Hulk / Wolverine: 6 Hours seems to be going for some kind of prize for inappropriate covers.  This is, after all, a Hulk story written by Bruce Jones.  Which means it's generally a quiet and restrained affair.  And if you want an artist whose style is synonymous with "quiet and restrained", the last person you'd think of is Simon Bisley.  Don't get me wrong, I like Simon Bisley - at least in small doses.  It's just a real mismatch for the contents of the book.

Anyway, the story.  I can already tell this is going to be one of those series where it's a struggle to find something new to say every month (hence the preceding paragraph about the cover).  It's much what issue #1 would lead you to expect - a race against time plot.  It suffers from two-dimensional characters in the supporting cast, with neither the drug dealers nor their hostages doing much to mark them out from the crowd.

Thankfully, it looks like we're being spared the hero versus hero fight, and the main characters get straight down to co-operating.  As in the regular title, Jones seems to be keeping to a minimum the appearances of the Hulk (as opposed to Bruce Banner).  Perfectly sensible, since the Hulk is a character who's rather hard to deal with, tends to derail the carefully constructed plot, and whose entire personality is rather up in the air over in the regular title.  He really works best in small doses.

Plus, Scott Kolins seems much more at home when drawing in a relatively realistic style, and isn't entirely comfortable with the fantasy elements.  This issue introduces a villain with a giant clawed hand and a torture fetish, and he really doesn't fit into the look of the series at all well.  It's too bright, too light, and a character looking like he does should stand out a mile.  When two pensioners ask him, in all seriousness, if he's a representative of the local authorities, it's hard to avoid wondering what drugs they've been taking.

Overall, it's alright, but still leaves me wondering what exactly the point is.  We've yet to see any compelling reason why this story is being done with Wolverine and the Hulk rather than any other two heroes, and interchangeable protagonists are never good news.

Rating: B-

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