Some may call it a ‘Pick of the Week’, we call it something else: being undeniably, certifiably awesome.

With all the talk of DC’s ‘New 52′ it’s sometimes easy to forget that there’s still another company out there firing out a ridiculous amount of books each week. More importantly, there’s a book that I feel may have flown under most people’s radar for far too long. That book is Hulk. If you’ve listened to our bi-weekly/monthly/quarterly comic book podcast Longbox Radio recently, you know how I feel about this book and the latest issue (number 41 to be exact) is no exception.

This week’s issue continues where we left off a couple of weeks back with Big Red taking on Omegex. Unable to defeat the creature on his own, Hulk is taken on a journey through his past with former enemy Zero/One, who is continuously baffled by Hulk’s desire to keep his human form, that gives us readers a better glimpse into Ross’ harsh past and gives the character much more depth than we had before and would expect from someone like Ross.

Since taking on the book, Jeff Parker has been very good at going back and righting many (if not all) of the wrongs that went down in the earlier issues of the series. A perfect example of this is the idea of The Watcher unleashing a monster like Omegex on him in retaliation for Hulk’s attack on him during Loeb’s run. The issue’s dialogue and pacing is rock-solid and makes me wish we could have maybe even gone a little deeper into Ross’ mind but I’ll take what I can get. The climactic battle might be a little too peaceful for some but we’ve already had multiple huge battles between both Hulk and Omegex in the last couple issues so a finish like this seems pretty fitting.

Artist Gabriel Hardman and colorist Bettie Breitweiser are, as always, at the top of their games here. Hardman’s wonderful painted style and Bettie B’s strong but muted colors are perfect for not only the great action scenes but also for the flashbacks to Red’s past as well which makes it that much harder to see this team split at the end of this issue.

I never thought I’d say it after reading the first issues of this book but Hulk has become one of the first (if not THE first) book I read when I grab my new comics and it’s because of issues like this that feature not only brawn but brains as well.

Honorable Mention

This wasn’t an easy week to have a sure-fire best comic book to read what with DC’s New 52 still in full force as well as a number of other great books from Marvel. So, if you happen to have more than $2.99 in your wallet and are looking for something else to read this week, here’s something else worth checking out.

Batman #1 (DC Comics)
Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Greg Capullo
Why you should read it: Snyder kicks off an exciting new chapter in the ‘New 52′ life of both Bruce Wayne and Batman with a huge twist that should leave readers eager to read the next issue. Also, Greg Capullo’s art makes me realize he should have been on a Bat-book of some kind a long, long time ago.

Dishonorable Mention

Yin and yang, good and bad. You can’t have one without the other and this week’s shipment of comics is no exception to that.

Catwoman #1 (DC Comics)
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Guillem March
Why you shouldn’t read it: Anyone finding that standard softcore porn isn’t doing it for them anymore would probably enjoy this one. Anyone else looking for a deep and intelligent read may want to look elsewhere. The issue itself isn’t a complete write-off and does have some decent dialogue and a cool sort of spy angle going on but, sadly, it’s completely overshadowed by shots of Selina’s chest and an awkward, completely unnecessary sex scene.

What books did you read that you really enjoyed? Leave us a comment or messages us on Twitter and let us know what’s at the top of your reading list this week!

Tweet