Hulk Visionaries: Peter David Volume 1 TPB (Hulk)

Rating:
Summary: Bringing back the good ol' days.
Review: I gave my review of the Incredible Hulk: Ground Zero trade paperback the title of "The beginning of a legend." Little did I realize that Marvel was soon to release a collection of Hulk stories from an even earlier point in the tenure of fan-favorite scribe Peter David: the actual beginning.

Finally freed from the depths of Bruce Banner's soul, the crafty gray Hulk starts taking steps to eliminate his human alter-ego permanently; steps which include turning to one of his oldest enemies for help. Meanwhile, the covert organization SHIELD is seriously re-thinking their policy on the gray goliath, leading to an unexpected turn of events that will alter the lives of the Hulk and his supporting cast forever.

Peter David kicks off his twelve-year run with a bang, taking several long-underused concepts from the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby era to breathe new life into the character. Todd McFarlane, who became the book's regular artist an issue before David's arrival, gives the gray Hulk a truly frightening appearance unlike anything seen before. The child-like green Hulk might be referred to as a "savage", but his cunning counterpart shows he's more than capable of redefining the term.

Featuring the very first appearances of bizarre Hulk villains Half-Life and Mercy, a confrontation with the original X-Men (then under the title of "X-Factor"), an all-new intro by Peter David himself, and a special preview of Incredible Hulk #77 (David's return issue), Hulk Visionaries is an instant Marvel Masterpiece. Bring on the next volume!