Hulk #38

Manhattan is going down.   As waves of Sin's invasion army push through the city leaving complete utter devastation in its wake, the massive forces of evil drive forward to finish what the Worthy Thing has started.   The Red Hulk failed to stop them... the Avengers Tower has been destroyed... and it's estimated that the city will fall in 2.3 hours.   Then all of it will be gone.   All of it.

"No. It. Will... NOT!!!!" M.O.D.O.K screams as he stands his ground and creates a frontline!   "All Life Model Decoys!   Report to my location with PLASMA RIFLES! And Discharge ZZZAX!!"

It is simply thrilling to see the new M.O.D.O.K. finally get a hell yeah moment in HULK Issue #38 "Planet of Fear Part Two".   Writer Jeff Parker enjoyably has our favorite mental organism designed only for killing taking names and kicking ass, saving New York and its citizens in the process.   His deeds are justified (of course) by concluding that no one should conquer the world but he and no one should kill the Rulk but he, which is why M.O.D.O.K stops Zero/One's assassin Black Fog from dealing a final death blow to a vulnerable Red Hulk moments before.   But for whatever the reasons, his actions are ultimately heroic and his come and get some attitude is just plain infectious and so much fun.   By the way, the new M.O.D.O.K digs chicks now too.   After sharing a quite logical mind merge with Zero/One and coming to the realization that it was his evil actions that created her, the large headed villain becomes quite infatuated with his shapely counterpart.   "I think I'm in love".   A new M.O.D.O.K. indeed.

Where the previous issue felt like filler and manufactured, designed to lure new readers following the Fear Itself Marvel cross-over event into the fold of the Red Hulk saga, Jeff Parker manages the second tie-in to continue his terrific story and actually benefit from it.   Waving away my previous complaints, Fear Itself no longer felt forced upon this series, rather just woven and symbiotic, something that is hardly achieved in cross-overs like this.

Parker's great work is complimented by the artistic talent of Elena Casagrande.   While her renditions of the Red Hulk leave much to be desired, Casagrande seems she was born to draw the new M.O.D.O.K.   And considering the killing organism was the centerpiece of this issue, she was definitely in her element of excellence.