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

Hulk: Future Imperfect #1 - Marvel Comics

HULK: FUTURE IMPERFECT No. 1, December 1992

Following on from Issue Four Hundred and Sixteen of the “Incredible Hulk”, Peter David’s narrative for this opening instalment to “Future Imperfect” certainly must have caught its readers’ imagination in December 1992, with its flipping of “the Terminator concept” by having someone from the past going to the future to save the world instead. Indeed, the Haxtur Award-winner’s premise of Bruce Banner’s alter-ego being transported to the post-apocalyptic world of Dystopia via Doctor Doom’s time platform, and subsequently battling the nightmarishly strong leader of a very unfree world is incredibly enthralling, especially when such an idea is so lavishly visualised by the pencils and inks of George Perez.

Somewhat surprisingly however, this two-part event’s opening is arguably a little disorientating, considering that it throws its audience straight into an action-packed chase sequence where names, faces and the inhabitant’s innovative lingo all seemingly flash before the eyes at an incredible pace. Admittedly, such an introduction to the Maestro’s realm undeniably makes an impressive impact, especially when Darkord is shot neatly in the centre of their forehead by the formidably-armed Gravity Police. But the flurry of bullets, punches, exclamations and injuries creates numerous unanswered questions which aren’t really resolved until the forty-eight page periodical is two-thirds through.

Luckily though, once the titular character does make a suitably dramatic appearance and literally rips the head off of a fearsome-looking robot Dog O’War, the story-telling becomes much more straightforward by simply following the Hulk’s exploration of his debris-littered surroundings. This gradual introduction to the adventure’s main cast, and eventual explanation as to just why Banner has somehow travelled to such an incredibly decadent metropolis is extremely well-penned, with the gamma scientist’s discovery that an elderly Rick Jones has hoarded as much super-hero related memorabilia as he can being one of several highlights; “Oh my Lord. This… This room… It’s completely filled with --”

Equally as successful in fuelling the imagination is the Maestro himself, who plays an increasingly prominent role within this book as the plot progresses. The green-skinned dictator’s bloodthirsty murder of an utterly helpless Pizfiz with his bare hands is certainly memorable enough. Yet even this grotesque demise debatably pales when compared to the homicidal maniac’s storming of the rebel’s underground base, and the terrible deaths his troops suffer from the secret facility’s hidden stash of flesh-dissolving acid, toxic cloth-eating gas, and deadly laser beams.

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