RED HULK #2 – Time for the Great Escape

Creative Team – Benjamin Percy(writer). Geoff Shaw(artist). Bryan Valenza(color artist). VC’s Cory Petit(letterer). Geoff Shaw, Marte Gracia(cover artists).

Published by Marvel Entertainment

Catch up with Red Hulk #1 here!

The Story

Last we left Thunderbolt Ross, he had just gotten his power inhibitor removed, and the Red Hulk was set to take out all Doombots that got in his way. After being locked away for an unknown amount of time, the Red Hulk completely took over, with Ross having absolutely no control.

After Hulking out, Ross returns to his normal self, but with bad news; he used up all of Red Hulk’s juice. Without being exposed to any radiaition, they aren’t able to use Red Hulk’s help to escape. It’s down to Ross and Machine Man to get them out of Doom’s prison.

Machine Man gets zapped by a Doombot, as is only able to work at a small fraction of his usual power. Now that one Doombot knows they’re escaping, that means all of them know as they work on the same network. Now that all the Doombots know, and perhaps Doctor Doom himself, they put their own plan in action. They visit the cell of Hugo Perez, tell him that he’s part of the insurrection, then he forfeits all mercy from Doom. It’s an execution squad and they’re taking each prisoner out, one by one.

The Writing

Benjamin Percy continues to impress with Red Hulk in the second installment. It’s an interesting side of the One World Under Doom event as this story shows how much of a villain Doom and his Doombots truly are. I feel Red Hulk #2 really put it in perspective just how much we know about Doom’s overall plan, which isn’t much. He keeps these people, or Ross’s “think tank” in these prisons or months or years on end, just to execute them when he sees trouble is afoot.

With the cliffhanger that Percy left us with, saying I’m anxious to see what happens next would be an understatement.

The Art

Geoff Shaw, Bryan Valenza, and Cory Petit are back in Red Hulk #2, bringing the storyline to life. Something I really appreciate about Geoff Shaw is the amount of detail he puts into each panel, making you feel as though you’re in the story. I think this shows the best whenever Thunderbolt Ross is in the scene. Bryan Valenza handles the colors expertly throughout the comic, giving us a dark and gritty comic that’s highlighted with the red of Red Hulk and Deathlok. I think the artists matched the story to their art perfectly.

Overall Grade – 8.5/10

Let me know in the comments below what you thought of Red Hulk #2!

This review was written by Megan from the Vigilante Vibes Podcast. If you liked my review, be sure to check out my other reviews! Let me know what you think of Red Hulk #2, or tell me what comics you’d recommend me trying out! Find me on my socials, and check out my Marvel podcast, Vigilante Vibes, by clicking here!