After years of teasing, fans can witness the Hulk finally becoming Maestro.
After waking up from suspended animation, the Hulk is surrounded by Dystopia. The area is what remains of the world after a future war. With the majority of humanity gone, Hercules rules over the survivors. Yet, his position at the throne is put on the line against the Hulk. After defeating the green giant, Hulk recruits Vapor to help him defeat Hercules. They succeed, Hulk kills Vapor, and Hulk meets his old friend, Rick Jones. The ladder is now wheelchair-bound and gathers what he needs to defeat his former mentor.
Hulk holds a ceremony in remembrance of Hercules. As he honors the fallen hero, Hulk burns his corpse in front of the civilians. He then declares himself the new ruler of Dystopia. The civilians disagree with the decision, arguing that there should at least be a vote. Jones and his granddaughter witness the broadcast taking place. They watch as Hulk sends in his Dogs of War upon the audience at the inauguration.
As the dogs kill, one of them is destroyed by a resistance group. It was blown to pieces by a gun designed to kill the Hulk. Jones is shocked because it was supposed to be in his hideout. The green giant then fights off the group. He does so by punching the ground with one punch. As he approaches the group, Hercules awakens covered in fire. The enraged god then begins to fight Hulk. Hercules begins dominating him and even fights the dogs. However, this distraction gives Hulk a brief chance to fight back. When Hercules comes back, he is then shot by the gun.
Hercules is dead this time. Hulk sees that it was the Minister who killed the former ruler. He was once by Hercules’s side and said that he never liked him. Hulk then asks if anyone else dares to challenge. He does this before yelling that Jones is next. After finding an underground area, Hulk believes that he has found Jones.
Banner was outsmarted by Jones and is talking to him via video chat. Jones tries to sympathize with Bruce. However, Bruce is disappointed and referenced his time as A-Bomb. He then adds that Jones was once a god. Jones retaliates by saying that Bruce became his father. He continues by saying that his father is the reason he is a monster. Hulk then tells Jones to shut up.
Jones says goodbye and explosives go off in the room. Minister is blown back as he witnesses the explosion. This does not put down Hulk, dusting himself off. Hulk check to see if everyone is ok. Minister then assures him that everyone is fine. Hulk’s comrade then asks how he wants to be addressed. Hulk takes up the name Maestro. We are then shown Rick in his hideout, where old Avengers are present. As he holds Cap’s shield, he is thankful for him seeing him as a son. Jones then looks at the original Captain Marvel’s gauntlets as he talks about losing his parents.
Then a shot of Hulk, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Wasp, Ironman, Jones’s late wife, and others are there for the old man. Jones’s granddaughter walks in as she heard him talking to himself. He feels lonely as he tells Janis that he has not talked to anyone in a while. The story is a great read. Peter David’s run on this storyline is fantastic. We don’t just get Hulk taking over Dystopia. We also see him having a difficult conversation with his old friend. This was the best part of the story. Hulk tries shaming Jones for not being A-Bomb. Meanwhile, Rick cites Bruce’s father for making him turn out even worse.
This is something Bruce tried avoiding as the Hulk. He sadly proved Jones’s point. Rick continues to feel lost, not just with Hulk. He feels it with everyone both he and Bruce have been associated with. It hurts to see the former sidekick not being able to turn to anyone in need.
As for art, four names are cited as enhancing the story very well. Germán Peralta, Jesus Aburtov, Dale Keown, and Jason Keith created excellent visuals. They have pictures that stand out. Some of them include a burning Hercules, who no pun intended was enraged with fire. The explosion and reaction from the Minister were great. The shot of Maestro Hulk should go down as an iconic image. Finally, the heroes behind a depressed Jones is literally a picture worth a thousand words.
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