Issue(s): Hulk #427, Hulk #428
Cover Date: Mar-Apr 95
Title: "Six months later..." / "Swamped"
Credits:
Peter David - Writer
Liam Sharp - Penciler
Robin Riggs - Inker
James Felder - Assistant Editor
Bobbie Chase - Editor

Review/plot:
We've jumped forward since last issue into one of the stranger status quos of Peter David's Hulk run. Not only does the Hulk turn into a raging, dumb, Bruce Banner when he gets angry, but the Hulk is working for a garden gnome mechanic...

...and he's disguising himself by wearing bandages around his head.

The main person he's disguising himself from is the local sheriff (who we'll soon learn has a removable head).

In the meantime, the Hulk and Betty are living a normal suburban life and dealing with hot button issues (kind of like the earlier AIDS issues). This one deals with child-snatching; the next story will be about abortion.

The culprit in this issue is, uh, Albert Einstein?

He's sort-of aided by the Man-Thing.

One of the splash pages in issue #427 was used as a blacklight (!) poster that i had.

I always thought the size of the arms were ridiculous. I've come around to "understanding" Laim Sharp's art and actually mostly like it now, but i know not everyone does. He's definitely drawing for the straight male gaze (someone complains about this in a later lettercol and is dismissed as a Wertham loving censor).

But he's perfect for drawing a big fight between our two green monsters and their vine-y (in one case literally) arms.

Sharpe does some cool Sienkiewicz-y art when depicting the childnapper's point of view.

Hulk definitely dealing with some psychological issues during the fight.

We also briefly check in on Rick and Marlo's honeymoon.

(Art on this page only is by Darick Robertson and Ron Boyd; i didn't put them in the credits.)

The plot is arguably on the mundane side, but even so, this series is so much better than everything else going on at Marvel this time, even things that you'd think should be good (like, say, Warren Ellis' Excalibur). This of course in large part due to Peter David's long-term, character driven, story as well as his quippy humor, but it also helps that Sharpe's art and storytelling skills owe more to Alan Davis than the 1990s American artists.

Statement of Ownership Total Paid Circulation: Average of Past 12 months = 168,192. Single issue closest to filing date = 156,000.

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: The title of issue #427 is "Six months later..." (but that would mean that Rick and Marlo's honeymoon has been going on for quite a while!).

References:

• When the Hulk sees Man-Thing, he says "Oh, not you again", an unfootnoted reference to Hulk #389.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A