus!
Final Thoughts
Hulk Annual #1 boldly imports the found footage narrative style with expert ease and relatively few hiccups in translation. Don't skip this comic - it's a unique storytelling experience worthy of the big screen!
HULK ANNUAL #1: Found and Lost
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 7/107/10
- Color - 7/107/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10