In case I didn’t make it clear in my last review, Jeff Parker knows how to write and event tie-in comic. Unlike most authors, he seems aware of the fun these stories can bring to their series and ongoing plots if the writer bothers to try and incorporate the ideas the “Main Event” brings into play. He managed it last issue with some recycled material from Avengers, and things only get better from here with some creative and fun uses of his villains.

              Red Hulk takes a little break of sorts for Hulk #38 and this issue focuses almost completely on the villains, the new M.O.D.O.K. and Zero/One. Both of the villains find themselves in New York as the Red Hulk fights the Worthy-fied Thing and both plan to use the situation to their advantage, whether it be capturing Rulk or killing him. However, when Rulk is suddenly removed from the battlefield and Nazi Mechs begin their invasion of New York City, what are intellectually-minded villains to do? Why team up of course!

              Parker has one of the best handles of his characters voice of any writer I have seen recently. IT doesn’t matter if they are heroes or villains, you will finding yourself liking his characters and the way the act, even if it is with previously lame-duck villains like M.O.D.O.K. Every single character here is entertaining to watch, especially once Zero/One meets her “creator” in M.O.D.O.K. Listening to their discussion is exactly what you would expect a conversation between two incredibly smart, but psychopathic and socially inept people to be like. It’s incredibly entertaining to say the least and hearing their reasoning for working together to fight the Nazis made perfect sense and was funny all at the same time. While this is still very much a Fear itself tie-in, it is just as much a natural extension of Parker’s regular Hulk story that allows for some excellent insight into his villains. If there was a downside to this issue, it would be how little Rulk actually appears in it; his only line of dialogue comes on the last page of the issue, but I found myself having no problem with this.

              Elena Casagrande returns this month and does just as excellent as she did with the last issue. If someone had to come and (temporarily) replace Gabriel Hardman, this is the artist to do it. Her work is extremely similar to Hardman’s in many ways while having its own touches. She does an absolutely excellent job of making silly-looking characters, like M.O.D.O.K., look not out-of-place and her New York looks appropriately war-torn and battle scarred. Her action is also well-choreographed and easy to follow though she also manages to make talking scenes come alive as well. If, for whatever reason, Gabriel Hardman were to never return to Hulk, I would whole-heartedly support Casagrande as his indefinite replacement.

              I’m not sure what else to say about this series and story that I haven’t already. If you have enver liked the character of the Red Hulk, then I urge you to check out this series before writing him off forever; it really proves that any character can be a good character in the right hands. That being said, this particular issue has so little of him that it might not be the best issue to sway a reader on the character, but it is still worth checking out in its own right to see how event books can, and should, be done.