''In... finity''

That is the Rulk's final word in AVENGERS issue #7, after crashing a superhero party literally when he smashes through an Avengers Tower window, landing at the feet of the Earth's mightiest.   Referring to the all-powerful infinity gems, the Red Hulk had just gotten his ass handed to him by a man who now possessed two of them, just a few minutes before his rough entrance.

This appearance of the Red Hulk caps off the beginning of an interesting, new story arc of this fledging young assemble series.   Parker Robbins.. formally known as The Hood.. has begun a quest to claim all the infinity gems hidden around the world.   No one knows quite what his plans are if successful, but by issue's end, he does successfully obtain two of them:   The yellow reality gem discovered in the ruins of a former Inhuman city and the red power gem... stolen right from under Reed Richard's nose in the Baxter Building.

Unfortunately for the Rulk (due to his bad karma that continues to rear its ugly head) he becomes Robbin's first test of his new Infinity powers and is beaten into a bloody pulp as a result... a beating that his cosmic powered body is certainly not used to. This leads him to another act he's not accustomed to.. seeking the Avengers to ask for their help. 

Writer Brian Michael Bendis is churning up a good story here and it will be quite interesting to see what he has in store for the Red Hulk as the series progresses.   As far as teammates go, where Bruce Banner offered an intellect to the Avengers team (other than brawn) that theoretically could be replaced with other ''brains'' in the Marvel universe, Ross has an asset that can't be so easily matched, even by Captain America.   The Rulk has maybe the best tactical military mind on Earth... and he's a genius at modern warfare.   This can be very valuable to the Avengers, yet a question remains.   Can he be trusted?

With all the good going for this book, sadly the only thing that suffers is the art.   Penciled by John Romita Jr., one can recognize his unique style, but a lot of his art appears lazy, rushed, and ultimately very lackluster, especially when it comes to the angles and poses he draws.   His figures sorely lack a certain degree of intensity that's needed in a book like this, and some panels like the get-together in the Avengers tower appear… to be blunt… downright amateurish.   Marvel fans have come to expect a certain level of artistic quality in their comics, so it's not a surprise that many have found Romita's work here simply falling short.   
 

3.5 out of 5 Stars 

 -A.J. 
 A general falls. A red monster rises. Stay tuned.