Deron Generally
Deron Generally
Maestro #5
Marvel Comics
Written by Peter David
Art by German Peralta and Dale Keown
Colors by Jesus Aburtov and Jason Keith
Letters by Ariana Maher
The Rundown: Banner finally takes control, but holding onto it will be harder than he thought.
After finding a clever way to remove Hercules from power, Hulk takes his body out into the streets to show the people that their Maestro is dead. He also uses the opportunity to assert his power as the former heroes body burns. Unfortunately, the seeds of rebellion have already been planted and a small group of people demand a vote. Hulk obliges by sending his Dogs of War after them.
As the crowd runs in terror, Hulk discovers that Hercules might be dead, but the power of magic can still be an issue as Hercules is revived by magical means to get a measure of vengeance on the man who killed him. At the same time, Hulk faces another threat in the form of a weapon designed specifically to kill him.
The Story: Peter David does a great job of planting the seeds for the bigger story to come and there are some great moments between Bruce and Rick in this issue. There are some moments in the story that made me wonder how Hulk could retain power when he seemed constantly surprised by everything and everyone, but those moments do reflect his naiveté regarding his vision and how to implement it. It allows for the evolution of the character to the one in Future Imperfect and in that way, it is effective.
The Art: Peralta and Keown deliver some great visuals to this issue. The imagery is beautifully detailed, exciting and well done. I really loved both parts of the story, but the second part was filled with great nostalgia.
Maestro #5
