Hulk: Future Imperfect #2 - Marvel Comics

HULK: FUTURE IMPERFECT No. 2, January 1993

Bookended by two seriously sense-shattering fight sequences between Bruce Banner’s alter-ego and his utterly insane future incarnation, it is debatably difficult to imagine Peter David’s narrative for Issue Two of “Hulk: Future Imperfect” not completely satisfying each and every one of its readers in January 1993. But whilst the pulse-pounding pugilism on display at both this publication’s beginning and end are undoubtedly all an adrenalin junkie should require when it comes to comic book action, the forty-eight page periodical’s middle is arguably a bit saggy in its storytelling.

For starters, having horrifically broken the jade green giant’s neck at the end of their first bout, Maestro somewhat strangely allows his temporarily paralysed opponent to survive so as to apparently ‘kill him with kindness.’ This motivation seems a little questionable considering just how utterly merciless the post-apocalyptic tyrant has become, especially when it seems clear that his younger self is probably the only possible threat on the planet to the bearded dictator’s long-lasting rule; “I do not understand, sir. Why don’t you simply kill him?”

However, what this unnerving truce does provide is the opportunity for the Maryland-born writer to better depict just how this fantastic weird world functions under the super-villain’s less than tender administration, by taking its audience to the Wastelands to witness the futile existence of Boz, leader of the Wasteland Survivalists and “architect of a new future through vision and diligence.” This ‘field trip’ supposedly arranged to help convince Bruce to join his dislikeable counter-part, really helps expose how decadent and malevolent Banner’s alternate self has become, whilst simultaneously showing the fragility of humanity’s survival when the barren earth yields few edible crops.

Ultimately though, all these somewhat sedentary insights into Dystopia are soon brushed aside once it becomes clear that the Avenger has simply been biding his time and launches a seemingly unsuccessful attempt to wrest control from the Maestro. The resultant power struggle is marvellously pencilled by George Perez, and features some superb ‘set-pieces’ such as Rick Jones using Captain America’s shield to partially protect his aging body from a lethal punch, the main antagonist once again demonstrating his physical superiority over his less experienced foil, and the mighty monarch's ultimate demise at the centre of an atomic explosion back in the past.

Writer: Peter David, Artist: George Perez, and Colorist: Tom Smith