The Darkness/The Incredible Hulk #1: Review

Jun 2004
Paul Jenkins, Dale Keown

Story Name:

(No title given)

Review & Comments

Rating:
3.5 stars

The Darkness/The Incredible Hulk #1 Review by (August 31, 2020)

Review: Okay crossover seems a bit longer than it is, likely because it was printed on heavier paper, making it thicker than a standard comic issue. It’s a nice intro to both characters though I’m unable to imagine a comics fan who doesn’t know about the Hulk. Dale Keown’s art is faultless though the story is a pretty simple one, trying for a bit of depth at the end. The oddest aspect is Bruce Banner carrying a gun and the tale is a bit casual about the Hulk killing people (though he doesn’t but the ending promises otherwise). And I wonder how often Bruce is asked for autographs? Or offered a job with organized crime (been there, fixed that, he says).

Comments: Crossover between Marvel and Top Cow is jointly published by them and Image. Aside from the cover, Jackie does not appear “in costume” as The Darkness.






 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

The Darkness/The Incredible Hulk #1 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Jackie Estacado, vessel for The Darkness, is riding the subway when he spots a man who has a huge green burden on him. He follows the man to a maintenance room where the nervous fellow pulls a gun on him; Jackie recognizes him as Bruce Banner and asks him for an autograph. Leaving the room, Jackie gets a shock: with his Darkness power he can see that all the people on the platform are about to die: Chechnyan terrorists have seized control of a train and are about to set off a bomb at the station. Jackie pushes Banner into the path of the train and he immediately turns into the Hulk and destroys it. But Hulk knows who pushed him and pursues Jackie who conjures up demons from The Darkness to fight the monster. But The Darkness just makes Hulk stronger and he grabs Jackie and starts to squeeze. Then the terrorists fire a missile into Hulk’s back which turns his attention to them. With that Hulk pursues them, while the demons detonate the bomb (the subway riders have all fled by now) and the demons drag off the surviving bad guys. Banner confronts Jackie who explains what he is and advises Banner to accept his own “powers” and offers him a job with the Mafia. Bruce declines and heads off down the tunnel. A SWAT team arrives and Jackie directs them down the tunnel after the Hulk, seeing in their faces that they are about to die….




Dale Keown
Dale Keown
Matt Milla
Dale Keown (Cover Penciler)
Dale Keown (Cover Inker)
? (Cover Colorist)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Bruce Banner
Bruce Banner

(Robert Bruce Banner)
Hulk
Hulk

(Bruce Banner)

Plus: The Darkness (Jackie Estacado).

> The Darkness/The Incredible Hulk: Book info and issue index

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