Weapon H #1
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Cory Smith, Marcus To, Morry Hollowell
Cover: Leinil Francis Yu
Publisher: Marvel Comics $4.99

On paper Weapon H is guaranteed to be the most ten year old boy on sugar idea you could hope to conceive of: the Hulk, but also with Wolverine claws. To its credit, the comic is keenly aware of that and runs with it. That and if you’re going to do this, who better than the guy who wrote possibly the best Hulk story of all time: Greg Pak.

The book picks up after the Totally Awesome Hulk/Weapon X crossover that introduced the Hulkverine, but thankfully none of that info is required for a new reader to jump in. The main character Clay is a former mercenary who was forcibly altered by the Weapon X program and is actively trying to hide and forgot who he is in order to protect his family. As far as twists go, that’s a fairly clever one on both the original Hulk and Wolverine’s reasons for being. The book also goes a long way to carve out a fairly diverse supporting cast of old and new characters, the book’s entire emotional core can’t rest entirely on a guy who does his best to avoid talking to people. That said, as much as Pak takes the time to wrap a compelling story around this character, there’s plenty of indulgences given for the classic smash and stab.

Cory Smith, the main story’s artist does a fantastic job of distinguishing the book’s style from the more gonzo action of the main Hulk book with Amadeus Cho. Where that book is more of a super-science monster action book, this one has more of a horror movie meets Bill Bixby Hulk vibe and it works really well. Clay isn’t puny or young like Banner or Amadeus, but when he becomes Weapon H, it’s way less like a superhero book and more like a creature flick when he’s fighting normal people or of course the Wendigo. Marcus To also draws the backup story featuring the people searching for Weapon H and the more mundane, corporate tone works as a contrast to the more creepy main feature, especially with the setup for later issues with a relatively recent character joining the mix. Morry Hollowell’s colors tie the whole package together between the two stories, and make it look really good in the process too. If you’re looking for a more classic brand of Hulk story, as well as a new window in the Marvel Universe: you’re in for a ride here.

4 Beef Jerkys out of 5