RAMPAGING HULK 6 PAGE 3 SPLASH BY RICK LEONARDI AND DAN GREEN

This is yet another page from that short-lived series which I remember fondly if only for the great art by two master artists, Rick Leonardi and Dan Green. This page comes from the last issue.

The first panel shows us where the Hulk has landed this time, in a reservation where he is welcomed by old and younger Firehearts. The close-up on the old uncle tells you everything you need to know about him and his station within the tribe structure (i.e. a respectable and respected ancient).

The second panel shows us a very defiant Hulk refusing the welcome and even uttering a racist comment (by which I mean, this indeed how Hulk speaks but this would likely not fly in today’s inflammable-no bad pun intended-environment). The staging is well thought out here as Hulk is massive though barely delineated and slightly above in the background compared to the old uncle who is between the two more volatile personalities, as some sort of arbitrator.
Then young Fireheart, closer to us, clearly on the defensive and tense, escalates things based on the Hulk statement (and insult).

The third panel and small insert is in turn Hulk’s angry reaction to his foe announcement that he is not welcome, something the Hulk has never taken very well, has he? This is also showcasing Leonardi’s talent as he only needs to show us that small of a part of Hulk’s face to make us understand how angry he is, escalating tension furthermore from the previous panel. This is also shown by the thick black border, rupturing something within the flow of the storytelling to show the escalation within the scene.

The tension is raised up a notch (and released) in the money shot of the page, a very nice 2/3 splash of young Thomas Firehearth abandoning his human form to transform into his Puma alter-ego. We all love transformation pages when we can find them but this one is super dynamic, from Thomas leap to his crouching pose as he loses his civilian clothes to his full leap at his adversary, claws extended. It certainly does not hurt that I’ve always loved the very feline Spidey foe, from his rendition under the pen of comic book greats Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema or in later more feral version by Mark Bagley.

I love that while he is clearly outclassed, hot blood Firehearth will not stand this afront and does not hesitate to take on the Hulk. The various transformation phases used by Leonardi really enhance the sense of speed that the scene is unravelling at.

Hulk seems quite passive here, seen from behind, and yet you can tell from his pose and clenched fists that he too is tense.

And the old uncle barely has the time to open his hands in a way that would suggest he would want to calm things down that it is much too late.

Like always with great storytellers (and Leonardi certainly falls deep in that category), there are tons of details and many unsaid visual information to appreciate and make the page sing. Everything flows and lead the eye from top to bottom, left to right (lots of diagonals here for instance).

Let’s not forget to mention the superb and always organically flowing inks of the late master Dan Green. He is probably not the first of the great inkers I would think of a perfect fit for Leonardi but he does a remarkable job as always, actually proving he should indeed be considered one of Rick’s best inkers.