Red Hulk, Green Hulk, it must be Christmas...

Hulk #5 hit the stands last week as well, (can't believe I let that one pass) and we finally saw the return to action of the green-skinned giant we all know and love. As you know, the Doc Samson Red Hulk has been terrorizing folks for months. He killed the original Abomination, beat the tar out of She-Hulk and Iron Man, tried to kill Rick Jones, and finally found himself facing Bruce Banner. The identity of the Red Hulk was supposed to be a huge secret, but anyone who's read the books knew who it was long before they finally revealed it this issue. It ranks right up there with "The Sentry is The Void!" big reveal Marvel thought they were pulling over on everyone years ago as the biggest "non-secret secret" in a while.

The issue doesn't disappoint. Samson Hulk still has his intelligence and likes to use weapons. Green Hulk has just come off a world-breaking tour and isn't at top form. Even though Banner Hulk gets madder as he gets stronger, Samson Hulk is still stronger than him even then. The fight is a little one-sided at this point, but I know it won't stay this way forever. Banner Hulk will perk up after next issue (there's a guest star to keep the Samson Hulk busy next issue), and it'll get better.

I pretty much ignored Planet Hulk until it came out in trade, at which point I realized what a cool sci-fi story it was. World War Hulk was a very good story as well, with a great ending (the Sentry/Hulk knockdown was the best handling of the Sentry character Marvel's done to this point). Now they've taken this series a new direction and a new color, and so far it's showing up to be pretty good. For now it remains one to read with regularity.