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Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Ben Oliver
Cover: Ben Oliver

“The List“:  Putting a guy like Norman Osborn, the former Green Goblin, in charge is one of the best things Marvel has done in a while. This guy is downright, certifiably crazy, and yet is smooth enough to position himself at the top. Sure we all know that it’s going to blow up in his face at some point because crazy can only disguise itself as sane for so long, but he has accomplished what other bad guys have only dreamed about.

Norman has decided that certain things need to be taken care of, and it’s basically the wild cards that are still a threat to his power. So he has decided to either kill, control, or neutralize these threats, and has composed a List.  Daredevil, Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, and Nick Fury are but a few on The List; but the newest addition is Skaar son of the Hulk.  Since he appeared on Earth on a quest to kill his father, Norman has had his eye on him and that’s never a good thing.

We open up at a base in New Mexico, where Kate Waynesboro is being held captive and is being stripped of the Old Power given to her by a native of the planet Sakaar before he died. The process will kill her, but Norman’s right hand woman Ms. Hand could care less. That’s when Skaar and Bruce Banner come to the rescue. Several hours later, Norman has sent his Ms. Marvel, aka Moonstone, and Ms. Hand to another Old Power facility to attack Skaar and Bruce; this is pretty much where the fun starts! Norman is a devious individual and it looks like he’s several steps ahead of the game!

Greg Pak writes Norman Osborn like the egotistical prick that he is, while maintaining his intelligence and dry cynicism. The story as a whole is a perfect set up, and it looks like Skaar might get what he wants. Everyone knows the old saying: Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it! Pak also has Ms. Hand and Bruce going at it tit for tat with who can out gadget who! Just when she thinks she’s caught Banner slipping, he comes right back with something else. Ben Oliver does a great job visually; though his Norman Osborn did look a little off, the rest of the book is damn near perfect! The action scenes weren’t cluttered and it was one fluid scene after another. That’s probably why it read a little fast to me.

The book has a back up story, a reprint of Amazing Spider-Man #15, which has an appearance by the Green Goblin and the Hulk. This particular encounter was referenced by Osborne earlier in the main story.  I actually like and appreciate these old stories from the 60s, but I wish the cover price of this book wasn’t bumped up because of it.

Pak Hulk Good… Loeb Hulk Bad!!

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